The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
I write with regard to a letters dated Oct 8, one by Rodney Sadd in which he states “my home town, which was once a lovely market town…” and one from Kevin Davis who states “lest we forget, Spalding is a market town”.
I have to say, Rodney Sadd’s words were the more accurate and apposite description of Spalding. It is puzzling, therefore, that a letter from Mr Sadd in this publication of Oct 15 he describes it as “our lovely market town”, what happened and changed in the intervening week?
Both contributors need to take off their rose-tinted spectacles, stop reminiscing and propel themselves into the modern, real world.
When I first moved to the area nearly 30 years ago, Spalding was a wonderful place, quiet and genteel, and was a true market town. That is not so now and it is irreversible. I accept that the definition of a market town is one that holds a market. But a market town can also be defined by its size, population, character and generic ambience.
You wouldn’t refer to the resort of Great Yarmouth, with its huge market, as being in the ‘market town.’
When I moved to the area, Spalding had a population of c.19,000 (1991 census). Its population today is estimated at c.43,000. Hardly market town proportions.
May I suggest that Spalding has been raised, but not, I would hasten to add, elevated (in the true meaning of the word) to the level of rural-urban hub.
We can all identify the meaning of urban – swathes of concrete and industry for miles and, likewise, we can all identify rural – peaceful countryside, dominated by agriculture punctuated by lovely market towns. We then come to rural-urban hubs, which have lots of fields and outlying settlements surrounding them. This can be seen in “new town” developments over the years. Places such as Harlow in Essex.
Just because a five minute drive puts you among fields does not necessarily make it rural.
This is now the category in which Spalding firmly sits. The ‘new town’ of Lincolnshire, if you will.
In my experience, a true market town does not have a mass mobilisation of its population at 5.30am to go to work. Urban areas have this, as does Spalding. A true market town does not have heavy traffic jams due to the school run. Urban areas have this, as does Spalding. It also has run down slum areas, anti-social drunks in its centre, homeless people’s kit in derelict shop doorways and vast amounts of litter strewn everywhere.
I realise these problems manifest themselves in all corners of the U.K., but over the last decade they have become pronounced in Spalding. In my own hamlet, we now have thousands of daily vehicular movements.Hardly conversant with the description of rural. Much is said of Springfields, but coach operators offer, as part of a holiday to Lincolnshire, a day trip there in the knowledge the town now has absolutely nothing to offer tourists.
Spalding is no longer a quaint market town. It is well on its way to becoming a fully urban settlement. No amount of contradiction will dispel this. It is sad and regrettable. It is also, irreversible.
Tony Brown
Whaplode St Catherine
