I am Tilmanstone!

This morning's meme is a departure from the usual lot. I volunteered for the Nether Poppleton Proof Avoidance Meme and papersky quickly answered that burning, all important, highest priority question: "What Kentish village are you?"

Not only that, her answer is spooky good!

My first thought was "...stone! Oh, goody -- I got a village with a stone in it!" Only after that did I notice that I got a man, too. Yep; I love rocks.

Google led me to the Coalfields Heritage Initiative Kent page on Tilmanstone, where I soon discovered just what a telling fit Tilmanstone is. For Tilmanstone Colliery was not only plagued by floods three years after it opened, but its economic status also bore an uncomfortable resemblance to my own. The colliery still struggled, losing money every year...

Tilmanstone Colliery was also something of a survivor, just like me: "Tilmanstone was extensively modernised after nationalisation in 1947 but was always considered uneconomic by the NCB. It was planned to close it as early as 1967 but survived until 1986." The Colliery stood 80 years in all -- a full 72 years after the first (but not last) time it went into receivership. If I manage that, I'll consider it a good run. (Knocking wood: I'm already 44+ years ahead of the game on the receivership front seeing as I never had the wisdom to file bankruptcy at various times that conditions probably warranted such a move.)

Then I found a current look at Tilmanstone Village rather than Tilmanstone Colliery. It's warmer than it is here in Wales, and while the village only has one pub compared to the two here, the Plough & Harrow is much more picturesque than Tedore's and the Wales Country Lounge combined.

Thanks, papersky!