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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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32. The day the Railway came to town.
Not in itself unique to Spalding in the “Golden Age of Rail” on the 18th October 1848 Spalding’s railway station opened for the first...
Feb 16, 20252 min read


31. The legacy of Jack Cooper
Rendered patterns of birds, shells, hobby horses and boats that he duly painted are the work of local handyman Jack Cooper.
Feb 15, 20251 min read


30. Jason Toomer
If I had my way he would have a statue in the middle of Spalding.
Feb 14, 20251 min read


28. UFO’s
1979 saw 27 people come forward witnessing UFO’s in the Spalding area
Feb 13, 20251 min read


27. The Knickebein Beam
The Knickebein Beam or Nickobein Beam resulted in two significant bombings of Spalding by the Luftwaffe
Feb 12, 20255 min read


26. The rescue of aeronauts from an angry mob in Spalding.
Inspectors Caban and Wackett were hardly pressed while defending the parachute party and were compelled to resort to fisticuffs
Feb 11, 20252 min read


25. Foul beef.
It was moist – it was not set. It was very soft and it gave off a very foul odour. It was beef
Feb 10, 20251 min read


24. Spalding’s poor roads.
excerpt from a letter of 1850 shows how the road conditions can really get on your tits:
Feb 9, 20252 min read


23. Spalding had more drunks and crime in 1875 than any other town in Lincolnshire
In 1875 Spalding had 279 drunkards. Even Grantham only reaches 103, whilst Boston is credited with but 85.
Feb 8, 20252 min read


22. An Insight into Agriculture Labour in Spalding in 1867
They lie as thick as thieves, and they live like pigs.
Feb 7, 20252 min read


21. Spalding Hemp Fair
Apparently the smell of hemp wafting across the streets of Spalding isnot new.
Feb 6, 20252 min read


20. A Sort of Spalding Ghost Story.
A tale of a hand that came out of the darkness.
Feb 5, 20252 min read


19. Mrs Proctors Band
Mrs Proctor was a well-to-do lady that lived in Welland Hall, a large house now occupied by Ayscoughfee School. Her band was popular at...
Feb 4, 20251 min read


18. King Hussain of Jordan had breakfast here.
In 1962 King Hussein of Jordan was passing through Spalding and stopped to have breakfast.
Feb 3, 20251 min read


16. Sheddy’s – the oldest chip shop in town.
“I’ve fed half the children in Spalding,” was Fred Turner’s boast
Feb 1, 20251 min read


15. The May Day Statutes
The May Day Statute was time to get gloriously drunk, and fight out any old quarrel which you happened to have had.
Jan 31, 20252 min read


14. Tulipan the Tulip Man
Tulipan was a character of legend being a little chap that stowed away in the baggage train that brought the first tulip to Europe.
Jan 30, 20251 min read


13. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“With bad teeth never was a woman beautiful. With good teeth never was a woman ugly.”
Jan 29, 20251 min read


12. George Shepherd
it is possibly surprising to see Spalding celebrate the birth of socialist Labour politician George Shepherd in this Tory stronghold.
Jan 28, 20251 min read


11. Spalding's Earthquakes
A man who did not wish to be named was watching TV when he “felt a vibration in his legs and noticed a toy shaking on the settee beside him.
Jan 27, 20252 min read

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