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Thread: Shortest street in the world?

  1. #1
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    Default Shortest street in the world?

    Recently noticed a sign saying 'shortest street in the world' by MacKay's Hotel in Wick - seems it is too!

    http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/ShortestStreet

  2. #2
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    Yes we looked into this too. Seemingly at one point it used to be a dress shop and had closed off the doorway but when mackays hotel took it over the doorway was re-opened. To constitute a street all it needs to have is a single doorway.

  3. #3
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    Mr Lamont said he did not know where the street's name had come from.
    Perhaps the Scrooge in the Wick Roads Dept. wouldn't make any funds available to make the street any longer? Nothing's changed there then?

    Anyway, I believe fowks in Bacup are spitting feathers about the record being changed to Wick.
    Last edited by Rheghead; 27-Oct-07 at 19:22.
    God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
    Courage to change the things I can,
    And wisdom to know the difference.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ashaw1 View Post
    Yes we looked into this too. Seemingly at one point it used to be a dress shop and had closed off the doorway but when mackays hotel took it over the doorway was re-opened. To constitute a street all it needs to have is a single doorway.
    There was still just a window there until a few years ago and only became a street officially again after the doorway (to No 1 Bistro) was reinstated and this link tells all about it.

    http://www.mackayshotel.co.uk/worldrecord.php
    Last edited by Torvaig; 27-Oct-07 at 20:01.

  5. #5
    karia Guest

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    Today's Falkirk is a pleasant town centred on its pedestrianised High Street. The main landmark is the Steeple, a 140ft high building erected in the market place in 1814. The Steeple was struck by lightning in 1927 and the top 30ft collapsed, killing an unlucky horse. It was later rebuilt. Behind the Steeple is Tolbooth Street, reputedly Britain's shortest street at 5ft long.

    Confused!

    Kariax

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    Quote Originally Posted by karia View Post
    Today's Falkirk is a pleasant town centred on its pedestrianised High Street. The main landmark is the Steeple, a 140ft high building erected in the market place in 1814. The Steeple was struck by lightning in 1927 and the top 30ft collapsed, killing an unlucky horse. It was later rebuilt. Behind the Steeple is Tolbooth Street, reputedly Britain's shortest street at 5ft long.

    Confused!

    Kariax
    Isn't it 58ft, Karia?

  7. #7
    karia Guest

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    Hi Oddquine,

    I really don't know!

    Got that from Google and it is accepted down here ..will check and get back to you.

    It's not 58 ft..thats for sure..if I wished I could lie down in it and take up the space!..Some folks do of a Saturday night!

    karia

  8. #8
    karia Guest

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    Wikipeadia suggests that Tolbooth st Falkirk held the title until 2007..Wikitravel that it still does.

    Who knows..?

    It's not often that folks are arguing about who's got the smallest!

    karia

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    Quote Originally Posted by karia View Post
    Hi Oddquine,

    I really don't know!

    Got that from Google and it is accepted down here ..will check and get back to you.

    It's not 58 ft..thats for sure..if I wished I could lie down in it and take up the space!..Some folks do of a Saturday night!

    karia
    Just that the place with the blue plaque saying it is the shortest street in Britain is in Windsor, and it is 51' 10"...the street, not the plaque. When I googled I got 58 ft off the site of the person who does the town maps..so that seemed reasonable.

    Though if the Falkirk Street is that short does it have a door on it? If it doesn't it isn't a street for record purposes.

  10. #10
    karia Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oddquine View Post
    Just that the place with the blue plaque saying it is the shortest street in Britain is in Windsor, and it is 51' 10"...the street, not the plaque. When I googled I got 58 ft off the site of the person who does the town maps..so that seemed reasonable.

    Though if the Falkirk Street is that short does it have a door on it? If it doesn't it isn't a street for record purposes.
    aye it has a door!

    Interesting stuff..and even the experts cannae seem to agree.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by karia View Post
    Wikipeadia suggests that Tolbooth st Falkirk held the title until 2007..Wikitravel that it still does.

    Who knows..?

    It's not often that folks are arguing about who's got the smallest!

    karia
    Being in the Guiness book of records and actually having the real extreme title are two things all together. I was involved in attempting to break the marathon team CPR duration on a dummy but the costs were simply out of our firstaid's budget. We beat the record in practice btw.
    God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
    Courage to change the things I can,
    And wisdom to know the difference.

  12. #12
    karia Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rheghead View Post
    Being in the Guiness book of records and actually having the real extreme title are two things all together. I was involved in attempting to break the marathon team CPR duration on a dummy but the costs were simply out of our firstaid's budget. We beat the record in practice btw.
    Fair takes my breath away!

    Kariax

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    A bit more:
    Rossendale Free Press. 3/11/2006

    BACUP has lost its record for having the world's shortest street. Scottish challenger Ebenezer Place in Wick stripped the town's Elgin Street of its title this week. The owner of Mackay's Hotel in the town made an entrance into a new bistro and claimed the tiny 6ft 9in 'street' should steal Bacup's record of 17ft 2in. The challenge was originally rejected by Guinness World Records in August - but the organisation did a U-turn this week and awarded the accolade to the Scottish contender. A Guinness spokeswoman said: 'I can confirm that the street in Wick has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the new shortest street.' Lisette Loredon, whose furniture business Brookes Studio is in Elgin Street, was dismayed to discover the loss. She said: 'That little street in Scotland has just been built; it's a corner, so how can they call it a street? 'There's a lot of history in Elgin Street. It's been here since the 1800s.' Lisette had the street's claim to fame printed on her business cards but said she would not be changing them. She said: 'I have about 500 business cards with it on and I'm keeping it. 'I'll change it when it's really a street that has the title.' Mayor of Rossendale Peter Steen, a Bacup councillor, was also disappointed. He said: 'I am obviously sorry that a little piece of Bacup history has been removed from the books, but we should never forget that there is so much more to see and enjoy - not only in Bacup, but in Rossendale as a whole. 'I am determined to use the office of mayor to promote them.'

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    Default Ebenezer Place

    If you look high up near the top of the pointy bit of the hotel building there is an arch, you can see some carving has been removed from inside this - used to say Ebenezer Place and a date (think it was 1888).
    Remember this from my childhood, it was the shortest street but lost the title as it did not have a door.
    It used to be one of the things to find in Wick - things like - what does it say above the library doors, where did RL Stevenson live, what date was on the canon, who crossed Bridge Street on ----, who opened Service Bridge - the sort of things you do not notice until you look for them, gave us youngsters at the time something to keep us occupied.

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    Quote Originally Posted by pat View Post
    If you look high up near the top of the pointy bit of the hotel building there is an arch, you can see some carving has been removed from inside this - used to say Ebenezer Place and a date (think it was 1888).
    Remember this from my childhood, it was the shortest street but lost the title as it did not have a door.
    It used to be one of the things to find in Wick - things like - what does it say above the library doors, where did RL Stevenson live, what date was on the canon, who crossed Bridge Street on ----, who opened Service Bridge - the sort of things you do not notice until you look for them, gave us youngsters at the time something to keep us occupied.
    my goodness Pat if you remember 1888 you must be in the record books yourself!...only joking a nice bit of info you gave there thank you x
    The nice thing about living in a small place is that if you dont know what you are doing....there's always somebody who does,or thinks they do! x

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by bekisman View Post
    A bit more:
    Rossendale Free Press. 3/11/2006

    BACUP has lost its record for having the world's shortest street. Scottish challenger Ebenezer Place in Wick stripped the town's Elgin Street of its title this week. The owner of Mackay's Hotel in the town made an entrance into a new bistro and claimed the tiny 6ft 9in 'street' should steal Bacup's record of 17ft 2in. The challenge was originally rejected by Guinness World Records in August - but the organisation did a U-turn this week and awarded the accolade to the Scottish contender. A Guinness spokeswoman said: 'I can confirm that the street in Wick has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the new shortest street.' Lisette Loredon, whose furniture business Brookes Studio is in Elgin Street, was dismayed to discover the loss. She said: 'That little street in Scotland has just been built; it's a corner, so how can they call it a street? 'There's a lot of history in Elgin Street. It's been here since the 1800s.' Lisette had the street's claim to fame printed on her business cards but said she would not be changing them. She said: 'I have about 500 business cards with it on and I'm keeping it. 'I'll change it when it's really a street that has the title.' Mayor of Rossendale Peter Steen, a Bacup councillor, was also disappointed. He said: 'I am obviously sorry that a little piece of Bacup history has been removed from the books, but we should never forget that there is so much more to see and enjoy - not only in Bacup, but in Rossendale as a whole. 'I am determined to use the office of mayor to promote them.'
    Ahh diddums,sounds like sour grapes to me,c'mon ebeneezer street the only place in Wick where I can fill a street with all my mates

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