Feeding time

This murky photo from Anna Behan's collection (though not taken by her as she's in the picture herself) is the only one C-H-M has seen that shows the assembled multitude eating supper. Dr Ferris says it reminds him of the prisoners' meal scene in 'The Shawshank Redemption' ...

Discernible in the gloom are Julie Ann Souter, Mandy Hatherly, Anna, Training, Arwel Barrett and John Parry.

Dr Ferris has been inspired by yesterday's post to make the following observations: "It was good to see a photo of diggers drinking in the Imperial Beer Gardens in Cheltenham on the blog. I have already waxed lyrical on Crickley Hill Man's blog about days' off in Cheltenham and so won't go on too much more about the delights of this urban oasis; however, your picture brought to mind one extended lunchtime's drinking at the IBG, possibly in 1975, that was memorable for the appearance at the diggers' table of the improbably-named Sarah Goodnight, a model-tall, elegant and willowy American from one of the southern States. Spying us from the Promenade and coming over to say hello she surveyed the drinks table, groaning with empties and crowded with new pints, and the over-animated, dissolute diggers and asked 'Y'all jist sittin around here all day gittin drunk?', to which all happily replied 'yes'. Sarah then made her excuses and left. I just couldn't drink like that at lunchtimes nowadays; perhaps that's a good thing."

I don't think that Cheltenham Borough Council will thank you for calling them the Imperial Beer Gardens, Dr F ... binge drinking, broken Britain, mumble mumble, splutter ...

One Thursday in 1985 ...

A day off in Cheltenham: this looks like a beautiful sunny day in the Imperial Gardens somewhere adjacent to the beer tent: amongst others, Corky Gregory, Rick Cleal, John Parry, Clive Anderson, Kate Heathcott and Ken Collier. Photo: Dr Phillpotts.

One Thursday in 1985 ...

For reasons I know not - but I'm sure enlightenment would come from Messrs. Dixon or Savage - Thursday was the rest day. By and large, because the bus that stopped at the end of Greenway Lane went to Cheltenham, almost everyone went into Cheltenham on Thursdays to do a little bit of shopping and to relax.  Few people, especially in the first 15 years of the excavations, had cars, so other destinations than Cheltenham were a rarity.  (Much for the same reason, public houses other than the Air Balloon were rarely honoured with the diggers' custom.  There were occasional trips to the Green Dragon at Cowley, but not much else.)

Favoured haunts included the Montpellier end of town, the Promenade and the Imperial Gardens.  The latter, I think, is the location of the above Phillpotts 1985 picture of Sasha Judelson and Alan Lupton (with a hint of Nadine Munn-Baron on the left).