Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Sign Of The (Church) Times


Sign Of The (Church) Times, originally uploaded by Colonel Blink.

St Andrews Trowse has just had its roof replaced after the lead was stripped off it before Christmas.

Another sign on the church announces the use of Smart Water to "fingerprint" the roof. All high flat surfaces on St Andrews have been covered with barbed wire. To my eye anti-climb paint has also been used at higher levels. The alarm system has been beefed up. A church that is sadly never left open* now has all the appearance of being under siege.

I cannot find more recent figures but between January and November 2007 twenty one insurance claims were made from Norfolk churches in respect of the theft of lead.


* In the parish's defence it is only a mile away from St Wandregesilius, Bixley that was the subject of an arson attack in 2005.




St Andrews Trowse From The Southwest

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Open Up Them Pearly Gates


As always I am overstating the case but it is not with giant leaps but inch by inch we lose our freedom.

An example of this axiom is the Norwich City Council's latest wheeze. From 8pm at night until 8am in the morning part of the Riverside Walk will be closed off to all but visitors to the Yacht Station. (For those who don't know this is a popular stroll with local residents in the summer evenings)

Presented with the problem of people returning from the pubs and clubs late at night the worse for wear and casting off boats from the Yacht Station, the council decided not to cause the area to be policed to stop this from happening. They also decided not to punish or make liable the pubs and clubs who were selling the alcohol. They decided instead to punish everyone else by blocking off the staithe at night. People mooring in the boats, we are told, will be given the combination number to the locks but no one else. There was no local consultation about this at all. We lose an amenity, and have to pay for its loss out of the council taxes but we have no say.

Presumably they feel that at 8pm we should all be tucked up in bed with our cocoa and only troublemakers will complain.

I hate this. Our right to roam is one of our most precious freedoms. Happily the Council are a bunch of cheapskates where their own expenses claims are not involved. They have installed a shoddy Squire combination lock. It took well under 30 seconds to work out the combination. It is 8228. It is the same number for the gates at both ends. I will update this as it changes.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Sign Of The (Church) Times


Sign Of The (Church) Times, originally uploaded by Colonel Blink.

St Andrews Trowse has just had its roof replaced after the lead was stripped off it before Christmas.

Another sign on the church announces the use of Smart Water to "fingerprint" the roof. All high flat surfaces on St Andrews have been covered with barbed wire. To my eye anti-climb paint has also been used at higher levels. The alarm system has been beefed up. A church that is sadly never left open* now has all the appearance of being under siege.

I cannot find more recent figures but between January and November 2007 twenty one insurance claims were made from Norfolk churches in respect of the theft of lead.


* In the parish's defence it is only a mile away from St Wandregesilius, Bixley that was the subject of an arson attack in 2005.