Page 8 - Hunstanton Town & Around - December 2012

8 Hunstanton Town & Around December 2012
7000 acres. Some of the boundary marks that he put in still exist
A Page from the Sage
inscribed J.M (Johannes Motteux). The Estate today covers some
Dick Melton 20000 acres. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales bought the Estate on 11
October 1862 for £219,000. The Norwich Gates were constructed by
First of all I would like to Barnyards of Norwich and were presented to the Prince on his wedding
mention the British Legion day, 7 April 1863 as a present from the people of Norfolk. He had a
Appeal and the service that is two laned bowling alley built in the house in 1881 but in 1901 it was
held at about this time of the converted into a library. The Prince of Wales was very fond of
year around the shooting. Because of this the clocks on the Estate were advanced by
Commonwealth War Graves one hour so that the guns could get an extra drive in after lunch. This
in Hunstanton each year. This custom was retained by George V but when Edward V111 acceded to
year, on 27 October 2012, we the throne in 1936 he had all the Sandringham Time clocks reset to be
chose a very wet, cold and the same as the rest of the Kingdom. The annual head of pheasant shot
windy day. Nevertheless, at Sandringham between 1870 and 1910 was over 30,000.
about twenty hardy souls were One of the earliest statues to be erected in the grounds was the
there including the standard Chinese Joss. It dates back to 1690 and was brought back from Peking
bearers, the Mayor and four or in the battleship H.M.S. Rodney by Sir Henry Keppel. The statue was
five very cold Brownies. shipped into King’s Lynn then brought to Sandringham by road in
There are twenty people 1870. In 1950, the late Queen Mary purchased the statue of Father
buried there, from around the Time and had it erected next to the Chinese Joss in the north gardens.
world. None of them should In 2000, a gentleman from Hertfordshire was looking round the
ever be forgotten. gardens, saw the statue and thought that the handle of the cycle was
I have been asked to write about the Hunstanton Fire Brigade. It looking a little worse for wear. He wrote to the Queen about it. She
started here in 1918. Until then most of the fire engines and pumps had a new one made and then invited the gentleman back to see it.
were privately owned. Indeed, when there was a fire at Hunstanton After a fire in the House in 1891 and great deal of building and
Hall in 1853, villagers armed with their buckets drew water out of the improvements were carried out so that by 1909 Sandringham House
moat and a messenger was sent to Heacham where the Reverend R contained more than 365 rooms, more than any other British private
Rolfe had two fire engines that were pulled by horses. house. In the 1970s more improvements were made and the number
The first Fire Pump in Hunstanton was pulled behind a dust cart. At of rooms reduced.
that time the fire engines were kept in various places in the town – the Wishing you all, especially those who deliver Town and Around, a
Town Hall Yard; Hunstanton Urban District Council yard at the bottom Very Happy Christmas.
of Southend Road; behind the Eastern Gas Office in Valentine Road
and at the rear of more than one Garage.
The Hunstanton and Hunstanton North Fire Brigades and the
Auxiliary Fire Service was constituted on 1st April 1939. The two fire ICS
stations were situated on the Council Office Yard behind the Town Hall
and at the rear of the Lodge Hotel, Old Hunstanton.
The nearest Fire Stations to these were at Fakenham and King’s
Lynn. On a very hot day in 1943, Hunstanton Fire Brigade received
eleven separate calls to grass fires and corn fires. On that same day, The smarter way to deep clean
King’s Lynn Fire Brigade received over one hundred separate calls.
The superintendent of the two Hunstanton Brigades was Mr Mudie. Carpet Cleaning
There were eleven full time eleven Fire Men and eleven auxiliaries at Upholstery Cleaning
the Hunstanton Station and seven Full Time men and eight auxiliaries
at the Old Hunstanton Station. There were also other members of staff: Chimney Sweeping
three patrol drivers, three messengers and two clerical staff. During Free Home Quotations
the 2nd World War, the auxiliary engine at Hunstanton was stationed
in Westgate, behind the old British Legion Club. Both of the Fire Fast drying times
Stations were closed down and the new one was built next to the Police Honest pricing
Station on old orchard land around 1970.Now for a little bit of Norfolk We remove and replace
squit. Six old boys were sailing out of Great Yarmouth on a fishing
trip. One of them, feeling a little unwell, was hanging over the side of all furniture
the boat when his false teeth fell out and went to the bottom of the sea. The most advanced
About half an hour later one of his mates caught a large cod. So the
fisherman took out his false teeth a put them into the mouth of the cod. method of cleaning
He then shouted to those on board to show them what he had caught. Member of the
“I’ve found your teeth.” His mate grabbed them and put them into his Institute of Chimney Sweeps
mouth. “They are not mine, they don’t fit. He took them out and threw
them back into the sea.
Next there is a little bit of trivia about Sandringham. The village of Please call Neil on
Sandringham is mentioned in the Doomsday Book (1086) as Saint 01485 543062 or 07539874721
Dersingham, meaning the sandy part of Dersingham. There has been
a house on this site since 1296. www.icscleaningsolutions.com
In 1830 John Motteux Owned the Sandringham Estate and it covered
Tel: 01485 533422 email: editor@hunstantonnewsletter.co.uk