New Camelot A Brief Guide By D Hebditch Introduction The city of New Camelot is the capital and the largest city of the Dominion of Wellon. Some ten and a half million people live and work in the sprawling city amongst its parks and gardens. New Camelot has no high rise buildings, and has perhaps a unique skyline in the modern era. New Camelot was formerly established when the first wave of colonists from Britain arrived in 2167. However scientific bases from the original survey teams had been at the same location from 2153. The city grew quickly with some 100,000 colonists arriving into the area in the first year, and for two years was the sole colonial project undertaken by the British. New Camelot has played a key part in the history of Wellon. It saw the birth of the FPK, was the capital of South Albion and is now the capital of Wellon. It also hosts most of the Dominion's key institutions including the Parliament. From off-world New Camelot, and other parts of Wellon, is easily accessible from off-World, especially given Tirane's location in the Core with frequent trips between Earth Tirane. Access to New Camelot is normally through the Mitchell Spaceport near the city of Riverside, which is well linked into the Wellon transportation system. Scheduled trips to Mitchell run from Britain's Hawking Station, and less frequently from French and other orbital stations. Those with the finance to charter space planes can land at the New Camelot's Knight's Gate airport on the city's outskirts. By Air Access by air to New Camelot is excellent. Wellon Airways (formerly British Wellon Airways) flies to all of Tirane's capitals and most of her major cities, a service which is reciprocated by the flag carriers of the other nations and colonies. In addition to these services many other international routes are serviced by a range of carriers. Knight's Gate is the principle airport for New Camelot and is located to the west of the city, it is an impressive complex of four runways and three terminals. The much smaller military airport RWAF Northam to the south-west is used for emergency diversions. The Knight's Gate complex, in addition to international and orbital flights, is also a major hub for internal flights within Wellon. Wellon Airways, Wellon Caledonian, North Albion, KLM as well as other carriers run major routes between Wellon's largest cities and to internal holiday resorts. There are some private charter aircraft which run out of Knight's Gate, available for hire to those with larger credit balances. VTOL flights within the city are very uncommon, due to both the lack of landing facilities and the general excellence of New Camelot's public transportation network. The remaining aerial method of entry into New Camelot is provided by the occasional passenger airship and more frequent smaller tourist airships. Passenger airships of this kind normally dock three time a day and provide a luxurious and expensive service to southern, northern and western parts of Wellon as well as to the capitals of the other nations and colonies. Tourist airships provide local services out to the resorts of Lyonesse, as well as sight-seeing, in addition to 'cruises' that can sometimes last for months. Airships dock at the Black Hill Terminal in picturesque King's Park in the south of the city. By Sea Sea travel for passenger purposes is relatively uncommon on Wellon, aside from localised ferry services. However the luxurious Beltane Clipper ships provide a leisurely service to and from most of the major ports. The ships dock at the passenger terminal in the industrial New Chatham docks south of the city. For the more adventurous passengers sailing ships and private yachts can find a ready berth at one of the many yacht clubs and marinas along the banks of the Cam, the Royal South Albion being the most prestigious of these. By Train Rail links to New Camelot from the rest of Wellon are excellent, as the city lies at the heart of the Grand Circle mag-lev network that links the cities of East and West Wellon. This excellent network means that the city of Victoria is only seven hours travel and New Birmingham only just over four hours. A special spur on the line runs to Mitchell Spaceport from Riverside Central station which means that passengers can be in New Camelot in around an hour from leaving the Spaceport. All trains into New Camelot stop at New Camelot Stephenson station in the centre of the city, which is also a central hub for the tube network. Rail travel in Wellon is generally safe and highly efficient and is highly subsidised by the government and is easily affordable to all Wellonese citizens. By Car Whilst most Wellon cities have well developed road networks, inter-city links are not so common as in other colonies and nations on Tirane and are nearly non-existent in Terran terms. However between Riverside and New Camelot runs the high capacity SM1 motorway which provides a high velocity, computer controlled link. The road then continues up the Cam Valley but at much lower capacity. Another smaller road runs up the coast to Grafton and Hamilton. Whilst the SA12 is a spectacular route it is rarely used except by tourists. Documentation Entrance to Wellon requires a valid passport from a British recognised nation. Some nationalities will also require a valid visa that can be obtained from any Wellon or (if off-Tirane) British consulate. Lastly a number of medical and immunisation certificates or waivers depending on planet of origin must be obtained, again the appropriate consulate will provide you the necessary forms and information. If travelling to Wellon from an orbital station these documents will be checked by the carrier and access to the flight will be denied if these are unsatisfactory. Time New Camelot is on East Wellon Standard Time (EWST) which is 7 hours behind Tirane Mean Time, as measured from the capital of Nouvelle Provance. Currency New Camelot uses the Wellon Pound W£ in the majority of it transactions. However the linked British Pound £ is also accepted by most traders, as is the French Livre Lv although the latter might be subject to a small surcharge. Other currencies will normally not be accepted in shops (at least not without a hefty surcharge) and will be needed to be changed at a nearby bank or exchange office. New Camelot Council The New Camelot Council is the directly elected body that governs the city's day to day affairs. The NCC is elected by proportional representation, and currently numbers 50 members. The Lord Mayor of New Camelot is essentially the chief executive of the city and directly elected at the same time as the NCC members. The position of Lord Mayor is a prestigious one and many incumbents have used the position as a springboard for further political offices. The NCC meets at the impressive Queen Anne's Hall in Waterloo Square, but most of the NCC's bureaucracy is housed in buildings on Henry IX Bridge around the corner. The Lord Mayor is currently Keith Fletcher, a populist, left leaning member of the Tirane Party who is much disliked by the unionist and conservative Mercury newspaper. East New Albion Assembly The ENAA came into being with the dissolution of the South Albion parliament in 2241, but was essentially the same body but without jurisdiction of the territories south of the Blight which now became under the South New Albion Assembly. The East New Albion Assembly is composed of 100 members elected from constituencies throughout the area and is responsible for regional issues. The body is headed by a Chief Minister elected from the ranks of the largest party in the Assembly. The Assembly sometimes comes into conflict with both the Wellon Parliament and NCC. The ENAA was evicted from its location at Parliament House and now occupies the old New Camelot Grammar School buildings in Cook's Town. There has been some talk recently of moving the assembly to Riverside where it will be out from under the influence of the Parliament. Wellon Parliament The Wellon Parliament is the sovereign body of elected legislators who are in control of Wellonese policy. This august body is sits at Parliament House on McAlister's Rock that used to belong to the South Albion Parliament. The presence of the Parliament in New Camelot also brings with it an array of think tanks, lobbyists, non-governmental organisations, pressure groups and the journalists that feed upon them. The Wellon parliament has little direct say in the running of New Camelot, but the events and intrigues of parliament are a major source of gossip in the city. Naturally the city also hosts a range of governmental Ministries and Departments that provide an important source of employment for many in the metropolis. The Governor-General The head of state of Wellon is the Queen of the British Isles, Queen Margaret I. However as she is normally on Earth her duties are performed for her by a Governor-General, who wields her power in her stead. (Interestingly whilst Princess of Wales, Margaret was the last Governor-General of Wellon.) As with the British Parliament the Governor-General normally presides over ceremonial functions of parliament as well as those required by international relations. The Governor-General hosts frequent receptions at his residence, Arthur House, for this purpose. The current Governor-General is Lord Morris of Mile Post Island, formerly the Attorney General of Wellon. Policing Policing in New Camelot is the primary responsibility of the New Camelot Metropolitan Constabulary. The 'Met' take care of all crimes except those of national importance and so cover everything from traffic violations to serious violent crimes. The Met are a relatively competent police force with fairly low levels of corruption amongst the rank and file, although some of the specialist detective units have had something of a chequered past in this regard. Whilst by and large not financially corrupt the Met have an tendency to institutional racism and a habit of meeting violence with violence. The Met are a common sight on the streets of New Camelot, providing a reassuring presence for the general public. However the image of the 'bobby on the beat' is a slightly false one as all officers are co-ordinated through their control centre on the outskirts of the city. The response of the Met to any serious emergency can be rapid and very impressive. The Met's Quick Response Team are reputedly trained by the SAS and can arrive on the scene of any major incident with great speed and armed heavily. Serious crimes at national level and in between jurisdictions is the responsibility of the Royal Wellon Constabulary, who are Headquartered in New Camelot. It is a serious incident indeed that will bring the RWC onto a case, one that will probably provoke national interest, especially in the media. Corporate security Corporate security forces in New Camelot, as in the rest of Wellon are very restricted. In fact only certain specially accredited bodyguards are allowed to carry any form of firearms. In fact for common or garden security personnel no weapons whatsoever are allowed to be carried, as a result many firms train their employees in unarmed defence and restraint techniques. As a rule of thumb security personnel tend to be poorly paid and poorly motivated. However many major corporations would bring in specialists from overseas branches of their businesses or freelancers when faced with a real security problem. The restrictions placed on there freedom of action due to legal and media scrutiny means that 'covert' corporate security operations undertaken in New Camelot tend to be very well planned and executed. Military Aid to Civil Power In common with most British descended colonies and countries it is rare for the military to be called in to aid civilian law enforcement agencies with their tasks. However in New Camelot this normally takes the form of providing teams to hunt down dangerous animals or to search for missing persons in the countryside. More urban tasks include emergency service cover, especially during the Cam's worst periods of flooding, and occasionally as back security for large demonstrations. These forces normally come from 2 Mechanised Brigade or 2 Eastern Brigade. The one time the military takes over primacy from the police is during anti-terrorist operations. Once all other means of resolving a situation peacefully have failed the senior police officer hands over control to a military officer. It is then that an SAS team can be employed to terminate the difficulty. It should be noted that an SAS team will be brought in only for true terrorist incidents, they will not be deployed for bank robberies etc. Organised crime Organised crime in New Camelot is present but not as pervasive as in other cities, especially Point Sterling. However it does exist and controls many of the illicit activities that can be found in New Camelot. Turf wars as such are infrequent happenings in New Camelot and most organised crime groups co-exist relatively peacefully. However the occasional outbreak of violence does happen and tends to extreme but short lived ferocity before the inevitable police crackdown. Organised crime groups that can be found include: The Firms, British ethnic criminal families who arrived on Wellon at the turn of the century and are generally small outfits. The Wo On Lok and 14K Triads have a presence amongst recent immigrants from Hong Kong and Canton but have never been able to maintain much of a foothold amongst the well off Anglo-Chinese. The Italian Mafiosi have similarly only a small 'watching presence'. The expanding groups at the moment are an aggressive Tiranian American-Korean mafia and the Yakuza (especially the Kinuryugumi) moving across from their enclave in Victoria. The leading crime gang in New Camelot is the Bridge Firm. Led by George Burnside, a Wellon native from one of the failed settlements along the Cam Valley. He made his way back to New Camelot penniless and built a criminal empire that currently controls much of the city's drug and prostitution trade. Although now in his 80's is still hale and involved in planing many criminal operations, most of which occur off Wellon which have earned him a Robin Hood reputation in the eyes of many Wellonese. Gangs Traditional gangs and gang violence are rare in New Camelot, beyond the petty violence found between adolescents in some areas of the city's outskirts. One exception to this general rule is those groups who attach themselves to the city's football teams for whom organised violence is a frequent occurrence which often has little to do with proximity to a football match. Corporations New Camelot is home to many Wellonese, British and multinational corporations which tend to have offices in New Camelot even if most of their manufacturing or business takes place elsewhere. These offices tend to cluster in the central parts of the city. Major employers include: Red Dart Ltd has a major manufacturing plant in Canada Park. This consumer goods subsidiary of the Black Arrow group produces computers, games consoles and AV devices along with a range of more specialist goods. ICI controls the refineries in New Chatham whilst also running a cutting edge set of laboratories in Cook's Town. The Consolidated Alicia Corporation has a presence in the shipbuilding industry, having recently bought the failing Powers & Son yard in New Chatham. The corporation's Industrial Bank is Headquartered in the city. The Anglo-Japanese Poseidon Group is also increasingly strong in New Camelot having opened a new R&D department in Canada Park. The starship construction company British Ludlum has its ground operations office in a building in Scott's Town alongside Rolls Royce (Alpha Centauri) which builds most of the corporation's powerplants. International corporations include the American Hyde Dynamics which is rumoured to be interested in buying up Grafton Arms. The sprawling Anglo-Dutch pharmaceutical and chemicals combine has drug production facilities in King's Park. Trilon, Niyazawa, and Trans-Indi are other multi-nationals with a presence in the city. Non Governmental Organisations NGO or Foundations are drawn to New Camelot for the same reasons as the profit making corporations. Wellon is a prosperous, liberal state which has a long tradition of philanthropy. The NGO most often associated with Wellon and New Camelot is the Foundation for Practical Knowledge, which was founded in the city and still dominates its intellectual life. Other groups include the Tirane Trust, a foundation linked to the Tirane movement that concentrates on environmental issues. Foundations from off-Tirane include the Royal and Royal Geographical Societies, the Life Foundation and the NARL. The AR-I has a small presence linked to recent work with the FPK. Housing New Camelot is instantly recognisable from countless media shows and movies through its unique skyline. New Camelot has no high-rise buildings whatsoever. Its streets and boulevards are lined with mock-Georgian terraces whilst its inner suburbs are characterised by large Scottish style tenements. Only in the outer suburbs are traditional houses found, and those only in the richer districts. This has given rise to two major trends, that community spirit remains remarkably strong for such a large city, and that housing costs are nearly extortionate. The city consequently has to maintain a large stock of public housing especially in the outer suburbs and has to frequently expand its holdings. Most recently it has begun several building projects on the north bank of the river. Domestic property within the city tends to remain in the same hands once acquired, and many of the colonial elite maintain town houses especially in Scott's Town. Accommodation for visitors is easily found at a variety of establishments. From the teeth-achingly expensive and exclusive Royal Meritshire Hotel in Scott's Town, to several chain hotels such as the Journey Lodge, to a range of homely hotels, hostels and B&B's run by individuals and small businesses. Costs for all of these are slightly higher than the norm, but standards of service are normally excellent. Public transportation Despite visually resembling old British cities like Bath or Edinburgh, New Camelot was carefully planned and designed from the foundations up and has an excellent transportation network. Public transport is based around the excellent Tube network deep under the city, that can whisk passengers across the city in minutes. Tube stations can be found throughout the inner city, normally less than one blocks walk away from any point. In the outer suburbs the stations are further apart, but a bus service connects most places to these stations. The Tube network was constructed at same time as the city and continues to expand, with several digging machines in operation. The Tube is cheap, clean and safe. Unfortunately the occasional mugging still occurs, and urban myths about the Fenner Station Ripper, a 50's serial killer, abound. The Tube stations are noted for their circular escalators that transport passengers too and from the surface. Whilst some passengers complain of dizzy spells most soon get used to the sensation. The Tube is run from offices at Stephenson Station where the Tube system interfaces with the rail network. The Central district is completely pedestrianised with no wheeled transport allowed whatsoever, but most other districts are open to road traffic. However congestion is a problem, as is parking as most of the subterranean parking lots are reserved for certain companies and institutions. As usual most people travel my tube to avoid these difficulties. The city has many firms running large Taxi cabs (Green in colour) to carry passengers around the city and these are an exceptionally common sight on the streets. Food Whilst the French in particular continue to sneer at British cuisine a quiet revolution has occurred over the years brought about by Britain's increasingly multi-ethnic character. The translation across the stars has accelerated this process. The original British survey teams were remarkable for many things, and their experimental cooking with local wildlife, usually heavily curried, was one of these. New Camelot's position in the Cam delta has led to indigenous seafood being a major part of the diet, and most dishes are spicy and highly flavoured. A local delicacy of deep fried pseudo-squid tentacles, a common after drinking snack in New Camelot, hasn't caught on elsewhere in Wellon however. But the local style of eating locally caught fish raw, sushi-style, for lunch is increasingly popular in coastal regions. In addition to local cooking styles other more traditional types are available in the city. Bangladeshi and British-Asian cooking vie for supremacy, whilst Chinese, traditional-French, Nouvelle Provançal cuisine and good old fashioned Fish and Chips remain popular. Virtually every other sort of cooking, from Mongolian to Fondue, is available somewhere in the city. A huge range of high-class restaurants, complete with premadonna chefs have colonised the city in the last fifty years. Social Services Social service provision in New Camelot is similar to that throughout Wellon. Health care provision is free and provided through the Wellon Health Service. Many wealthy people prefer to pay health insurance in order to receive 'private' treatment, but in reality this treatment also takes place in WHS hospitals it is just a form of queue jumping. Treatment is generally good, although waiting lists for more complex surgery can often be quite long. Major hospitals include the sprawling New Camelot General Infirmary, King's Park Royal Hospital and the specialist St. George's Hospital. Unemployment benefits are good, but based around the recipients availability for work or participation in academic or vocational training problems. Retirement on a guaranteed state pension is at 70, although most have a secondary income from private pensions. Education Education provision in New Camelot is generally excellent, with low class sizes and well financed schools. The presence of the FPK in New Camelot has much to do with this. Schooling generally begins at 3 with attendance at pre-school and play classes. Primary schooling commences at 5 and lasts until 11, Secondary education lasts until 18. Most of this schooling provision takes place in state schools although some private schools do exist in the city. Many of the key 'public schools' in which the children of the colonial elite are educated are located to the south-west in the Merit Hills. Tertiary education is commonplace in New Camelot, with around 75% of school leavers going on to full time further education. Most of the rest tend to undertake part-time studies with establishments such as the Wellon University. In common with British practise most of these students leave their home city to attend university elsewhere, but a sizeable proportion do choose to remain in the city. Most students undertake Bachelor and Masters degrees before starting their working careers. The main university in New Camelot is the famous Ashton University, that intellectually dominates the landscape of the city. However there are also several other institutions. The New Camelot Technical University is a major scientific institution with much of its AI work underwritten by Black Arrow. Oldcastle University, Canada Park College and New Camelot Metropolitan are the other main institutions. Obviously New Camelot has a large student population. Employment Employment rates in New Camelot are relatively high, due both to the presence of major employers and a thriving service economy. Most households in New Camelot operate on 'one and a half' jobs. Like the rest of Wellon it is common for all workers to travel to their place of work even when the job could be done from home. Unemployment is normally confined to the youngest members of society who choose not to study or apply themselves. Leisure New Camelot has a quietly thriving cultural scene that tends not to draw attention to itself in the way that Mirambeau does. High-brow cultural pursuits are catered for by its large range of theatres which host plays and concerts. The newly completed King Christian Hall in the Central district is a monumental concert and opera house, whose 10000 capacity has been regularly filled by the appearance of the Bolshoi, Halle and Royal Symphonic Orchestras and such luminary tenors as Giovanni Troncon. It is also home to the Royal Phoenix Ballet and Wellon Opera. New Camelot is also host to several major theatre companies including the Wellonic Shakespeare, the Roberts and the innovative False Harlequin Company, these are hosted by a range of major venues including the New Donmar and Royal Canada theatres. New Camelot is also visited frequently by travelling companies from elsewhere in Wellon, Tirane and often London's West End. New Camelot has a range of museums covering a range of subjects, and a number of major libraries of which the British Library Wellon and Ashton Library are virtual carbon copies and often in competition. The Wellon Zoological and Xenological Society has one of its key national sites in Canada Park. The city's cinemas are concentrated in the Central district and can be relied upon to provide an eclectic range of viewing from cutting edge Iranian New Wave to the latest Sterlingwood blockbuster. Wellon's film industry is concentrated in Victoria but several small studios work in New Camelot, including the award winning Helanime Studio. Shopping should not be overlooked as a major leisure activity for many in New Camelot, and those in the area around. The Central district is a temple to retail therapy. From its major department stores to smaller specialised shops New Camelot is one of the places on Tirane to go shopping with someone else's Gold Card. New Camelot is also well endowed with sports centres and facilities which most of its citizens commonly make use of. Sport Spectator sport is a major part of the cultural life of New Camelot, and sporting grounds are scattered around it. New Camelot is also home to the National Stadium in Canada Park which hosts the national teams in Football, Rugby and Cricket for the majority of their matches. New Camelot's main sport is football and its teams dominated the original South Albion League and now the Wellon Premier League. Peninsular FC, King's Park AFC, Canada Park United FC and Racing Club de New Camelot are all present in the WPL at the moment with Canada Park United going for a record third title. Cross city derby matches are obviously quite a frequent occurrence and give the Met many crowd control headaches. However the worst violence occurs between Canada Park and Riverside FC supporters who harbour a legendary antipathy, made worse by Riverside's recent challenge for the title led by imported Brazilian footballers. Rugby is not much played in New Camelot, and the regional league is dominated by the Cam Valley teams. Nevertheless Nairn, New Chatham and Racing all are well supported teams which have an important social roll in their communities. Cricket is more common at a range of venues for small teams and with the New Camelot County Cricket Club playing at the Ingle Park Oval. Horse racing, both flat and national hunt, takes place at Oldcastle. Virtually every other sport has a presence in New Camelot, if only played by a minority student sporting club. Media New Camelot has a thriving media scene, and is the home of both the South Albion Broadcasting Service and Wellon Broadcasting Corporation as well as a range of minority broadcast services (both 3D and TV) available through networks and satellite. Most of the national channels are run on Reithian principles of community service and balanced and responsible broadcasting, whilst the minority channels are more sensationalist and occasionally irresponsible. Channel NC1 is the only channel that covers New Camelot exclusively and has (somewhat unsuccessfully) borrowed its all-action style from American metropolitan TV stations. In addition to Wellon based services most other major broadcasters maintain offices in New Camelot, and many have independent stringers reporting for them. Other information services like Reuters and Jane's are also present. Including services from the other Tiranean nations the citizens of New Camelot have around 500 channels to choose from. Many radio networks are also based in New Camelot, including several national ones run by both the WBC and independents. Even in the mass media age most citizens of Wellon still prefer to wake up to the radio, and as such some services have influence much greater than that of the visual services. The WBC's W2 is listened too by many opinion-formers, and the same broadcasters W1 is responsible for uncovering many new music acts overlooked by commercial visual music channels. Major radio stations are available through broadcast whilst others can be found on the networks. The print media (both in hard copy and electronic formats) also have a strong presence in the capital. The Mercury is the major national newspaper, with a strong reputation and a conservative slant The New Camelot Star and New Camelot Journal are both local daily papers with opposing political outlooks, whilst the Scott's Town Gazette is the establishment paper in which awards are published. For those whose interests range further most local Newsagents can locate and print a vast array of publications. The Ashton Observer is produced by media students at Ashton University and has gained a reputation for daring, thought provoking and somewhat cynical journalism which has lifted its readership outside the student body. It is frequently threatened with liable actions however. Scott's Town Scott's Town was the site of one of the initial scientific bases. It is now the centre of New Camelot's governmental district and is amongst the most prestigious addresses on Wellon. Property prices are consequently extortionate. The district is dominated by McAlister's Rock that juts out into the Cam. Atop the Rock is the Parliament Building, and St. George's Cathedral, both classical buildings designed by architects of the neo-Wren School in white marble that dominated the city skyline and are displayed on a thousand postcards. The slopes of the Rock are home to an array of museums including the British Alpha Centauri Museum, the William and Victoria Museum and the Ashton Library. Also in this area are Arthur House, the Governor-general's residence and Newsome Terrace, the home of the Prime Minister's and the other senior cabinet ministers. The foot of the rock is home to many of the buildings housing the various departments of government. One of the key buildings is Grey's Court, where the Ministry of Defence is located. The commonwealth police force, the Royal Wellon Constabulary is headquartered nearby in a discrete building in Baker Street. There is now very little left of the original Scott's Town after the redevelopment of the area from 2187 onwards, now only the annex of the BAC Museum remains in the traditional domes. The area is now characterised by looming institutional buildings, Edwardian style terraced housing and numerous parks and gardens. Cook's Town To the north of Scott's Town is the site of the original scientific base that was abandoned in flooding during the Alpha Centauri War and moved to Cook's Town. Cook's Town is dominated by the Ashton University that sprawls back from the banks of the Cam. The district has a distinctly bohemian reputation, and is sometimes referred to as New Camelot's West Bank. The area has a lively nightlife being host to innumerable and often short-lived bars and clubs. It is also home to the cities cultural fringe, where many small theatres and venues host cutting edge theatre, music and other performances. Externally and visually the district bears a great resemblance to Scott's Town. The Bridge The Bridge district is a monument to one mans attempt to buck the consensus in New Camelot. James Irvine was a rich Tiranian developer who had settled in New Camelot. His American sensibilities were offended by the lack of sky-scraping buildings, but his attempt to construct these were always foiled by the Council. So instead he tendered for and won the 2215 contract to build a bridge spanning the 3 miles across to the northern bank to supplement the under-river tunnels. Irvine added in housing, shops and business premises to the structure, which in effect became a small town in its own right. Its major features were the hotel/office blocks built around the six main towers of the structure and the three main decks. Irvin hoped that the Bridge would become a major cultural and financial centre in its own right, but his dream never quite took off and most of the Bridge is now given over to housing. Nevertheless the ends of the bridge and the central Mile Post Island have thriving social scenes as centres of the alternative club scene in New Camelot. Many people choose to live on the Bridge because of its cheaper rents and spectacular views over the Cam. Nairn Nairn is a small district to the south of McAlister's Rock that is now a public park, dominated by dark woods and ornamental gardens of native and Terran plant life. In the centre of Nairn is Cragside Hall the towering and spectacular house that was built by the eccentric Lord Nairn, one of Wellon's early industrialists. The house has been donated to the FPK by the Nairn family and it serves a dual role, both as a tourist attraction and the centre of the FPK's Data Net. The western edge of the Nairn Parks has recently gained notoriety both as a red light district and also for a series of killings that have occurred in that community which has baffled the Met. Central The Central District is the heart of New Camelot, hosting most of its major companies, shops and many cultural diversions. The whole district is teaming with people whatever the time of day or night, tourists, businessmen and revellers dominate depending on the time of day. Key features include the new King Christian Hall, and the renowned Edjard's department store that is a landmark on the Yorkgate. The restrictions on building skyscrapers in the city has led developers to burrow downwards, and under the streets is a veritable warren, and it is possible to stroll the whole width of the district without steeping foot on the surface. Valley The Valley is the richest part of New Camelot being home to many of the colony's movers and shakers. The district is centred on the picturesque Woban Gorge through which flows the small river Frost. The sides of the gorge are sparsely covered by town houses and their gardens that are some of the most expensive real estate on Tirane. King's Park The King's Park district is located in the south of the city and was the second major district to be developed. It is perhaps a typical New Camelot district centred on the huge King's Park, and dominated by Edwardian style buildings. It has become increasingly gentrified over the years and is now a bastion of the upper middle-class. Canada Park Canada Park was the first domestic district to be created to house the majority of the initial wave of colonists. It is centred around the rugged parklands that give the suburb its name. It has recently emerged from an economic depression and increasingly seen as a vibrant place to live and work. The area is renowned for its technical industries, its football team and is host to the New Camelot Technical University. Oldcastle The suburb of Oldcastle is in the west of the city at the foot of the Merit Hills. One of the more recently developed areas it gains its name from the folly built on Castle Hill by Alexander Old, an eccentric philanthropist. The suburb is home to some of the worst sink estates in New Camelot and juvenile crime is at its highest here. Oldcastle has become a priority for Council funding. New Chatham New Chatham is an industrial district in the south of the city. New Chatham is home to the cities main dockyards and refineries. The city has some of the rougher and poorer estates in the city but these have an admirable sense of community and so don't have the same social problems as those in Oldcastle. New Greenwich New Greenwich is a small town to the north of the city that has been incorporated over the years into New Camelot proper. New Greenwich is increasingly a site for retirement homes for people tired of the pace of life in New Camelot proper. The town is also home to the Royal Wellon Navy's College. |