| Archive for - Whispers From Walmington Forum - A forum dedicated to the classic British comedy Dads Army from the BBC |
| pault |
Walmington on Sea - Location?Hi all,Just looking at the south coast of England on google earth. I'm just trying to place roughly where Perry & Croft had imagined Walmington on Sea to be located? I know they make mention of a place called Dymchurch (which I see is an actual town). In the episode "Wake up Walmington" one of the locals in the Six Bells pub gives directions to the three sailors and suggests that they might be able to hitch a lift into Dover, 'It's only 20 miles'. I guess that would place our fictitious Walmington on Sea, roughly halfway between Dymchurch and Dover ??? Any thoughts?? Cheers, Paul. 
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| Novelty Rock Emporium |
From Jimmy Perry's autobiography Supid Boy. "So David and I started to work out the characters and locations of DA. We decided that the fictitious town WoS, should be a small one just across the Channel from France - right in the Front Line. Looking at the map, we found it could be any one of several along the coast from Eastbourne. | ||
| pault |
Hi NRE,
It was interesting to look along the coast with google earth and try to imagine where WoS might have been. I just happened to be looking (for a completely different reason) then thought of Dad's Army. Having lived in Australia for the past 36 years, I don't really know that part of England that well. Somewhat Off Topic; I'm in the middle of reading this fantastic book about a bloke that rows/sails a mirror dinghy from somewhere in the Midlands all the way to the black sea. His voyage takes him down to Dover, where I then imagined him to be in DA territory - Small boat, English Channel, Sons of the Sea !! Cheers, Paul.
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| spoken20 |
sorry i have no idea of thi.s 
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| Calum79 |
Sorry to seem thick, but does Eastbourne exist? I'm pretty sure it does but being closer to Barra I thought I'd ask? Ah, just googled!!
Also, tried Dymchurch. I'm aware that Walmington would be around this area of coast, just interesting 'where.' |
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| pault |
Yes, I'm curious enough to try and pinpoint 'where' ! It's a bit of fun mucking round with Google Earth and trying to place the most likely spot for Walmington. There are a few 'clues' in the show that help narrow it down a bit. Cheers, Paul. |
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| Novelty Rock Emporium |
When you find Walmington you might find this map handy?
http://www.dadsarmy.co.uk/map.html |
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| Bramleyman |
There is most definately a town called Eastbourne and I have stayed there a couple of times. | ||
| pault |
Does it (Eastbourne) have that look and feel of Walmington on Sea ? Looks like a nice part of the UK. |
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| hodders |
It's renowned for being occupied by people of a similar age to the DA platoon. | ||
| pault |
And properties are expensive too I would imagine. I'd say Godfreys cottage would fetch a fair price on todays market! |
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| iq |
Walmington-on-Sea has been totally redeveloped and you would not recognise it now.
There is a by-pass to the north, narrowly missing Godfrey's Cottage, and the aerodrome now houses light industrial units. The station is still open, but is un staffed. The seafront is a depressingly run down place. The pier closed years ago, although Stone's Amusement Arcade is still going, the Novelty Rock Emporium is boarded up. There is a little bit of life left, as the Marina has a healthy number of boats moored there, mainly due to the more reasonable cost compared with other 'resorts'. Fishing trips are very popular all year around. A few shops cling to the High Street and Alexandra Parade, forming a secure border to Alexandra Park, although developers who were once interested in the site have long since disappeared. There is no Jones Butchers, Hodges Greengrocer, Frazer Funerals or indeed a Swallow Bank. Reminders of the town's past glories can still be seen at the Peabody Museum, including the van used by the Home Guard, given to the museum on Jack Jones' death by his wife Mildred in 1968. |
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| Dave Homewood |
Are there now Eurofighter Typhoons operating from that aerodrome near Godfrey's cottage?
What about Walker's Wholesale Suppliers? Is that still in business, perhaps run by one of the Harris Orphanage orphans who later traced his father to that yard in Slope Alley?
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