Sunday, June 21, 2009

Walton-le-Dale

Walton-le-Dale is an ancient village in Lancashire. It is home to the church of St Leonard, originally erected in the 11th century, but the community's history goes back to at least Roman times.

According to legend, in 1560 Dr. John Dee summoned a spirit in the churchyard of St. Leonard's and learned the whereabouts of the dead man's wealth and received prophecies the fate of many of the townspeople. Apparently this was not an outrageous assertion in those times.

As for Walton-le-Dale, the local government of this community of 11,000 or so used commercial overprints on at least SG 573 and 727.

Friday, June 12, 2009

East and West India Dock Company

The East India Company's principle warehouse in the City of London was the Cutler Street complex, constructed in the late 18th century. The West India Dock Road was a toll road laid out in 1802 as part of the Commercial Road to transport company goods from the East India Dock to the City of London. In 1838, after it's monopoly ran out (1833), the East India Dock Company ran into financial difficulties and decided to merge with the West India Dock Company to form the East and West India Dock Company.

In 1866 the company negotiated an 80-year lease for
their building. Among the uses of the warehouses during this period was the storage of tea.

The freehold of the warehouses was acquired in the 1880s. The company struck a medal commemorating the opening of the East and West India Dock Company's Tilbury Docks in 1886.

The companies were eventually incorporated into a single entity called "The Port of London Authority".