Medway sunsets
Growing up in a post-industrial town when you are not aware of anything else was only something I have really come to grips with. Medway centred on one industrial space, Chatham Dockyards, when I was born, with thousands of jobs in the local area dependent on the Royal Navy. When the UK government shut it down in 1984 the local economy was devastated, and my home town of Strood began a slow decline into a dormitory for London. Not having a car meant my family walked everywhere or relied on public transport, meaning that while the slow decline happened around us kids, we were exposed to the rich history of the Medway town, visible if you cared to look. It drove my love of history and society, and as an adult has made me acutely aware of the deprivation at the heart of 1980s politics. For all of that, Rochester Bridge at sunset is still my favourite spot in the whole world, a view rich in history and colour.
When you are a kid you are used to what you are exposed to, not really seeing beyond your family horizons. My parents moved into the area just before I was born so were no tethered to the history of the town, so as we explored it was through fresh eyes. Rochester Castle has a view all of its own, the battlements offering a perspective that takes the breath away even on the tenth viewing, making me wish I was a kid all over again so I could run round like a mad thing. You touch the stones, feeling the storied past…
