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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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10. The Chatterton Water Tower
Erecting this building was quite a feat requiring 22 miles of scaffolding
Jan 261 min read
9. The Great Fire of Spalding 1715 – and a Great Fire in Spalding 1870
“Fire! Fire! Fire! Such, no doubt, was the alarm given in the year 1715 when the red crawling serpent destroyed much of the town centre
Jan 252 min read
8. The Thunder Storm of 1842
Saturday 10th September 1842 saw a massive thunder storm hit Spalding with much lightning, at that time referred to as “electric fluid”...
Jan 241 min read
7. Spalding’s Last Duel of 1723
In 1723 a duel was fought in the White Hart yard, Spalding and Mr. William Emerson Lee received his death blow.
Jan 231 min read
4. Spalding’s Pillory was called “White Willey”
The last person that stood in the pillory was Susan Meeks, by order of Dr. Shaw, for keeping a house of ill-fame in the year 1787
Jan 201 min read
3. William Booth founder of the Salvation Army lived in Spalding
"I was a weak and puny fellow when I came to the Fens" William Booth
Jan 191 min read
2. Umbrellas
This post looks at the first umbrella in Spalding and it's later day droogs.
Jan 181 min read
1. Going Down Below
Saying “going down below” is not referring to a trip to Australia, or even a sex act, but rather a trip down The Wash.
Jan 177 min read
My Identity - Home is where the curlews cry.
What of my identity? It is interwoven between marsh, fen and town but the world changes. My roots and ancestry is firmly in the Fens....
Jan 82 min read
Water - Wet and Dry
It is ironic that whilst typically being the driest area of the country in terms of rainfall the Fens of South Lincolnshire are also...
Dec 30, 202423 min read
My Parochial Town Part 5 - Fisticuffs at the Black Swan and a look to the future.
All towns have and need key meeting places that evolve over time and become centres for social and commercial activity and one of the...
Dec 13, 202411 min read
My Parochial Town Part 4 - Sheddys Butters and my first Indian.
On the corner of Red Lion Street facing New Road was and still is Sheddy Turner’s fish and chip shop. Turner’s are descended from a...
Dec 11, 20246 min read
My Parochial Town - Part 1 Danny's, Sci Fi, Jazz and Blues, Punk and Break Dancing.
I expect that many Spaldonian readers of my age and older (born 1967) may look at the heading I’ve chosen "My Parochial Town" and start...
Dec 4, 202410 min read
Migration - introduction to historical migration in the Fens.
Migration of people has been at the core of shaping Spalding and its surrounding area physically, economically and socially. This I feel...
Nov 25, 202410 min read
Geest
In 1935 in Calthrop’s solicitors office in Spalding the first Geest Company, Geest Horticultural Products was incorporated under the...
Nov 18, 20246 min read
Spalding Canning Factory
November 1930 saw the following announcement that was to herald further establishment of the food processing industry in Spalding hot on...
Nov 15, 20243 min read
51 REASONS FOR MARK STEEL TO BE IN SPALDING
Spalding deserves the full Mark Steel treatment and with this in mind I offer 51 facets of Spalding’s life and history.
Nov 9, 20242 min read
The Rise of the Industrial Town of Spalding
When I describe Spalding as an industrial town people are generally surprised. We have an image of an industrial town being depicted as...
Nov 8, 20246 min read
The Evolution of Spalding's Markets - Market Stalls
The most visible and usually the longest lasting vestige of a market town are the market stalls. This is the case with Spalding and...
Nov 4, 20249 min read
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