This one defeated me, I can’t read the name on the gravestone. Answers on a postcard (well, messages through the contact page of this blog) welcomed…
Author: admin
-
King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (Pillar Foundations)
King’s Lynn Minster had to be reconstructed when there was a little incident in 1741 when part of it collapsed. The structure was rebuilt internally by Matthew Brettingham and the supporting columns of the church were reconstructed. The original larger column footprint is still visible, showing how substantial the foundations originally were, although since the building collapsed I wonder about the quality of the original civil engineering team….
Anyway, as I understand, Brettingham changed the floor level by making it a little higher, which was later undone in the mid-nineteenth century during another reconstruction. This meant that the original floor level was restored, making these foundations visible once again. And, this looks better to me, it tells a clearer story about the architectural history of the church.
-
King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (Rows of Gravestones)
I’m not sure that I’ve seen gravestones placed in neat rows around the edge of the churchyard quite like this before. I imagine it was something done in the 1970s or 1980s when they were moved here from around the churchyard. Not that much can be done about it now, but this still always feels like a sad decision to me as moving the stones means that they site of the original burial is potentially lost if no clear records have been kept.
However, there was likely a reason behind it at some point in the past, sometimes it’s to make the churchyard easier to keep maintained, sometimes it’s to stop gravestones falling on people, although in this case, the flooding to King’s Lynn may have caused some damage.
Fortunately, some gravestones have remained in situ in the churchyard and a number of these are particularly interesting (more of these in another post).
-
King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (Flood Level Markings)
I’m not sure that I’ve been to a church which has these high water and flood level markings by the front entrance, but it’s a reminder of the impact that the North Sea has had on the town over the decades.
The highest of the flood level stones remembers the North Sea floods of 11 to 12 January 1978. Flood warnings failed and so little notice was given of the impending disaster, with the River Ouse reaching dangerous levels before finally flooding the town of King’s Lynn. Damage was also down to other towns along the coastline, including at Wisbech, Wells, Cleethorpes and Boston. It also marked the end of Hunstanton Pier, which succumbed to the floods after 100 years of history.
As an additional note to this post, I’ve now read that the flooding on 5 December 2013 reached a higher level than in 1978, but the extensive new flood defence system in the town fortunately held.
-
King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (Hanseatic Chest)
This rather glorious chest, made from pine, dates from the fifteenth century and is known as a Danzig Chest. It’s perhaps surprising that it survives, although of all places this isn’t an unexpected location for it, as these chests were imported into the country via King’s Lynn, Boston and Ipswich.
-
Porto – Views from Dom Luís I Bridge
The Dom Luís I Bridge was constructed between 1881 and 1886 with two decks, the upper deck being for pedestrians, trams and cars and the lower deck also for cars. The cars seemed to get the best deal there. Anyway, in 2003 the cars were chucked off the top deck of the bridge (not literally I hasten to add) to allow for better integration with the metro system.
This also had the result of allowing pedestrians to walk along the bridge without the fear of being run over by a car. Pedestrians can still be run over by a metro service, but these things are loud and more infrequent in number, so the odds are still in the favour of walkers.
And the upper deck of the bridge allows for some wonderful views along the Douro River. These photos don’t really do justice to how beautiful that view is, but here they are anyway.
-
Porto – When Nature Takes Over
There has been a high level of depopulation in Porto over the last few decades, even in the city centre. Many buildings have been abandoned, around 20% by some estimates, with some of the structures now well beyond repair. Although it’s sad to see buildings like this fall out of use, it can make for a beautiful sight when nature takes over the site.
-
Porto – Historic Tram 18
Porto has three tram lines, although they’re all run as heritage lines with no modern trams in the network. There is also a light rail system in the city and it seems positive that the trams have been preserved at least in part. Unlike in many cities though the tram system survived until well after the end of the Second World War, lasting into the 1970s. By 1978 there were four tram lines remaining, routes 1, 3, 18 and 19.
As the years went on it was clear that some provision of trams would be useful, but that the tram network wouldn’t be an integral part of the city’s transportation infra-structure. So after numerous changes and developments, the city ended up with three heritage lines, known as lines 1, 18 and 22.
And this is line 18, running from the transportation museum at Massarelo to Carmo. It’s a popular service and the tram frequently looked full when I saw it, although generally it was easier to hear it, as it’s not the quietest transportation option that I’ve ever experienced. It might be unfair to use the word rickety, but it did at times give that impression….
-
Porto – Presto Pizza
I had gone through a number of local delicacies when in Porto, including the Francesinha sandwich, so after all that exotic regional cuisine I returned to Italian food.
This is the sort of positivity that I need in my life.
The Super Bock stout is much nicer than I had initially expected it to be, although broadly it’s a consistently badly reviewed beer. I thought the lightness worked quite well in the heat of Porto, and it had a creamy flavour which lingered appropriately. It’s what I’d expect a southern European stout to taste like.
The pizza with a crispy base and not too much cheese, just as I like it.
And the lemon tart, with a suitably sharp edge to it.
The pizza, beer and dessert came to just over £10, which seemed perfectly acceptable value for money. The service was friendly and attentive, with the whole meal service being efficient so I wasn’t left waiting for endless periods of time.
-
Porto – Cemiterio de Agramonte
This cemetery opened in eastern Porto in 1855 following an increase in the number of burials needed following a cholera epidemic. The city authorities were a little panicked by the whole situation, with many closed cemeteries belonging to churches and monasteries being promptly reopened.
The chapel at the cemetery opened in 1870 and the peaceful nature to the cemetery has made it a location commonly visited by visitors to the city. Including me….
