Thought Experiments : The Blog

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Soul of Sussex

One thing you can be sure of in Sussex - you will meet a man in cavalry twill trousers, yellow waistcoat and houndstooth check sports jacket who collects old MGs. Guess what? Yesterday, in Sussex, I did.

# posted by Bryan Appleyard : 7:38 AM  

10 Comments:

  • At February 12, 2009 8:46 AM, Anonymous philip walling said…

    And? Your point is?

     

  • At February 12, 2009 8:49 AM, Blogger Bryan Appleyard said…

    Merely, Philip, that you meet such men in Sussex.

     

  • At February 12, 2009 9:30 AM, Blogger Brit said…

    County archetypes, eh. A rich but neglected seam. Who can doubt a true Yorkshireman when you see, hear and consequently run away from him?

    In Devon there is a particular type of gent; ruddy-faced, beaming, sideburn-sporting, tweedy but classless.

    My favourite nutters are Cornish ones. In a pub in Pendeed once I nearly jumped out of my seat when a man in a corner with a three-legged dog suddenly launched into a furious and foul-mouthed anti-Semitic tirade at the television. Odder still, the TV was showing an Attenborough documentary about flamingoes. "You f***** foreskin-less Jewish c***s!" he yelled at the oblivious pink flock.

    That's Cornwall for you. Inexplicable.

     

  • At February 12, 2009 9:34 AM, Blogger Brit said…

    That should, of course, read 'Pendeen' not Pendeed. In case you want to visit and see the flamingo-hating anti-semites.

     

  • At February 12, 2009 9:40 AM, Anonymous philip walling said…

    Why do you think they congregate in Sussex?
    Any idea what the stereotypical Northumbrian, or Cumbrian looks like?

     

  • At February 12, 2009 9:48 AM, OpenID elberry said…

    Yellow waistcoats are a must.

     

  • At February 12, 2009 9:56 AM, Blogger Mark said…

    Ah yes. There's East Sussex and West Sussex and then there's Sussex, an imaginary garden with real old MGs in it. Good to hear it's still going strong.

     

  • At February 12, 2009 10:58 AM, Anonymous snakepit said…

    Wish I was him.

     

  • At February 12, 2009 11:14 AM, Blogger malty said…

    Here Here, I used to collect old MGs

    A.. I dont wear cavalry twill pants.
    B.. or a yellow waistcoat
    C..or a check jacket
    D.. I most certainly do not or would ever wish to live in Sussex, it's full of shandy drinking wimps. Mind you I used to live in Staplehurst, that was close enough for me. Kent had lots of carrot crunchers wearing smocks and leaving their horse and trap in the pub car park, all pubs were called 'The Bull' and full of fat ruddy faced blokes called Eddie wearing houndstooth jackets, yellow waistcoats and cavalry twill trousers.
    Nice people though, it amazed me, this in the early sixties, how very much more shagging went on in the countryside than in the city.
    Brit, I'm surprised you found any locals left in Cornwall When we go the place is populated with Londoners.

     

  • At February 15, 2009 2:57 PM, Blogger lexander said…

    Sounds like my grand dad except he collected very old Austin sevens and had several lurchers.

     

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