Castle Aching

[Denbridge]

How typical of Americans to use this bent logic. Let's not take guns away from those who have them, but give them to those who do not.

I just shake my head in sadness at how broken American society is in regard to its refusal to deal with gun control. Thousands of innocent people every year being shot or killed just because a bunch of men in wigs decided 250 years ago that farmers needed muskets to defend themselves against Indians and Redcoats.

The insanity of American society in regard to guns is why I steadfastly refuse to ever visit the USA.

I've been to the States dozens of times to 19 seperate states. I have never once seen a shooting and only ever seen one violent crime. Yet I've seen dozens of violent crimes in the UK. I've never felt unsafe in any American city but am wary of venturing out in some UK places. I'm not condoning US gun laws, in fact I vehemently disagree with them. But the media paints a picture showing only the negatives.

[Martin S-C]

You misunderstand my point. The issue that I find offensive is a law that allows private citizens to carry firearms. It may have been relevant at the birth of the nation when farmers lived alone in wildernesses where hostile natives or predatory animals were threats but it is not relevant today and probably became irrelevant around the period between the end of the Civil War and 1900; much earlier in established cities. Your personal experience is as irrelevant as mine as regards crimes witnessed in any particular nation. The statistics speak for themselves - because of a lack of gun control a person is much more likely to suffer gun related crime in the USA than any other "civilised" nation. I think only some south American and African states exceed the per-capita death rate from gunshot wounds. Its a disgusting statistic and it ought to cause both alarm and shame among American politicians. That it does not also says a lot about the mentality and the broken political proceedures in the USA.

The media always paints pictures using negatives. You'd think from reading certain newspapers in the UK that a person is likely to suffer an attack by youths on motor scooters at any time. There is practically no such risk in the UK and I am not saying there is an everyday risk of gun crime if I visited the USA either, I am just giving my viewpoint on how USA gun laws disturb me personally and that the facts are plain for all to see regarding how arming citizens gives rise to greatly increased per capita gun crime incidents.

Edited December 7, 2018 by Martin S-C

[Edwardian]

I've been to the States dozens of times to 19 seperate states. I have never once seen a shooting and only ever seen one violent crime. Yet I've seen dozens of violent crimes in the UK. I've never felt unsafe in any American city but am wary of venturing out in some UK places. I'm not condoning US gun laws, in fact I vehemently disagree with them. But the media paints a picture showing only the negatives.

 

In fairness, I've never had any problems relating to violent crime whilst visiting the States. The only people I've seen waving guns around were various law enforcement types.  They don't make me feel particularly safe by doing so, but, again to be fair, none of them has ever shot at me. 

 

Come to that, I've never been stopped and searched in the UK.

 

Then again, I'm not black. 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Edwardian

[Andy Hayter]

I've been to the States dozens of times to 19 seperate states. I have never once seen a shooting and only ever seen one violent crime. Yet I've seen dozens of violent crimes in the UK. I've never felt unsafe in any American city but am wary of venturing out in some UK places. I'm not condoning US gun laws, in fact I vehemently disagree with them. But the media paints a picture showing only the negatives.

 

But how much time have you spent in the US?  Say 2 weeks per visit so 38 weeks of your life - say 3/4 of a year.

Compared with your entire life of...?  Lets say 39 years (just because the sums are easier.

 

If the rates of violent crime in the UK and the US were the same (and they are not) you would be 52 times more likely to see a crime in the UK than in the US. [ 39 x 4 / 3]

 

I had a similar problem with a major customer who made a common plastic item found in most houses.  He complained that our product had half as many breakages more than our competitor when the moulding was ejected from the mould.  We asked how much he bought from us compared to the competitor.  We supplied 80% of his needs and the competitor just 20%, so our higher rate of failure based on a daily/weekly rate was in fact about 0.4 of the other company based on units produced.

[Hroth]

Lets get back into period....

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shooting_Party

 

or perhaps not.

[Annie]

I have a few on-line friends who live in the US and they happen to be citizens who by reason of their race or religion or economic status find themselves on the wrong side of the line of what is considered by US society at large to be worthy citizens.  Messages from them are something I find profoundly depressing since they seem to spend a lot of time in fear of their lives.  Since anyone who can draw breath can own a gun the chances of them being shot by some Trump supporting nutter is disturbingly high.  The other thing i find disturbing is that when they get ill they can't get medical help because they don't have insurance and they can't afford to go to a doctor.  

 

But anyway enough of all this because all I'm doing is making myself upset.

[sem34090]

"I feel that this conversation has perhaps gone too far even by the standards of this parish. I therefore propose to the Parish Council that all discussion of the (lack of) firearms regulation and gun laws in the United States of America is brought to a close indefinitely. It is a worthy and interesting topic of debate, albeit one that to many of us viewing the nation from across oceans that shouldn't be a matter of debate but more one of common sense, but I feel that there is no need for it to be discussed here at the Parish Council meetings. I know that Mrs Penworthy down there at the back has very strong views on the subject, and Col. Stevenson across the way there has equally strong feelings to the opposite effect! Mrs Annie and Mr Hroth here have expressed a definite interest in bringing the matter to a close, and I suspect that the rest of us up here on the council are of like mind.

 

I therefore once again propose that this council brings the discussion to a close.

 

Do I have a seconder?"

 

Missenden returned to his seat...

[nick_bastable]

back to more gentile times I think

 

 

EDWARDIAN CHILDREN WATCH THE ROYAL MAIL CART SHOULDHAM NORFOLK 

 

Nick

[Edwardian]

back to more gentile times I think

 

 

EDWARDIAN CHILDREN WATCH THE ROYAL MAIL CART SHOULDHAM NORFOLK 

 

Nick

 

How wonderful.  Full of detail and atmosphere. Thank you.

 

Castle Aching must have such a Royal Mail cart!

 

EDIT: And the magnificently bearded Postie!

Edited December 7, 2018 by Edwardian

[DonB]

As you say, Lots of detail... some of which is difficult to discern..

.

What are the square shapes on the corner of the nearest house wall?

What is the item apparently hanging from the first upstairs window?

What is the girl, 3rd from right, wearing on her head?

 

A fine, varied collection of male head gear! 

[Les le Breton]

You go to school to learn to follow the rules....

 

Any real learning you pick up is down to your own efforts!

 

        I am appalled by the narrow minded teacher you have to suffer with. Unfortunately, speaking as a retired head teacher, (I’m alright now), I was lucky to serve when initiative and lateral thinking of pupils was cherished. Even in my day there were teachers who were very pedantic in their work, usually they were people with no imagination and frightened of pupils who thought differently to themselves.  

 

"Educational" refers to the process, not the object. Although, come to think of it, some of my teachers could easily have been replaced by a cheeseburger

Terry Pratchett

[Edwardian]

As you say, Lots of detail... some of which is difficult to discern..

.

What are the square shapes on the corner of the nearest house wall? - can't tell what you mean

What is the item apparently hanging from the first upstairs window? - can't tell what you mean

What is the girl, 3rd from right, wearing on her head? - something quite awful

 

A fine, varied collection of male head gear! 

[Regularity]

back to more gentile times I think

 

 

EDWARDIAN CHILDREN WATCH THE ROYAL MAIL CART SHOULDHAM NORFOLK 

 

Nick

Where’s Jennifer hiding?

[Buhar]

As you say, Lots of detail... some of which is difficult to discern..

.

What are the square shapes on the corner of the nearest house wall?

What is the item apparently hanging from the first upstairs window?

What is the girl, 3rd from right, wearing on her head?

 

A fine, varied collection of male head gear! 

That's where the brickwork is interlaced with the flint of the side wall, a bit like quoin stones.

There's ivy (or some other foliage) up the wall and a trick of the angle appears to merge it with one of the stakes in the garden.

It's a bunnet wi' a tourie aka a bobble hat.  It looks big because she's moved.

[Andy Hayter]

As you say, Lots of detail... some of which is difficult to discern..

.

What are the square shapes on the corner of the nearest house wall?  I think you men the brick built quoin - given the lack of stone in Norfolk. brick was often used as the substitute.

What is the item apparently hanging from the first upstairs window?  I think that is a tree growing between the camera and the window

What is the girl, 3rd from right, wearing on her head?  A woolly hat with a peak - but with the top pulled down over the peak - just the ting in 1896 so I am told.

 

A fine, varied collection of male head gear! 

[Hroth]

As you say, Lots of detail... some of which is difficult to discern..

.

What are the square shapes on the corner of the nearest house wall?

What is the item apparently hanging from the first upstairs window?

What is the girl, 3rd from right, wearing on her head?

 

A fine, varied collection of male head gear! 

 

1. Brick quoins?
2. There's something reflecting in the glass, the window is surrounded by creepers.
3. It looks like a tea-cosy, though it might be a lovingly knitted bobblehat.

Whats the betting the postmans name is Ernest?

[Edwardian]

Where’s Jennifer hiding?

 

Destroying her undergarments out of shot

[Edwardian]

 

Whats the betting the postmans name is Ernest?

 

 

Why is that important?

[Hroth]

How wonderful.  Full of detail and atmosphere. Thank you.

 

Castle Aching must have such a Royal Mail cart!

 

EDIT: And the magnificently bearded Postie!

 

As there should be a fair amount of post and parcels for the Big House, I expect that a Royal Mail Cart would be essential.

 

Something new to clutter up the High Street!

 

I love photos like that, and I wonder why it was specially posed, and what that bunch of dratted kids are really up to...

[Hroth]

Destroying her undergarments out of shot

I thought that might be the case, but decided that mention of such would be inappropriate...  

Why is that important?

'cause he'd drive the fastest mailcart in the East!!!

[Edwardian]

I thought that might be the case, but decided that mention of such would be inappropriate...  

'cause he'd drive the fastest mailcart in the East!!!

 

Ah, the importance of being Ernie.

 

I see.

[Nearholmer]

“back to more gentile times I think”

 

Que?

 

Anyway, how about we all read ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’, that’s about the postal system in Edwardian times, isn’t it?

Edited December 7, 2018 by Nearholmer

[Compound2632]

To tie up the US discussion with Edwardian Norfolk, I can thoroughly recommend George MacDonald Fraser's Mr American. Think Flashman meets Henry James and throw in the King himself for good measure.

[runs as required]

is it safe enough to come out to post something without getting caught in wild west crossfire now?

The end terrace in that wonderful photo merits a closer look.

Do I perceive the end house to have resisted fairly recent (1890s) improvements made to the others. Maybe an elderly widowed tenant was able to stay in the end cottage undisturbed while next door new slate roofs replaced stone 'slates' along with newer sash windows and brick faced lintels as compared to (a just visible) earlier upstairs toplight sash with leads?

The facing bricks look to be a refined 'rubbed' brick laid earlier in the century with minimal thickness mortar courses. These get returned as three course quoins to tie in with the gable.

And is Is the near gable wall actually built with coursed knapped flints?

In this search here  I don't see anything other Norfolk examples so closely imitating coursed brickwork - but with diminished thickness of coursing up the gable to the springing of the brick chimney stack.

On the contrary, Edwardian's drill hall is arguably more successful in contrasting varied flints with regular brick.

dh

 

 

[Compound2632]

'... they topped a gentle rise, and beyond it a village nestled among woods in the hazy afternoon; a scatter of cottages round a little triangular green; a dusty street winding in front of a small inn; a pond, mud-fringed, a pump and a horse-trough; on the farther side, a lych-gate and the square tower of a Norman church rising among elms an yews.

'"Cassel Lancin'," said the urchin stolidly, and Mr Franklin took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

'"Castle Lancing," he repeated. "Well now." He smiled and shook his head. "Think of that. ..."'