IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
The Wong, HORNCASTLE, LN9 6EA

Cagthorpe, at the end of which is the former Cagthorpe Secondary Modern School, where my wife attended many years ago. It is now the Youth Centre. Beyond that is the Town Centre, which is reached by crossing over the A158, that runs over the River Waring.

The junction of The Wong with Cagthorpe. Cagthorpe, to the right, leads to the playing fields and car park, the River Waring, the A158 and the Town Centre. The Wong also leads to the playing fields, but better on foot.

A view of The Wong, which includes the former Courthouse, and the Police Station.

As can be seen, the building stands next door to the Police Station. A poster in the window advertises, "Summer Fayre Here".

Looking along Cagthorpe towards South Street, the A153. A quiet corner of Horncastle.

This is the area once occupied by Horncastle's historic cattle market as portrayed in Dave Hitchborne's (2009) and Tony Atkin's (2006) photos: Image; Image; Image; Image; Image All that remains now is the small group of sheep pens in photos Image; Image; Image The Council declared the pens unsafe, and demolished them. It has got its way so far, and it remains to be seen if it will manage to build itself some new offices on this fiercely defended piece of common land. After all, the Council knows how these things work: first create a weedy eye-sore, then suggest that some offices would be an improvement!

Horncastle Police Station. It was built in 1853, at a cost of £500. It had four cells, for 12 prisoners, and a residence for a superintendent and constable. The small entranceway leads to a car park behind the former Courthouse.

Horncastle Police Station was built in 1853, at a cost of £500. It had four cells, for 12 prisoners, and a residence for a superintendent and constable.

At the time of writing these cattle and sheep pens which have been slowly rusting away since the closure of the market occupy just about the most controversial piece of land in Horncastle. The local council wants to build new council offices on this land, a proposal which sees furious opposition from many local residents. These stalls occupy part of an area of land known as "The Wong". Some argue that as The Wong is ancient common land it should not be built on. The word "wong" is an rarely used term meaning 'common land' although it was in more regular usage about 1000 years ago.

The building carries a cut bench mark on the nearest angle. See http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4352233 for a close-up and http://www.bench-marks.org.uk/bm64309 for details of the mark.