Click on map to enlargeIn the print version of the book this map is greyscale.
Ulverston is a charming, honest, little town right at the southern tip of the Lake District, a little nearer to the sea than it once used to be!
When the ancient railway bridges fell into disrepair, and finally collapsed, the canal was reinvigorated and extended to the foot of Hoad Hill. The area developed gradually and organically, becoming an increasingly more important part of the town. In the shadow of the ruins of the old Sir John Barrow Monument the locals took to calling the new Ford Park Docks informally by another name, the Pepper Pot Docks. As far as they were concerned the new Pepper Pot Docks simply had to be named in honour of the old tower.
By 2400AD one canal was no longer enough, so the Chamber had a second one added. Inbound traffic on Salt, and outbound on Pepper! The redevelopment was completed in less than five years but it took another five years before the town’s Chamber agreed that the name the Pepper Pot Docks was so ubiquitous that a relaunch and an official opening was called for.
An impressive, new stone archway was constructed to mark the event. Two massive new crests were prepared in cast iron, to be placed at the apex on each side. Spanning The Highway, the plaques were designed to be unmissable by anyone travelling in either direction between the docks and the town centre. The crest bears the motto Optimum Sufficit and above that, instead of Ulverston, the town’s old English name Wulf-heres-tun is picked out in raised brickwork.
The familiar, historic coat of arms stands two metres high and is topped with the helmet of a black knight, surrounded by oak leaves. The wolf right at the top seems to be larger and more real than before.
Its three red roses represent Lancashire, the town having been in that county long before Wolfland ever existed. The black wolf wears a leather collar and holds a golden sheaf of wheat, representing the tanning industries and the agricultural markets. A gold shield, with a red strike of lighting, and a cross, hang from a chain below the collar. They signify the area’s engineering heritage, electrical industries. And the early Egyptian Ankh cross represents medicine.
Most impressive is the wolf’s majestic head, breathing fire. The flames signifying the importance of iron smelting to the local economy. The crest bears the motto Optimum Sufficit.
Click on image to enlargeThe mayor likes to point out that Optimum Sufficit means “only the best will do”.
From Chapter 9, Red in the Face this extract has NutJob and his employers Franklin and Faraday chatting about Ulverston.
They clear enough space to prepare three mugs of black tea, and they all sit around chatting about wolves.
“Wolves Here Town? Almost right,” says Faraday, “Franklin actually did some research on Ulverston, I’m sure she can explain it better than me.”
“It’s a mix of Old Norse and Old English. Úlfarr means wolf army and Tun means farmstead or village,” says Franklin. “So Ulverston actually means the village of the wolf army! Which means that Wolves Here Town is not too far from the truth.”