Blackbury
Encyclopedia
Blackbury is a fictional English town, created by Terry Pratchett
and featured in The Bromeliad
and the Johnny Maxwell
books.
Its exact location is unclear, but it seems to be in South-West England, probably the somewhere in the downland
s. A real Blackbury Castle exists in Devon
, which might or might not be relevant. In the television adaptation of Johnny and the Bomb Blackbury is near Manchester
. It could be somewhere in Central England, as mention of a fictional news team from "Mid-Midlands News" is made. In addition it is mentioned as being too far from London for any real interest in its heritage sites, like the cemetery.
Blackbury is an almost unnaturally ordinary British town. Like most towns, it is centred on a High Street which was once full of little shops but is now a pedestrian precinct, containing benches designed to be uncomfortable, so that people don't sit on them and make the place untidy, and flower beds which sport a bright and varied selection of crisp packets. Near the precinct is the Neil Armstrong Shopping Mall, site of the Arnco Super Saverstore and noted for its Christmas
display of Dolls of All Nations. It is also famous in computer circles as the site of J&J Software, where the first reports of something odd happening to the computer game Only You Can Save Mankind originated.
Also in the High Street is the Arnco Leisure Centre, which was built on the site of the old Arnold Bros. Department Store, the foundation of the Arnco Group. Older residents who worked at Arnold Bros. recall odd things happening on occasion, facetiously attributed to "gnome
s" living under the floorboards. Some former workers jokingly suggest this might also explain the lorry that was stolen the night before the demolition.
On Cemetery Road is Blackbury Cemetery, which achieved brief fame during the public protests when the municipal authority
attempted to sell it to United Amalgamated Conglomerated Holdings. It is noted for the number of internees who might have been famous, but weren't. Opposite the cemetery is the U.A.C.H. building, on the site of the old Blackbury Rubber Boot Company factory.
Past the Methodist chapel at the end of the High Street is the former site of Paradise Street and the Blackbury Preserves pickle factory. Both were destroyed in the "Blackbury Blitz" of World War II, when the factory was mistaken for the goods yard at the nearby town of Slate. Thanks to an amazing turn of speed by Tom Maxwell, one of the soldiers on Blackdown, there were no fatalities.
People in the town centre are advised to listen out for Mrs. Tachyon
, a bag lady who has been in the town for over seventy years, and has appeared sixty throughout them. If they fail to get out of her way, she will run them over with her shopping trolley full of mysterious bags.
Beyond the town centre is the Joshua N'Clement Block, a fourteen-storey tower block
built in 1965 and named after a famous revolutionary leader and, as it turned out, embezzler. It is crowded, poorly maintained and known for gangs.
Blackbury appears decidedly unremarkable. But it depends on how you look at it.
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
and featured in The Bromeliad
The Bromeliad
The Nome Trilogy, also known in the US as The Bromeliad Trilogy, is a trilogy of children's books by Terry Pratchett, consisting of#Truckers #Diggers #Wings...
and the Johnny Maxwell
Johnny Maxwell
Johnny Maxwell is a fictional character in a series of three children's books by Terry Pratchett. He is a young boy living in the typical late-20th-century English town of Blackbury .Johnny has a difficult home life...
books.
Its exact location is unclear, but it seems to be in South-West England, probably the somewhere in the downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
s. A real Blackbury Castle exists in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, which might or might not be relevant. In the television adaptation of Johnny and the Bomb Blackbury is near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. It could be somewhere in Central England, as mention of a fictional news team from "Mid-Midlands News" is made. In addition it is mentioned as being too far from London for any real interest in its heritage sites, like the cemetery.
Blackbury is an almost unnaturally ordinary British town. Like most towns, it is centred on a High Street which was once full of little shops but is now a pedestrian precinct, containing benches designed to be uncomfortable, so that people don't sit on them and make the place untidy, and flower beds which sport a bright and varied selection of crisp packets. Near the precinct is the Neil Armstrong Shopping Mall, site of the Arnco Super Saverstore and noted for its Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
display of Dolls of All Nations. It is also famous in computer circles as the site of J&J Software, where the first reports of something odd happening to the computer game Only You Can Save Mankind originated.
Also in the High Street is the Arnco Leisure Centre, which was built on the site of the old Arnold Bros. Department Store, the foundation of the Arnco Group. Older residents who worked at Arnold Bros. recall odd things happening on occasion, facetiously attributed to "gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
s" living under the floorboards. Some former workers jokingly suggest this might also explain the lorry that was stolen the night before the demolition.
On Cemetery Road is Blackbury Cemetery, which achieved brief fame during the public protests when the municipal authority
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
attempted to sell it to United Amalgamated Conglomerated Holdings. It is noted for the number of internees who might have been famous, but weren't. Opposite the cemetery is the U.A.C.H. building, on the site of the old Blackbury Rubber Boot Company factory.
Past the Methodist chapel at the end of the High Street is the former site of Paradise Street and the Blackbury Preserves pickle factory. Both were destroyed in the "Blackbury Blitz" of World War II, when the factory was mistaken for the goods yard at the nearby town of Slate. Thanks to an amazing turn of speed by Tom Maxwell, one of the soldiers on Blackdown, there were no fatalities.
People in the town centre are advised to listen out for Mrs. Tachyon
Tachyon
A tachyon is a hypothetical subatomic particle that always moves faster than light. In the language of special relativity, a tachyon would be a particle with space-like four-momentum and imaginary proper time. A tachyon would be constrained to the space-like portion of the energy-momentum graph...
, a bag lady who has been in the town for over seventy years, and has appeared sixty throughout them. If they fail to get out of her way, she will run them over with her shopping trolley full of mysterious bags.
Beyond the town centre is the Joshua N'Clement Block, a fourteen-storey tower block
Tower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...
built in 1965 and named after a famous revolutionary leader and, as it turned out, embezzler. It is crowded, poorly maintained and known for gangs.
Blackbury appears decidedly unremarkable. But it depends on how you look at it.