Tag: Submarine cameras

Heritage Open Day 3: The River Front and The Secret Garden

The third post in my series dedicated to heritage Open Day 2015 in King’s Lynn. This takes in a Napoleonic era militia, a 15th century construction and the present day work of the Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this, the third post in my series on Heritage Open Day, which took place a week ago today. We are covering a lot of ground today, starting with…

A NAPOLEONIC ERA MILITIA STRUTTING THEIR STUFF

As part of the efforts to protect Britain against invasion by Napoleon, militias were organised everywhere coastal ready to act if necessary. Norfolk had two, the West and East Norfolk militias, and although King’s Lynn is on the western edge of Norfolk, it was the East Norfolk Militia we saw in action. There was also someone dressed as a captured Frenchman – note the dark blue jacket. It would be fair to describe this particular militia unit as not being the best drilled you would ever see (actually I would not have been that surprised to see Baldrick or hear someone shouting “Don’t tell him Pike”).

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Once we had seen this, we crossed the lower Purfleet on the bridge you can see in the picture above (after a brief diversion so I could show the others the Navigators display) and headed across King’s Staithe Square to the…

BANK HOUSE HOTEL

Who had opened up their cellars for the occasion…

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This map was on display in the hotel itself.
This map was on display in the hotel itself.

Then it was down to the banks of the Great Ouse, not at ultra high tide, but neither with vast areas of mudflat on display, and a chance to learn about the work of the…

EASTERN INSHORE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

and to look around one of their research vessels, which also meant a chance to get down on to the pontoon/jetty where visiting boats have mooring space…

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This camera will function at depths of up to 80 metres, comfortably enough for investigating inshore waters around the Norfolk coast.
This camera will function at depths of up to 80 metres, comfortably enough for investigating inshore waters around the Norfolk coast.

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After finishing here we decided it was time to see how my mother and aunt were faring at the…

SECRET GARDEN

This is the communal back garden of Hampton Court, and unlike the courtyard itself which anyone can look in on at any time it is rarely possible for ordinary members of the public to look at it. By the time we got there my aunt had been temporarily relieved by my mother, and clearly lots of folk had already visited. Part of the garden had been blocked off at the request of one particular resident, but not being able to venture there did not lessen the experience…

Turning the requirement to restrict access one part of the garden into a benefit.
Turning the requirement to restrict access one part of the garden into a benefit.

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This map and the next picture, even on that day, was not viewable by ordinary members of the public - they adorn the walls of my aunt's house.
This map and the next picture, even on that day, was not viewable by ordinary members of the public – they adorn the walls of my aunt’s house.

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