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Offline Bush Tucker Man

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What's Your Town Got?
« on: November 22, 2003, 22:49:11 »
I was chatting to a couple of our younger Nurses & Doctors this morning at work.
They'd moved to live around Wakefield after getting jobs here, and the more inquistive one was asking if I'd lived around here a long time (all my life) and was it famous for anythng in particular, so I thought for a few minutes and came up with these items (not in order);

Chantry Chapel (1 of 4 remaining bridge chapels in the country, and dates to approx 1350)  

Wakefield Cathedral, dates from the mid 1400's. The highest steeple in Yorkshire, 4th highest in  England.

Stanley Ferry Aquaduct. The only cast-iron suspension aquaduct in Europe (1839), it carries the Aire & Calder Navigation canal across the River Calder.
Visually almost identical to Sydney Harbour bridge.

First privately built & owned water tower (1640) to supply Heath Hall

Worlds first public railway, one on which anyone could place their own wagon (Lake Lock Rail-Road)

First 'new-town'/suburb. St Johns, built almost in its entirety circa 1830

Countries largest excavation at the time, the  Notton cutting for the Barnsley Canal

Longest, most complete Manorial Court Roll in the country (almost complete from 1274- 1920's)

Stanley (my village) a unique bridge which carried 2 railways, and the road over another railway.

Oldest railway tunnel in the country, dating to the 1790's

One of the earliest town by-passes (now, Ings Road) built by Act Of Parliament in 1831.

Westgate (area of the City centre) has the oldest surving purpose built banking offices in the country - outside of London.

Wakefield was the most inland port that could build sea-going vessels.

Westgate Chapel may have the oldest known catacombs under a place of worship (beforea anyone responds, Churches & Cathedrals have Crypts)

Stanley Royd ( was called West Riding Luantic Asylum) one of the first rates financed asylums in the country.

Stanley Royd is responsible for the phrase 'As mad as a hatter'. One of the first patients was a milliner, Mercury fumes from the process affected the brain & caused severe affects.

The hymn 'Onward Christian Soldiers' was wrote & first performed in Horbury (suburb) by the local Vicar.
Believe it, or not, Horbury has a brown tourist sign that declares 'Home of Onward...'

Wakefield Prison is responsible for the childrens rhyme 'Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush', as one grew in the prisons exercise yard.


I would say, does anyone live anywhere with a more varied past?, but of course they do.

There are a  few related photos on my Webshots.
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Richard A Thackeray 
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Offline Ben

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« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2003, 08:25:21 »
Not lived here very long (about 2 and a half weeks), but apparently Tibshelf is the site of the UK's first inland Oil well. Probably dried up now though  :(

Wonder if Tibshelf services might be the most mentioned single place outside London on travel reports...

Certainly not much else to shout about!

My home town has a building that got to the final on "Restoration" though...

Cheers

Ben
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Offline Bush Tucker Man

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« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2003, 15:26:55 »
Which was that then Ben?, I know the wonderful Manchester 'Victoria Baths' won.

I take it you're back from Aus then?
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Richard A Thackeray 
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Offline richardb

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« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2003, 16:33:23 »
I grew up in Chesterfield, famous for it's Crooked Spire & George Stephenson.

Any Good?
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Offline Bush Tucker Man

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« Reply #4 on: November 23, 2003, 16:42:20 »
Know Chesterfield spire well, and the 'stories' about its origins.

Of course it was due to using green wood in the construction, and as it dried out it twisted.

There's absolutely no truth in the highly scurrilous rumour that the bride was a virgin & the spire twisted round as it couldn't believe it. One of our departments Nurses is a Chesterfield girl & she hadn't a clue about any of the stories.


Stephenson, certainly worthy of note & a huge statue.
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Richard A Thackeray 
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Offline richardb

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« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2003, 06:08:22 »
Oh and I've just thought of something else worthy of note.


Jo Guest went to the same school as me, several years after unfortunately.

Richard
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Offline Bush Tucker Man

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« Reply #6 on: November 24, 2003, 11:29:06 »
Damn, read the first half of the sentance, and immediately thought 'any school uniform piccies'.
Then continued after the comma (double damn!) :cry:
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Richard A Thackeray 
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Offline Ben

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« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2003, 20:15:49 »
Quote
Which was that then Ben?, I know the wonderful Manchester 'Victoria Baths' won.

I take it you're back from Aus then?


I'm back and ready for some mud!!! Had withdrawal symptons from not driving the Landy, so making up for it now...

I'm from King's Lynn originally - the building is Greyfriars Tower (actually not 100% about the colour - we've got whitefriars in the area as well!)

Famous (and cute) locals? Clair Goose is from Pott Row (just outside Kings Lynn) and was very good friends with a friend of my sisters. Unfortunately I never got to meet her  :cry:

Cheers

Ben
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Offline Moose

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« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2003, 21:02:46 »
Tamworth apparently has now been classified by the uk tourist board as a 2 day attraction.

We have a Castle,
it was the capital of mercia,
Robert Peel was born here
We have a snow dome
The guy who rescued the Enigma decoding m/c came from here ( not as per that Yank film)
Drayton Manor park
Reliant motor cars
Bosworth battlefield  and the Wall Roman site are close by.
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Offline Bush Tucker Man

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« Reply #9 on: November 24, 2003, 23:57:36 »
Chris we've got a snow dome, or whatever fancy title they've given it. It also has a ski-slope with actual snow making machines.
Looks like a giant cheese wedge, I can see it & the accompanying 'teepees' from the end of the lane (blots on the landscape)

Well strictly speaking it's not actually within Wakeflelds boundaries, but it's got a Wakefield postcade (WF) and it falls under the parameters of what is referred to as 'Five Towns'
www.xscape.co.uk

www.wakefield.co.uk
www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk  (local paper)

We've also got;
Sandal Castle, practically destroyed in the Civil War
Sharlston Hall, continually occupied since 1420-1430
Clarke Hall; circa 1670. Several Priest holes
The 'Wakefield Arms' pub (1843) is the only building still rendered in original Portland Cement
Cheapside, longest surving row of woolen merchants warehouses in the country
Barbara Hepworth (the sculptor) was  born on Duke Of York Street in 1903


And an apology to everyone....

The 'singing star' Jayne McDonald hails from the City. I'm truely sorry.
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Richard A Thackeray 
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ChrisW

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What's Your Town Got?
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2003, 00:21:48 »
Solihull... say no more  :!:
http://www.solihull-online.com/landrover-h.htm  :D
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Offline turtle

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« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2003, 08:46:40 »
Milton Keynes - Roundabouts - enough said  :D
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Offline datalas

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« Reply #12 on: November 25, 2003, 08:58:44 »
you forgot concrete cows
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Offline turtle

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« Reply #13 on: November 25, 2003, 09:21:33 »
And them of course...... (How could I forget)
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Offline matthew

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« Reply #14 on: November 25, 2003, 16:41:17 »
I grew up just outside Warwick.
What's that got? A dirty great big Castle, lots of history, and a dirty great concrete bunker for the CC offices.
10 miles from all the motoring history in Coventry, Jaguar/Alvis etc.
14 miles from Solihull, wonder what's there? (apart from mother's job)
10 miles from Stratford on Avon where some writer bloke came from.

And best of all it escapes the Birmingham accent by about 8 miles. :)
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Cheers

Matthew
1958 Ser II  88" 1962 Ser IIa 109" 1962 Ser IIa 109" Dormobile
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Offline Andy.

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« Reply #15 on: November 25, 2003, 22:10:34 »
Chris, just realised where you live Solihull, excellent see you Sunday  :D

Do I get a tour past the famous holly ground  :D

What the entrance like to the site, is it a good photo opportunity  :?:
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Offline turtle

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« Reply #16 on: November 26, 2003, 08:40:15 »
And a new football team – Wimbledon.

And lots of roundabouts.
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ChrisW

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« Reply #17 on: November 26, 2003, 10:27:17 »
Andy

Lode Lane is about 5mins away from me, we can take a drive over - great photo opportunity at the factory entrance, last time I went past they had a G4 110 on the display  :D

Chris
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Offline Andy.

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« Reply #18 on: November 26, 2003, 22:02:17 »
Excellent Chris, will bring the camera  :D
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