Traditions die hard
Shooting recently with Richard Gray at Scrivelsby with a team I had not met, as usual people enjoy showing me their various guns. One in particular was a Robert Churchill with 25” barrels, a self-opening premier model being used at the end of the season with 32 grams and 5 shot to some effect. Note the fine detailing and fancy back action, imagine how difficult this gun was to stock!
I have recently been delivered a hammer gun by WR Pape. It has a single Damascus 28” barrel, 12 Bore, carved percussion fence, rebounding sidelock, snap fore-end with a buffalo horn finial, weight 5lbs 12oz. This gun was nearly out of date when it was built to order, sadly we don’t know who for but surely he wandered around the hedges with this beautiful gun just as we can now – £200-300.
William Rochester Pape retailed his guns from the powerhouse that was Newcastle. Most famously he invented and was patentee of the choke boring system, which WW Greener went on to develop. He won the London gun trials of 1858, 1859, 1866 and 1875. He registered several other patents extractors etc. Intriguingly he found time to invent draught excluders for doors and windows in railway carriages. He would certainly have known this gun as he retired in 1888.
Most unusually a Darne V22 12G has arrived. This gun, ‘see the photo’, is a snap opener; it ejects if you hold the gun upside down. Made in France most commonly as a 16 gauge, to assess the quality apart from the engraving and finish you count the dots around the flats of the action – in this instance 22, making it high quality and quite rare. They are famous for only having 44 working parts and also for catching your hand in the action as it flies backwards! £1,500-2,000.
Anyone wishing for a free valuation should contact me, Simon Grantham, Holt’s Auctioneers, on 07860 300055. My next Valuation Day is at Walcott on 14th April.
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Food waste collections are coming to parts of Lincolnshire in early 2026 ♻️![]()
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Here are the key things residents need to know:![]()
• New household food waste collections will start rolling out in phases from January and February 2026![]()
• If you’re in one of the first areas, you’ll receive food waste caddies and a guidance leaflet delivered to your home![]()
• The leaflet explains how the service works, what can go in your caddies, and when collections will start![]()
• All food items that are edible and inedible are accepted this includes items such as egg shells, meat bones, tea bags and so much more![]()
• The service is part of the Government’s Simpler Recycling changes![]()
• Not all areas will start at the same time – check your local district or borough council news channels for confirmed start dates![]()
• Food waste should be placed in the kitchen caddy using the supplied liners, then transferred to the outdoor caddy for collection![]()
• Collected food waste will be taken to an anaerobic digestion plant, where it will be turned into energy and fertiliser.![]()
Look out for your caddy delivery and make sure to keep an eye on local council updates so you know when the service goes live in your area.![]()
#LincolnshireRecycles #FoodWaste #Recycling #EnvironmentAct2021