B J Post Office

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Stormy times ahead ?

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Post Office - difficulties !

There appear to be stormy times ahead for Burton Joyce Post Office ..

Some of us may say- Can the situation get any worse ?

I have never seen the appearance of this classic establishment deteriate so much, in all of the 38 years I have lived in this village.

To see the premises in such a state, is deplorable - the R H window of its two large display windows is now almost entirely devoted to the display of an irregular "hotch potch" of personal and commercial adverts - providing revenue of the princely sum of just 50pence per week per display rental

The other window ( L H looking into the premises) has a significant and crudely "hand prepared" announcement

"Everything for sale - 50% off "

The inside of these premises is now so untidy, unattractive and lacking the selection of services and goods once available to the village residents in better times

This situation needs to show an improvement .. .. ..and quickly !

Useful Village contact points
E mail: admin@burtonjoyceparishcouncil.org.uk -- Click for "Residents Association" Website
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GREEN

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Canoeists on the River Trent at B J

Is this the Greenest way to travel ? for it certainly reduces their Carbon Footprint

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E mail: admin@burtonjoyceparishcouncil.org.uk -- Click for "Residents Association" Website
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P O P

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Parking on Pavements ( NOT a lady - this time ! ;-) )

P O P

Parking on Pavements - a misunderstanding ..Oh yes !If you believe that, you will believe anything-Why is it that some car drivers illegally park on pavements? - Oh is it "ILLEGAL" ?-

My guess is that this type of driver is somewhat frightened or apprehensive by the situation, for if they parked legally on the road, there is a chance that some other car driver may drive alongside and because of what they consider as a narrow gap in the road, may , in passing by scrape and damage their own parked vehicle.

Wow! What attitude?-

Is this really "ILLEGAL" - do not be misunderstanding of that fact-Not only do these individuals choose to park "illegally", they completely disregard the "right of the pedestrian". The pedestrian for whom the pavement exists, is entitled to free passage and how about considering those pedestrians who actually need safe passage via the pavement - which they are obstructing and on which they are "illegally" parking their car -

Question .. What are the pedestrians supposed to do in these circumstances? - The elderly ,the infirmed, the wheelchair users, the young Mums with her offspring and buggies ( I hate buggies), the individual who has difficulty walking and requires the use of a motorise scooter, which is NOT licensed for road use ( there are more and more of this type of independent, individual using scooters now a days, and good luck to them. Their scooter is more than a vehicle to be inconvenienced on the obstructed pavement, it is their means of bringing some quality and much appreciated independence to their lives). ????

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Answer ..Not a lot really, other than squeezing by ( if possible) or taking a chance and stepping out into the road to get around the obstruction. However, what is the wheelchair and motorised scooters user supposed to do? ( hopefully they will have an umbrella - in case it rains),

.. ..and they should never leave home WITHOUT a packed lunch and i-pod, to help with passing the time, whilst waiting for the car owner to return ;-)

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I make no apology for rabbiting on , about this subject, it annoys me unbelievably to see the unconcerned, uninterested, inconsiderate law breaking individual, flout the law, showing disrespect to the needs of others, many less fortunate than themselves. My own patience is pushed even further to the brink, when the "illegally" parked vehicle is also the fashionable “Chelsea Tractor 4X4”

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Personally I would like to extend this grumble even more further to that particular inconsiderate individual who not only parks HER car on the pavement outside our home, but also aggravates further with partially parking across OUR drive entrance - really no joke!

However for those who transgress in B J, - beware .. .. my “ roving, contributing vigilante” insists that the majority the culprits for this type of illegal car parking are lady drivers -:-) noted by the “jottings” kept in the vigilante’s little black book and digital camera !!!!

( Note also! the use of the term .. lady - rather than the alternative, but less respectful .. “female“)-

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"Finally! I am sure that these parking illegal practices are in no way malicious, they are simply the result of the lack of thought by the culprits, who consider it more important to ensure less inconvenience to themselves rather than others" ..

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Useful Village contact points

E mail: admin@burtonjoyceparishcouncil.org.uk -- Click for "Residents Association" Website
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Millennium

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B J Millenniu Marker

For those interested in the geographic location of B J village it is Latitude 52 degrees 58 Minutes N - Longitude 1 degree 1 minute 60 W

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The changing of the 1900<2000>

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B J village was no exception and the result can be seen in the above images
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The village “Millennium Marker” is quite novel, attractive, not over stated, yet significant and memorable. The plaques mounted to the front of the “Marker” are most informative and relevant.
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Whilst admiring once again the B J “Millennium“Marker” this last week (with an intention of creating a photographic record), a local mature couple from the village, ( I recognised them both together as being villagers of many years standing) came over and took-up a conversation me

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“Very tasteful and relevant !” was their initial comment , .. .. ..

After a quiet moment or two .. .. the question arose

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“ Why was there a need to add that small plaque on the back” ? -

Aah! Mmm! Yes! .. was the answer as I recall ..
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It was suggested that a Time Capsule had been enclosed in the structure, did this contain a listing of ALL the residents in the three villages at the turn of the century ?

Useful Village contact points

E mail: admin@burtonjoyceparishcouncil.org.uk -- -- Click for "Residents Association" Website

Click to join “Interactive B J Village Tour”

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Quiz Answer

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Image 1 ?

Quiz Answer

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The question in Quiz 1 is relative to this (Image 1)

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"Q"- Where is this House as shown by image 1 ?

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"A"- The house name is "Willow" -------- Did you get it right?

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If you continue beyond this house ( which has the name "Willow") on the right in "Willow Wong" up and beyond the school and into the "Bridle Way", then by walking up the "way" approx. 400 yards (350 metres - Hey! such a clever conversion - What? ) and then turnaround, looking back from whens you came, you will see the original of the digital image at the top of this quiz answer report - well it you must agree it is a different take - ;-)

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Useful Village contact points
E mail: admin@burtonjoyceparishcouncil.org.uk -- -- Click for "Residents Association"

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Flooding

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These two current images illustrate the apparent lack of progress to the "new" pumping station

and the present level of water in the River Trent

Flood Defenses

On the 6/7th Sept and 3rd November I previously reported that the BJ Flood defence pumping station had still to be completed. - after the commencement of the work in February of this year

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In the October issue of the Parish Magazine, Steve Wright’s contribution comments upon the report by the Environment Agency Flood Risk Management and their statement that at the time of going to print (which could be interpreted as the 16th Sept) “the work was nearing completion of the pumping station” and that “When all work is completed screening of the site will be carried out by planting suitable shrubbery”

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-Well let me once again advise all in B J and the Agency itself, that work appears to have had NO significant moves towards completion, - as my new images show.

-With all the rain we have had this last year it makes me wonder if all the expense in the new , non-completed B J Pumping Station was really necessary. After all we have all seen "down pour, upon down pour" and "wide spread flooding" thro-out many areas in the country, but not here in B J this year .

Is it, that all the embarrassing and frenetic, renewed cleaning and clearing of the county's natural drainage ditches, dykes, becks etc (which have been in existance for years ) has been effective and had the result for which they were initially created for ? .. or have I missed something?

Useful Village contact points
E mail: admin@burtonjoyceparishcouncil.org.uk -- Click for "Residents Association" Website
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BJ 1609

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1609 map of early Burton Joyce (colour highlighted to assist with understanding)
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Burton Joyce in the 1600's

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Shows a very small number of dwellings - however there was a church.This early map of BJ is one of Sherwood Forest dated 1609.

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It shows BJ consists of Main St, Lambley Lane, and Meadow lane ( the eventual Old Road to Grimsby).

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It does not show any trees, shrub land, coppices or woods, even though there is every possibility that the area was full of such foliage, even more so than it is today. ( the number of local coal mines are witness to the fact that the area has always been well forested)

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About 35 houses were scattered around these roads and the population calculated from Baptisms, Hearth Tax and Visitation returns was about 145. Within possibly 35 families

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Life generally in the period

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Life in these times must have been very hard. No running water , no transport, no NHS, no flushing toilets, unmade roads and paths (becoming quagmires for most of the year), lack of sewage treatment, no schools, no shops as such , just the basics in food and drink , having to fetch water from streams or rivers in all weathers ( winter and summer - we know there was some running water for a “beck“ has always run off the hillside parallel to Lambley Lane and there was also a small “spring” at the east end of Main street.
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No baths or showers, clothes worn day in and day out, very frequently a complete lack of shoes, no tea, coffee or soft drinks, access completely without lighting (gas lights came much later), the heating was probably one fire in the food area of a home, no duvets on the sleeping areas - probably just skins or straw, there was a complete lack of food choice- sometimes a complete lack of food? (“You have what you’ve got and that’s it.! “), possibly the occasional milk from a goat or a friends cow, berries, and fish caught in the river or rabbit ( when one was brave or desperate enough to ignore the consequences of being caught red-handed - “poaching?”), the odd rabbit or bird and eggs from the water fowl nests, etc. etc.. would have been luxury itself.

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When the winds blow either from the South West or the North East, it can be quite “hairy” in BJ. The wind will find the easiest route and it will “howl” up/down the large gulley with its bridle-way which runs from BJ village up and over the escarpment to Lambley village. Tree damage was all too frequent an occurrence. These must have been just some of the downsides of life in the 1600’s

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(the above text is taken from the BJ TimeLine 1600<1900)

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Useful Village contact points
E mail: admin@burtonjoyceparishcouncil.org.uk -- Click for "Residents Association" Website
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