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Andrew Elsden - stories, tales , rural and social and business issues past and present as I see them.


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Thomas Nutt - The Beekeeper of Moulton Chapel
A little know hero of beekeeping was located in Moulton Chapel. here I describe the significance to Thomas Nutt's work.
1 day ago5 min read


Moulton Marsh
Here I look at the development of Moulton Marsh and Moulton Marsh Nature Reserve
Aug 716 min read


ELECTRICITY
It is perhaps bizarre that in the middle of Spalding down the road from the house I was raised in, in Stonegate was a house that relied entirely on gas for it had no electricity until the 21st century. In it lived Edna Basam and her elderly mother when I was young and they had gas lamps on the walls for lighting. I remember asking them what they were as I hadn’t seen gaslight before and Edna lit one to show me.# The electricity grid to supply the whole country with electric
Jul 312 min read


Shipwrecks - Profit Over Lives
The Wash had its share of shipwrecks with Samuel Plimsol M.P. fighting hard to reduce the mortality of sailors
Jul 243 min read


WAINFLEET AND CONCEPTION OF EARLY INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WASH
It is hard to believe today that Wainfleet was considered as a bridgehead port to serve Lincoln with coal.
Jul 174 min read


The Wash Dam
2022 saw Centre Port propose a Wash Dam project. Here I look at the history of this concept first proposed by the engineer John Rennie in 1837.
Jul 1013 min read


Who Owns the Marsh?
A court decision on 1st January 1824 in favour of Lord Yarborough established rights to marsh land that would later scupper a proposal to dam part of the Wash.
Jul 34 min read


Carrots
. As I stood on a balcony looking down I marvelled at the simple ingenuity of what was before me. A lorry laden with carrots from the field entered at one end of the line. They were washed in chilled water to start the chilling process, topped, tailed, washed again, chilled and bagged ready to exit on another lorry to be distributed across the country usually via supermarket hubs. All this happened in minutes rather than hours from entry to exit. It is hard to believe that a
Jun 265 min read


Asparagus
As I sat in the White Pheasant Clem Tompsett explained how asparagus was one of his first crops.
Jun 193 min read


Samphire
As a child it was a treat to go "down the marsh" to Shep White's to pick samphire. Here I look at some of the history behind this plant.
Jun 124 min read


MIDDLELAND AND OTHER REMOTE LANDS
Several weeks ago I finished reading Rory Stewart’s book Middleland, here I compare some of his writing and thoughts and opinions and compare them to my own writing, thoughts and opinions.
“Such remoteness is not necessarily physical remoteness, but rather social, economic and temporal remoteness.” – these are my words when writing about urban bias in my book Marsh Fen and Town- South Lincolnshire and Beyond. To this I would add cultural remoteness and I guess Rory Stewart wo
Jun 419 min read




Cattle - The Lincolnshire Red
In this third post on Lincolnshire cattle I take a brief look at the famous Lincolnshire Red. If you enjoy this post please consider buying my book Marsh Fen and Town South Lincolnshire and Beyond available on Amazon.
May 153 min read


Lincolnshire Cattle - Short-horn
In this second of three posts about Lincolnshire livestock I look at the short-horn
May 83 min read


Lincolnshire Cattle - The Lincolnshire Ox
This is the first of three posts looking at Lincolnshire cattle - starting with the famous Lincolnshire Ox of 1790
May 15 min read


The Lincolnshire Curly Coated Pig
The Lincolnshire Curly Coat Pig - its downfall and its potential origins
Apr 243 min read


Golden Plover
Here I review some of the past history of hunting and eating golden plover and consider whether it should be removed from the quarry list. I also consider how such decisions are usually based upon emotion rather than science.
Apr 173 min read


HERON - KING OF THE WATER
“The Heron of Oblivion hovers over the drinker; he steals the mind of men.” Here I explore the heronries in South Lincolnshire, the hunting and eating of herons and folklore surrounding this wonderful bird.
Apr 107 min read


BEYOND MARSH FEN AND TOWN AND CLASS - WHERE WE ARE TODAY
In this 8th and last piece about Marsh Fen and Town and Class I comment on where we are in 2026.
Apr 14 min read


MARSH FEN AND TOWN.....AND CLASS PART 7 - WORK USED TO GET YOU SOMETHING.
"Working hard used to get you something. It got you a house, a nice life, holidays. It got you somewhere....."
Hannah Spencer MP
Here I allow my thoughts to meander, try and consider where I fit in with class; acknowledge there are many pretenders; and finally consider whether it should be a legally protected characteristic.
Apr 113 min read

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