Drawings and sketches this week...

I've had a great time with the challenge over at Paper, Paint, Pencils & Pens (click link), the Theme being "The town you grew up in" ...I have extended that a little to include various places around where I grew up, including.....

My first school, Primary, which had a separate Hall next door.  On one side it had a veranda, which the kids loved playing in.  Looking on Google Street View it is still intact, amazing after all this time.

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In the next drawing of the school itself, the building on the left has been extended towards the road over the years and an extra building added on the right.  I don't really remember going into the church for services, but I guess we must have as it is so close to the school.

'Tin Church' has thankfully been well maintained and although it has had a fancy porch added on the front is pretty much how it was when I was growing up.

I used to go to Sunday School there, which I hated. The Sunday services were run by two spinster sister. I think Spielberg would have used them had he been around then. Both sisters wore loads of make up, but one in particular always wore bright red nail polish.  The thing is she didn't take the old polish off and just added to it.  As I usually had the misfortune of sitting at the front near the organ (which this particular sister played), I was faced with these terrible nails! Yikes...to this day I don't like red nail polish (I wonder why)!!

Tin Church aptly named as

it is made of tin and has always been green.{click the link}

My Gran used to work at this house back in the 30's, when it was a private residence. 

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 From Google Street View it looks like it has been split up into separate properties and now called Bartley Grange.  It used to be called Eaden's House, as the family were called Eaden. Plus, and just to make sure nobody was mistaken back then, the lane it is in was, and is still called, Eaden's Lane!  Talk about making sure people know you aye!

Overlooking the green in Minstead is The Trusty Servant Inn.  I remember visiting here with my family.  Nowadays it is very popular for functions and the meals are very good. 

Here's an explanation about the 

name

The Trusty Servant (click link)

I've drawn a picture of this mythical creature...

(loaded my brush with paint and went straight in,
waited for the first layer to dry and then added deeper colour.
When that had dried I then added the darkest detail)

Looking back to the days of my first school, Netley Marsh,  has brought back memories that's for sure.

I was always scared of going up eventually to a class run by the Headmaster (let me call him Mr. E).  Well, little did I know I had no need to worry, as my Gran held a trump card on him!   You see, the school Office in those days was a small hut, shed basically, back in those days.  On one occasion, I was due to go off in the afternoon for a dental appointment, so my Gran came to collect me.  Quite rightly she checked in with the Office first, but opened the door of the office to find Mr. E and his Secretary in a compromising situation!!!  From there on he was always very nice to me and my family.  It was years later that my Gran told me what had happened....wish I had known that before, I wouldn't have spent so much time worrying about going to his class, {laugh}.

Joining
Paint Party Friday 
today
(many thank to EVA & Kristin
for hosting)



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