Medieval Kingʼs Lynn (Bishopʼs Lynn before 1537) was a premier English
port, a position it retained until the Industrial Revolution. Its
maritime economy was undermined by the coming of the railways, which
were the harbinger of modest industrialisation. The major watershed in
the ancient boroughʼs fortunes arrived in 1962 when it was designated a
London overspill town. Though the new industrial and housing estates
were located on the townʼs outskirts, its historic heart was partly
redeveloped for a new shopping centre, and the old cattle market closed.
By 2000 Kingʼs Lynn was no longer the traditional country town and port
it had been in 1950. Lost Kingʼs Lynn presents a portrait of a town and
a way of life that has radically changed or disappeared today, showing
not just the industries and buildings that have gone, people and street
scenes, but also many popular places of entertainment and much more.
This fascinating photographic history of lost Kingʼs Lynn will appeal to
all those who live in the town or know it well, as well as those who
remember it from previous decades.