Hidden corners

We are always on the lookout for interesting little corners of the county, little discovered, that can add interest to your days out when you are with us. One of these is a great place to stop for a picnic on your way to the coast. Quiet and undisturbed, on a by-road and not far from the beach, is Theddlethorpe church. This is also the final resting place of a local man called Mr Mitchell who designed the sheaf knotter. An unsung hero who made a huge difference to the advancement of agricultural mechanisation. The knotter works by a series of cams and gears to feed a loop of string or wire round the bale or previously sheaths. It then twists it to form the knot, before a knife cuts the string and the bale is ejected. The string is then threaded down ready for the next cycle. The whole sequence is driven by gears and a chain drive, as each operation must be in synchronisation with the next. The bales you see in the countryside, whether large or small would not exist without this invention.