I recently visited the West Norfolk town of King's Lynn, a town I have been to many times over the years in the course of my work. However, on this occasion in the company of my friend Jacqui, I actually looked upon it through different eyes (yep! I need glasses for reading nowadays).
Situated on the River Great Ouse I found a parking spot, probably illegally, close to the Custom House just off South Quay. This grand old building was opened as a merchants' exchange in 1685 to facilitate the trade that existed as a result of King's Lynn being favourably positioned for European trade from the Baltic and other English coastal ports. Such was King's Lynn's prominence, the town was favoured by traders of the Hanseatic League. The ships of this group of German cities travelled in convoy for fear of piracy and traded fish, furs, timber, wax and pitch in exchange for wool, cloth and salt.
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| Fish drying on a frame at South Quay. |
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| Don't fall in the River Great Ouse. |
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| A naughty sailor! |
Walking alongside the River Great Ouse we came to The Green Quay, part of South Quay and an area where fishermen would sell their catches. A metal display showed how the fish would be hung from frames to dry in the sun and wind. Fishing was maybe, obviously, an important industry for King's Lynn and Queen Elizabeth I granted 'free and uninterrupted use of the Fisher Fleet for ever and ever' to the fishermen of the town. Indeed even whaling took place from King's Lynn and the area of South Lynn on the River Nar became known as 'Blubber House Creek'. The 1771 Act of Parliament supported the industry with a bounty paid based on the weight of the catch and with the added bonus of being exempt of customs duty. Ships sailed to Greenland each March returning to South Lynn in July. Prosperity for the local economy was tempered by the smell of boiling blubber that hung over the area for weeks.
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| Captain George Vancouver |
Perhaps King's Lynn's most famous resident was Captain George Vancouver born in the town in 1757. His main claim to fame was as the Captain of the expedition that mapped the Pacific Northwest of America and Canada and after whom the British Columbian island and the city were named. (No, not 'George'!). To commemorate their famous son, a statue sits on the Purfleet, a small quay in front of the Custom House.
Just off the South Quay are King and Queen Street and these narrow cobbled streets lead to the Tuesday Market Square and King's Lynn Minster respectively.Walking up the winding College Lane you come to Trinity Guildhall dating back to the 1420s and the former home of the Great Guild of merchants and whose membership included German residents in the town as befitted the Hanseatic connections with the town. Attached to this the Town Gaol House dating from 1784 with original cells is a popular visitor attraction.
These buildings lead onto Saturday Market Place and this area is dominated by King's Lynn Minster, formerly St. Margaret's Church, and which was founded in 1101. The Bishop of Norwich designated St. Margaret's as a Minster Church in 2011. The Minster is impressive both inside and out and has a magnificent High Altar backed by stained glass windows.
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| College Lane leading to Trinity Guildhall |
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| Trinity Guildhall and Old Gaol House |
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| King's Lynn Minster |
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| King's Lynn Minster's High Altar |
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| Lady Chapel in King's Lynn Minster |
Once again I have been able to see another side to a town that over the years I have been to on a number of occasions without realising the depth of history and attractions that it has to see.
I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
