QUICK TOUR QUICK TOUR NORDELPH COMMUNITY WEBSITE: November 2007
An entertaining poser to start off our pre-Christmas update: what connects the picture on the left -- the H Bomb -- with Ron Stannard, our Parish Clerk?
The answer lies in a date -- November 1st 1952. That's the day that the USA tested the first H Bomb. In the days before 24-hour rolling news, we didn't learn about it until at least the day after. That's possibly fortunate, in that it didn't distract Ron Stannard from setting off for his first Nordelph Parish Council meeting as Clerk to the Council. He's served this Parish and other bodies loyally ever since: 55 years. And in that time, he hasn't missed a single meeting!
You can read our report of the surprise celebration together with a selection of pictures.
If you want to postpone breaking away from the home page at this point, remember that our THIS MONTH button at the head and foot of this home page will lead you through all the pages referred to here. And in future, you can access this story and its pictures through the Parish Council page (look under 'reports').
Seven swans ...
We're trying our best to keep a Christmas theme at the forefront of this update, because -- as last year -- we don't intend to update the site in December: you have better things to do than browse the site! So an update on the satellite tracking of seven whooper swans at
www.wwt.org.uk/superwhooper/573/super_whooper.html that we mentioned last month seems indicated. For anyone who regularly checked on the progress, the intervening weeks have been interesting.
The map on the left is a copy of the one we reproduced last month, showing all seven swans still in Iceland near their breeding grounds. The central map (which incidentally demonstrates how easy it is to scale and zoom around the maps) is essentially the present situation. One swan is still in Iceland, but the others have made it to Ireland, Scotland -- and Welney. One swan is shown as perilously 'lost' off the coast of Scotland. As the satellite trackers have now switched to 'wintering' mode, the updates will be less frequent -- every three days or so.
The swan at Welney -- a 6 year old male called Blidfinnur -- has not yet been sighted. If you think that a tagged swan can't be that hard to identify, you obviously haven't been to Welney lately. Last weekend, when they mounted their annual 'Festival of Swans', there were around 4,500 whoopers in residence! The map on the right (switching to the 'map' option instead of satellite imagery) shows us how he's been spending his time -- scouring local fields for sugar-beet tops!
More Christmas entertainment
We have a further novelty for you this month: the Nordelph website's own Advent Calendar. Full instructions on how to use it, together with a description of the small competitive element we've managed to introduce, can be found by clicking on the link above.
Nothing to watch on TV?
In that case, why not try the latest Nordelph video?
Several of our correspondents have commented approvingly about the video drives through Nordelph that we provided, to try to give those unfamiliar with the community a sense of what it looks like. So this month we've added another, slightly longer, video.
This has a purpose! It's the first of a series of attempts to make Nordelph easier to find. We mounted a camera in the passenger seat of a car, and drove from the A1 junction near Huntingdon to Nordelph. Then we speeded the video up, so that the journey takes place at speeds of up to 700 mph (the video last just over four and a half minutes), slowing down to allow you to study changes of direction and features you might want to be aware of, like the presence of speed cameras.
We already provide downloadable direction leaflets on how to find Nordelph
-- so that you can direct any visitors to a pre-packaged set of directions. Now, you can invite them to take a preview of the journey as well! As with previous videos, it's available in Windows Media format and as a Quicktime movie. This time, we've also added a version in Flash Video format -- let us know your experiences: you may have to download the Flash video player to use the last of these.
One thing to consider is that, although the video was only shot two years ago, there's already one new roundabout on the route, and a new Welcome to Norfolk sign. We're unlikely to update this video, but we may be spurred on to create some more for the different routes.
The video is available from both the video page and the directions page.
DVD
No one could claim that our videos are particularly high quality: we've compressed them as much as we dare, to make the download more efficient, and that's at the expense of picture quality. In these days of imminent high-definition television broadcasts and videos, we're much more used to excellent quality pictures from DVDs. In case you find yourself watching some over Christmas, we've added a page on all you wanted to know about DVDs (but weren't sad enough to ask!) to our Nordelph Future section. One thing you might not know is what 'DVD' stands for -- or doesn't!
Church development
Although the Summer's
flurry of activity and concern over the future of Nordelph church has died down, we've have repeatedly warned that this may only be temporary, and that a new planning application may emerge in the future. As promised last month, we have compiled a page of summary that collects together all the contributions on the matter. There's nothing we haven't posted before, but it's conveniently all in one place. If you need it in future, it's accessible through our 'Church Services' page, which we've renamed 'Nordelph Church' in the index to this section.
Nordelph Past
We're delighted that this month's updates include more contributions to the Nordelph Past archive section. David Meacock, a member of the campaigning group we set up to fight against the BT decision not to upgrade Nordelph or Brandon Creek to Broadband Internet access, came across a 1965 guide to Downham Market and forwarded us the description and illustration of Nordelph. It's on the Nordelph Recorded page.
Last month we added more identifications to the Home Guard page in Nordelph Past. That page also has a photograph of the Nordelph Scout Troop, and we mused that while we were getting a lot of interest in the Home Guard, we weren't being told about the Scouts. Thanks to Lisa Cook and Marie Clements, that's now far from the case: there are still a few question marks, but there are names to a lot more faces now!
Dave Thacker from Northampton has contacted us:
"I have recently been bitten by the genealogy bug and am esearching my Great Grandfather: George William Thacker (known as William?) of Upwell, born 1853.
I have photographs of his maths exercise book from Nordelph School in 1865 and his Deed of Apprenticeship to Wm Elworthy, builder, also of Upwell.
Link:
picasaweb.google.com/uptodat/GeorgeWilliamThacker
and use zoom tool.
His Father, also George, was an agricultural labourer in 1851, living in Thumberry? Drove, Upwell, Hill Farm Cottage Upwell in 1861, and was the Innkeeper of the Globe Inn, Town Street, Upwell in 1871 - when he shelled out £15 for his son's 4 year apprenticeship.
Before too long I hope to visit the area and see for myself where many of my ancestors originated, but meanwhile I would be very interested in any information on the Thacker family in the area and on what became of Nordelph school, The Globe Inn, and Elworthy the Builder - builder of the Cambridge Corn Market.
BTW, considering the work of a 12 year old in the maths exercise book, it does seem standards may have slipped over the years!
If anyone can help Dave with his search for information, we'll pass on any messages. As a matter of policy, and to protect your privacy, we don't generally publish e-mail addresses on the site. But info@nordelph.org will happily act as a clearing house.
We've been asked in the past whether we can't set up a 'Nordelph Reunited' section of the site, to assist people trying to research names and past residents. This latest request just strengthens our desire to do something! We have some ideas, and we might make this a New Year resolution!
Finally ...
A few bits and pieces: now that St Pancras International station has opened to acclaim and a lot of media hype, it may provoke you a little to realise that when you are next waiting at Kings Cross for the train home, walking next door and catching Eurostar would get you to Lille (if not Paris) before Downham Market! More seriously, the shift of the Kings Cross Thameslink station to the new St Pancras site does mean that journeying from here to Gatwick Airport will become less of a trial!
Patients using the Bridge Street Surgery in Downham should be aware that the Surgery offers Internet access to allow booking appointments and repeat prescriptions. The following warning should help: to use the service, you need to collect a letter containing some identification numbers, and instructions on how to log on. This document
specifically instructs you to destroy it after you've successfully registered -- DON'T! The numbers on that sheet are needed for future log-ins, whatever the letter says!
And lastly to remind you that we'll not update this website now until January 2008 (the Church Services are already posted until February). In particular, the Family Carol Service is in the Village Hall again this year, on Sunday 16th December at 3.00. Refreshments after. So we'll sign off with our very best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As always, the button below will lead you through all the pages referred to above!
THIS MONTH
"