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Showing posts from March, 2021

Brierley Hill - OUR 2021 JOURNEY

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   Brierley Hill Our 2021 tour 'Unbelievable' moves on 70 miles to the Black Country town of Brierley Hill, Dudley, West Midlands. The name Brierley Hill o riginates from the old English words 'brer', meaning place where brier rose grew and 'leah' meaning woodland clearing. Largely a part of the industrial revolution Brierley Hill has a relatively recent history, with the first records of the town dating back to the 17th century. The town became heavily industrialised by the beginning of the 19th century, with a number of quarries, collieries, glass and iron works.   By the start of the 20th century the raw mineral deposits had become depleted leading to the closure of many of those industries and a decline in manufacturing.   It was time for the town to diversify. Donald Richardson, born in Brierley Hill, specialised in commercial development, alongside his twin brother Roy.   They were born a few streets away from the Round Oak steel works that once occu

Knutsford - The start of our 2021 Journey

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  Our long awaited 2021 Gandeys Circus Unbelievable Tour, which takes us 'Around the World in 80 minutes' begins its journey in the beautiful and historic town of Knutsford, Cheshire.   One of the most visited towns in the area, lying near Cheshire’s 'Golden Triangle ' on the Cheshire Plains, between the Peak District to the east and the Welsh mountains to the west.   A little town steeped in history.  Its name is mentioned as farback in time as William the Conquerors Domesday Book of 1086 .  It is believed that King Canute crossed the river Lily at a particularly dangerous point, hence 'Canute's Ford '   Its architecture is not typical of Cheshire.  Why?  Due to the influence of a local entrepreneur  Richard Harding Watt .  On his   travels around Europe and Asia in the late 18th and early 19th century, he was inspired by the architecture he viewed. ( We bet it took him longer than 80 minutes to travel around the world!)   On his return to Knu