Midweek Mishmash

As it’s title says, this post is a mixture of all sorts of things – enjoy!

INTRODUCTION

I have a wide range of stuff for you, including pictures and links.

GREYFRIARS

In the second of my series of posts about “Buildings of King’s Lynn”, I put up some pictures of Greyfriars Tower. Tucked away in one corner of the grounds is a scale model of the friary as it would have been back in the 14th century…

Model + Key — A five image composite showing the model and the key (four images)

DSCN4534 — eight individual images starting with this one.

PICTURES FROM TODAY IN KING’S LYNN

For more about what this company does click here.

More details about the company that this second survey boat belongs to cna be found by clicking here.

For the opera lovers among you.

LINKS

I have a plethora of links for you today. I start with a subsection dealing with…

PETITIONS

Two petitions today:

On the Government’s own petitions website, is this call to protect academic freedom. The government have new legislation in the pipeline to include an ‘anti-lobbying’ clause in all government grants, and this petition seeks to exempt academic research from this law.

My second petition is on a matter of local interest. A new factory farm is planned for Sedgeford, Norfolk and if you find the notion as repellent as I do please click here to sign and share the petition against it.

AN APPROPRIATE STAND ALONE LINK

Appropriate because the MP about whom this piece was written, the dishonourable Julian Lewis, is in a club of one as a British MP who will not accept communication by email.

A TRIO FROM COSMOS UP

The website cosmos up has been in fine form recently, and here (two of them accompanied by images) are three crackers they have produced in less than two full days…

First up, details of a method by which we could get to Mars in three days.

Second, with no images, this about the brightest and darkest objects in our universe.

Thirdly, is this examination of the question of what life would be like on a donut shaped planet.

This picture shows the orbital path of a donut planet’s moon should it have one.

A NEW POST ON WWW.LONDONTU.BE

A reminder of the existence of my London Transport themed website. Today’s new post focusses on London Bridge, partially inspired by this picture…

REMINDER: POSITIVE AUTISM AWARENESS CONFERENCE

This will be taking place on April 15th at the Dukes Head Hotel, Tiesday Market Place, King’s Lynn, starting at 9:30. It has proved very popular – my latest information is that just 13 tickets are yet to be bought.

DSCN9319 — The venue for the Positive Autism Awareness Conference.

Norfolk’s Special Needs Shame

A pointer to an article in the EDP that highlights a grave failing in Norfolk, along with raising the possibility of submitting an appropriately worded FOI request.

INTRODUCTION

A single issue post here – I may put another more general one later today…

NORFOLK’S SPECIAL NEEDS SHAME

This starts with an article, in the Eastern Daily Press, by Sophie Biddle which points out that to quote the headline “Only one other place in England expels more children with special needs than Norfolk“ – and I urge you all to read the article in full.

I wonder how many of these pupils were autistic or had autistic traits.

Since this post is written with my NAS West Norfolk hat on, I conclude with a reminder that we are holding a Postive Autism Awareness Conference at the Dukes Head, Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn on April 15th.

More Buildings of King’s Lynn

A follow up to my post “Buildings of Lynn”, highlighting some of the architecture that results from nine hundred years of history.

INTRODUCTION

Just over a week ago I put up a post called “Buildings of King’s Lynn” in response to a very nice comment that Faraday’s Candle had posted on my “About Aspiblog” page. That post was very well received, so I now have this follow-up.

NINE CENTURIES OF HISTORY

These buildings span most of the history of this town. The first two buildings you will see are visible from right outside my door.

CLIFTON HOUSE TOWER

More or less due west of my own “compact” flat, this tower is instantly recognizable.

THE GRANARIES

Located on the Purfleet side of Baker Lane car park, and one of the tallest buildings in the town.

THE GUILDHALL

The second most iconic building in King’s Lynn. The checkerboard frontage is unique, although a couple of other buildings in the town have small bits of the same in their walls and there is one church in Norwich that is not entirely dissimilar.

GREYFRIARS TOWER

The last remnant of the Franciscan Friary, where at one time Nicholas of Lynn, who certainly sailed as far as Iceland and may have reached the American Coast over a century before Columbus, was resident.

BANK LANE ARCHES

Another remnant, in between Greyfriars and the Library.

THE LIBRARY

An amazing and important building. This construction in brick and carr provides a vital service to the residents of our town.

HAYES AND STORR

A solicitor’s office in a very handsome building that happens to be almost directly opposite the library.

THE METHODIST CHAPEL

Right next door to Hayes and Storr.

THE REMAINS OF ST JAMES’ CHAPEL

One wall section is all that now remains of this chapel, which was also a workhouse in the Victorian age.

THE RED MOUNT CHAPEL

THE CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST

This church sits right at the town end of St John’s Walk.

KING’S LYNN TRAIN STATION

This station, which opened in the 1850s, has recently been restored. It is very close to the centre of the town, and there is the option of a scenic route – follow the footpath down past the church of St John the Evangelist, then diagonally across The Walks to the library, down Millfleet to the river front, along the river front as far as the Purfleet and approach the Tuesday Market Place by way of King Street, thereby circumventing the Vancouver Quarter entirely.

A SECTION OF OLD TOWN WALL

Very little of King’s Lynn’s old town wall survives, but close to Morrisons and the Primary School this section can be seen.

HIGHGATE METHODIST CHAPEL

Much smaller than the main Methodist chapel on London Road, this building is located just off Littleport Street, still very close to the town centre.

AN OLD BUNKER?

I cannot think what else this building which sits next to a small river, just off Littleport Street, could be.

THE LYNN MUSEUM

Admission to this museum, which adjoins the bus station, is free.

THE NEW BUS STATION BUILDING

Following extensive redevelopment work (visit this post for more pictures) the new bus station opened in June of last year. This is the building that accompanied the external developments.

THE MAJESTIC CINEMA

There have been plans to extend this cinema for some time, but for the moment it remains the same as ever.

THE LYNN RESTAURANT

While both the quality and the prices at this restaurant are very acceptable, it is the restoration work that has been done to the building above it that chiefly interests me.

ST NICHOLAS CHAPEL

This chapel has recently been repaired and restored, and the results of all this work are spectacular.

DSCN3964 — There has been a chapel on this site since 1146

Timeline — This image shows all four large cushions that comprise the timeline – it is followed by eight individual images that show close ups of parts of the cushions.

THREE BUILDINGS FROM THE TUESDAY MARKET PLACE

DSCN3989 — This building houses the West Nordolk Disability Service among others.

DSCN3990 — Not to be confused with the establishment in Norwich where James and Sons hold some of their auctions, this is The Maids Head, King’s Lynn

DSCN3991 — The Dukes Head, where the Positive Autism Awareness Conference will be taking place on April 15th. This photo was constrained by the presence of the Mart. After a fortnight in Lynn, the Mart splits in to two to go to various other places around the country – but it is only in Lynn that you get to see everything.

CODA: KING’S LYNN’S NEWEST CONSTRUCTION

A new wind turbine has just been built near the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. It was built very rapidly – there was no sign of anything there on Tuesday, by Thursday morning the tower was in place, and by Friday morning it was complete (my bus travels this way on work mornings). Here are a couple of pictures, taken through the window of the bus on Friday…

The March Auction: Spotlight on Maps

Some details and images from James and Sons, and another mention of the Positive Autism Awareness Conference.

INTRODUCTION

Imaging for James and Sons’ March Auction (March 30th and probably 31st) is proceeding apace. I imaged the maps that from the bulk of this post a while back, although I am also including something from today.

A BINDER FULL OF ANTIQUE MAPS

These maps form a continuous sequence from lot 391-416 inclusive, and without further ado here are the pictures:

416-c — Another demonstration of the closeness of Ongar and Chelmsford (see http://www.londontu.be/the-central-line/ for more details)

A SPEEDWAY SPREAD

I am concluding this section with the images of a set of speedway badges mounted on canvas which have been divided into 10 lots. Here is a single image of the entire collection:

Here is the gallery of individual images, including some close ups of distinctive badges:

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

The images I have shared above are all for the March Auction, as previously stated, but James and Sons have auctions before that, our main February auction at the Maids Head Hotel, Norwich on the 24th, and a smaller auction taking place at our shop on 5 Norwich Street, Fakenham on the 25th. Full catalogues for both auctions are ready for viewing:

For the big auction on the 24th click here.
For the smaller auction on the 25th click here.

The March auction, at the Prince of Wales Suite, Fakenham Racecourse, is likely be a two day sale, on the 30th and 31st.

Since I have a ‘dates for your diary section’ I conclude this post with a reminder of the Postive Autism Awareness Conference taking place at the Dukes Head Hotel, King’s Lynn on April 15th, commencing at 9:30. I am reliably informed that tickets are selling like hot cakes. After the links below, a copy of the official poster is at the bottom of this post.

To book tickets click here
To view my previous posts about this conference click here and here

Positive Autism Awareness Conference Now Open For Bookings

Pointers to the booking site for the Positive Autism Awareness Conference and a poster advertising the event.

INTRODUCTION

I first made mention of this conference, organised by NAS West Norfolk, in this post, and have featured reminders about it in several other posts. However, I have two pieces of news that warrant a second whole post devoted to it.

BOOKINGS

We are now able to take bookings for this conference, which takes place on April 15th. The booking site can be accessed here (acknowledgements to Claire King of NAS West Norfolk for posting the link).

THE OFFICIAL POSTER

The other recent development in connection with this conference is that we now have an official National Autistic Society poster for the event. This is a version I have edited specifically for being viewed on a screen…

Thanks and acknowledgements to Rachel Meerwald and Karan McKerrow of NAS West Norfolk for various posts and links in connection with this poster. I have a full print size version of this poster saved on my computer as well, and will happily email people copies of that file.

ANTIQUES ROAD TRIP: BRAXTON VS ROSS

A brief account of yesterday;s episode of Antiques Road Trip, which featured both my home town and my employer. Also some photographs and some links.

INTRODUCTION

Although I do have a few other things to share this post is mainly concerned with yesterday’s episode of Antiques Road Trip, which happened to feature an auction at Fakenham Racecourse (which took place on April 29th 2015).

ANTIQUES ROAD TRIP

Here is a link to last night’s episode:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07027st/antiques-road-trip-series-12-episode-21

For those who watch, I am the person in the red jacket sitting next to the auctioneer.

This was the start of a new week, so we were introduced to the two experts and shown the car that they would be using first. Then the buying part of the episode happened, which features some excellent footage of King’s Lynn among other places.

The episode concluded, as they all do, with the auction. While I do not know much about what happened to these items after the auction I can tell you that following a couple of other unsuccessful outings the baker’s scales are still on the James and Sons van.

The program was well made, and even though I of course already knew which items were destined to be bought for sale at that auction, nevertheless it held my attention all the way through.

A PICTORIAL INTERLUDE

I mentioned that there was some good footage from King’s Lynn on yesterday’s episode of Antiques Road Trip, and here some photos from King’s Lynn…

DSCN9988 — St Nicholas Chapel, taken in August

DSCN9986 — The Corn Exchange, also from August

DSCN3932 — The Custom House, from August

DSCN9358 — One of three images of the flag flying above King’s Lynn station, all taken yesterday

DSCN9349 — The Red Mount Chapel, taken yesterday

100% — It is not often that a poll produces this result! – the story was about a Tory lord who was claiming that their daily allowance was insufficient!

WWW.LONDONTU.BE

I conclude this post by sharing a few recent posts connected with my London transport themed website:

The Lost Property Office

Tube Strike over job cuts and ticket office closures – Vox Political

Tube strike over job cuts and ticket office closures – Guardian

My most recent original post – Chingford and Loughton

AUCTION AT THE MAIDS HEAD HOTEL

An account of Wednesday’s auction at the Maids Head Hotel, Norwich, with a few other bits and bobs, including another mention of the Positive Autism Awareness Conference.

INTRODUCTION

Although mainly concerned with the James and Sons auction that took place the day before yesterday, this post will also mention a few other things at the end.

THE AUCTION

This section divides into several subsections, starting with…

GETTING THERE

Given the early hour at which it was necessary for me to be at the venue and the fact that I was not returning straight to King’s Lynn but was instead going to my parents because we were going to a bridge evening at the Jolly Sailors I decided to aim to be on the 5:55AM X1 bus to Norwich, with the more circuitous X8/X29 route, the first of which departs at 6:10AM as back up.

I achieved my intended aim of being on the 5:55AM bus and this bus not only departed on time, it benefited from a clear run along the A47 to arrive at Norwich bus station precisely when it was supposed to. I then walked down to the Maids Head, picking up a few photos along the way as I was in plenty of time…

This map ios located near the Surrey Street entrance to Norwich Bus Station

This light show adorns the Castle Mall shopping centre

The Maids Head has a very old name sign worked into the building itself

THE SETUP

All the stuff for the auction had to unloaded from the van and set up in the room we were using (the Erpingham room) at The Maids Head, and a few things had to be moved around for the room to properly organised for our purposes. That and a few technical hitches notwithstanding (mere trifles such as initially having no internet connection!) all was ready by 9AM when the first viewers started to arrive.

THE AUCTION ITSELF

The auction started quietly, with only a few people present at the venue and no one bidding online on the early lots, but the internet bidding started at just after lot 100, and was very lively at certain points – lot 204 with an estimate of £50-60 went for £260, lots 283 and 286 both went for substantially above estimate, and a sequence of sets of penny reds with Great Western Railway perfins saw some spirited bidding involving a room and an internet bidder, with half a dozen lots estimated at 10-15 actually getting three figures a piece.

These are some of the penny reds which caused such excitement.

Lots 597 and 737 both sold very cheap to yours truly (even with buyers premium there was change from £15 for the two lots put together). Here they are…

Lot 737 – a nice piece of railwayana

Lot 597 – an added personal factor – Stroud happens to be my birthplace.

In connection with these pieces of railwayana, a quick reminder of my London transport themed website, www.londontu.be.

THE CLEAR UP

The last lot went under the hammer not very long after 2PM, after which everything that had not gone to people in the room had to be loaded back on to the van. Then my colleague Andrew and I travelled back to Fakenham in the van. My initial plan had been to get the 17:38 bus on from Fakenham to East Rudham, but because we were ahead of schedule, but not sufficiently so for there to be a likelihood of me catching the 15:38, and because the weather showed its teeth when we just east of Fakenham, Andrew very kindly gave me a lift to East Rudham. I worked out that I had handled some of these lots seven separate times (carrying them to my imaging area, carrying them to the storage area, carrying them down to the shop for viewing, carrying them the shop to the van, carrying them from the van to auction venue, carrying them from the auction venue to the van and finally carrying them from the van back to the shop).

POST AUCTION

My early arrival at East Rudham proved useful – my parents had unearthed some silver spoons which needed to photographed with a view to selling them. I have two picture galleries in this connection, both created from the same set of originals – the first using Microsoft’s own image editing software, and the second, which I unveil for the first time, using my own image editing software, which was designed specifically for use with Nikon Coolpix cameras…

This is the set of images created using Microsoft software…

This was the result when I edited the same photos using my own software.

The bridge went well after a poor start – I emerged plus 13 on the evening (65p at Jolly Sailors stakes).

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY/ CALENDAR

Monday 1st February: James and Sons feature on Antiques Road Trip – episode on air on BBC1 at 4:30PM (should be available on i-player by 6PM) – I am the guy in the red jacket sat next to the auctioneer.

Wednesday 24th February: James and Sons auction at Fakenham Racecourse, starts at 10AM. This auction features a wide variety of lots, beginning with bonds, passing through banknotes, coins, stuff from HMS Britannia, Ephemera and Militaria before finishing with Stamps.

Friday 15th April: Positive Autism Awareness Conference, the Dukes Head Hotel, King’s Lynn – for more information check out the following links:

Yesterday’s blog post dedicated to this event

West Norfolk NAS’s facebook page

The Facebook event listing

West Norfolk NAS’s website

CALLING ALL LONDONERS

I have shared some of London mayoral candidate Sian Berry’s transport related ideas on www.londontu.be:

London City Airport

Fair Fares

This is the official Fair Fares piece

Having provided these excellent suggestions Sian has turned her attention to London’s sky high rents, with this proposal for a London Renter’s Union

If you are eligible to vote in this election I urge you to vote for Sian Berry.

POSITIVE AUTISM AWARENESS CONFERENCE

An entire post dedicated to publicising NAS West Norfolk’s Positive Autism Awareness Conference, which will take place on April 15th, starting at 9AM.

INTRODUCTION

This brief post is the first of what will doubtless be many about this event, being put on by NAS West Norfolk.

AN IMPORTANT DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES

West Norfolk NAS’s Positive Autism Awareness Conference will take place at The Duke’s Head, King’s Lynn. I have three images to share to complete this post, a screenshot of Claire King’s facebook post about the event and jpgs of a map and a google earth image showing the location…

Not mentioned specifically, but already lined up as part of the event is a photographic presentation by yours truly.

	GP on A Cornish Christmas 1: A Curat…
	Renegades Blown Away… on England Fightback Comes Too…
	The First Two Days i… on A Successful Auction
	Marizanne’s Mastercl… on From Victory to Rout in Two…
	From Victory to Rout… on An Extraordinary Opening …