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=== Climate ===
=== Climate ===
Along with the rest of the [[East of England]], King's Lynn has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is approximately {{convert|14|°C|°F|0|lk=on}}. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 0 °C and 1 °C {{nowrap begin}}(32 °F{{ndash}}33.8 °F).{{nowrap end}} July and August are the warmest months, with mean daily maximum temperatures of approximately {{convert|21|°C|°F}}.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/marham.html
| title = Met Office: Climate averages 1971{{ndash}}2000
| date = 2000
| accessdate = 2010-05-15
| work = [[Met Office]]}}</ref>

<table align="center">
<table align="center">
<td>{{King's Lynn weatherbox}}</td>
<td>{{King's Lynn weatherbox}}</td>

Revision as of 15:43, 27 May 2010

King's Lynn
Lynn
Town
The South Gate and St Margaret's Church
The South Gate and St Margaret's Church
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
DistrictKing's Lynn and West Norfolk
Shire countyNorfolk
RegionEast
CountryEngland
Area
 • Total10.97 sq mi (28.4 km2)
Population
 (2007)
 • Total42,800
 • Density3,900/sq mi (1,500/km2)
Time zoneUTC+00 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+01 (BST)
Postcode district(s)
PE30
Area code(s)01553

King's Lynn (Template:Pron-en) is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated 97 miles (156 km) north-east of London and 44 miles (71 km) west of Norwich.[1] The population of the town is 42,800.[2]

The town has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to increase its tourism. The town has three secondary schools and one college. There is an increasing service sector, and growing information and communication technologies and creative industries, providing employment for the population of King's Lynn and the surrounding area.

Toponomy

The etymology of King's Lynn is uncertain. It is said to have derived its name from the body of water near which the town is situated, the Celtic word being Llyn, signifying a lake; but it is plausible that the name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the word Lean, implying a tenure in fee or farm.[1]

It was at one time named Len Episcopi, while under the jurisdiction, both temporal and spiritual, of the Bishop of Norwich; but this was during the reign of Henry VIII of England, and was surrendered to the crown, and from that time the town assumed the name of Lenne Regis, or King's Lynn.[1]

In the Domesday Book, it is known as Lun, and Lenn; and is described as the property of the Bishop of Elmham, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.[1]

History

King's Lynn originated as a settlement on a constricted site to the south of the mouth of the River Great Ouse. The town developed from the early 10th century onwards, but was not noted until the early 11th century. In 1101, Bishop Herbert de Losinga of Thetford began the first Medieval town between Purfleet and Mill Fleet by commissioning St Margaret's Church and authorising a market.[3]

Trade built up along the waterways that stretched inland from King's Lynn, and the town expanded and began to inhabit the land between the two rivers, Millfleet to the south and Purfleet to the north.

King's Lynn, as viewed from across the River Great Ouse

By the 14th century, the town ranked as the third port of England and is considered as important to England in Medieval times as Liverpool was during the Industrial Revolution. It retains two buildings that were warehouses of the Hanseatic League that were in use between the 15th and 17th centuries. They are the only remaining building structures of the Hanseatic League in England.

When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1538, the town and manor became royal property. As a result, the town became renamed King's Lynn and Lynn Regis (which means the same thing in Latin); it was King's Lynn which stuck. The town became 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. In 1708 an 11-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother were convicted of theft of a loaf of bread in King's Lynn and sentenced to death by hanging[citation needed], a sentence which was carried out publicly from the South Gates of the town to make an example out of them. At the time of the hangings, Sir Robert Walpole, generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, was Member of Parliament for King's Lynn.

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 (such as the Lynn and Dereham Railway). Train services operated between King's Lynn and Hunstanton, Dereham and Cambridge.

The town was also served by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, which had offices in the town at Austin Street, and an important station at South Lynn (now dismantled) which was also its operational control centre until this was relocated to Melton Constable. The M&GN lines were closed to passengers in February 1959.

Lynn was one of the first towns in Great Britain to be bombed from the air by a Zeppelin in 1915, the Savage's Iron Works, where aeroplane parts where being made, being the target.

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.

In 1987, the town became the first in the UK to install town centre CCTV (though Bournemouth had previously used CCTV in non-central locations). The single most numerous crime prosecuted as a result of this comprehensive system is men urinating in public on their way home at night from pubs.

In 2006 King's Lynn formally became Great Britain's first member of Die Hanse – the modern-day equivalent of the Hanseatic League.[4]

Governance

Coat of arms of King's Lynn and West Norfolk

The unparished urban area that makes up the town of King's Lynn has an area of 10.97 square miles (28.41 km2) 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.[5]

King's Lynn is part of the North West Norfolk parliamentary constituency. It has had an interesting electoral history. The MP from 1970 was Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler, who was a Conservative (or 'Tory').

In 1981, however, he defected to the new SDP. The 1983 general election led to Henry Bellingham being returned. By May 1997, the Labour candidate George Turner defeated Bellingham on a swing of 10.4%.

In 2001 North-West Norfolk was one of nine Tory gains; Bellingham took[when?] back his old seat on a 4.6% swing. In 2005 he was returned with a increased majority of 9,180 votes (18.1%)

Geography

Physical

The mouth of Gaywood River

King's Lynn is the most northern settlement situated along the River Great Ouse, 5 miles (8 km) south of the Wash, an estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England to which the River Great Ouse flows. King's Lynn has an area of 11 square miles (28 km2).

It is situated 97 miles (156 km) north-east of London and 44 miles (71 km) west of Norwich.[1].[6][7] The Great Ouse at Lynn is about 200 metres (220 yd) wide and the outfall for much of the drainage system 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. The much smaller Gaywood River also flows through the town, joining the Great Ouse at the southern end of South Quay close to the town centre.

A small part, known as West Lynn, is on the west bank. Other districts of King's Lynn include the town centre, North Lynn, South Lynn, Gaywood.

Climate

Along with the rest of the East of England, King's Lynn has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is approximately 14 °C (57 °F). January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 0 °C and 1 °C (32 °F–33.8 °F). July and August are the warmest months, with mean daily maximum temperatures of approximately 21 °C (70 °F).[8]

Template:King's Lynn weatherbox

Development

The South Gate

Currently huge plans are under way to regenerate the entire town. King's Lynn has undergone a multi-million pound regeneration scheme. In 2005, the Vancouver Shopping Centre, originally built in the 1960s, was refurbished as part of the town centre regeneration project (which is planned for 'further' extension) which also saw a new £6 million multi-storey car park built. And to the south of town a huge swathe of brown-field land is being transformed into a housing development including contemporary apartments lining the River Nar), a business park, parkland, a school, shops and a new relief road in a £300 million+ scheme. The town's college was also going to be moving to this area (at a cost of £100 million, but was turned down due to lack of funds, along with a possible Anglia Ruskin University campus. A 250-berth marina, surrounded by apartments, hotel, shops, bars and restaurants is also planned.

A panoramic view of the Vancouver Shopping District

In 2009, a proposal was submitted and approved, following strong local support, that will see the Campbell's Meadow factory site redeveloped to include a 5-hectare (12-acre) employment and business park which could be home to approximately 400 new jobs, with an improved Tesco, creating 300 new local jobs. The plans also include a hotel and car showroom alongside a multi-million pound investment in the site to attract new businesses to King's Lynn.[9]

Demography

As of 2007, King's Lynn has a population of 42,800.[2] According to Norfolk's 2007 census, King's Lynn, together with West Norfolk, has a population of 143,500, with an average population density of 1.00 persons per hectare.[2]

Culture

The Majestic Cinema

The town holds two festivals each summer, King's Lynn Festival and Festival Too. The latter is one of the top three largest free music festivals in Europe and is held on Tuesday Market Place: it has attracted crowds of more than 12,000.[citation needed] Past performers include Midge Ure, Deacon Blue, Suzi Quatro,10CC, Mungo Jerry, The Human League, The Buzzcocks, M People, Atomic Kitten, S Club and Beverly Knight. The King's Lynn Festival is primarily classical music; it is held in historic venues throughout town, and attracts big names from orchestras to opera and stage-plays. There are also literature and poetry festivals. The Guildhall stages many events and Shakespeare's company may have performed there.

The Customs House

Every year on St Valentine's Day, a travelling funfair called The Mart sets up in Tuesday Market Place for roughly a fortnight, after which it moves to other towns. Traditionally, this is the first funfair in the Showmen's calendar where new rides are tried and favourites brought out from winter storage. 500 years ago, Lynn had two marts and these were important trading fairs which would attract visitors from as far afield as Italy and Germany. Over the years trading fairs became less important and the Mart changed from a trading to a funfair. It also became annual. Also upon the Tuesday Market Place, the town holds several Vehicle Shows where the local car dealers display.

There are two cinemas in the town centre, the bigger the Majestic Cinema—a building, which has been refurbished in the last few years. The Majestic had been the butt of jokes on the Scott Mills show on BBC Radio 1 due to an excited telephone voice recording. However the King's Lynn Arts Centre also shows films and performances, it is one of the Festival Too venues during the summer months.

The town centre has a large park (grade II listed — established in the 1700s) called The Walks and a variety of pubs as well as two nightclubs, Heights and Chicago's.

Sport

King's Lynn F.C. club (nicknamed "The Linnets") played football in the Unibond League. It had its ground at The Walks football ground on Tennyson Road. It was officially wound up in the High Court in December 2009.

King's Lynn also has a motorcycle speedway team, the King's Lynn Stars, who race at the Norfolk Arena on Saddlebow Road. The track has operated since 1965 when it operated on an open licence. Speedway type events were staged at the stadium in the 1950s.

The successful basketball team College of West Anglia Fury, who compete in the second-tier English Basketball League, is also based in King's Lynn.

Twinned towns

King's Lynn has three twinned towns:[citation needed]

Industry

The front of King's Lynn railway station

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.

In 2008 the German Palm Group began to erect one of the world's largest paper machines. The machine was constructed by Voith Paper. With a web speed of up to 2000 m/min and a web width of 10.63 m, it can produce 400.000 t per year of newsprint paper. The production is based on 100% recycled paper. The start-up was on August 21st, 2009.[10]

The Port of King's Lynn has facilities for dry bulk cargo such as cereals and liquid bulk products such as petroleum products for Pace Petroleum. It also handles timber imported from Scandinavia and the Baltics, and has large handling sheds for steel imports.[11]

Tourism

The Vancouver Shopping District at night.
See also: Buildings in King's Lynn

Tourism in King's Lynn is a minor industry and attracts a relatively small amount of tourists each year.

The town holds two festivals each summer; the King's Lynn Festival and Festival Too. The latter is one of the top three largest free music festivals in Europe and is held on Tuesday Market Place: it has attracted crowds of more than 12,000. The King's Lynn Festival is primarily classical music; it is held in historic venues throughout town, and attracts big names from orchestras to opera and stage-plays. There are also literature and poetry festivals. The Guildhall stages many events and Shakespeare's company may have performed there.

Transport

King's Lynn railway station is the terminus of the Fen Line, and gives connections to Ely, Cambridge and London King's Cross. It is the only remaining station of several the town once boasted. South Lynn railway station closed to passengers in 1959.

Norfolk Green provides regular bus services to many surrounding towns and villages around Norfolk. The town is connected to the local cities of Norwich and Peterborough via the A47 and to Cambridge via the A10.

South Transport Scheme

King's Lynn South Transport Scheme
The developments taking place as part of the King's Lynn South Transport Project.
LocationKing's Lynn
ProposerNorfolk County Council
Typemulti-modal
Cost estimate£7 million

A £7 million program to redevelop King's Lynn's Town Centre's infrastructure, due for completion in 2011. The majority of the money is provided by the Community Infrastructure Fund.[12] The development program is a collection of smaller developments which are detailed below.

A cycle and busway between the town centre and South Lynn is planned to start construction in June 2010 at a cost of £850,000. The route will be 720 metres long, running from Morston Drift to Millfleet, with buses travelling in both directions along it. It will also feature a separate path for pedestrians and bicycles, this path will meet the bus route when crossing the Nar sluice. As part of this development the Millfleet - St James' Road junction will be developed to better accommodate the envisioned increased bus and bike traffic.[12]

A contraflow lane for bicycles will be built along Norfolk Street from Albert Street to Blackfriars Road, this will include a development of the Norfolk Road - Railway Road junction to better accommodate buses and bicycles. Similar work will take place at the Norfolk Street - Littleport Street junction so that buses do not get caught in the town centre gyratory system.[12]

Bus priority measures will be added to four sets of traffic lights along St James' Road. This is being undertaken to give buses quicker access to the town centre and normalise journey times.[12]

Southgates Roundabout is going to be developed. Many of the approach roads will be widened in the run up to the junction and the road markings will be redone in an attempt to improve lane discipline. Southgates Roundabout is a noted congestion hotspot by the county council and thus targeted by this scheme as a point to be developed.[12]

Other small developments are taking place to make junctions more bicycle friendly.[12]

Education

King's Lynn has three secondary schools; King Edward VII School, the Park High School, and Springwood High School.[13][14][15] The former is known, academically, for its physical education department.[13]

The town contains one further education college, the College of West Anglia. It was founded in 1894 as the King's Lynn Technical School. In 1973 it was renamed The Norfolk College of Arts and Technology, and in 1998 it merged with the Cambridgeshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture, which added two campuses in Wisbech and Milton. In April 2006, the College merged with the Isle College in Wisbech to form the College of West Anglia.[16]

Media

King's Lynn has one main local newspapers, the Lynn News. It is a twice weekly newspaper, largely based on advertising, owned by East Midlands Newspapers. The Lynn News has two local sister newspapers; the Peterborough Evening Telegraph and the Fenland Citizen.

For television, King's Lynn is served by the BBC East[17], and by ITV Anglia,[18] before which, it had previously been served by Yorkshire Television.

King's Lynn has one locally broadcast radio station, KL.FM 96.7, a commercial radio station with local programmes.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Samuel (1848). "Lynn, or Lynn-Regis". A Topographical Dictionary of England. p. 203–208. {{cite book}}: Check |first= value (help)
  2. ^ a b c "CAn Overview of King's Lynn and West Norfolk - Part 1" (PDF). 2007. p. 2. Retrieved 2010-05-15. {{cite web}}: More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
  3. ^ "History and Heritage of King's Lynn". Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  4. ^ "King's Lynn, a Hanse League Member". King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council Website. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
  5. ^ "Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes" (Excel). Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council. 2001. Retrieved 2005-12-02.
  6. ^ OS Explorer Map 250 - Norfolk Coast West. Ordnance Survey. 2002. ISBN 0-319-21886-4.
  7. ^ OS Explorer Map 236 - King's Lynn, Downham Market & Swaffham. Ordnance Survey. 1999. ISBN 0-319-21867-8.
  8. ^ "Met Office: Climate averages 1971–2000". Met Office. 2000. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  9. ^ "Welcome to Campbells Meadow". Tesco. 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  10. ^ "Standorte - King's Lynn - English". The Palm Group. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  11. ^ "Port of Kings Lynn: Comodities". Associated British Ports. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "King's Lynn South Transport Major Scheme" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-11-17.
  13. ^ a b "King Edward VII School". King Edward VII School. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  14. ^ "The Park High School". The Park High School. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  15. ^ "Springwood High School". Springwood High School. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  16. ^ "History of College". College of West Anglia. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  17. ^ "Look East–East". BBC. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  18. ^ "Local Regional News and Weather". ITV. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  19. ^ "West Norfolk's KL.FM 96.7". KL.FM 96.7. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
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