The Stamford Walk in words and deeds. 2: houses grow and shrink
Pictures and lyrics by Tony.
This tale continues from The Christmas Mince Pie Walk 2024 which was published a few days back. If you missed it, that was extremely naughty of you but you can still catch it here.
And I must warn you that if you don’t read part one first it will prove to be very difficult to make much sense out of part 2!
But anyway, here we have a typical Stamford street. I personally love the way in which the houses are all different shapes and sizes as if there was no planning control at all which of course there wasn’t. Indeed we can see the same here just off the high street with the outlying buildings of Stamford Hall.
This is a Grade 1 listed “home” although that is not the use of the word “home” that I am used to! It was apparently built in 1697 deliberately on the borders of Leicestershire and Northants with the intent of ensuring that neither authority would be able to agree who the Council Tax would be paid to. A typical upper class trick leaving the poor workers to pay the bills, I’ll be bound.
Anyway it all looked jolly nice and the grass was indeed exceptionally well kept, although the trees were somewhat short of leaves, although I am told by group members more used to the countryside than I that this was due to the tilt of the earth.
Now I must admit that I found that concept rather worrying although it could well be an explanation for my slipping over after the previous weekend’s “Christmas Do” at work. In fact, I’m rather glad we got that sorted.
But then as we moved on there was more, for we came to a pavilion where at last I was allowed to eat my sandwich carefully nurtured along the way, while gazing at the dim and distant housing, I’m told that was Stamford.
I’m not sure that is so as I remember the houses being bigger. In fact I think we were witness to a rare geologic transformation for as I watched the town slowly advanced towards us, as can be seen by this second picture.
I have reported this movement to the Ordnance Survey so that they can update their maps but have not yet had a reply.
From there on it was a jolly walk along the paths until we returned to our starting point to find that yes all our cars were still there and ready to take us home.
I have of late been reading about the evolution of self-drive cars and I had hoped that during our walk my vehicle might well have mutated into the upgrade, but sadly as I sat in it, and said in a loud and clear voice, “Take me home” nothing happened so I once again had to drive myself.