The Whitefriars Gate, King's Lynn

Hull has its Whitefriargate here in King's Lynn between terraced houses and a silted up quay is the Whitefriars Gate. It's the last vestige of a Carmelite Friary at the southern end of Lynn. A little sign around the back tells us the following "Gateway of the Carmelite Friary which from before 1260 until 1538 occupied a precinct to the south-east. Here lived Friar Aleyn, writer of 'The Book of Margery Kempe' the earliest biography in the English Language, c1436-40." This little jewel has survived the dissolution of the monasteries, sale to Lynn corporation, demolition of walls surrounding, demolition of later buildings abutting it and now stands in splendid isolation overlooking a car park.

I found an interesting blog post on this monument here.

Yet another Council cock-up

I've posted about Prince Street before, it's probably one of the most photographed spots in the old town. A Georgian archway leading to a pleasant little row of houses. Naturally it's all listed buildings; grade 2 protected. So in a well ordered society a Council would never, ever install five gas meters with plastic covers right slap bang in the middle of a tourist attraction. But you have never come across an organisation quite like Hull City Council. And to add insult to injury once the Council realised that what they had done required planning permission it set about applying to itself for retrospective permission to vandalise the neighbourhood. Well this was too much for anybody to take lying down, even one long serving Councillor who can normally be relied on to back up any silly move from HCC said it was 'stupid'. Outrage was being shown, words like 'crass' and 'deplorable' were being bandied about in the local paper. One objector described the meters as looking like a men's urinal ...
The Council realising the jig was up have now decided to remove these meters admitting that this should not have happened as "the gas meter boxes are not in keeping with the surrounding listed buildings". (You don't say!) Which is all well and good if this were such a rare occurrence but such acts of gross stupidity seem to be the modus operandi of HCC; well it's only public money so they just don't care.

No Council officers were injured in the making of this post nor have any lost their jobs unfortunately

"Take it outside, God boy!"

This set of photos come from the heritage open day back in September. I had thought that there might be something interesting lurking behind the archway entrance to Trinity House School, the old school not the new cereal box conversion on George Street. Well I ought to have known better. As you pass through the arch you are met (or rather were since demolition has thankfully removed it) by a boring brick building, typical school building in fact. Meh! Ahead the entrance to the chapel. Well much money had obviously been spent on sitting bums so that some deity can be bothered by prayers and hymns. There's stained glass, an organ and the usual paraphernalia. What educational value all this had I do not know. My own experience at a Catholic school many years ago led me to one of my few firm convictions that religion and schools should be kept well apart.

Thankfully demolished for a car park!