Introduction
The comedian Mark Steel has a radio show called, rather unimaginatively, “Mark Steel’s in Town”. Despite this unimaginative title it is a rather wonderful show where he extracts various odd and unusual facts about the town, its history and its people and views them through a humorous lens in what turns out to be a flare of comedy genius. In addition to the radio shows he also does additional stage shows and I was lucky enough to see him perform one in Spalding.
Spalding did not get the full treatment and enjoy a broadcast, unlike the Boston with its fancy stump attracting former pop stars to its priesthood and right wing politicians. Boston never even managed a bypass like Spalding, perhaps that is half the problem, making Spalding easier to avoid.
I do feel Spalding deserves the full Mark Steel treatment and with this in mind I offer 51 facets of Spalding’s life and history in the hope that I may entice this to happen. If not I hope it informs and entertains (but obviously not to the ability of the great man himself).
So Starting Daily from 17th January 2025 you will get 51 consecutive posts, some short, some long on such wide subjects as:
Going Down Below
Umbrellas
William Booth
White Whilley
The Sleepy Watchman
BBQ 67
The Last Duel
A Great Thunderstorm of 1842
The Great Fire of Spalding 1715 and 1870
Chatterton Water Tower
Earthquakes
George Shepherd
Tulipan
May Day Statutes
Sheddy's
The theiving Dr. Richard Bentley
King Hussain's breakfast
Mrs Proctor's Band
The Hand that Came Out of the Darkness
Hemp Fair
Agricultural Labour in 1867
The Drunkest Town in Lincolnshire
Poor Roads
Foul Beef
Nazi Beams leading to the Bombing of Spalding
UFO's
Skulls under the Bar of the Lincoln Arms
The Late Great Jason Toomer
Jack Cooper's rendering
The Opening of the Railway
The Fountain of Controversy
The Bank of Misogyny
Dan Morgan - the man that outsold Bert Weedon
Captain John Perry - the Saviour of London
The last Gibetting
The Hayley Bros and their connection to The Monkees
The Mutiny of Spalding Fire Brigade
The Ship Weather Vane
Election Day Riots
Spalding's First Bicycle Accident
Tulip Parade Protest
An Old Description of Spalding
Did Cricket Originate in Spalding?
George Gilbert Scott's unusual building
Spalding's equivalent to Hooters
The Sale of the Isolation Hospital for £35
One of Lincolnshire's First Cinemas
And Finally a detailed analysis of Spalding's Great Geranium Scandal.
I hope you enjoy! With luck perhaps Mark Steel will enjoy too!
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