(Trafalgar Cemetery)

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After leaving Trafalgar House I passed by Trafalgar Cemetery (which is steeped in history) and although I was dying to go in (bad joke) I decided I really did need to press on and meet up with Carol, Sheila and Joe at the Bristol – heaven only knows where they thought I was, I seem to have been out hours. And so with enormous self-discipline I walked past the cemetery and through the archway onto Main Street promising myself I would be back to visit the cemetery later in the week.

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On the other side of the road I spotted Inces Hall and paused awhile to reflect. We’d been to quite a few functions there, notably the one I remember most was a concert by an Irish Trio called the Bachelors which I wrote about earlier (see 2:33). Looking at the building it was nice to see it was so well looked after – it looked as though it had just had a fresh coat of paint – and (by the look of the posters outside) it was also still very much a ‘happening’ place for cultural events. 

(Inces hall)

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A little further down the road was Sir John Mackintosh Hall which I’m not sure if I remember being there in the 70s and wondered if it had been built since? It looked very modern. From where I was standing I saw what looked like military personnel in white uniforms gathering outside the Hall in preparation for an event. As I got nearer I looked through the windows of the hall and saw there was a library and other facilities such as reception rooms for corporate events; I got the impression (as with Inces Hall) it was also a cultural establishment but on a slightly posher scale? The military personnel I’d spotted from a distance were a band who were indeed getting ready for an event and so I thought I may just hang around a while to see what it was.

(John Mackintosh Hall)

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Looking down Main Street towards Convent Place seemed so familiar and as though time had stood still; as I walked down the road it could almost have been as though I was walking to work from Trafalgar House to HMS Rooke. 

Looking closer I noticed quite a crowd beginning to gather in Convent Place and realised straight away what the military band were preparing for; they were getting ready for the Convent Guard Mount (just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better!). Somehow I had a feeling I was going to be even later back to the Bristol than I thought I would.

(Looking down Main Street towards Convent Place)

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