Rowing Club
and Mousey lane
Judy
Dewey talks about the history of St. Michael's car park
Middle
Ages: Let's go back to the Middle Ages. Stand opposite the car park
and you'll find yourself in the churchyard of St. Michael's. Underneath
your feet can be found 35 burials dating back to the 13th century, and
beneath them is a bell-pit, 3.6 metres in diameter and 2 metres deep in
which the bells of the church were cast. Cross over into the car park
and travel forwards in time to the 19th century where you'll find yourself
in the middle of a busy cattle market. Watch out for those cow pats!
Malcolm
Airs talks about the gas lamp in Mousey lane
Industries:
Can you see the vents on the top of the Rowing Club? They serve as a reminder
that the building was once a Malthouse - one of 13 in fact back in the
19th century.
Look down
at your feet. Can you see the iron edging on some parts of the pavement?
These are Kerb Protectors, again installed by the Wilder family to protect
against the wheels of the carts that travelled down the road.
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Gas
light |
Take a look
at the gas light in Mousey Lane. There's something odd about it. Yes,
you've guessed it, it's at the wrong angle! Developers reinstated it recently
but returned it to the wall at 90 degrees instead of 180 degrees. Nevertheless
it's the only example remaining of the gas lighting scheme of the 19th
century.
Now take
a look at the square vent pipe opposite the entrance to Castle Priory.
It was part of the hydro-pneumatic sewerage system installed in 1891.
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