Lynn's Ferry (3)

 From Kings To West

There is no road access to the ferry on the Kings Lynn side, just a fascinating but well lit cobbled footpath. But if you were expecting a ticket office, a terminal building or even a shelter, you would be disappointed. There is just a flight of steps down to the river.

Even better (?); at very low tide, there is a somewhat perilous plank progression over the fluvial shores, with boards to give some pedestrian protection against a possible slimy slither.

Recently there has been a ferry-less time whist the crumbling stairway ...

... has been "improved".

Things don't look quite so solid over the water at West!

From West To Kings

There is a car park ...

... which is free. The ferry offers Park 'n' Sail!

Ferry Fares seem fair ...

... with no mention of season tickets, so it looks like being cash only. fbb is old enough to remember when you could buy things with actual money, specie, moolah, spondulicks, coinage or 'silver'!

There is a waiting room at West, with a small display showing the history of the crossing.

For those with dodgy sea legs [dodgy river legs], the alternative route between the two Lynns is by bus.

Readers my recall the arrival in the area of Norfolk Green ...

... and the subsequent withdrawal of First.

First had bought Eastern Counties ...

... and kept the prestigious Excel route (from Norwich via Lynn to Peterborough) even after giving up on the rest.

Meanwhile, Norfolk Green sold out to Stagecoach which soon abandoned the area! Lynx then provided ...

... most of Lynn's links whilst Stagecoach kept the 505 to Spalding. 

The 505 links Kings with West, every 30 min ...

... with posh buses.

So when the ferry was cancelled to rebuild those steps, travel between the two communities was still possible at every 30 min.

But it would appear that this diddy river crossing by water has a long term problem. It is not just the steps!

All relevant Councillors are keen to see the two boarding places strong and sustainable for the future, but, guess what, nobody has got enough money to pay for the required rebuild!

At least Tom admits that he has used the ferry, albeit not regularly!

What about Alexandra?

Well spoke, Alex!

Lets hope everybody does their sums and thus ensures this useful crossing continues to cross.

Back to Merseyside tomorrow.

 Next Wondrous Wirral blog : Thurs 1st Oct 

Lynn's Ferry (2)

 The River Was Moved!

In the first half of the 1800s the river at Lynn looked very different from today. It was wider, shallower and curved erratically round the norther edge of the town via mudflats and dangerous channels to reach The Wash.

The Eau Bank Cut had improved navigation on the landward side of the town (above, lower left) but further improvements were needed to give ships safer access to the rapidly growing port of Kings Lynn.

Simple !

Dig a deeper, straighter trench. 

A new, more straightforward outlet for the river into the Wash was finished in 1853 by the Norfolk Estuary Company. This major project diverted the Great Ouse away from the awkward, shallow loop that curved round King’s Lynn and its old tidal approach. It gave the port a deeper, more reliable channel running across the reclaimed land north of the town. 

The Alexandra Dock was opened in 1869, and the Bentinck Dock in 1883.

Those docks are located where the river isn't any more; it has been moved sideways.

Let's now concentrate on the road and rail bridges at South Lynn. The railway carried the line from Spalding ...

... across The Great Ouse ...

... whilst the road bridge carried what became the A17 and A47.

This bridge was rebuilt in the 60s ...

... and, below, we can see the new build and old crossings next to the railway as we look to the east.

The road running across the picture is the old A47 with a welcoming level crossing over the railway!

The railway is long gone, replaced by a new crossing for the A17 and A47.

The new road layout can be seen on the map below.

... with the track of the old bit of highway passing through 'The Elms'. Its original route via the older road bridge is adjacent to 'Motel'. The same view is shown via Google Earth below.

The older bridge is still in use and carries, for example, a bus route running every 30 min.

The Ferry from Kings Lynn to West Lynn predates the road bridge by several hundred years.

Back then, this was the only way to cross the turgid waters of the River Great Ouse for journeys from the west to North Norfolk.

Here is the ferry marked on a modern map.

But there has been a problem with the ferry.

More tomorrow!

====================

Snippets

It Never Happened

The channel tunnel promised so much!

It Has Happened At Last

You can get into Oxford from the west, at last - several years kate!

Is It Really Happening? 

Work on the Portishead branch from Bristol, also long awated.

Will It Ever Happen?

=====================

 Next Lynn's Ferry blog : Weds 30 Sept 

Lynn's Ferry (1)

But First : Lynn''s Trains!

The town was named Len Episcopi (Bishop's Lynn) while under the temporal and spiritual jurisdiction of the Bishop of Norwich, but in the reign of Henry VIII it was surrendered to the crown and took the name Lenne Regis or King's Lynn. However, the town is generally known locally as Lynn.

When fbb was taken, as a kiddie, on family holidays to Norfolk (Hunstanton, Sheringham and Mundesley), he was reminded by dad that Kings Lynn was a town full of level crossings. We had to hope we didn't get stopped at one or several.

In fact fbb DID hope to get stopped by closed gates as it meant he would see a train or two. From unreliable memory, they were only stopped once, for ages, awaiting a very slow, very long goods train chuffing by at barely a walking pace!

But Lynn had a lot of railways.

Reading from North to South, we have lines to Hunstanton with a branch to Wells-next-the-Sea. Readers might speculate on why Wells is so called!

Then there were trains from Lynn to Dereham and beyond.

Trains running via Spading, South Lynn and Fakenham come next with the Fakenham route crossing over the Dereham route just outside the town.

Heres where that crossing used to happen cartographically ...

... and courtesy of Gurgle Earth!

All the above lines are defunct, leaving the remaining electrified "main" line south to Cambridge and London.

These trains have, in the past, been very popular with older folk ...

... visiting their holiday cottage nearby.

But there is more historic railway interest at Kings Lynn. Its trade used to be very much focussed on the River Great Ouse. (fbb has no idea why it isn't called The Great Ouse River - mose folk just stick to 'Ouse'!).

So there was a 'Harbour' ...

... complete with imposing Custom House. There was a 'Quay' along the banks of the river.

Then there were the 'Docks' (two in number) ...

... with extensive rail access.

Here is the throat of Kings Lynn station in the good old days ...

1 . Station building

2. Goods yard

3. The Maltings warehouse

4. The curvaceous branch to the Docks

... showing something of the former rail infrastructure. Below c/o Google Earth is what remains today.  The white buildings occupy the goods yard with the station in shadow to their left ...

The route to the docks curves right. Also clearly visible is the former three way junction: right to Hunstanton, straight on to Dereham, and left, the only route in use for London trains.

Here is the station area on a map ...

.... and the greatly simplified continuation of the docks branch.

There was also rail to the harbour and quayside ...

... also showing some works sidings. Just a tad further south was some more complex junction work ..

... where Spalding and Fakenham trains crossed the London tracks. South Lynn station was a busy little place!

Not the best picture, but the station us upper centre both sides of an over bridge (note, NOT a level crossing!). In the distance is the river and at the bottom is the junction that would take trains to Kings Lynn station.

All is gone, now, of course.

The tracks used to come straight towards us from the left hand river bridge. A by pass road has now appeared and the former over bridge at thevstation has become the approach to a huge roundabout.

Thoroughly confused? Below is a simple map!

Historically, crossing the river was not easy; it being deep and wide.

As we shall see in tomorrow's blog.

 Next Lynn's Ferry blog : Tues 29th Sept