Introduction to Home Staging

I am tasked with selling my mother’s house now that she has gone into a nursing home. The realtor is insisting that I complete a long shopping/decorating list to "stage" the house for sale. I had assumed it would be sold empty, after a few necessary repairs and upgrades.

The idea of staging completely throws off my timeline in terms of having an estate sale to sell furniture, etc., having the house professionally cleaned by a service, having the hardwood floors refinished, etc., etc., etc. It makes a really complicated, stressful job a whole lot worse for me.

Is staging really necessary or can I just tell her I want to sell it empty? I’m not looking to soak every possible dollar out of the sale, I just want to get it done.

Thank you.

They are only suggesting what they think will sell the house more quickly. You are the seller and in control and remember they are working for you. So do what you want to do, if they insist, get another agent.
Good luck.

Trade show conferences are gathering spots for favored clients, client prospects, industry leaders, as well as competitors. Trade show visitors, however, have hectic schedules. They are busy attending educational industry seminars, networking with their colleagues, learning about new products and seeing first-hand the latest innovations in their specific fields. But it is also important to note that trade show attendees have unscheduled times of the day and evening when they can pick and choose what they’d like to do. This is your company’s golden opportunity to entertain and educate trade show attendees about innovative aspects of your company.

But how do you go about capturing the trade show visitors after or before the hours of the trade show exhibit? Do you want to reward your targeted list of clients and suppliers with a special recognition outside the trade show display arena? Do you want to have your executives and sales representatives get to know the power players of your industry to increase your sales? If you decide you want to host a rewarding and satisfying event, how can you plan for a venue that your trade show display visitors will clamor to attend?

These are the questions that can best be fielded by the professional meeting and event planner. According to Karla Krause-Miller, Director, Cappa and Graham, Inc., the event planning company in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the more creative the venue outside the trade show display, the better. First she identifies the client’s primary objectives and goals, whether they are educational, or a special recognition ceremony, or a strictly social time. Then make the decision on where to hold your event—whether it is a museum, gallery, private home, mansion, cruise, winery tour or even a Wax museum.

After you have decided on the venue, you then need to find a tie-in to your trade show exhibit theme—one that supports your business and trade show marketing messages. Let that theme of your trade show display drive the central promotional concept for your special event.

Next come the invitations. Where you might send a highly targeted list of trade show exhibit visitors a hand stamped, handwritten invitation, you might merely send an email blast to hundreds of trade show attendees. A good way to build trade show booth traffic is to request that your trade show display guests pick up their special event invitations at your trade show exhibit. That way, you not only have a better accounting of how many people will attend, but you will also give your trade show booth staff an opportunity to talk with VIP trade show visitors.

According to Miller who has handled the full range of events based on clients’ needs, from a hospitality suite at a hotel to a large gala at City Hall, each organized program starts with identifying whom you want to attend.

For example, if you plan to invite a medical group, your event planner must be aware of FDA guidelines and follow them explicitly. Be aware that there may be a dollar limit per person that the FDA requires you stay within. And if you want to attract medical personnel attending a medical trade show, offering Continuing Education Credits (CEU) is a real plus.

Another key element to event planning is to make the meeting memorable -like staging an activity that attendees could not easily do by themselves. An example is to arrange a luncheon with a demonstration of special pairings of wines given by the owner of a prestigious winery.

Another example of good event planning is imparting an emotional message that ties in with the special mindset of the group. For instance, a key ingredient in making a recognition event successful for the Chapter Presidents of American Association of Critical Care Nurses was that they identified with their speaker’s circumstances at their recognition luncheon. Rosey Grier, former football player who was at the side of Bobby Kennedy when he was shot, was the guest speaker at this nurses’ luncheon. When he talked about that tragic day and described the hectic and emotional scene that ensued after Kennedy was killed, there was not a dry eye in the house.

By thinking in terms of who your attendees are, you will be able to plan an event that is appropriate whether it is close by at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Remember, when your company plans to exhibit at a trade show, if you extend your hospitality outside the trade show booth in a venue that ties into your trade show marketing theme, you will succeed in gaining better attention, building goodwill and standing out in comparison to your competition.

Dick Wheeler
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/create-an-event-at-your-trade-show-54742.html

The days of dropping a sign in the yard, putting an ad in the paper and baking cookies for a Sunday Open House are gone. Today’s real estate consumer is using the internet to gather information and make preliminary decisions before they even go out to see homes. If your listing agent isn’t prepared for this shift in the industry, your home could go largely unnoticed.

Over the last several years the real estate industry has changed dramatically. Some agents feared it, some agents ignored it, but the best agents embraced it and learned to play by the new rules. The best Realtors discovered they now had to do more to market a home. They had to learn all the new avenues consumers would come into contact with homes for sale. Most of all, they had to be technologically savvy and have a proactive marketing campaign to get a home sold.

The first shift was from the individual agent to an entire team. This approach allows the agent to focus more on finding buyers for your home. The agent’s staff can focus on marketing the home, processing paperwork and doing the day-to-day operations. Ask yourself, why wouldn’t you want an entire team working to sell your home versus a single agent when it doesn’t cost you a penny more?

Secondly, agents needed to be more proactive. Custom full color brochures have become commonplace in most homes for sale. Agents became involved in more direct mail campaigns marketing homes to neighborhoods and potential buyers. Some Realtors have even developed buyer databases that they can reference as they list homes for sale. These databases automatically alert them to matching buyers making an instant connection between buyer and seller.

A huge shift in the industry has been the internet and it’s ramifications on how consumers are searching for homes. This led to more and more Realtor websites. It began with a few sites posting a picture of a home for sale. Then came virtual tours, allowing home buyers to preview a home from the comfort of their desk or couch. The latest cutting edge tool used by some of the best agents are home websites. An entire website devoted to a single home for sale. These sites provide more information for buyers than any other avenue, even seeing the home with an agent. These sites offer unlimited photos (both exterior and interior), virtual tours, property documents (like disclosures) available for online viewing, links to schools, area information, mortgage calculators, heck, you can even set up a showing appointment! What’s next, maybe you’ll be able to buy the home sight unseen!

Another shift has been in value added services. Consumers are doing more work on their own, they need justification for what they’re paying their agent. More and more Realtors are offering value added services such as home warranties, home appraisals, Home Staging experts to prepare a home for sale and even FREE moving trucks!

Even with all this technology, the heart of the transaction still needs to be good communication and superior customer service. Some agents have unfortunately lost touch with these qualities as they have become more wrapped up in the technology. If you’re considering selling your home, make sure your agent possesses these skills. Get plenty of references and find out how they will be communicating with you throughout the transaction.

Perhaps the last thing that is important when you’re looking for a Realtor these days is some form of Performance Guarantee. Some agents like to charge a processing fee, or marketing fee, for listing your home for sale. If you decide to cancel your listing or it doesn’t sell you’re out! A good agent will provide you with an “easy exit” or Performance Guarantee stating that you can cancel your listing at no cost.

These are just some of the things changing the real estate industry over the last few years. Take this advice to heart when it comes time to sell your next home. A lot of consumers may be unaware of these changes, and what they should be looking for in a Realtor. Don’t get burned find an agent that has adapted to these changes yet held on to the most important qualities like customer service and communication!

Kris Kombrink
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/chicago-home-owners-todays-real-estate-market-and-how-it-affects-you-60421.html

Manchester occupies a hallowed place in the history of England because of its key role in the Industrial Revolution. Today, it is also known as a centre of the arts, media, commerce and higher education. There are some who consider Manchester to be England’s second city, but Birmingham can also lay claim to that distinction.

At present, Manchester is being considered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for possible inclusion as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO has taken note of Manchester’s network of canals and mills, important contributors to the city’s development during the 19th century Industrial Revolution.

The history of Manchester can be traced back to Roman times when it was first settled. General Gnaeus Julius Agricola established a fort in old Manchester to serve as a trading and staging post between York and Chester. During the Dark Ages, troops abandoned the fort and the entire area went undeveloped for some time as settlement shifted to other areas, particularly near the Irwell and Irk rivers. Later on, manorial lord Thomas De La Warre, who was also a priest, gave the site to the church and in 1422, the fortified manor house was turned into the College of Priests, which is now Chetham’s School of Music. The Collegiate Church was constructed later on. It is actually today’s Manchester Cathedral.

In 1301, the city turned into a market town upon receiving its Charter. This was followed by a strong migration of Flemish settlers who further propelled the growth of Manchester through their thriving new cotton and textile industry. Manchester soon became the premiere industrial centre of Lancashire.

By the 19th century, Manchester was known as ‘Cottonopolis’ in honour of its primary produce and in recognition of its stature as the centre of the region’s prosperous cotton industry. Manchester made great strides in the area of infrastructure with the construction of the city’s world renowned canal system and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Shortly thereafter, Manchester evolved into the leading industrial centre in the world and its first industrial society.

The evolution of Manchester as an industrial society was fast and revolutionary as new industrial processes, new forms of labour organization and new ways of thinking originated from the city and captured the world’s attention. The ‘Manchester School’, which promoted free trade and laissez-faire, was emulated in other places. Entrepreneurs and industrialists from all over Europe trekked to Manchester to study the way they did things. “What Manchester does today, the rest of the world does tomorrow,” became a popular saying. It was also during this time that Manchester experienced a great surge in population with the immigration of Lancastarians, Jews and the Irish.

In the late 19th century, turmoil struck Manchester as the working and non-titled classes rebelled against the ruling class, culminating with the events known as ‘Peterloo’ on St. Peter’s Field on August 16, 1819. Manchester has since played a prominent role in the labour movement. It hosted the first Trade Union Congress in June 1868 and is recognized as the cradle of the Labour party and the Suffragette Movement.

The last quarter of the 19th century marked Manchester’s golden age. During this period, construction was completed on many of the city’s great architectural landmarks, including its town hall and the Manchester Ship Canal, which allowed foreign ships to sail straight to the Port of Manchester Docks. When the docks of the Port of Manchester closed in the seventies, there was massive unemployment in the area.

The establishment of Trafford Park in Stretford, the world’s first industrial estate, further stamped the city’s stature as an industrial powerhouse. However, its place in the world of industry took a hit with the depression that followed the war and with the development of new structures and processes that supplanted the old industries such as textile manufacturing, once the city’s bread and butter industry.

By World War II, Manchester had shifted to heavy industrial construction. It hosted the offices and production plant of Avro, the manufacturer of aircraft for the RAF, most notable of which was the popular Avro Lancaster bomber. The war saw many Luftwaffe attacks on Manchester, including the infamous 1941 Christmas Blitz, which resulted in massive damage throughout the city, including the historic Cathedral.

Manchester formally split from Lancashire county in 1974 with the creation of the Borough of Manchester.

In recent history, Manchester made worldwide news when an IRA bomb exploded in the city centre on June 15, 1996. It marked the largest bomb to ever be detonated in British soil, resulting in more than 200 injuries and, thankfully, no deaths. Most of the damage involved nearby buildings and other structures.

Subsequent reconstruction efforts have changed the city landscape significantly as several historic sections of the city were either demolished or modernized with glass and steel. The fully-renovated Manchester Arndale opened in September 2006 and captured the title of Europe’s biggest city centre shopping mall.

Article by Susan Ashby of Manchester Singles. To read more articles like this or for dating in Manchester visit http://www.manchester-singles.co.uk

Susan Ashby
http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/manchester-then-and-now-81855.html

The purpose of this article is to provide you with some ideas that can help you make the most out of landscaping your new Chicago home.

New home landscaping can be defined as the art of conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space for human satisfaction and enjoyment. Naturally a new home owner will want to make the landscape look as great as the interior of the house. If you just take a casual look at magazines or websites devoted to ‘new home landscaping’, you will find out that today your problem is not what to use but how to limit yourself to the most effective plants and materials for your particular landscape. The idea is to create a landscape that tells everyone who you are and makes your home even more beautiful. Below are some steps that could be useful for you to follow when designing and implementing your new home’s landscape.

You start your new home landscaping project with a plan. A landscaping plan typically shows an aerial view of the lot and notes the location of patios, sidewalks, trees, shrubs, flower beds, ponds and other features. To create this plan, you can either hire a landscape architect or contractor, or do it on your own. A landscape professional will visit the site and draw in detail every aspect of the yard, and design the landscaping.

Here is a guide if you want to create the landscaping plan on your own. First and foremost, get a layout diagram from the builder showing your property and its boundaries. Copy it and even enlarge it to a scale that you find useful and readable. It is advisable to make several copies as you will use them for different aspects of your work. With a copy of this in hand, walk around your property and take note of anything that may affect your design. Mark the location of trees, fences, utility lines, water, sidewalks, driveways. Indicate drainage patterns and slope of the land. After preparing the base plan, place tracing paper or tissue paper over the original plan to sketch possible ideas and solutions to your landscape needs and problems. The final goal is to get to know your property as much as possible and get a detailed vision of what you want to make out of it.

The next step is to create a vision in your mind of how you would like your new home landscape to look like. But what you should never forget is your budget. Plan before you make any purchases. Without a plan, you may buy things you don’t really need, and that can waste money. Only after you know exactly what you need for this project should you start buying supplies.

Your next task is to decide how you will go about doing your new home landscaping, which quite often depends on your budget as well. You have two options here: to make the whole project at once, or do it piece by piece, in stages. There are many instances when landscaping in stages is the best solution. For some home buyers, their budgets will not support a full scale project all at once so they find staging to be the best choice.

Even though home landscaping can’t be broken down to a series of rules, it may be helpful for the homeowner to keep the following design concepts in mind as the design develops:

1. Always choose building materials that fit into the overall look and feel of the landscape, materials that blend well in the natural environment or that may be found there.

2. Repeat materials and colors already used on the home in the landscaping.

3. Group similar plants together.

4. Regarding the trees, choose spots that have adequate sunlight and make sure the trees are protected from pests.

Dave Badge
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/landscaping-a-new-chicago-home-59824.html

I have 3 children (between 3 & 6). I still know it’s possible to keep a clean house though. I go through stages. Sometimes it clean, other times… not so much. I guess I’m answering my own question, be consistent!

Just wanted to know what things you have found that make cleaning or keeping your house clean easier.

(i.e. I wash clothes according to how they will be put up, kids one load, parent another)

I first clean as I go along with whatever I am doing at the time, clean after every use of appliances etc whatever I use I clean right away then it is clean for next use

I then use household natural products to clean and never buy any store bought commercial cleaners use products you would find in your pantry such as Baking soda, White Vinegar, Lemons, even toiletries like Shave Creams, Baby Shampoo, products of this kind get use to clean and freshen my home, I also make many cleaners using the ingredients described above, no store bought cleaners as these do not clean well but have found that products I find normally in the food pantry or toiletries clean just as well and are alot safer and last the longest for a lot less money. You can also use empty spray bottles to carry around with you to make it easier to clean your home with your homemade cleaners Good Luck !

How many of you have done this and how much of a difference do you think it makes in making your home have more potential and interest to prospects?

you can pay a person to do this or my recommendation it to watch a few shows of "Sell this house" obviously a personal person would be better for your particular house, but depending on the monies spent, its not rocket science and the show will give you a basic idea of what to do

The evil Witch of the West, Elphaba, was born with a greenish skin. It is known to to be smartest Witch of The Land of Oz. However, there are some misunderstandings. On the other hand, Glinda the Good Witch is a ravishing and is considered superior witch of the region. It behaves beyond our expectations.Both girls meet in the Land of Oz as the most spectacular musical of the year, “Wicked”, begins.

The best selling novel, “Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witches of the West” is written by Gregory Maguire. He is the master of creating a fantasy world. His fantasy is very rich and vivid. The scenes are never repeated. In many ways, It is regarded as ironic commentary on the land of Oz. In fantasy tales, the animals are described talking and treating like first-class citizens. The short Munchkins feeling comfortable with middle-class stability and the Tin Man is victimized by the domestic violence. Instead of these evident tales, A little green-skinned girl is the centre of the story of The Wicked Witch. Her name is Elphaba. She has grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked is based on the story of this selling novel. The Wicked witch is such a creature that introduces us a new concept of good and evil. She is a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature. The story is sensational and it creates great interest among the spectators. There are special seats and discount on wicked tickets for all theaters hosting this play.

This book is about the sensational story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked has incredibly revolutionized that part of literature that is about phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory. It has changed the reputation of one of the most horrified characters in literature. Wicked has provided sensational delight to millions of spectators in every theater. You can also taste this kind of enchanting delight by buying tickets to Wicked now. Purchase tickets to wicked to any theater in your area or get hold of a wicked tickets Broadway to watch the engrossing performance. Maguire, the writer of this exciting story starts with a moral lesson. The lesson is about understanding and appreciating differences among people.It proceeds to become a warning tale of people in power. These people in power create monster villains to distract from their own misdeeds. In the course of the story, he shows that what is a monster to some is a humble, self-sacrificing hero to others. “I’ll get you my pretty and your little dog too” is what we all remember from the movie. Wicked twists this tag line, and manages to change our perspective. It is hard not to fall in love with Elphaba, and not start dreading her fate. A fate that we all know well from the movie!

This exotic play is being hosted in the hottest theaters. We present wicked’s Chicago tickets, Bushnell wicked tickets, Kennedy center wicked tickets, theater tickets for wicked Florida, Boston Opera house wicked tickets, wicked tickets NY as well as wicked tickets in Philadelphia. The Academy Award winner, Stephen Schwartz’s music and lyrics and the musical staging by the Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento has infused a new life into The Wicked fairytale. Joe Mantello is the proud Director of the Wicked. He is also Tony Award winder of 2003 and 2004. He has made the Wicked one of the spectacular plays of the year. Wicked Tickets are in high demand! With a cast led by Broadway legend Ben Vereen, TV icon Rue McClanahan and breakthrough stars Shoshana Bean and Megan Hilty, there’s never been a better time to visit the Emerald City ! The twists and turns in Gregory Maguire’s incredibly imaginative back-story to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ makes the audiences literally gasp with delight. But not only that, Wicked is a truly heartfelt story of friendship and love. As Richard Zoglin of ‘Time Magazine’ put it, “If every musical had a brain, a heart and the courage of Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place!”

The plot of the story is very interesting. It focuses on the witches of Oz prior to Dorthy’s arrival from Kansas . The Wizard (Joel Grey) believes in “The Big Lie” and he practices what he preaches. He makes everyone believe that the show’s heroine, the Wicked Witch of the West, is evil. Wicked is an ambitious musical and has strong themes. It has successfully satisfied both both adults and children. The children have enjoyed the show very much. They are fascinated by the the fairytale colors of the sceneries and costumes of the Wicked. The comical dialogue and masterful lyrics are source of enjoyment for the parents. The fairytale is complete with cameos by the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion, while The Wizard, acts as the catalyst that ultimately turns the former friends into the witches that they become.

Great engineering work was required to stage the “Wicked”. The play’s production involved over 150 people and took almost two years to become a reality. It costed almost Dollar 14 million.Built in Calgary , Ontario the show’s complex set took over a year and a half to design. It also had to travel over 1,500 miles to the Curran Theatre in San Francisco . There is a big difference between the Wicked the musical and Wicked the novel. Actually, the novel is its source. The musical presents only pieces of it in a much simplified form. Wicked the musical puts the spot light on the story’s numerous ironies and interlaced levels of social commentary. The fiesta continues for 2 hour 30 minutes of utter magnificence. You can’t bear to blink your eye during the whole gala, for fear of missing some of Wicked’s glory! Fans of Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked” may criticize the changes made by stage adapter Winnie Holzman. She finds a way to send Elphaba and Fiyero into a bittersweet sunset together, and she establishes several reference points to the familiar ‘Wizard of Oz’ film that are not in the Maguire book. But most theatergoers will find Wicked well worth the big ticket price. It’s an astoundingly good show that puts its politics front-and-center, all wrapped up in a big, entertaining package.

A pre-Broadway run was opened in San Francisco at the start of 2003. It was not appreciated very well by the locals. In the original cast, Idiana Menzel acted as Elphaba, Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda and Robert Morse played the role of The Wizard. With extensive significant changes, it was reopened later that year at Gershwin Theatre (http://www.wicked-on-broadway.com/Wicked-Gershwin/index.aspx ) in New York . Morse was replaced by Joel Gray. There were assorted reviews initially but the general mood became a lot more appreciative. The tide completely turned when “Wicked” got the acclaim it really deserved. Wicked was nominated for ten Tony Awards, including the award for the best Musical. Menzel got the award of the Best Actress in a Musical. The cast also nabbed a Grammy Award for the Best Musical Show Album. This fantasy-filled musical was the winner of three 2004 Tony Awards including prizes for Best Costume Design and Best Scenic Design. Wicked also had the privilege of being the winner of 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical Award! The uphill effort and zealous exertion of Joe Mantello has made Wicked a true spectacle for the eyes and ears! The popularity of this musical results in long lines to buy Wicked show tickets! The only element of the production that isn’t consistently first class is Schwartz’s songs. The tunes are a mixed bag, with several bland and forgettable power ballads included with his more distinctive and finely crafted songs. Most of the music rides on the same middling tempos, and little stands out melodically.

“Wicked” proved to be a superhit. It earned back its entire initial investment by December 21, 2004. In its first year it grossed more than Dollar 56 million. The show has been playing to capacity crowds for almost every recent performance and grosses more than a million dollars every week. The show had a Dollar 14 million capitalization. The show set out for extensive national touring in 2005. Successful tours were made to Toronto , Chicago , Denver , Dallas , Los Angles, Fort Lauderdale and Hartford . In late June of 2005 a permanent production of “Wicked” separate from the national tour, opened at Chicago ’s Oriental Theatre (http://www.wicked-on-broadway.com/Wicked-Chicago/index.aspx ) with an open-ended run. “Wicked” will be the first show in decades to run on a permanent basis simultaneously on Broadway and in Chicago ’s North Loop theatre district. The show also has a heart, a brain, and the nerve to have opened on Broadway. Wicked is a must see show. The musical has created a history on Broadway. It took in Dollar 1,196,658 more than any show on Broadway! The fall of this year is fully loaded by “Wicked” shows all over the United States . Atlanta , Saint Louis , Dallas , Hartford , Tampa , Denver and San Francisco are some of the metropolitan areas where people are looking forward to see one of the most popular shows of the year. The Canadian fans too are really anxious to witness such an astonishing fiesta. Most of the fans have already booked their “Wicked the Musical Tickets”.

Heidi Grumm
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/wicked-broadway-ticket-83083.html

Dating back over 2000 years, Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England and has plenty to interest historians. The history of the origins of Leicester are, of course, lost in time. However, there are two main theories concerning the origin of the settlement now known as Leicester.

The first is that the name is derived from a Celtic one, Coriletav. This theory is supported by the name the Romans are known to have given the settlement, Ratae Corieltauvorum. The other theory is that a mythical British King, Leir, founded the settlement of Kaerleir around the same time as the Celts were supposedly in the area. King Leir, is supposed to be buried under the River Soar!

What we do know for sure is that around in 47 or 48 AD the Romans built a fort there and then by about 50AD a city had grown up around it. Ratae Corieltauvorum was important to the Romans as it was one of the key staging posts on a major Roman road, the Fosse Way, which linked what are now Exeter and Lincoln. Rapidly becoming a market town for local people and their produce, the settlement thrived on the trade that the Romans brought to the area. When the Romans left, moving North to conquer more of England, the settlement was well enough established to continue to prosper. The main feature still visible in Leicester of the Roman occupation is the Jewry Wall and its Bath House.

As with most of England, little is known of the history of Leicester during the Dark Ages following the departure of the Romans. The next significant event was in 680 when Leicester is known to have been given a Bishop; life in Leicester at this time seems to have been a good one with the settlement continuing to prosper. Artefacts have been found showing that Leicester, alongside its farming community, had cloth weavers, potters, blacksmiths and carpenters. The ninth century saw a down-turn in fortunes when the settlement fell to the Danish Viking invaders. The Bishop ran away which, for some canonical reason, left Leicester without a Bishop until the twentieth century.

The Norman Conquest sees Leicester mentioned in the Doomsday book as Ledcestre. This name is thought to have been derived from Ligeraceaster; a combination of Castra – Camp and Ligore – Legro, an early name of the River Soar. In medieval times Leicester was a city of some importance. With a population of some 1500 the Normans deemed it important enough to build a wooden fort, which in the 12th century was re-built with stone. As was custom in those days Leicester was ruled by an Earl. Unfortunately, in 1173 Robert – Earl of Leicester – rebelled against the King (Henry II), causing the citizens much suffering, indeed such was the King’s wrath with Robert that many were killed. It was during the Middle Ages that Leicester became well known for the quality of the wool cloth it produced and the hosiery it made from the wool. At this time leather was also an important industry in Leicester, giving rise to its association with shoes and footwear.

In 1464 trade was so strong that the cities merchants managed to form a corporation and Leicester could from then on elect its own Mayor to run the town. By 1500 the population had doubled to 3000 and it continued to rise despite the frequent outbreaks of plague which could decimate the population of a town. In 1619 the town was granted a coat of arms. During the English Civil War Leicester declared itself for the Parliamentarians and was laid to siege by the Royalists in 1645 who, after breaching the town wall, again killed many of the inhabitants. At the beginning of the 18th Century the population had again doubled to about 6000 and the birth of the industrial revolution saw both the population and prosperity of Leicester flourish. By the end of the 18th Century the opening of the Soar canal in 1794 quite literally fuelled the boom in industry, by providing cheap and quick methods of transporting coal and iron into Leicester.

The first national census of 1801 gives the population of Leicester as 17,000. The town expanded rapidly and places that were once rural farms became subsumed in the city as boroughs. The Victorian era is accepted as being an age of enlightenment in terms of science and engineering. In 1832 Leicester got its first railway line and in 1857 got a line connecting it with London. Leicester got its first Public library in 1871, ten years later its first telephone exchange and in 1894 its first electric street lights. By the time of the 1901 census the population had grown to a staggering 210,000 with boot and hosiery manufacturing being the main source of employment. Civic pride must have been at an all time high during the Edwardian period when in 1919 Leicester was made a city by Royal Charter; in 1926 it regained its Bishop and a Cathedral and in 1928 had its first Lord Mayor. A period of light engineering expansion took place when the Imperial Typewriter Company set up premises in the city and between 1908 and 1950 the number of people employed in Light engineering in the city more than doubled from 6,000 to 13,500.

Leicester escaped any heavy bombing during the Second World War but a slum-clearance programme was instigated in 1945 to rid the city of much of the old housing built in the boom years of the previous century. At this time there were influxes of Jewish, Latvian and Polish refugees into the city. These were followed in the 1950s by West Indian immigrants and then in the 1960s the population was swelled by the arrival of Asian immigrants. The last major influxes of immigrants were mainly Indians who had been forced to leave Uganda in the early 1970s. Recently there has been a small community of Somali refugees arriving in the city, apparently drawn by its free and easy attitude and the number of Mosques within its boundaries.

Article by Susan Ashby of Leicester Singles. To read more articles like this or for dating in Leicester visit http://www.Leicester-singles.co.uk

Susan Ashby
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/a-brief-history-of-leicester-138594.html

Paignton is located to the south of Torquay and is a coastal town in Devon in the United Kingdom. The old town is inland from the beach and has grown since becoming a Victorian resort. It has numerous sandy beaches and small coves and has a flat sandy beach with shallow water situated close to the town centre and surrounding the pier. Paignton sands is the longest beach resort in Paignton. The most popular is Preston sands lined with multi coloured beach huts. The sheltered pebbly cove beach Broad sands is popular with water skiers, kite surfing and dinghy sailing.

The seafront area is dominated by Paignton Pier, a 780 foot long structure which opened in 1879. It was designed by George Soudon Bridgman, a local architect who also designed the original Oldway Mansion.

The Festival Theatre which opened in 1967 and was once a seafront theatre capable of staging large summer shows, but in 1999 it was converted into a multi screen cinema

World class restaurants combine with continental style bars, live music, fairs, nightclubs, superb firework displays and carnivals to make a visitors stay enjoyable. There are a growing number of large public houses that accommodate and license for the little people which may be found in town, some by the waters edge and some on the harbours. The children will enjoy the well organized firework displays which are always supported by rich food pickings and visits from travelling fairs.

Later in August is Childrens Week, which includes a wide range of events and competitions. Regatta Week during early August is the peak holiday season. The Zoo Environmental Park is situated on the outskirts of the town of Paignton in Devon, England. The Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the United Kingdom, is situated on the outskirts of the town

The Oldway Mansion is a large house and gardens in Paignton in the United Kingdom. It was built as a private residence for Isaac Merritt Singer 1811 1875, and rebuilt by his third son Paris Singer in the style of the Palace of Versailles in Paris. The interior of the building is noted for its grand staircase made from baluster s of bronze and marble. The ceiling of the staircase is decorated with an ornate painting in the style of the Italian School. The staircase and the ceiling are based on a design by the French painter and architect Joseph Lebrun.

Douglas Scott
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