| King's Lynn |
Article Index for King's Lynn |
Hotel Reservations in Kings_Lynn |
Website Links For Kings Lynn |
Information About ™King's Lynn |
|
King's Lynn is a Town and Port in the English county of Norfolk . Over the years, the town has been known variously as '''Bishop's Lynn''' and '''Lynn Regis'''; to local people it is simply '''Lynn'''. King's Lynn is situated on the River Great Ouse close to the point where it flows into the Wash , some 35 Miles (55 Km) north-east of the city of Peterborough , 44 Miles (70 Km) west of the city of Norwich , and the same distance north of the city of Cambridge . London lies about 110 Miles (180 Km) to the south. The unparished urban area that makes up the town of King's Lynn has an area of 28.41 Km&2 and in the 2001 Census had a population of 34,564 in 15,285 households. It is the main town in the larger District of King's Lynn And West Norfolk . HISTORY Originally named Bishop's Lynn, the town was part of the Manor of the Bishop of Norwich in the 12th Century . By the 14th Century , the town ranked as the third port of England . It still retains two buildings that were warehouses of the Hanseatic League that were in use between the 15th and 17th centuries. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1538 , the town and manor became royal property. The names King's Lynn and Lynn Regis reflect this change. The town became very prosperous from the 17th century through the export of Corn ; the fine Customs House was built in 1683 to the designs of local architect Henry Bell. The town went into decline after this period, and was only rescued by the relatively late arrival of railway services in 1847 - with services mainly provided by the Great Eastern Railway (subsequently London And North Eastern Railway ) and its fore-runners, and by the Midland And Great Northern Joint Railway , which had its headquarters in the town at Austin Street, and an important station at South Lynn (now dismantled) which was also its operational control centre. In the post-Second World War period King's Lynn was designated a London Expansion Town, and its population roughly doubled as thousands of people were relocated from the capital. TODAY The town is mainly situated on the east bank of the Ouse, with a small part, known as West Lynn , on the west bank. Other districts of King's Lynn include the town centre, South Lynn , Gaywood , North Wootton , South Wootton , and Fairstead . In the town centre, the Guildhall ( (now largely superseded by docks). In 1988, the town became the first in the UK to install town centre CCTV (though Bournemouth had previously used CCTV in non-central locations). The Ouse at Lynn is about 200 M wide, and is the outfall for much of the drainage system that created the Fens (systematically drained from the seventeenth century onwards). It flows into the Wash , a bleak landscape of saltmarsh, shifting sandbanks and tidal flows. King's Lynn has always been a centre for the fishing and seafood industry (especially inshore prawns, shrimps and cockles). There have also been Glass -making and small-scale engineering works (many fairground and steam engines were built here), and today it is still the location for much agricultural-related industry including food processing. There are a number of chemical factories and the town retains a role as an import centre. It is a regional centre for what is still a sparsely-populated part of England. King's Lynn Railway Station is the terminus of the Fen Line , and gives connections to Ely , Cambridge and London King's Cross . The town has three secondary schools, educating students from various parts of King's Lynn and the surronding areas. These are The Park High School, Springwood High School and King Edward VII School. There is also The College of West Anglia (the largest Higher-education campus in town). Sandringham, the Norfolk residence of the Royal family, is just 6 miles north of King's Lynn. The Lynn News is the locally run and produced newspaper. The town holds two festivals each summer, 'King's Lynn Festival' and 'Festival Too' - which is one of the biggest free festivals in Europe. The latter is held on The Tuesday Market Place (the large 'main' square in town) and has attracted crowds of 12,000+. Past performances include Midge Ure, Wizard, Deacon Blue, Suzi Quatro Gerry and The Pacemakers, Mungo Jerry, and (2006) The Human League. And the former (a classical festival) is held in many attractive historic venues throughout town, attracting big names in performances from Orchestras to Opera and stage-plays. There are also Literature and Poetry festivals. The town is currently undergoing a multi-million pound regeneration scheme. A (long-awaited) new shopping area has been built in the town centre in place of the dated 1960's Vancouver Centre. And to the south of town a huge swathe of brown-field land is being transformed into a large housing development (including attractive contemporary apartments lining the River Nar) a business park, specially designed parkland, school, shops and a new relief road. A 250-berth marina, surrounded by apartments, hotel, shops and bar/restaurant is also planned. POPULAR CULTURE REFERENCES King's Lynn is referred to in the film The Eagle Has Landed . The historic heart of King's Lynn was used as a backdrop, throughout the film Revolution (mid 80's). NOTABLE PEOPLE Notable current and former residents of King's Lynn include:
REFERENCES |