Author: Editor

Viewing platform, created as part of a series of constructions for ‘Structures on the Edge’ along the Lincolnshire coast. https://twitter.com/SOTE_UK 

 

RAF Stenigot is situated at the dizzy height of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Originally, it was built as a WWII radar station, later becoming a Cold War communications post and today it is a RAF training facility. The Cold War is over and the decommissioned dishes, too big to move, languish in their remoteness.

 

Wherever you go you will find the Union and St George’s flags, in front gardens on public facilities, on clothing or even in the middle of nowhere. Is it patriotism, pride, or maybe nostalgia for when Britain was considered *’great’.

A German car with a patriotic Union Flag livery, perhaps it was an intentional snub or did the owner not see the irony? The Red Arrows in the background was good timing and admittedly, a stroke of luck.

Even before the Brexit vote, it was already fairly obvious where Lincolnshire stood. On the day, the county recorded the highest pro-Brexit vote in the UK, with more than 75% of residents voting to leave the EU. It looks like this poll turned out to be pretty accurate.

A Lincolnshire farm shop that sells a large percentage of imported produce. Ah well, I guess it came from a farm somewhere!

Bank Holiday open day at the Lincolnshire Aviation Centre. Lincolnshire (Bomber County) is obsessed with its aviation history. The Bank Holiday weather never gets in the way of a day out.

* The “Great” part of Britain refers to the ‘great’er landmass of England, Scotland and Wales. Many labour under the misapprehension that it refers to the glory of Empire or some kind of past achievement on the world stage. Though, perhaps greatness is closer to a modern interpretation, having been commandeered by so many people, particularly Brexiters as an aspiration.

Obviously intended to lend an air of the Costa-packet to those visiting the English seaside resort. Except that nothing other than the sign would indicate anything Spanish. Apart from the portable sign put in the street from the owner of Matador Cafe, which ironically, would not otherwise be found.

When I was a kid we were pretty fearless, we had no real sense of danger. We used to freely roam around the lanes, woods and village streets armed with sheath knives that would get you arrested today. What seemed like every other weekend we would go camping in the woods, what is now Birchwood estate. We would use axes, bow saws and various types of cleaver, unsupervised and mostly untrained. We made camp fires and cooked our own food. We climbed to the top of the tallest trees and dared each other to sway in the wind on the thinnest branches. We made Tarzan swings across dykes and tried to impress each other with how daring we could be. In winter we would lightly feel our way across the thin ice of frozen ponds seeing who could cross to other other side, I came a real cropper on that one and was sent to bed without tea. Most kids these days do not have much freedom to roam in the way that we did, to learn through trial and error. Society seems to have sanitised the childhood experience with health and safety, litigation and helicopter parent paranoia. I was heartened to come across at least a remnant of my past, out of sight of the playing field security camera.

1001 uses for an disused phone box. This phone box has been turned into an art gallery by kids. It exhibits fantasy images of fairies and animals cut from magazines and books. In the middle of nowhere it has to be the smallest public gallery anywhere. What a shame there’s no gift shop.

A sea of new cars standing in front of Killingholme oil refinery which will supply fuel throughout their lives. I’m not sure if the image needs text – it is what it is.

The flat surrounding countryside and villages are completely dominated by the oil refinery.

Apart from agriculture, Lincolnshire has very little industry left, Gainsborough and Lincoln used to produce heavy machinery on a large scale. Lincoln prides itself on being the birthplace of the tank. Scunthorpe Steelworks, which has been in decline for decades, Killingholme oil refinery and Siemens turbines are all that is left today.

It strikes me as quite sad that consumerism and fakery has replaced real civic pride in achievement with a nostalgic, rose tinted view of history. Gainsborough’s industrial history was marked by Marshals, from 1848 to 1992, who produced a variety of agricultural machinery from steam engines through to diesel tractors. Today the site of the factory is a shopping centre which retains some the original architectural features. In nostalgic celebration, on a roundabout, stands a fake plastic topiary sculpture of an agricultural steam engine, encircled by cars as though the past is under siege by progress. As with most story telling, truth is a combination of whatever the storyteller makes of it and how the viewer interprets it.

Motorcyclists, attracted by the open roads, are particularly at risk, especially on bank holidays, as they head for the coast or race days at Cadwell Park. Roadside shrines are everywhere and persist for years. This one has a real sense of permanence with a crucifix and water bottles for the flowers screwed to a tree, as well as false flowers, possibly creating a throwback to Pagan times.

Wherever you go in the countryside you will find officious, shouty signs like “KEEP OUT”, “PRIVATE PROPERTY”, “TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED”, “DOGS WILL BE SHOT”. Most of these places are out of the way backwaters where people tend not to trespass anyway, and it’s doubtful that those who do won’t be stopped by a keep out sign. It’s understandable when disease might spread to farm animals but, county landowners do tend be a little territorial and paranoid. Keep out signs do not come much more officious than these, I am sure there will be more to follow in future posts…

GET ORF OF MY LAND