And another one bites the dust.

[brianp]

O0

http://www.bpears.org.uk/temp/DSCF3731.jpg

[Mulder]

Good name, though ...

[brianp]

Yep, the CAM merchants are good at picking those 'feel good' names.

It reminds me of my feelings when I discovered that my ancestors Archibald Pears (1738-1782) and his wife Jane (1725-1802) lived at the delightfully-named "Blossom Hill" at Allenheads in Northumberland - how wonderful I thought as I conjured up idyllic images of that rural paradise. The feelings only increased when I found the spot on a second edition OS and noted that the little hamlet where Blossom Hill lay was called "Dove Pool". Wow!

Imagine my disappointment when I found that the place only became "Dove Pool" when the locals petitioned the council around 1900 because, for some reason, they thought it's real name just didn't have that 'je ne sais pas' factor. What was the name? Believe it or not, it was "Dirt Pot"! And actually, that's its name today - "Dove Pool" just never caught on and only lasted a short time.

Despite the name, my images of a rural paradise persisted - until I found why Dirt Pot was so named. It was the site of Allenheads Lead Smelting Mill throughout the time my ancestors were there - right until 1870 in fact. So no rural idyll, no paradise on earth - just noise, fumes and smell from a large industrial plant just a few yards from the front door of Blossom Hill. So don't be fooled by a name.

[Actually today, it is an idyllic spot, but not back then.]

[Admin]

O0

http://www.bpears.org.uk/temp/DSCF3731.jpg

Perhaps this alternative, sorry complementary, medicine was so good that they cured all their customers.

They probably tried to save money by watering it all down... [cue the homeopathy jokes]

[brianp]

They probably tried to save money by watering it all down... [cue the homeopathy jokes]

Boom Boom!