QOTW: Local Famous Places

[TheGuru]

This weeks question of the week is:

What is your town, city or region famous for?

Does it have a tourist attraction
Is it known for a historic event
Does it export something
Are the locals known by a nickname

Let us know

[Nutty_ZA]

I currently live in Benoni...
Errrmmmmmm... Benoni's most famous export is Charlize Theron (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000234) although I must state categorically, Benoni is NOT a farming community (as she keeps insisting that it is) and there are NO farms in or around Benoni (a few smallholdings but no farms)...
Other than that, nothing really famous or well known...
Willowmore Park Cricket Ground occasionally hosts International cricket matches... oh yes, and we have "beautiful" *note the sarcasm* Mine Dumps...

Benoni (http://www.benonicentenary.co.za) is about 30 KM's to the East of Johannesburg(http://www.joburg.org.za/), and about 40 KM's East of Sandton (SA's Financial "Capital" and where I work)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandton)

[InLove]

I live in Dunfermline and I know this town has a lot of history. So be prepared for a long post.

Whats in a name?
The name comes from the Gaelic "Dùn Fearam Linn" which translates as "the fort in the bend of the stream". Because Dunfermline sits on high ground about 3 miles from the Firth of Fourth. The monks of the abbey called the Tower Burn, 'Aqua de Ferme' and the 'Ferm' element in the name dates back to documents of the eleventh century. Dunfermline used to be the capital of Scotland (I couldn't find the years but this is what I like most about the town)

The Abbey- A short version (trust me this is the sort version)
On decision of Queen Margaret in 1075 the foundations were laid of the Benedictine priory, which was raised to the rank of an abbey by David I in 1128. There were many famous births, deaths and marriges in Dunfermline abbey as listed below:

• Saint Margaret of Scotland was buried here in 1093;

• Malcolm III of Scotland remains were also disinterred, and buried next to Margaret.

• Both Duncan II of Scotland 1094, and his wife Ethelreda, were buried here.

• Edgar of Scotland was buried here in 1107.

• Both Alexander I of Scotland 1124, and his queen Sybilla de Normandy 1122, were buried here.

• David I of Scotland was buried here (1153) along with his queen Maud, Countess of Huntingdon (1130)

• Malcolm IV of Scotland was buried here in 1165
  Alexander III of Scotland (1286), was buried here, with his first wife Margaret of England (1275) and their sons David of Scotland (1281) and Alexander of Scotland (1284)

• Elizabeth de Burgh, wife of Robert I of Scotland, was buried here in 1327.

• Robert the Bruce was buried, in 1329, in the choir, now the site of the present parish church. Bruce’s heart rests in Melrose, but his bones lie in Dunfermline Abbey, where (after the discovery of the skeleton in 1818) they were reinterred with fitting pomp below the pulpit of the New church. In 1891 the pulpit was moved back and a monumental brass inserted in the floor to indicate the royal vault.

• Matilda of Scotland, daughter of Robert I of Scotland, was buried here in 1353.

• Anabella Drummond, wife of Robert III and mother of James I was buried here in 1401.

• Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany was buried here in 1420.

• Birthplace, in 1600, of Charles I, the last British monarch born in Scotland.

• David Lindsay, 1st Lord Balcarres, son of John Lindsay of Balcarres, Lord Menmuir and father of Alexander Lindsay, 1st Earl of Balcarres, was married here in 1611.

Dunfermline High School - I went there
Thought to be one of the oldest schools in Scotland, with evidence for its founding in the early 1120s, Dunfermline High School and its alumni have played an important part in the town's history throughout the ages. It was King David I, the son of Malcolm Canmore and Queen Margaret, who originally put up the money for the school. It was taken out of the Abbey under which it was born and founded properly in the town in 1468 by Abbott Richard De Bothwell.
The school is the fourth largest in Scotland with over 1,770 pupils.The school badge is made up from the crest of Malcolm Canmore, the Queen Margaret Cross and the symbol of Abbot Bothwell. The school has two Latin mottos:

1. "Quid Quid agis age pro viribus" meaning "Everything you do do it with vigour".
2. "Labor Omnia Vincit" meaning "Work conquers everything".

The schools current motto is "DHS The way to Success"

Andrew Carnegie - The man of the Town
Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline and travelled to America to find his fortune. He built one of the most powerful and influential corporations in United States history. By the 1860s, he had investments in railroads, railroad sleeping cars, as well as bridges and oil derricks, and he built wealth as a bond salesman raising money in Europe for American enterprise.

He came back to Dunfermline later in his life and gave the Local park (officially known as Pittencrief park but locally known as "the Glen") back to the people. He also built the free public library, swimming baths and the Carnegie Hall (less famous than the one in in New York, which he also owned, and funded the local college. The college was formally known as Lauder college after Andrew's cousin but in 2007 changed it's name to Carnegie College (I went there too).

Think I should maybe leave it at that. There's loads more I could say though. It's a very interesting town This post took me AGES to write.

[kazthorn]

I live in a suburb of Melbourne, the sporting capital of Australia.

Melbourne is probably most well known for the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Australian Open Tennis, the F1 Grand Prix, the Melbourne Cup (the race that stops the nation) and is the home of Aussie Rules Football (Go Cats!).

It is the only Australian city with trams, is the home of Dame Edna Everage, Kylie Minogue, Rupert Murdoch, Shane Warne, and "Neighbours".

It has the biggest population of Greek people ouside of Greece and was originally the Capital city of Australia.

And we have 6 sister cities.

Osaka, Japan
Tianjin, China
Thessaloniki, Greece
Boston, USA
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Milan, Italy

[TheGuru]

Bootle in Liverpool
Bootle is the administration centre for Sefton, this area of Merseyside, just four miles from Liverpool's city centre and part of its urban area.
From 1799 the settlement supplied clear spring water to Liverpool but in the early 19th century it began to grew as a fashionable bathing resort on the sands of the estuary, much favoured by the well-to-do.

However, with the arrival of the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway in the 1840s, docks were soon constructed along the whole length of the riverfront and the town became heavily industrialised.
During World War II Bootle was a target for German air raids, with around 90% of its houses damaged.

In the post-War years large housing estates were built in land from the town centre.

The docks declined in importance in the 1960s and 1970s causing high unemployment but since then numerous office developments have helped provide new jobs.

The old civic centre of Bootle still boasts some splendid Victorian buildings to visit, including the Town Hall and Municipal Baths. To the west of these is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and docks lining the Mersey Estuary

Famous People
Many notable footballers were born in Bootle. Jamie Carragher,Steve McManaman and Roy Evans came to prominence playing for Liverpool (with Evans later going on to become the club's manager) whilst Alvin Martin is regarded as one of West Ham's greatest ever players.

In the arts, Bootle has produced the actor Craig Charles, the comedian Tom O'Connor and early rock and roll singer Billy J. Kramer. The BBC news and features presenter Will Hanrahan, is originally from Bootle, and the poet and intellectual, Mark Ford, has resided in the borough. The fashion retailer George Davies was educated in Bootle.

[Mike]

Facts about Wigan

Wigan is one of the four oldest boroughs in Lancashire, receiving a charter from Henry III in 1246. It is believed to have started life as the Roman garrison town of Coccium. Some of the town's charters are on display in Wigan History Shop, a former Victorian library designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the celebrated architect of Manchester town hall and the Natural History Museum.


Famous Wigan food products include Heinz baked beans, Pataks Indian foods, Potters herbal remedies, Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, and De Roma ice cream.


Once the centre of the Lancashire coalfield - in the late 1800s there were 1,000 pit shafts within five miles of the town centre - Wigan no longer has any collieries. The last pit, Bickershaw, closed in 1992.


Wigan was a key battle ground during the Civil War in the 17th century, and Cromwell's troops passed through the town twice. The town stayed loyal to the king, and was later rewarded with a ceremonial sword. Until local government reorganisation its motto was 'Ancient and Loyal'.


The Verve, whose split was announced recently became Wigan's most famous musical export since ... George Formby! The band were all from the Wigan area and met while at Winstanley College, a sixth form centre on the outskirts of town.


Other notable Wigan bands include the Railway Children and folk-rockers the Tansads. Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra is known the world over, while Andy Prior - dubbed the new Sinatra - owes his success to his formative years with WYJO. Nearby Leigh - part of the borough of Wigan - is the birthplace of Georgie Fame.


In the 1960s and 70s, Wigan Casino was the spiritual home of 'Northern Soul' music, attracting thousands to its famous all-nighters. The casino burnt down in the early 1980s. In the 90s the town gained a reputation as a centre for jazz and now hosts an international jazz festival every summer.


Well-known Wigan-born figures include entertainers George Formby, Roy Kinnear, Ted Ray and Frank Randle; miners' leader Joe Gormley; and former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Sir James Anderton. Actor Sir Ian McKellen grew up in the town in a house opposite Mesnes Park.


Contemporary Wiganers of note include Kay Burley of Sky News; DJ, journalist and TV film critic Stuart Maconie; former Hollyoaks actress Davinia Murphy (who played Jude Cuningham), and Coronation Street's Georgia Taylor (Toyah Battersby) and Eva Pope (barmaid Tanya Pooley). Local MP Ian McCartney is currently a high flier in Tony Blair's New Labour government as Trade Minister.


Wigan Rugby League FC are the UK's top club side. In 1990/91 they won all the major trophies, and hold the record for the number of successive cup and league wins. In soccer, Wigan Athletic have moved into a new 25,000 seat stadium at the town's Robin Park, which they share with the Wigan Warriors rugby club. It has been paid for by...


Wigan Athletic's multi-millionaire chairman Dave Whelan, the boss of JJB Sports, whose phenomenally successful chain of sportswear stores is one of the UK's retailing success stories.


Literary links include George Orwell, whose unflattering portrait of the town at the height of the depression in the 1930s, The Road to Wigan Pier, angered many, and American thriller writer Martin Cruz Smith, whose 1996 novel Rose was set in Victorian Wigan.


For a town with an industrial image, Wigan's countryside is a constant source of amazement to visitors. The borough has three country parks (including Haigh), more Sites of Special Scientific Interest than anywhere else in the region, and a wealth of wildlife and rare plants.


Wigan Pier, once a musical hall joke, has been restored as one of the UK's top heritage attractions, winning 15 national tourism awards for its portrait of local life at the turn of the century.


The name is thought to have first been used by George Formby Senior, a popular local entertainer in his own right. It described not a seaside pier but a small jetty, projecting over the side of the Leeds-Liverpool canal, which was used for tipping coal from railway trucks into barges.


Thomas Beecham first manufactured his famous pills in Wigan. Marks and Spencer was born in Wigan when Michael Marks joined forces with Thomas Spencer in 1894. For three years the town was the firm's headquarters.


In 1698 travel writer Celia Fiennes described Wigan as a 'pretty market town built of stone and brick.' Almost three hundred years later the American travel writer Bill Bryson wrote: "Such is Wigan's perennially poor reputation that I was truly astounded to find it has a handsome and well-maintained town centre".


Wigan Metropolitan Borough is the 9th largest Metropolitan district in the country covering 77 square miles. In population terms the Borough is the 12th biggest in the country at around 310,000. Wigan itself has around 90,000 residents.


Wigan is the most westerly borough in the county of Greater Manchester, lying halfway between Liverpool and Manchester - although most residents still think of themselves as Lancastrians.


Wigan has one of the country's most famous swimming clubs - the Wigan Wasps - responsible for training scores of top swimmers, like former Olympic medallist June Croft.


These facts are taken from a great site full of info on Wigan, it even links to Siliconhell. Visit WiganWorld.co.uk to read more.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by InLove

Andrew Carnegie - The man of the Town
Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline and travelled to America to find his fortune. He built one of the most powerful and influential corporations in United States history. By the 1860s, he had investments in railroads, railroad sleeping cars, as well as bridges and oil derricks, and he built wealth as a bond salesman raising money in Europe for American enterprise.

That was a very well laid out post well done

Incidentally, there is a Carnegie library in Wigan. I wonder if it is named after the same chap?

[InLove]

Originally Posted by Mike

That was a very well laid out post well done

Incidentally, there is a Carnegie library in Wigan. I wonder if it is named after the same chap?

Thanks :blush:

It probably is. He very much believed in free education for the people.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by InLove

Thanks :blush:

I had to say something as most people cut and paste. Where as you took the time to format the text, it makes it so much easier to read

Originally Posted by InLove

It probably is. He very much believed in free education for the people.

Ive just done a search and it seems that there was two Carnegie libraries round here. The one near me was opened in 1907

1907 Dec. 11. - Lord Balcarres, M.P., opened the Pemberton Carnegie Library. - Recognition Meeting at St. Paul's Church, Standishgate. - Ashton Grammar School Prize Distribution. - Rev William Pollock-Hill appointed Vicar of St. Thomas's, Ashton.

[TheGuru]

Originally Posted by kazthorn

I live in a suburb of Melbourne, the sporting capital of Australia.

Melbourne is probably most well known for the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Australian Open Tennis, the F1 Grand Prix, the Melbourne Cup (the race that stops the nation) and is the home of Aussie Rules Football (Go Cats!).

It is the only Australian city with trams, is the home of Dame Edna Everage, Kylie Minogue, Rupert Murdoch, Shane Warne, and "Neighbours".

It has the biggest population of Greek people ouside of Greece and was originally the Capital city of Australia.

And we have 6 sister cities.

Osaka, Japan
Tianjin, China
Thessaloniki, Greece
Boston, USA
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Milan, Italy

Kaz,

Thats a great post, I like the flag links

I never knew that Australia attracted so many Greeks I wonder why?

I'd really like to watch an F1 in Melbourne