King’s Lynn

Railway Sleepers King’s Lynn Norfolk

Approximate Population: 34,564

King’s Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. Over the years, the town has been known variously as Bishop’s Lynn and Lynn Regis, while it is frequently referred to by locals as simply Lynn, the Celtic word for lake.

King’s Lynn is the third largest settlement in Norfolk after the city of Norwich and the town of Great Yarmouth. Sandringham House, the Norfolk residence of the British Royal Family, is 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east of King’s Lynn. It is best known as the birthplace of Captain George Vancouver RN (June 22, 1757 – May 12, 1798) an officer in the Royal Navy who was the first to explore the Pacific coast of the modern day Canadian province of British Columbia and the American states of Alaska, Washington and Oregon and also the southwest coast of Australia. It is also the place of the first school attended by Diana, Princess of Wales.

While it is believed there has been some form of habitation at King’s Lynn for well over a thousand years, it was not until St Margaret’s Church was founded in 1101 by Bishop Herbert de Losinga that the town started appearing on records. The town would originally have been named something like Llyn, after the Brythonic (Celtic) for ‘lake’. Later, it acquired the prefix ‘Bishop’s’ as 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 – 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.

Railway Sleepers King’s Lynn Norfolk

Poole

Railway Sleepers Poole Dorset

Approximate Population: 138,288

Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset on the south coast of England. The town is 32 kilometres (20 mi) east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council. The town had a population of 138,288 according to the 2001 census, making it the second largest settlement in Dorset.

The design of the coat of arms originated in a seal from the late 1300s and were recorded by Clarenceux King of Arms during the heraldic visitation of Dorset in 1563.  The wavy bars of black and gold represent the sea and the dolphin is sign of Poole’s maritime interests.  The scallop shells are the emblem of Saint James and are associated with his shrine at Santiago de Compostela – a popular destination for Christian pilgrims departing from Poole Harbour in the Middle Ages.

The arms were confirmed by the College of Arms on 19 June, 1948, and at the same time the crest (a mermaid supporting an anchor and holding a cannon ball) was granted.   Following local government reorganisation in 1974, the 1948 arms were transferred to Poole Borough Council.   In 1976, the council received the grant of supporters for the coat of arms.

The supporters refer to important charters given to the town; to the left is a gold lion holding a long sword representing William Longespee who in 1248 granted the town’s first charter; on the right is a dragon derived from the Royal Arms of Elizabeth I who granted Poole county corporate status in 1568. The Latin motto – Ad Morem Villae De Poole, means: According to the Custom of the Town of Poole, and derives from the Great Charter of 1568.

Railway Sleepers Poole Dorset