OUT IN THE FIELD: Fond farewell to a relic of my lost youth

If I could have let these ageing milestones pass me by I would have. But one thing guaranteed to make you feel as old as the hills is seeing one of your old stomping grounds close and then get knocked down. And I am not the only one.

The sight of the demolition machinery and gangs at The Gildredge pub in the town centre has become a big attraction with memories being shared between strangers as the hostelry and adjoining buildings in Terminus Road are all carefully taken down in readiness for the next stage of the Arndale Centre extension.

The best viewing point at the moment is just outside the railway station heading towards the Ashford Road entrance under the canopy.

While lurking about outside said railway station this week I noticed once again the clock face STILL isn’t fixed and if anything, has got a lot worse.

Numerous people have pointed out the damage to one of the clock faces where the whole opal glass disk appears to have collapsed inwards.

Cue a call to Southern which is responsible for the station and a spokesperson tells me the work has been approved for the previous damage and as soon as it can get someone from the maintenance contractors up there, they’ll be looking to tackle the latest problem.

Staying with clocks, I am not sure when it happened but thankfully normality has returned to the streets of Little Chelsea and our Town Hall clock is now bonging, striking and chiming just as it did before after weeks of being in need of repair.

If you haven’t been to the new Mediterranean restaurant Agora in Grove Road (what was French Bibendum) yet, give it a go. Myself and the fellow members of the prestigious Ladies That Dine Club went there Wednesday night and were all suitably impressed with the service, great authentic Turkish and Greek cuisine and all at a very reasonable price.