The more Rural side of Harbourtown

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Entry posted by iGod · August 12, 2009

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Harbourtown is not just only skyscrapers, suburbs and industry. It's more than that. If the city inhabitants are looking for some relaxation outside the city they mostly visit the small villages and towns outside the city.
They visit Lambeth or Tottenville. Sometimes also Peters Hollow and Rockwood.
The story of Harbourtown is actually just a lucky case. They were quite a few villages around there at the time when the Queen came for her summer trip in 1702. Choosing Harbourtown was just done by random and the sudden increase the city got in later years could have hit any of the other villages as well. Therefore, most of the village people in the smaller villages close to Harbourtown are, not properly envy, but a bit jealous about the city inhabitants which they consider "just lucky".
Or as Ronald Keneth, former major from Tottenville, phrased it in 1856: "Could 'ave 'it us as well. Got a nice Church 'ere too."
The historys of some of these towns are even older than the history of Harbourtown. But most names croped up together with the city.
"Lambeth" was firstly mentioned at 100 BC as well. But since then, the population remained at pretty much the same level over years. It was founded as a farming community and is even today home to many farmers who have their fields around the village. But now the stressed city inhabitants found out about this little peacefull village. The new build "A88" and the Suburban train connection brings people fast into the city center, within 20 minutes you can reach "Charlotte". New housing projects were build in the village and now the inhabitans fear that "Harbourtown" will suburbanise "Lambeth" like it did with some of the other old villages, a.k.a. "Northwood" & "Birmington".
"Tottenville" was, like "Lambeth" founded as a farming community. But in 1650 the Catholic Church build a monastery on a hill in "Tottenville". "Cloister Banz" is now a very famous tourist attraction. It is also a "Unesco World Heritage" building. But luckily, "Tottenville" is still far away from the city. It is also quite a remote village just a federal road and a suburban connection are in the village.
Towns like "Rockwood" or "Peters Hollow" are some of the latest villages which have been build around "Harbourtown". "Peters Hollow" for instance was only build in 1921 when a new road was laid from "Harbourton" to "Baldham". The village was build next to the "B562" and is actually more ribbon development than a proper village.
But let's see some of the rural areas around Harboutown

These are the different actual towns (with their flags and crests), which once have been in the area around "Harbourtown". Some still are villages of their own, like "Lambeth", "Rockwood" or "Tottenville". Other villages however turned into suburbs as the city developed and pushed it's borders further. Villages like "Walford", Birmington" and "Northwood" became part of the city and some of the older generation feared that their kids might loose their identity connected with the villages.

"Lambeth" with it's old Police station and the Railway Station in the village centre. You can also see the housing projects which have been build in the 50's and 60's here. Most of them are still home to numerous inhabitants. At the right is the new build "A88".

The other side of "Lambeth" with the "Cobblestone Wind Park" located in a lettucs field. This is a new project to produce clean energy for the people. (Sorry about the black spots on the rail. I don't know, they keep appearing and dissappearing all the time. It drives me mental.)

"Tottenville" with "Cloister Banz". This Cloister is not only a tourist attraction, it is also the largest beer producer in and around "Harbourtown". That explains all the hop fields around the village and occasionally whole groups of tourists walking up there every day.

The "B234", connecting "Lambeth" and "Tottenville"

"Peters Hollow" at the "B562". At the highest hill there is the "Fourteen Hallows" a tower, build in 1642 when it was sourrunded only by forests. It once was supposed as a prison tower but in 1756 it became the astronomy tower for the "Royal Harbourtown University" and is still used as this today.

That's it for now. Comments are, as per usual, welcome and appreciated.