what is your area 'famous' for?

[BumbleB]

Cliffs!

The first cross channel ferry (Haa to Dover!)

Michael Howard ()

Samuel Plimsoll inventor of the Plimsoll line

William Harvey, who discovered the circulation of the blood (if you ignore the middle eastern people who discovered it ages before him.)

Channel Tunnel

ME!

Oh, I should have said the Channel Tunnel - its only 8 mins from me.

[Green_Poppy]

Vincent Van Gogh stayed here, Turner painted here, Dreamland, Tracy Emin.

[FionaH]

Lord Cardigan, who offered a base for the travellers to stay while visiting Stonehenge (clashes with police hit the headlines on that, nearly 30 years ago).

If you mean the "Battle of the Beanfield" it was 24 years ago, and I can't be that old, surely?

[Hilary B]

If you mean the "Battle of the Beanfield" it was 24 years ago, and I can't be that old, surely?

Sounds about right. I know it was during the 4 years we lived a bit south of here, and we moved from there in Dec '85........

[RedThorn]

Birthplace of Cecil John Rhodes

[PaulG]

Have lived here in Southampton all my life, lots of Naval history that is fairly well known but some of the less known stuff is that we have the oldest bowling green in the world dating from 1299 which is still in use, we were the first local authority to name its town hall "Civic Centre", one of our shopping areas is placed on the site of an old leper hospital.

[SlugLobber]

The 12hr (used to be 24hr) lawnmower race is done near here (Billingshurst way).

There is a man buried upside down on Box Hill and apparently Richard Hull, who built Leith Hill tower, is buried at the tower, which he built hoping to make Leith Hill officially a mountain.

Oliver Reed lived a mile away from my ponies and I've hung out with lots of his cronies, who are clearly still feeling the effects, as they're all nutters, ha ha! I sometimes ride through his former estate and there are gouges on two pillars from when he would drive home p*ssed in his Rolls. My ponies are opposite the yard formally owned by Dick Francis' son.

Holiday, with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet was filmed in Shere and some of Harry Potter was filmed nearby, too. Pikeys broke into the set of the former and stole loads of film making equipment!

The newest 'Feed your family for a fiver' ad from Sainsbury's (where they're at a village fair) was filmed about 100m from my house in Brockham, with the fair being a complete fake, just for the ad. They did the whole thing whilst I was out for the day, so didn't get my 15 seconds of fame, booooo!!

Oh, Katie Price lives very close, as does Virginia McKenna of Born Free frame(sp??). Vaughan Williams composed Larks Ascending on Leith Hill (where he lived).

Dorking is now famous for having a giant steel cockerel on the roundabout. Nobody like it at first, but it's decorated by anonymous sources for special occasions and this Easter had laid a rather large egg (a miracle in so many ways, ha ha!).

Ooh! King filmed 'Love and Pride' video about 200m from my house, in the Betchworth Chalkpits.

[zebedee]

Annual music festival at Fairlee (Newport) plus the 'Bestival' later in the year, both getting top line acts - ie the Rolling Stones, Razorlight, Lily Allen etc. Soap box Derby in Newport. Walk the Wight - 26 miles over the spine of the Island, fantastic charity event. Cycle the Medina, where groups make bikes to cycle across our river. Various local parish shows. Steam Railway for all the buffs. Great place to be.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I was born in Maidstone, county town of Kent and where Trebor had their factory for many many years.

Now live in Ashford, which was once famed for its horrendous one-way system - once you were on it you could never get off. To remedy this, the council decided to make the ringroad two way - and Jeremy Clarkson slated the heck out of it (in print) just after it opened in the New Year.

[HeyWayne]

I was born in Maidstone, county town of Kent and where Trebor had their factory for many many years.

Now live in Ashford, which was once famed for its horrendous one-way system - once you were on it you could never get off. To remedy this, the council decided to make the ringroad two way - and Jeremy Clarkson slated the heck out of it (in print) just after it opened in the New Year.

I still blindly follow sat-Nev whenever I travel to Ashford, and only have to briefly touch the what was once, one way system.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I still blindly follow sat-Nev whenever I travel to Ashford, and only have to briefly touch the what was once, one way system.

Lucky you, I go round it twice a day - its a wonder i get to work some days. Ashford Borough Council were going to produce a DVD for the residents to tell them how to use the new system and its marvelous 'Shared Space' scheme (where pedestrians jump out on you from everywhere because they have equal priority - still doesn't hurt to look before you leap people!! Especially when non locals try to use bits of the ring road as a dual carriageway!! No!! Its two way, there's a ruddy great lorry coming towards you, and people trying to cross the road). Its very scarey!!

Have SatNavs been updated to show a two way?

[pendragon]

Well sensible ones are Dolly the Sheep and Rosslyn Chapel (from da vinci code fame)

but news to me recently was birthplace of man who invented Bovril! Only found out when the cafe opened over the road rejoicing in the name of Bovil Johnston's There are some upset people at work - they were hoping to open up BovrilWorld one day!!! LOL

[vikkib]

Erm...

Oldest recorded town in Britain

The only town in Britain to have named in "Nineteen Eighty-Four" as being the target of a nuclear attack!

Colchester killed Mary Whitehouse (well she died here anyway!)

[gingerlover]

Wakefield has the Rhubarb Trianglw where most if not all Englands rhubarb comes from.
Also home of Robin Hood.
Some artist called Hepworth, though I thought they were tailors.
National Coal mining museum for England.
They film some of Frost here.

[Glutton4...]

Oh, Katie Price lives very close ...

She's moved then - she used to live about 5 miles (as the crow flies) from here!