7 20 1030 https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/fb076130bcd7a354331129a2dd3d536f.jpg 2a080ae7f16e78af242193e509ca9227 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maps Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Maps Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mixed media throughout the Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1600s to present day Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1600s to present day Reepham and surrounding villages Map-printed Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ordnance Survey map of Booton, Brandiston, Cawston, 1957, showing rural district boundary, footpaths and bridleways Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2305311110 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Large map, scanned and stitched Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1957 Description An account of the resource Ordnance Survey, 1957, ref. TG 12 SW, provisional edition, scale 1:1056 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned and stitched by GF and CB 2023 Booton Brandiston Cawston https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/2f44154313fff5b9f5a55dfda023a1e2.jpg a8a5cf0cf3f3a0865231a27b4b3fa6ea Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maps Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Maps Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mixed media throughout the Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1600s to present day Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1600s to present day Reepham and surrounding villages Map-drawn This will always be an original because a photocopy of a drawn map, for example, would be categorised as 'printed'. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Map of Whitwell and Hackford, 1772 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2306141100 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Large hand-drawn map, scanned and stitched Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1772 Description An account of the resource Copied by S King, 1772, copied from a rough plan Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned and stitched by GF and CB 2023 Hackford Whitwell https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/8a70899f405d5b8855f172c7aeb70607.jpg 87845b9954e2a24538475721fcf5bbac Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maps Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Maps Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mixed media throughout the Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1600s to present day Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1600s to present day Reepham and surrounding villages Map-drawn This will always be an original because a photocopy of a drawn map, for example, would be categorised as 'printed'. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Salle Park, 1978 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2306141020 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Large tracing, colour; scanned and stitched Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978 Description An account of the resource Scale 1/1250 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned and stitched GF and CB 2023 Salle Park https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/9da522982d58624e2f9cb3f9e1b239aa.pdf 49466f145f0f8fe4bea72756d49309a9 PDF Text Text THE REEPHAM SOCIETY Magazine �Middlemarch . Broomhill Lane. Reepham Telephone Norwich 870936 The front cover of this magazine shows the Moor House, an impressive building built in the mid part of the nineteenth century by the Bircham family. William Bircham was li'ving in The Ollands when he built the Moor House and initially the House was lived in by other members of the family but from the early 1900's it was rented out until it was eventually sold after the last war. Whilst there are many photos and considerable detail available about The Ollands little is known about the history of the Moor House, indeed some of the oral history imparted to me by local residents proved to be incorrect and it took a lot of cross referencing to establish the detail that I have given about this House. The history of the Moor House is just part of an article that details a general history of the Moor during the past 100 years. I'm grateful for the reminiscences of a number of local people that have helped me with this and I must also acknowledge the considerable help gained from the long article entitled 'Past News' written in 1949 by the late Harry Hawes. He was a builder who lived in Reepham all his life, as had his father, and his recollections of Reepham and its residents go back to the mid/late part of the last century. Contributions in this issue include a article from Edwin Prockter about William Alfred Pasko I am sure many people will remember the outfitters and drapers that the Pask family had at Towns End Corner (the site occupied today by Reepham D.I. Y .). Margaret Rowe and her sister Pat Swinhoe-Phelen, daughters of the late Rev Bernard Luscombe, (who was vicar of Whitwell and Kerdiston during the 1930's and 40's), recall their childhood in Reepham during these years. In the last magazine many people enjoyed the article. about the 1ronmongery business of Edward Gibbs and Son; Wesley Piercey now recalls his grandfather Thomas who worked for this firm until he retired in the early 1930's. I apologise for repeating a photograph that was printed in the last .issue but as it shows Thomas Piercey with Edward Gibbs it seems more significant to this issue. George Kett, a regular contributor, has sent an article about the last days of Robert Kett who was captured at Swannington after the unsuccessful revolt of 1549. Another regular contributor, Tony Ivins, recalls the Bircham Brewery Well which is historically linked to the old post mill which first stood in Reepham and then was moved to Booton. Finally John Ricketts has sent 'Memories of Cricket at Reepham'. There is nothing more evocative than memories of the sound of leather on willow on summer afternoons of the past and although local club cricket has had its ups and downs during the past 70 years it is going as strong now as it ever was and John has captured somewhat fondly, this sport that is so beloved by many. This magazine contains a large amount of local historical detail, please do not read and accept it as being definitive. If you know that any of the facts given are fundamentally wrong then I would welcome comments, corrections or even constructive criticism. I hope also that some of you readers will have memories (of Reepham) that you would like to recount for the next issue, if you can help then please get in touch with me. Reepham has a wealth of documented and oral history and I'm pleased that the Society's magazine allows this to be brought to a large number of people in this area; I hope you will read it and enjoy it. Michael Black SOCIETY REEPHAM 11 Spring 1990 �These were the local headlines which people read in the newspapers of January 4th 1943. A little under four months later on 1st May, the same papers were recording a death the previous day of William Alfred Pask - Tailor of Reepham for more than 80 years. William Alfred Pask - THE EARLY YEARS . . . Not a lot is known about the early years of 'Billy Pask's' life. He was born in Ipswich to a travelling man, also called William Alfred and his Reepham born wife Charlotte, nee Loades. The next time we find his family is in Norwich, where his only brother Charles Alfred was born in 1853. Only one year after this his mother Charlotte dies in Ipswich of cholera, aged just 24. What happens next is a mystery, but it seems that William and his baby brother Charles were taken to the 'Loades' grandparents in Reepham to be brought up, and this is where the Reepham Pask dynasty begins. THE WORKING YEARS . . . Billy used to tell his grandchildren that his first ever job was scaring crows for a farmer. However, going back to the newspaper articles of January 1943, we learn that he first entered tailoring at the age of seven, and at the age of 10 became apprenticed to the Reepham firm of Bircham and Amos. In 1875, possibly with money received from the estate of his late grandmother, he set out in business on his own, and built up a very high class tailoring business with wealthy customers in many parts of the country. Tailor 'REEPHAM TAILOR WORKING AT 91 ••• ' '50th ANNIVERSARY OF THIRD WEDDING ••• ' , 1 �SECTIONS OF THE AUTHOR'S FAMILY TREE, TRACING THE MAIN 'PASK' LINE BACK FROM HIS GRANDFATHER , SECOND SON OF WILLIAM - TAILOR OF REEPHAM 12. Peter Pask 8. Charles A Pask 4. William A Pask 1792 to 1861 Born 1824 Death Unknown 9. Susan Castell 1851to1943 1830 to 1854 Born 1801 Death Unknown 11. Charlotte Taylor 1875 to 1929 1803 to 1881 6. William Ellis 1851 to 1888 Born 1769 Death Unknown 10. James Loades 5. Charlotte Loads 3. Elizabeth Ellis 13. Rebecca Basham 1805 to 1870 2. William A Pack 1. Alfred Harry Pask Born 1769 Death Unknown Born 1818 Death Unknown 7. Harriet Waller Born 1819 Death Unknown 3. THE CHART ABOVE HAS BEEN SHORTENED IN DET AlL TO MAKE IT EASIER TO FOLLOW, IT INCLUDES SEVERAL REEPHAM PEOPLE OF THE 19C. FOR FURTHER DETAILS REFER TO NUMBERED INFORMATION BELOW: 4. 5. I. 2. Alfred Harry married in Abingdon, Berkshire and later became the tailor of Lowestoft . William was married three times . First to Elizabeth Ellis who I believe was born in Gt Witchingham, from 1871 to 1888. Second to Clara Elizabeth Neale a widow of Reepham from September 1890 to Novem ber 18~ I. Third to Annie ~arah Rowe who was born at Peasenhall, from 1893 until his death in 1943. 8. 9. 2 Elisabeth's father was a coachman, she had a sister Maria who is buried next to her in Whitwell Road Cemetary. Her brother John later lived in North Walsham. William the first, is a man of mystery as he never stayed in the same place for very long. By trade he was a hawker or book canvasser. Charlotte had six brothers and sisters all born in Hackford. Margaret, Samuel, Mary, Robert, Sarah and James after his father, who was a blacksmith by trade. Charles Alfred was born at Stoke by Clare , Suffolk. He married at St. Matthew's Church , Ipswich in 1824. Most of his life he was a bookbinder /bookseller, but for a few years he was Innkeeper at the Cornhill Tavern in Ipswich . This Peter was possibly the second ancesto r by this name, but at this stage his parentage has not been confirmed conclusively. �THE F AMIL Y MAN . . . William was no stranger to tragedy, having lost his mother at three years old and seemingly being deserted by his Dad soon after. However, sorrow continued with him for many years to come. He first wife Elizabeth died of T.B. aged 36, just three days after the death of their youngest son Donald, leaving William with eight small children to cope with. Such was the scale of these events that a 'fund' was set up in the village to support him through t hese dark days. However, more grief was to come, on 30 September 1890 he was married to Clara, only to be widowed again for a second time a little over 3+ years in November 1891. Just nine months after this his ten year old daughter Ethel died in a tragiC accident whilst out playing. However, after his third marriage in January 1893 to Annie things did begin to go better at least for a time. It is not perhaps surprising that at one stage William took to heavy drinking and his wife lived in fear of him coming home at night, but in his latter years he reformed after a 'conversion experience' at the Methodist Chapel. William was the father of 18 children, including one step-child from his second wife. Of these 15 lived into adult life - eight boys and seven girls. From this family have come hundreds of descendants still living today in many parts of the world. THE WILLIAM ALFRED PASKS . . . William was very proud of his family, as he loved chi ld ren, but he had a special pride in the four living ge nerations of William Alfred and three kno wn pictures were taken of them at stages in life. Few know that his father was also William Alfred, and with William Alfred V - st ill alive a nd well, living in Aylsham there has now been a William Alfred Pask for 166 yea rs . Author's Note: The preceeding article is in no way a history of the Pask family, a book would be needed for that. However, Edwin Prockter does have an ongoing interest in family research. If you can help with a ny memories of any persons mentioned on the 'tree chart', please can tact Ed win at the following address: 149 Carholme Road Lincoln LNI lRU Tel: 0522 522975 3 �l\ I ESTABLISHED - w •••••• w w. ............ :wv Wi . . . . 1875. _ . . . . . . Wi ._ ... .. An PASK, Civil & Military Tailor, . . e»&ie:rt9 ~tc;,.9 MARKET PLACE, REEPHAM. ..... W" ................ ~._.~• • • ~ .......... ,...,...~,. MOURNING & LIVERIES AT SHORT NOTIOE. Ladies'Riding Habits and Jackets in Latest Fa~hions. Good Fit. Workmanship Guaranteed. All Work done by Experienced Men on the Premises, under personal supervision. ..., - -4 .. ; ) �Whilst in recent years the town area of Reepham parish has grown and commercially prospered the Moor has declined in a commercial sense and today this leaves the Moor as a much quieter almost totally residential area. During the 19th and early part of the 20th century however the Moor was commercially prosperous and the residents living in this area formed up to half the population included in the cenus returns for the parish of Reepham. The population level was about 400 during the period 1851 - 1931 (with up to 200 living at Reepham Moor). In 1883 the commercial side of the Moor included William Baker, chimney sweep; Thomas Dewing, shopkeeper; William Gillingwater, bootmaker and shopkeeper ; Henry Porter, landlord of the Black Lion and at least three farmers. Reepham Moor By the County of Norfolk Review Order, 1935, the civil parishes of Hackford, Reepham and Kerdiston and Whitwell were united to form the new parish of Reepham. Prior to this unification Reepham was always described 'as a small town and parish on the banks of the Eyn'. Reepham Moor is, and always seems to have been, a separate part of the Reepham parish situated to the east of the town. 'Moor' means low wet land and this area was originally the common of Reepham. The river Eyn is the boundary between the parishes of Reepham and Booton and although the low wet land on the Reepham side was long ago drained and cultivated the land on the other side is Booton Common an area of wetland which remains today as it probably was hundreds of years ago. All of Reepham Moor is contained within the Reepham Conservation Area, the main objectives of conservation include the resistance of development which would be out of keeping with the character of the area or detrimental to its appearance and to ensure that new development is of a type and design which will blend with the appearance of the. area and add to its interest and attraction. Future changes at the Moor will be strictly controlled. However changes to Reepham Moor in the past have been minimal, but with two main exceptions during the past 100 years. The first change in the period 1850 - 1890 and the second between 1910 and the late 1980s. It seems likely that the road through the Moor was the original road from Reepham to Cawston, the map shows the present road which finishes at Moor Farm and the route restarts at the Green Lane which proceeds in a reasonably direct line to Cawston. It is accepted that houses have been scattered along this road since Tudor times. The present houses along the Moor display a number of interesting architectural details dating mainly from the sixteenth century at Moor Farm and from the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as seen at 'Ye Old Monastery', the Moor Lodge and again, Moor Farm. I i ~ i Manor hrm : . _-- II / ii : 0' ">\~ l:: ,",/,- -,{ O· \~\.. .'.'" The Area of Reepham Moor 5 �The shading shows the road along Reepham Moor and the Green Lane to Caws ton. Originally this was the main route between Reepham and Cawston. THE MOOR HOUSE The first change concerns the area now occupied by the Moor House and its grounds. The tithe map of 1846 shows the area as a general collection of farm buildings and other dwellings, the next map of the area is the detailed work carried out by the Ordnance Survey of 1885. This detail shows quite .clearly that in the intervening years a large house had been built in the middle of the site and that a road shown in the 1846 map had been moved further to the north. In the 1885 map the straight line which reaches to the north west from the back of the House is the line of the original road. The present House and Lion House (the old Black Lion Public House) are dated 1888 and 1889 respectively and it is widely believed that they and the New Road were all built at this time. This is not so and I will elaborate in greater detail the building carried on around these dates later on in this article. It is difficult to detail when the Moor House was built but I assume it to be between 1846 and 1865, probably nearer the later date. Kelly's Directory of Norfolk specifically lists the 'private' residents of Reepham and someone who could afford to live in a house of this size would .urely be listed. The first listing is in 1865 when the person recorded as living here is a Mrs Dalrymple. In his reminIscences of Reepham, Harry Hawes recorded the "Mrs Dalrymple lived there, she was aunt to Mr Sam Bircham, a very nice old lady generous to the poor. She would ride about in a donkey chaise fitted with a glass front and whenever she went out she was always accompanied by her nurse. After her death Mr Frank Parmeter of Booton Hall came to live here". The Kelly's Directory of 1883 lists Miss Bircham and Francis Parmeter as residing at the Moor House. Mary Anne Dalrymple was born in 1798 and died in Reepham in 1875, she was married in 1826 to 'Surgeon Dalrymple of Norwich' and it is believed that after her husband's death she came to Reepham to live, she was survived by two daughters. I am informed that in 1837 Catherine Dalrymple married Francis Thomas Bircham and their son was Samuel Bircham who eventually inherited the Moor House. I assume that Catherine was related to "Surgeon Dalrymple", a sister or possibly daughter from an earlier marriage. The various tithes, area 296 - 303 inclusive, were all owned by William Bircham (who lived at the Ollands) and he was probably the person who built the Moor House and at the same time changed the road to the layout we know today. 6 �® The Western end of Reepham Moor (around the Moor House) as it was in 1846, the dotted lines indicate the road alignment carried out when the original house was built and the roads built into Richmond Rise in the 1970s. ® The same area in 1885, shortly before the house was extended and the Black Lion Public House moved to the other side of the road. © The same area in 1990. Prior to this building the tithes supported the livelihood of a number of tenants. The tithes 296, 297, 301 and 302 were used as pasture and arable land . Tithe 298 was occupied by Thomas Springall who was a bricklayer and farmer of some 27 acres, the buildings on this tithe were a farm house with a barn, stables, cart sheds, cow house and a par yard . (1 am informed that a par yard was a yard in which cattle were kept during the winter months - Editor). There were also five cottages occupied in 1870 by the following tenants. 1. Nurse McLean who was the Parish Nurse. 2. William Huson, a bootmaker. 3. Jerry Hall, a labourer 7 �4. Widow Hall, who had tw o sons and two daughters (one of whom married Morris the hay trusser). 5. Broughter Hart, a harness maker by trade who was also employ.o:d by the Post Office. Every weekday he would walk from Reepham to the Saxthorpe Post Office delivering as he went the 'letters to SaIl Street. He would then walk to and leave the Wood Dalling and Heydon post bags at Heydon Post Office, he carried on th r ough Heydon Park to leave the Corpusty and Saxthorpe bags at Saxthorpe Post Office. He then turned around and walked back bringing the various letter bags which were to catch the horse drawn Norwich Mail Van which left Reepham at 5p.m. each day . As Samuel now owned all this area he now decided in 1888 to clear the whole site and to make the house larger and generally to turn it into a house of some magnificence. All the dwellings, farm buildings and other buildings were demolished and the whole area turned into gardens and grounds to compliment the new House. The Black Lion Public House was demolished and a new one was built on the opposite side of the road to a new house which was built as a gardener'S cottage. The only early building which survived and is still there today is a small barn like structure behind the house which was probably used as outhouses and stables to serve the or iginal smaller Moor House. I have been unable to find out who carried out the extensive rebuilding of the Moor House but Harry Hawes wrote in 1949 that th e Black Lion was built by John Hever and Son, builders of Norwich and that his father Thomas Hawes was given the order to demolish and clear away all the cottages, farm houses and buildings which were on the site, he was also given the order to build about 50 yards of flint wall which encloses part of the grounds. After the House was com pie ted (at a cost of (19,000) Samuel Bircham lived there for part of the year although working in London. He also lived in Surrey where he built three further houses to live i n. It is said that his wife did not like to live in the Moor House and they spent time living in their various homes. Samuel Bircham lived here until the turn of the century when it was then rented to Ernest Hudson who was here from about 1903 until his death in August 1931. Whilst living at the Moor House his son Sydney died, aged 27 in 1909 and his wife Helen and second son Eric both died in the influenza epidemic in April 1919; all four members of the family are buried in the Norwich Road cemetary almost opposite the grounds of the house where they lived. The tithe area 299 was an orchard and area 300 contained yards and agricultural buildings and four cottages, in 1870 the tenants were: I. William Self, he worked the in the local Whitwell tannery Leaman 2. Mr Watchman, he was a maltster (the malthouse in which he worked was situated next to the Norwich Road opposite Virginia's Workbox - Editor). 3. Mr Kemp, a gardener. 4. C. Hall, to encourage Samuel Bircham told him in Worlds End Lane for free from all rents for to say, Mr Hall accepted. steam owned st r iker by Mr this tenant to leave he could have a cottage himself and his family, his lifetime. Needless In the area 303 stood the 'old' Black Lion Public House, this had a thatched roof and attached were several farm premises which included a barn, stable, piggeries, par yard and a skittle alley. On the gable end a large board was affixed, this was nine feet long and had a large black l ion pai n ted on it. He was fond of horses and kept a number of fine animals in the stables which still back along New RO,ad. When the First World War came the horses were all requisitioned and taken away by the Army. Like so many other animals none of his horses came back, it is said the grief of losing them caused him never to have any more. Although a member of the Reepham Bircham family, Samuel Bircham was a solicitor who lived in Surrey and practiced in London, he obviously yearned for - life in Reepham because he purchased at auction in 1879 the Old Brewery House. This 'superior residence' and various other lots in Reepham were sold by Messrs Spelman and Co., these lots were certain parts of what was previously known as the Bircham Brewery estate sold by William Bircham. With the encroachment of the railways the Bircham Brewery monopoly in this area was put under fierce competition particularly from the Norwich Breweries and the family were in turn placed under severe financial pressure. Ernest Hudson is still remembered today by some residents of Reepham who recall him as a large and kind elderly man. He had a north country accent and he was reputed to be part of the family that owned Hudson's Soap; whether or not this is true he was always referred to in Reepham as 'Soapy Hudson'. It was ironic and perhaps satisfying to William Bircham that Samuel should purchase the Brewery House and he further extended Samue l's estate in Reepham when after William's death in 1886 he left in his will the area in, around and including the Moor Ho use. However, Samuel had to purchase his holding. Local people who knew the House du r ing this period remember the grounds and front gardens as always being meticuously kept. With similar attention by full time gardeners being paid to the nearby grounds of The Ollands this area of R eepham must, d uring the summer months, have been wonderful to walk round and look at . Due to his financial difficulties William had mortgaged the Moor House and the surrounding area to Samuel Bignold in 1876, To inherit the property Samuel paid (2 ,250 to clear the mortgage. After Ernest Hudson's death in 1931 the House remained empt y until the Second World War. It was kept windproof and watertight during these years until it was used by the Army during the war years. 8 �There were many serving members of the armed forces based In and around Reepham during this time and it seems that those based at the Moor House constantly changed. Their general role was not believed to be of any great or secret importance. In 1947 the Bircham family sold the Moor House to Dr Eglington who used it as a nursing home until the late 1980s. During the later years the House was used by numerous film and television companies to provide settings both inside and outside for various films and programmes. The most notable being the extensive use by Anglia Television in connection with the film adaptations of a number of P D James novels. The Moor House was sold again in 1989. TITHE AREA 270 (formerly Collison's Yard) The second area within Reepham Moor which has seen the greatest change was originally the tithe number 270. The c hange is probably now complete but this has been achieved over a 70 year period to the late 1980s. In 1844 this tithe was owned by John Eacher, he also owned a block of four cottages of clay lump and thatch which were situated on the north side of the site. No 1 was occupied by C Baker - Chimney Sweep No 2 was occupied by James Wyer - Agricultural Labourer No 3 was occupied by Vertrae Fuller - Pauper No 4 was occupied by James Harrison - Pauper There was another group of four cottages of clay lump and thatch on the site which were owned by Stephen Leeds - the tithe does not detail the occupants of these dwellings but later in the 19th century Harry Hawes recalled all the cottages as being in a very bad condition. In the early part of this century the area was owned by Mr William Harrison who in September 1910 sold the site to Mrs Eliza Betsy Collison. It is not clear at what date the clay lump houses were demolished but houses appear in the same place on the O.S. map of 1906 as in the tithe map of 1846. On the area today the house known as 'Klear Vu' and an old wall between the new dwellings and 'The Gables' both show example of local made clay brickwork and it is possible that they were the remains of Victorian dwellings built to replace the clay lump cottages or that the early described 'clay lump' is in fact 'clay brickwork' and the remains today are in fact from the original dwellings shown in 1846. It is known that when Mrs Collison bought the site in 1910 there were a number of sub divided dwellings with tenants on the site, there was also an orchard in the north west corner of the site. The site was then split into two and on the southern part a house subsequently known as 'The Gables' was built and was sold in July 1920 to Mr Leslie Heron. The other half of the site was turned into a builders' yard for Collison Bros. An entrance to the site was created and a bungalow and builders' office was built, the exact date of this is unknown but it is believed to be in the early 1920s. • 9 �The site was split again in 1933 when a house was built on the area originally covered by the orchard. This house was sold in 1945 to Sir Dymock White (of Salle Hall) who wanted it as a house for his estate forester. The cottage in the north east corner (which was believed to be built on the side of one of the original dwellings) was sold in 1954. The builders' yard remained but was by now almost surrounded by dwellings, this use remained until Collison Bros. closed down in 1986 and the area was sold with planning permission for two new dwellings, t hese were subsequently built and the original half acre of tithe 270 is now split into an area of six dwellings and gardens. 247 .p7!1 q;, < I 'J REEPHAM MOOR 1885 (H " I H I'" HI o o REEPHAM MOOR 1969 10 �REEPHAM MOOR (Excluding the Moor House and Tithe Area 270) grandmother, Mary Crane Amiss, was given the block of four cottages whilst she was a child, she owned them all her life. The single cottage adjoinging belonged to Samuel Eglington who paid her 2/6d a year for a right of way to get water from the pump, she always spent the money on bottles of gin." The remaining area of the Moor (from the Moor House corner to Manor Farm) has changed very little during the past 100 years with the exception of building on the old tithe area 270 there are only two or three dwellings that have been built since 1885. Many of the cottages have however been modernised and in some cases extensively altered. When many of them were built the roofs were thatched but over the years these roofs have been replaced by tiles. A typical Moor dwelling would have looked like the cottages at Stocks Hill (as shown in the photograph) or the only remaining thatched cottage today, which today stands on the junction with Orchard Lane. 3. 4. both agricultural labourers." The cottages were later demolished and Mr Owen - who later lived at the Moor Lodge - had them demolished and the land was incorporated into the garden of Moor Lodge. Harry Hawes recalled the Moor and its residents as it was at the end of the 19th century, I have rewritten his notes and the individual dwellings mentioned are num bered against maps of the area of 1885 and 1989 the account starts at Manor Farm. 1. 2. The Moor Lodge - "was occupied by a Mr Stearman, he was Registrar of Births and Deaths. He took a great part in the Reepham String Band, unfortunately Mr Stearman ended his days in the Asylum". "Past the Moor Lodge stood two cottages built of clay lump and thatch and known as White Hall, in the 1840s they were owned by Mrs Ward and occupied by Simmons and Porter, "This farm belonged to Mr W Parke - listed i n Kelly's Directory from 1846 -1875 as a farmer - he had this for many years. He was a church warden for St Marys Church with Mr Dye of Kerdiston. He had a niece, Jane Gray, who lived with him and who, after his death married Mr Ben Wyand." Today this group includes Primrose Cottage, Rose Cottage and Haven Cottage "My 11 5. The Cottage - "Next came two cottages roofed with thatch, they belonged to the Rev Wilkinson. These my father re-roofed with pantiles." 6. Modern Bungalow - In 1840 this was owned by Will Edwards and later it was occupied as a farm cottage for Thomas Springall's farm." In 1892 and 1904 it is listed in Kelly's as being occupied by Owen Hardingham who was a horse slaughterer and a dealer in skins, the cottage was demolished in 1947. �7. Old Cottage - "this was originally one cottage which was re-built in the late 19th century as two cottages, it has recently been turned back into one cottage again." 8. Block of three cottages including Ye Old Monastery - "these cottages belonged to William Baley Baker . who was a chimney . sweep. The middle property was a grocer's shop run by Thomas . Dewing, he also did tailoring. The tenant of the larger cottage was Betsy Coe the midwife, she did mangling of linen at a penny a dozen, items could be any size. The cottages were all thatched, I bought them for 060 and had them re-roofed with tiles." 9. Anniversary Cottage - "these cottages belonged to Mr Richard Rodham who sold them to Priscilla (?) and she at once sold them to Martin Dewing" - between 1885 and 1904, Martin Dewing is listed in Kellys as a shopkeeper at The Moor. 10. Thatched Cottage - " The property owned by Mr Neale was originally owned by the farmer William Parke." 12 13. II. Now occupied by modern chalets at start of Orchard Lane - this area included a farm and various farm buildings, from 1840 - 1870 it was occupied by Thomas Springall who is listed in Kelly's as a farmer and bricklayer. "The farm house was built of clay lump and thatch and was very small and the roof eaves were only six feet from the ground." All the buildings are long since demolished although the barn survived until 1974, the barn was used just after the Second World War by Collison Bros., builders, in which to make roof tiles. These were used to tile the roofs of the houses along the Wood Dalllng Road. For many years the area was used as a smallholding by Mr and Mrs Neale, the farm house had been demolished and from 1928 onwards they lived on site in a redundant railway carriage. 12 Kiriemuir, Hill House and Hillside - "This property had a block of four cottages, all built of clay lump and thatch, they were known as Stocks Hill Cottages as they adjoined the site of the old stocks. In the 1840s they were owned by R W Brady and later by the Rev E Holley who sold them to my father, Thomas Hawes." "this property was owned by my grandfather Job Henry Watson who was a grocer and coal dealer and he also sold pork and sausages. He is listed in Kelly's from 1846 until 1875 as a grocer - Mr Barnabas Seeley (who was a carter and farmer from Hatchford) used to cart coal for him from the riverside at Norwich. I have been at dinner with him on Saturday and have known him to be disturbed from his meal by someone at the back door who wanted a stone of coal, or a screw of tobacco for a penny or a toz of snuff which was a penny farthing." �14. An area owned by John Eacher. then Steven Leeds and purchased in 1910 by Elizabeth Collison - all relevant detail is recorded in the separate note about tithe 270. 15. Now the north garden of Moorcroft - In the 1840s this was owned by Sir R Jodrell. There were two cottages. one was occupied by Luke Coe who was a shoemender and the other was occupied by Hannah Matthews who ran it as a common lodging house and took in pedlars. labourers and paupers. Both dwellings are long since demolished and the land is now incorporated in the garden of Moorcroft. "the walled in garden now used by the Reepham Fire Brigade contained the ruins of an old house. my grandfather (Job Henry Watson who kept the shop opposite) remembered Mrs Matthews who lived there and who gained a living by taking roadsters. These roadsters used to call at the shop and wo uld buy a penn yworth of tea or a penn yworth of sugar. " 13 16. Orford Cottages - "bit further on were four more clay walled and thatched cottages owned by a man known as big Stephen Leeds. 1 remember the tenants being Mary Hardingham. Betty Larkman and Billy Mungay who had a fireplace with pavement corners wide enough for myself and another boy to sit on. The other tenant was a Mr Reynolds who had a smart horse and trap and got his living by pig dealing." 17. Moorcroft- " The tenants of the next th ree cottages were Joe Hastings who was a sack mender and kept a donkey which he used to visit the farmers to carry out repairs. The new tenant was William Hendry and the third tenant was Sam Drew who was a ginger beer maker, he had a donkey and cart which he used to deliver his beer." �• entire premises there was an indescribable of turpentine, lard oil, linseed oil and the of a dozen other substances. Thomas Piercy 'and the Ironm onger's Shop of Edward Gibbs and Son smell smell Across the yard was the seed room. This was reached by ascending a winding staircase to the top floor, at the far end there was a low door with a sign stating 'Mind Your Head'. Here the various grass and clover seeds were mixed, these would be sown with barley and when grown would be cut for hay. Occasionally 1 was allowed to accompany my grandfather with the horse and cart delivering bars of iron to blacksmiths in the surrounding district. One of these was Hardiments of Kerdiston which was where the horse went to be shod. Another was Millets whose smithy was on the main road to Sparham, in those days the road was often referred to as the turnpike. The most exciting trip was to tlarrets at Lyng, in those days this involved going through the river. This was in the early 1~20s when the present bridge had not been built. 1 also remember going to Weston House, Weston Longville and Heydon Hall to deliver paraffin. 1 believe these trips for me came to an end when Mr Gibbs replaced the horse and cart with a Ford lorry. This was driven by a man named Henry Rose; my grandfather never learned to drive. The article in the Spring Newsletter about Edward Gibbs and Son prompts me to contribute some further details that may be of interest. When I was a small boy my grandfather, Thomas Piercy, worked for Mr Gibbs and I frequently visited the premises. An ironmongers and seed merchants shop may not be deemed a very interesting place but to me it was always fascinating. The shop itself had stairs under the counter leading down to a mysterious cellar and other stairs to rooms above. Throughout the Grandfather Thomas Piercy had been working at the shop for some years before Mr Gibbs took over the business. He was born in 1861 and lived with Thomas Piercy (on the left) and Edward Gibbs, Snr. mixing seed in the Seed Room. 14 �his parents at Thomey Farm, Kerdiston where his father was steward. After leaving school at fourteen he worked on the farm with his father but in 1879 he decided that he did not much care for farm work and went to work for Sand S W Leeds the ironmongers and seed merchants, he was employed as a carter at fifteen shillings per week (75p). Memories of Cricket at Reepham The two Leedes, uncle and nephew were both named Stephen, lnot to be confused with the Whitwell tanner who was another Stephen Leeds). The elder Leeds lived at the shop and the younger at Church Hill in the house now occupied by Mr and Mrs Hetts. After working for Leeds for some years Thomas decided to join the Metropolitan Police but when the Leedses heard of this they promptly revised his wages to one pound per week, quite a good wage a century ago and enough to make him change his mind about the police force . The 1920 and 30& The tradition of cricket around Reepham has been strong within living memory; though with gaps. So far we have been able to go back 69 years to the time when the local ground was a pleasant meadow on the left hand side of Booton Road currently owned by our retired 'veterinary', Mr John Woods. Indeed the original pavillion is still standing, though I think not in its former condition. In the 1920s the fieldbelonged to Mr Bircham, who lived in the Brewery House. The driving force behind the Club around 1920 was Dr Perry who was usually seen wearing his frock coat when preparing the pitch on Friday evenings. The pitch and ground were well kept, the mowing was carried out with a mower pulled by a horse whose hooves were shod with special leather shoes. The business was sold to Mr E Gibbs in l!:H5~. The elder Mrs Leeds lnow a widow) moved from the shop and went to live with the other land younger) Mrs Leeds at Church Hill. When Mr Gibbs purchased and took over the ironmongers business he lacked experience in the seed trade. Grandfather by now knew both sides pretty well and initially Mr Gibbs depended on his knowledge of the seed side of the business. Grandfather's eldest son Fred started to learn the t rade with Mr Gibbs but was killed in an accident in the shop in 1'104, aged fourteen. His place was taken by another son, Wilfrid who served for a time and then went to work for a Norwich ironmonger. He was killed in action in France in 1'116. Grandfather became a pensioner in I'1ZO but still went to the shop on a part time basis. When he died in I'1JO he had worked for more than fifty years in employment with Edward Gibbs and Son. Charlie Hall of Bartle Court can recall his old schoolmaster, Chute Thompson, playing; also Stanley Bird of Barney who was one of the great stalwarts of the team, he first played in 1919 when he was 14. Together with Ben Stimpson they remember some of those who came to play; batsmen and bowlers who arrived by motor-bike or bicycles: Fred and Stanley Bird, Billy Morris (a tailor with 'Stitcher King'); Stanley Holah (of Rookery Farm), Albert Neal (chicken farmer) who was a left-arm fast bowler; Alan Moulton the wicket-keeper and Walter (a Cawston postman) - a batsman. Ted Williams from Wood Dalling; Stanley Watson (with Gibbs, the ironmonger); possibly Cliff Watson who kept 'The Sun' Public House and Tom Long, who was a shoemaker with Mr Allen (now Gwen Hardesty's fruit shop). Tom was known as 'The Pessimist', his cricket trousers were held in place securely with braces as well as a belt. Initially this article was intended to be about the iron mongers' shop but I suppose it has turned out to be about my grandfather. You could say he was a fixture in that shop for half a century so any article w hich referred to the history of Edward Gibbs and Son could not be told without including Thomas Piercy. .. The old fash ioned iron monger's shop is now a thing ot the past . Those that have surv i ved have adapted th eir methods and their stock t o meet today's require ments. With no horses on farms there are no blacksm i ths re quir ing iron for horse-shoes and wagon tyres. Nobody has oil lamps any mo re and there is little demand for paraffin. It is a similar story for the seed merchants. There are not horses needing hay and so there is no call for hay seed. l:Suliocks are no longer fattened in yards and so farmers do not grow swedes and mangolds. Much as the passing of these traditional trades may be regretted, change i s inevitable. lronmongery is just one of the many trades that once flourished in Reepham and is now gone. In 50 years time will the computers that now fill the shop premises of Edward Gibbs evoke as much nostalgia as does the smell of linseed oil and the sight of hazy sushine pouring through the mixing of clover, rape and trefoil seeds? Stanley Bird and Alan Moulton were perhaps the outstanding players. The standard of the team's cricket was something to be proud of. The first four or five batsmen were consistently successful, ball control was the mark of the bowlers and several of the fielders could throw the ball 'a mile'. Initially t hey played friendly matches, but around 1921 they entered the Nor folk Junior Cup and one year reached the final, losing to Hempnall. Stanley reca lls a match at Booton, the teams were back in the pavillion, where a dividing curtain allowed the visitors changing space and a sense of privacy, when he heard the captain of the CEYMS Xl arranging hi s strategy: "Fred, will you open with Jimmy, Derek 15 �you go number three. Then Cliff and George you'll bat number five - tho' I don't suppose we'll need you." Out on the home field, Reepham's slow leftarm spinner kept walking up to the wicket and, helped by the slowness of the wicket and some good catches, he helped dismiss them for 35 runs. Reepham then went on to score 65. When Reepham entered the Norfolk Senior League they were happy whenever they were drawn at home; visitors were unused to a good slow wicket they were more used to playing on pitches treated with the new Nottinghamshire marl. The postmaster, Donald Chapman, managed to raise a second eleven for a few years. Sadly by 1927-8, Father Time had encouraged several to retire, some had moved away and generally there was not enough young blood to continue the Club. Salle had a thriving Club and the remaining Reepham players joined them. Their ground was in the field to the left of the road to Cawston (near Salle Patch), then part of Sir Dymock White's Salle Park estate. The vicar of Salle, Canon Parsons, was a great supporter, he used to buy all the eqUipment and he offered boundless enthusiasm. Fred Laskey and his brother Herbert had played for Sane and Reepham respectively but with the dem ise of the Reepham Club by 1930 they both then played for Sane, as seen in the first photograph. This was taken by the Norfolk Chronicle in about 1938, when Sane won the Mid Norfolk Shield. The team was: (umpire) Mr Reeve, Charlie. Smith, Geofrey Tubby, Mrs Dack, Len Riseborough, Peter Tubby and Walter Jarvis: (front row) Marshall Steerman ('Smasher'), Billy Hagan, Fred Laskey, Stanley Dack, (captain) George Sewards, Clem Stearman and Herbert Laskey. It is good to see Mrs Dack recorded with the team. She represents all those mothers, wives and girl friends who have given such practical support during the years. The 1950& and 60& The post-war resurgence of Reepham cricket was largely thanks to the valuable acquisition of the present sports field, known as the 'Stimpson's Piece'. The Stimpson family's generous lease ensured 99 years of sport near the town centre. (After only 39 of those years the field has now been permanently given and is managed by a committee of parish councillors and other representatives). The official opening match took place on June 17th 1950 and was between Reepham Xl and a Norfolk XI. No one so far seems to recall any details of the match, not even the result. Perhaps refreshments cast too much of a rosey hue over the event. The next two photographs show firstly the Reepham team: Back row - Fred Laskey, Charlie Case, Horace Jones, Norman Platten, Jim Underdown, Noel Bird, Kenneth Bird, Umpire, George Sewards. Front row: Herbert Laskey, Stanley Bird, Billy Howard (captain), Rex Hunt and Len Underdown. And secondly, The Norfolk Xl (which had one or two local players in) Back row: Evan Simons, who as a boy just before the war, had played for Reepham, Malcolm Williamson, Bud Rose, (wkt) Neville Laskey, Ben Stimpson, Tom Eaton, Anon, Jack Read and umpire Billy Morris. Front row: Fred Low, Fred Bell, George Pilch (captain) Mike Falcon (Norfolk's captain) and Basil RoughtRought. 16 �The new 'Ed rich-Compton concrete wicket' was deemed a success and once the bowlers and batsmen adapted to it, some good cricket developed. This was the era of two of Norfolk's great cricketing families; the Edriches of Ingham and the Partitts of Foxley and Billingford. Alec, Bob, Hugh, John, Richard and Peter Partitt all played at times for Reepham. Peter, when younger, once took all ten wickets in a game against the Electricity Board. Not long after he was playing for Middlesex and England. Another young Reepham player, Evan Hall, played for the County, scoring several half centuries before moving to Middlesex, where he served on the Lords groundstaff for four years. After a year with Leicestershire he was available again but the Norfolk County Club somehow failed to make use of him again. Salle Cricket Club however, kept the game alive locally, as current residents recall: notably with Jim Tuddenham, Keith Pask, Jim Miller, John Tubby, several Stearmans, (Marshall, Farmer and Peted, David Downing, Henry West, Cliff Nurse and Reverand Dickinson. Dr McFarquhar, a geneticist with Bernard Matthews, played often and was usually successful in contributing a half century. As the decade came to an end teams became harder to raise and the end was heralded when horses were put into the field to graze. So ended an era of Salle sport, where not only cricket was played, tennis courts shared the field and badminton had been played in the nearby Lynton White Institute. The 1970s and 80s Surviving enthusiasts then joined with other for cricket in Reepham to restart in 1971. The Club was called the Reepham and Salle Cricket Club for two seasons. Salle's sight-screens were towed up to Stimpson's Piece, where they still serve. A list of first members included Mr Crane, 1 Walbyoff, P Hardwick, Jim Morris, Brian Wright, P Horner ; C Reeve, Nand J Tubby, D Roberts, B Dennis, R Howard, D Norris, A Hunt and C Pratt. Billy Howard was president and Ben Stimpson vice-president. Matches were played also on Sundays and by 1978 they had joined the Norfolk League. They achieved promotion as high as Division 2, but they are now in Division 3. In 1983 they won the Norfolk League Knock Out Cup, beating Norwich Casuals by seven wickets. This period of the 1950s was probably the height of the Club's history. They played friendlies only on Saturdays and selected strong opponents like Norwich Union, Mallards, Thorpe Hospital, Bradfield, Cromer and Sheringham. If score books came to light one golden memory at least could be checked: is it possible they beat Cromer one season, dismissing them for four runs? Around 1964 cricket in Reepham ceased when the supply of players dried up again, some retired; younger ones may not have had great encouragement watching the leading batsman and bowlers doing so well and others moved away. (While one family who are quoted as 'moving away' went to New Zealand, another had moved as far as Wood Dalling). The concrete wicket had been taken up in the early 60s, perhaps on account of the cost of replacing the coconut matting every three or four years or to concede more space for the thriving football club. These leagues seem to go back a long way in Norfolk's history as one of the two cups that Reepham won in 1988 was initially dated 1911. With the growth of Reepham within the last 15 years, the local game is in a healthy state, although shades of manpower 17 �problems from the past may sometimes hover in the background. There are however promising signs. Peter Hardwick, with the help now of his son, continues to do sterling work on the wicket. ReCent improvements include the purchase of a motorised , roller, and upgrading of the pavillion facilities the new bar adds greatly to the availability of the sports clubs that use the ground and there are now prospects of the development alongside of a larger sports and social hall. A good number of youngsters have played for Reepham in recent seasons; for three seasons there were summer holiday matches for 14 and 15 year olds. the High School is fortunate in having Mike Rowson as a P. E. teacher who has for several years also been selector of the England Under 15 Xl; a boy with talent and enthusiasm has every chance of getting on in the game from that start. Since the mid 1970s pupils from the High School have played for the County including Peter Williamson, Darren Gooderum (now captain of Horsford), Stephem Framlingham, Nigel Ellis (Reepham Cricket Club) and Mark Brown (Witchingham). Carl Rogers Is a bright hope now playing with Ingham. Currently there are four young players who play for the Club: Glen Chipperfield, Mark Willis, Louis Grandjean (1989's captain of the Norfolk Under 14 xI) and Alistair Bailey. Is enthusiasm as great as in the past? With Saturday League matches followed by the slightly less serious Sunday Cup garnes, every weekend one can hear the familiar sound of leather on willow. Limited-over matches seems to hold complete sway in Norfolk, whether this is for better or worse depends on how much of a cricket purist you are. A resu l t is assured and this in turn has increased t he level of excitement, to achieve this aggressive batting tends to be necessary . (Did any local player hit the ball further than Alex Parfitt, when at Hellesdon Hospital the ball went clear over one of the wings and into the courtyard n. Did earlier teams ever go on tour? In recent seasons, Reepham has played a 4-5 day tour around Braintree, enjoyably and successfully. How many local teams have boasted an overseas player? In 1989 Tony Sheahan was imported from Austrailia, and made a good contribution. In his spare time he did exchange teaching at Hellesdon School. To demonstrate that the love of the game has by no means diminished, here are a few statistics from the 1989 season: 18 Saturday matches in the Norfolk League (45 overs) 8 won 8 lost 2 cancelled. 17 Sunday matches in the Mid-Norfolk League: (40 overs) 13 won 4 lost. Weekday evening Cup matches 20 (20 overs) Finalists in the Hellesdon Cup and Winners of the Billingford Forge Cup and the Gordon Smith Cup The best batting average, Tony Sheahan 46 runs The best bowling runs per wicket. average, Glen Chipperfield, 9.1 Highest single innings, Paul Reeve, 114 So, roll on the 1990 season; new members will be welcome. Contact Nick Mears, (Tel: 9688-251). The season begins on Sunday April 29th v Haddiscoe and then Saturday May 5th v Scole. The first horne Cup match will be against Lexham on Sunday May 27th. Some extra fixture cards will be available at the Chimes and results are published regularly mid week in the Eastern Daily Press and also i n the North Norfolk News. 18 �billeted with us and Church Army Captains who helped run the parish whilst my father was away in the Army. He was in France, at Dunki rk and was also stationed at Aldershot and later, after a compassionate posting, at Nelson and Brittania Barracks in Norwich. Reepham 1935 - 45 Margare t Rowe (who now lives in Norwich) was bom in the Reepham and Whitwell Rectory in May 1935. she has given the following vivid memories of her early years spent in Reepham. MEMORIES OF MUSIC IN REEPHAM DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR My father, the late Rev Bernard Porter Luscombe, came to the living of Whitwell and Kerdiston in 1932 and when the Rev Moore retired a few months afterwards he also became rector of Reepham and Hackford. I still visit Mrs Moore (94 years old in April) in Aysgarth, Wensleydale whenever I am in Y orkshire. As my father was a very talented and enthusiastic muscian, many of my most vivid memories are connected w ith music. From the age of two onwards I was to sing contralt o in the Church Choir. I could sing long before I could read. I would sit next to Mr s Jean Hawes and as a child I never understood wh y Mrs Hawes and my mother (another contralto) had larger and more comfortable hassocks than th e rest of us!! On cold Sunday even i ngs we sat in t he choir stalls clutch ing hot- water bottles! The previous article was contributed by Margaret Rowe and the following has been sent by her sister, Mrs Pat Swinhoe-Phelan nee Luscombe. Much of the Church music continued as before the War as various organists helped out when the regular organist, Bessie Jewell, joined the WRNS, although she played whenever she came home on leave. Whilst she was away she was ably deputised by Miss Bartle, who would cycle all the way from Kerdiston, by Mrs Gibbs or by myself. My memories are mostly about playing for Evensong during the dark winter evenings. The back of St Michael's under the gallery was 'blacked out' and a frame put around the organ up in th e gallery. Mr Fenn had to manage to blow the organ in the semidarkness but he never let us down. Inside the frame was rather claustrophobic and hearing what was going on downstairs presented some difficulty. However we mostly had the hymns with organ and congregation together, but the psalms were another matter, the responses were very 'hit and miss' but we got through and Evensong continued right through the war. Before Evensong on warm summer Sundays we were sometimes allowed to climb to the top of St Michael's Tower and sing Anthems, unaccompanied and to th e delight of man y listeners who collected below. Although I was unable to reach the pedals, I had my first taste of playing the organ at a Children's Service in St Marys - I seem to rem ember 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' had far too many verses. Band Concerts were the high-spot during the war with frequent concerts in the old Band Hall, which was situated on the site opposite Abbs Garage and now occupied by the 'impressive' builder's workshop of Mr Prince. The late Queen Mary honoured the band with her presence on one occasion. She arrived from Sandringham in one of the old very upright Rolls Royce cars and very -obviously enjoyed the concert as she tapped away with her feet and her parasol. Afterwards she met many of the band. When playing the Harrison and Harr ison Organ (now moved from St Michael's into St Mary's) at the Septem ber Flower Festival in 1989 many happy mem ories were recalled. I remember in particular dear old Mr Fenn who pumped the organ (without complaint), for Mrs Gibbs, Bessie Jewel, my sister Pat and for me. At Children's Services I occasionally had to read a Lesson and I stood on a specially made box so that I could reach and see the Bible. There were also splendid Parade Services with Scouts, Cubs, Guides and Brownies. My father, being a military man, insisted that rehearsals for the Colour Parties were to be taken very seriously, any objectors were speedily replaced. Recital concerts were held but not very frequently , the Rev Luscom be sang such songs as 'When the Sergeant Major's on Parade' and 'On the Road to Mandalay' and Gilbert and Sullivan solos. He sometimes played the cello and I accompanied him our favourite, and of the audience, was always SaintSaens' 'The Swan'. I was fortunate to attend Reepham School until I was ten years old, being extremely well taught by Mrs Bird, Mrs Lawn and Miss Maude Bradfield or Braddie as I knew her. During the War Miss Bradfield came to live with us at the Rectory as did anum ber of evacuees. Army Officers were Another excitement was Turkey's Concert Party'. and their cast included a Paul and Griffith Jones They would perform short musical numbers. 19 the visit of 'The Norfolk They C1:lme several times brilliant blind pianist, Alan the actor and film-star. sketches as well as popular �The Last Days of Robert Kett Walking along the lane at Swannington which leads from the church, past the Hall and on to the farm now called Woodlands Farm, I could not help thinking that Robert Kett, the Norfolk rebel (and a possible ancestor of mine) could have travelled along this same route 440 years ago, although it is perhaps more likely that he came by a more direct way from Norwich, probably along field tracks via Felthorpe. In August 1549 what a distressing journey it must have been for the relatively prosperous family man from Wymondham, 57 years of age, with the courage to lead a rebellion in protest at landowners enclosing common land. He arrived at Swannington, after escaping by horseback from the battlefields in Norwich, worn out and overcome with despair having lost thousands of his followers during the fighting in Norwich, his struggle at an end and himself now a lonely fugitive from the Earl of Warwick's troops. At Swannington, during the evening of the day of his escape, Kett took refuge in a barn. There are, I am aware, several local claimants to the ownership of this barn or, at least, the land on which it stood ~/ but my own researches indicate that there is little doubt that the barn in question, long since demolished, was situated at the location subsequently known as Joles (or Jowles) Farm, now named Woodlands Farm. A farmhouse nearby the original barn, owned by a Mr Riches (or Richer) has also been demolished. An account of Kett's arrival at Swannington is given by Nicholas Sotherton written at the time of Kett's capture and quoted in the late Rev Wortley's book on Swannington. "On reaching Swannington his horse was so tirid that hee was forced to take refuge in a barne, where was a Cart with Corne unlading: from hence he was browte to the howse of one Mr Riches of that towne, and though he was left with a childe in the howse of vij or viij years old, he had not the spirit to depart whyles Mrs Riches was fetched from Church, whome though shee ratid him for his demeanor, yeat did hee pray hir of contention and to have meate: ye next morning about iiij of ye Clocke he was browte to ye Lord Lieutenant's lodging, with such as were sent for him." (The letter j following the Roman numerals was used instead of an i, thus viij means eight). A similar, or slightly more detailed account of the capture is given by Alexander Neville written in 1575: (Translation) " .•. he was taken by two young servants of Richer de Swannington and brought to their master's house, which was nearby. Twenty horsemen were at once sent out, who came upon him there, all ragged and bewailing his fate, pale with fear, overcome with apprehension and despair for his life. They brought him bound to Norwich. " Joles Farm, Swannington (now known as Woodlands Farm) where Robert Kett took refuge and was subsequently taken captiue. / 20 �ce to explain why There appears to be o g Swannington. Kett made his escape ,s Rebellion' offers Stephen Land, in !loa e been making for the suggestion thaorfoli coast (such some small ports as Wells) to escape :e to Norwic h, Kett Following his ca ower of London where he was then sent e e of ovembe r when, having was held until reason he was taken back to been convic ed Norfol k for exec tion . The execution took place on December 7th when he was taken from the Guildhall to the Castle from the walls of which he was hanged. The only visible reminder of Kett's brief visit to Swannington is, as far as I am aware, the lane leading from Swannington to the Norwich/Reepham road called, a nd marked on O.S. Pathfinder maps as, Kett's Lane altbough sometimes incorrectly referred to as Kate's Lane. carry the very steeply pitched tile roof. At some time in the past metal ties have been inserted to reinforce the timber and counteract the outward thrust of the roof. The tiling is interesting, the first five courses from the base are flat pin tiles, above these are more pin tiles rectangular on three sides but the lower and exposed edge curved in a semicircle. The hips to the octagonal roof are in lead and the gutters are ogee cast iron. At the present time the brickwork is sound and t!:le oak timbers are in good condition. Slipping tiles on the roof and the guttering both need attention and the lead flashing on one edge of the octagonal roof is missing. The Bircham Brewery Well This well was s k in wbat is now the courtyard of the west s ide of the Old Brewery Hotel. I have been unable t o establish when the well was first dug but it see med to provide an endless supply and Miss Ann Bircbam tells me that it provided sufficient water for the needs of the brewery until the business closed in 1876. In the brewery days the water was raised man ually by two men turning the handle on a big wheel wbicb operated the pump drawing from the welL In later years the water was pumped mechanically to the Brewery House and there is still evidence in tbe well-head of a heavy wooden platform on which an engine was probably fixed. Miss Bircham says that the water was always very cold and very good and that the supply never failed in the driest weather. She thinks the well is about sixty feet deep and that there is a platform about half way down which was used when the well needed cleaning. The present roof over the well head is an interesting construction. Octagonal in shape it rises to a height of some twenty feet above ground level. One section of the octagonal base brick wall has been left open for access to the well. The brick wall is three feet in height and has the year' 1900' inscribed on a section. Above the wall is a timber construction in heavy oak of sleeper beams and uprights cross braced to The Post Mill at Booton before it was pulled down in the late 19th century, There is an interesting history to the building of the roof over the well. The work was carried out in 1900 by Harry Hawes, a Reepham builder who, in 1949, wrote his now fabled account of Reepham during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he recalled that the oak timbers for the work came from the old post mill at Booton when it was pulled down. The brick base can still be found on the righthand side of the road to Norwich on the rising ground behind Mill Cottage. This mill was first built and stood at the end of Mill Lane near the top end of Ollands Road. It was moved to Booton because, as the story has it, the miller fell out with his neighbour who subsequentally built a wall and planted trees, which, in time, effectively kept the wind from the windmill. This threatened to' put the miller out of business so he removed the windmill to Booton. A somewhat long term revenge. Long may the well-head and its high pointed roof remain to remind us of some very human bits of Reepham history. 21 �I Printing 1& J Watton Tel. Norwich 871998 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletters Description An account of the resource A comprehensive collection of newsletters published by the Reepham Society. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Printed and digital Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/RS/Magazines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1983-2000 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Magazine Spring 1990 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2311010905 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF, 186 x 255 mm, 24 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Reepham Society Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/63591286da5b86b3720ce0793ea14546.pdf 99bd6cfccc1727d16dff20f9609d7b28 PDF Text Text THE REEPHAM SOCIETY • agazlne . I I I " r :" .. I I II ! �._.Mr" '":,,. t::£:z4t'cr:'~()111 S ould be reproduced in any - lo u t the prior consent of the 2 8 12 16 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ ~__~____~~~~~~S~:.~~] ·~::::,;(!~!!ru~g::~~i!iiIIi:r:~· ~ IlIft..M~IfiW#.~ 's Way :~ ~~ft-~~__~~~~~~,~~~~~~j 19 29 32 34 �The guide lists the Whitwell station as being on the L.M.S. line but this is not strictly correct, the various lines in the North Norfolk area underwent 8 number of Changes, takeovers and amalgamations during their working life and this resulted in ·a number of name Changes. Hopefully this will be more fully explained in la ter pages. I've enjoyed finding and bringing together the information; I hope you enJoy reading it. The information that has filled these pages is not available from one source but it has been found by researching a number of archives, books, studies and by talking to people who remember the railways. To all these sources and people who have helped me r must offer n collective thank you, but there are som e who must be singled out for a particular mention. Mr Richard Joby who offered me advice, and who has allowed me to quote from his publication 'The East Norfolk Railway'. Mr W Freeston who allowed me unhindered use of the scrapbooks of Reepham news which had been kept by his mother Mrs Freeston, a lifelong resident of Reepham. To Mr Richard Black who has so meticulously redrawn the map of the 1ayout of Reepham Station. Mr Ben Stimpson who offered many hours of time to talk with me about the history of Stimpson's and also about the general daily life of Reepham Station in its heyday. To the M and G N who have generously allowed me access to their collection of photographs a number of Which are reproduced here. Eva Tuddenham and her son Edwin lived in Luburnham Grove in l{eepham and from the 1940's onwards built up a wonderful collection of photographs of the local railways, most of which they took themselves. Whilst Edwin worked on the railway his mother worked in Hunt's Stores at Station Plain, Reepham, this however, did not stop her from photographing particular trains at specific times. She would rush out of the Stores and down into the Station to take her pictures and then go back to carry on with her work. How many people were able to say they were slow in being served because tI train was late! Tragically, Edwin died relatively young in 1967 but Eva carried on with this great love; after her death SOIr"le years later, the collection passed to a friend who had a similiar interest. He then passed the negatives on to the M and G i'f Circle for their archives and the collection is today extensively used by its members and others who are interested in trains. It is a fitting tribute that this magazine about railways in Ree9ham should be so adequately illustrated by Eva and Edwin's handwork. I'm sure they would have been m ore than pleased! And a final 'thank you' to my Wife, who has had to endure many evenings of 'railway talk' and who now knows more about railways than she ever wished to. :Introduction· In November 1990 I received a letter from Mr Norman She~ry who lives at East Grinstead in West Sussex, he had received pre\;ious magazines of the Society and had written to me asking for f urther information about the railways in the Ree pham area; he was particularly interested as t o hy a relatively small market town in the middle of agricultural Nor folk should have had the benefit of t wo railway Hnes and two stations. It is indeed an interesting point and in acknowledging Mr Sherr ·'s interest I must also confess that "his enquiry subsequen tly determined the content of the next issue of the magazi ne of the Reepham Societyit is wholly about Re epham and its Railways. I have tried to cover the buiJding and eventual closure of the lines, the impact it had on local life particularly the affect it made t o business in the town and also the future use that is to be made on the route of the old line.$. The story of their history is often complemented by the uniquen ess of having two lines, one ei ther side o Reepham which were operated by two independent co mpani es for nearly 70 years until they were nationalised in 1948. Their separateness and individuality were strengthened by fierce staff loyalty. These points and many more, add to the story of Reepham and its Railways. An official guide dated about 1930 describes Reepham as "situated in one of the most charming par-ts of Norfolk is Reepham - a sm all town on the banks of the little river Eyne. If it's not very ancient, it is at least, not very modern, and for that reason can be recommended 8S a haven of refuge for thos~ who wish to flee from the stress and strain of city life". Although in one sense it was 'out of the way' it was by no means inaccessible as it had two stations within a very short distance of each other. The first (is described in 1930) as being on the Aylsham-North Elmham line of the London and North Eastern Railway (L.N .E.R.) and serves Reepham and the second, on the Mel ton Constable-N orwich line of the London, Midland and Scottish (L.M.S.) which serves the neighbouring parish of Whitwell. Both lines maintained good services of local trains and connections could be made with the south ma.in line expresses from Norwich and with those runn ing west and north (via Melton Constaple) at o t tingham, Leicester and Peterborough. It was possible to travel from Reepham to London in 4 t hours although to achei ve this you had to tra vel to Norwic h via Whit well as the trains on this line accomplished the distance of 12! miles in about 25 minutes. If the journey was taken from Reepham Station then it took nearly one hour as the trains went Via Aylsham and Wroxham into Norwich and the distance was approximately twicE' the WhitwelJ journey. Michael Black Middlemarch Broom hill Lane Reepham 1 Norwich (0603) 870936 �~~~~~~~~~~~~gg~f.~w.~"~i~r"~~~m Whitwell and The Muddle a d Go owhere ~ii1i~~f~~i~iiii'1i!iifii~i~~~~~~~~~~ The Muddle and Go Nowhere as it was affectionately known retained its independant existence but finally ceased to exist under its own title on the 1st October 1936 when it came under the control of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). 1t then became part of British Railways with the nationruisation in 1948 but to the end of its days the route was always referred to locally as 'the old M and G N'. Whitwell Station was opened on the 1st July 1882 when the section of liT').e from Guestwick to Lenwade was opened up to pass,enger and goods traffic. This section WaS 6 ~ miles ;,in length and ini tially there were four trains a day'" (with variations on Tuesday) which ran to and from Melton Constable. On the 12th August 1880 the Lynn and Fakenham Railway was authorised to buildl from Fakenham to Norwich and the line was subsdquently opened in stages as its builders progressed through the countryside of central north Norfolk; Ptikenham to Melton Constable, then to Guestwick, to Lenwade and then to Norwich where the line terminated at the City Station. The whole length was offically opened on 1st January 1883. The Lynn and Fakenham was merged with a number of other local railways and they formed the Eastern and Midland Railway Company. For the next ten years the, East Midland ran the system although by 1889 it :' had run into such financial difficulties that the Midland Railway and the Great Norther Hailway made a joint offer to take over the Eastern and Midland system. This offer was accepted and after some four years of negotia.tion the new committee, took control of the line from 1st July 1893 and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway was born (the M &. G N). The forming of the M and G N was therefore a microcosm of the railway fever that had swept Great Britain in the 1840s; as thE;! major cities were linked by the amalgams tion of small railway companies so the towns and villages of much of Norfolk were linked by the amalganHl,tions, forty-two Acts of Parliament 9.nd foresight thilt made the M and G N. The lines of the M and G N stretched from Little Bytham in Lincolnshire through the Fens and Kings Lynn wi th a sp ur to connect with the Great Northern at Peterborough; f r om Kings Lynn it ran across Nor folk t o _ el ton C onst able and on to Norwich with oth er lin es r unning out from Melton to Sheringham and Crom er and another which went to Great Yarmouth vi a North Walsham. As .1elton Constable was the crossroads of these lines i e- entually became the headquarters of the 1 and G • This was due to a number of reasons; the first was geographical as it was below the ridge of high la d runn ing from Fakenham to Cromer and secondly the a vailability of 25 acres of land owned by Lord Hastings (with part of the eventual contract being t he construction of his own platform and private waitin g room). As a result of one of the earlier amalgamations the locomotive shops of the Yarmou t h an d Fakenham Railway were moved to lelton and this was the initial impetus that was to create the 'Crewe of Norfolk' and turn Melton Constabl e into hi storical uniqueness as the only rail 'lay village in the world. In 1888 it had a population of only 118 and this had increased to nearl:-; 1000 2 �were regular goods trains that would deliver coal, artificial fertiliser and animal feed stuffs and would pick up grain and livestock and sugar beet during the winter months. As with Reepham (North) the sugar beet was brought to the station by farmers wagons (drawn by horses initially and then in later years by tractors). This crop was grown under contract to the Can tley factory and to get there it had to be hauled from Melton Constable to Great Yarmouth and then onto the line to Cantley. Both stations at Reepham were in the Cantley contract area and as the area was purely agriculturally based they were both competing for the same type of business, the Whitewell Station generally suffered from this campeU tion. Although there were large facilities at Whitwell for storage, the en trenched business of Sti rnpsons at Reepham Station meant that they enjoyed most of the trade in fertilizers and feed stuffs that was available although Sti mpsons stored grain etc. at Whi twell. by 1901, the works gave a great impetus to the local labour force as an alternative to the only other occupation - agriculture. With the influx of labour into Melton it was necessary for the Company to provide accommodation. Houses were duly built which included gas, running water and main drainage - all for a rent of 4/- a week which was stopped from the wages. A general store was built to serve the growing community and a school soon followed; this provision set the foundation for what was to be one of the most successful and happy railway companies in the history of steam locomotion. It is little wonder the there was such affection for the M and G N during its working life and for many years after it demise. Obviously the 43 years of the M and G N saw its ups and downs; on one occasion the Company ran into such financial difficulties that they were unable to pay the men on a Friday night but on the Monday morning they all turned up for work as usual and the engineer in charge was physically reduced to tears at the loyalty of his workforce. With the volume of s.ugar beet being loaded throughout the season meant that the railway gangmen uften had the onerous task of clearing up the soil th8t would drop through the wagon doors. They would have to clear up the yard nearly every day and so much soil would be collected tha tit would be put into wagons and sent to the coast to be dumped along the sea wall. The twelve mile length of track which included the stations of Hindolveston~ Guestwick, Whitwell and Lenwade was looked after by an eleven man gang who were based at Guestwick and who used a motor trolley to travel up and down their length of track. For much of the year the work of tt1e gangmen was routine but it was often aggravated and at times made hazardous by the vagaries of the weather. The engineer was William Marriott who was the Chief En~neer and Manager of the M and C N system for 41 ye.ars. He was based .and lived in Melton Constable and often worked from a railway carriage which had been turned into an office and in which he travelled round the railway system. His name became synonomous with the M and G N and he is remembered today in the new long distance walk named 'Marriott's Way'. Whitwell and Reepham was a typicoJ M and G N small country station which was staffed by a station master, a clerk, two signalmen, one porter and a lad porter who cleaned the lamps and carried out other general duties. There was a daily passenger service of four or five trains eAch way and there D 16/3 No. 62597 LEFT Leaving Whitwell in the evening in June 1957 and RIGHT The same view in June 1991 3 �D 15 No. 62538 Taken in August 1950 this shows the best kept 'Claud Hamilton' on the Norwich District at that time leaving Whitwell for Melton Constable D 16/3 No. 62533 Hackford Bridge was removed a few years ago, this shows a full head 0 f steam as the train heads from the Bridge towards Themelthorpe in May 1957 D 16/3 No. 62562 Before the passenger traffic declined in the 1950's the 10.41 am from Melton to Norwich leaves Whitwell in February 1949 4 �D 2s Nos. 2157 and 2195 Just before the train was released from snowdrifts at Guestwick 9th March 1947 J 17 No. 65588 The 'afternoon freight) from Norwich to fl,1elton Constable in May 1957 4 MT No. 43111 (Goods) D 16/3 No. 625 15 (Passenger) it busy scene at Whitwell in . September 1957 The goods train has shunted its ballast truchs into the yard to let the 9.37am Melto n Consta ble to Norwich City pass by. 5 �The main Station building at Whitwell in August 1965 In the severe winter of 1947 many roads and rails were blocked by snow and two engines and a coach becll.me stuck on Wednesduy 5th March in high drifting snow in a cutting at Cuestwick. lnitially railway stuff could not get to it by using snow ploughs so it hud to be manually dug out. Troops based at the Weybourne army camp assisted by a number of German prisoners of war started digging from the Melton Constable side and a train load of men (who were temporarily unemployed due to the wea ther) were brought from Norwich. The train also brought a refreshment van and a quantity of shovels supplied by R G Carters of Drayton. for this was a few lumps of coal that he had off the tenderj it was an offence to take these but the driver aod guard were not in a position to say any thing as the loss of their goods train was far worse than the loss of some coal. In the days before large road transport the railway was one of two means of getting cattle to the. main Norwich Market (the other was to walk the animals there). Every Saturday a special train would leave Melton Constable at 4 am and would convey the animals to Norwich, they would be unloaded at the City Station (near Heigham Street) and would then be d ri ven to the M arke t then si tua ted in fron t of the Castle. After much hard work the train was finally freed on Sunday 9th March when a snow plough coupled with three engines from the LMS was used to clear the finol drifts. A large number of passengers (particularly on Saturdays) would be conveyed to and from Norwich, many farmers and business people would go and make purchases and these would be delivered by the shopkeepers and merchants to the City Station ready for the Ipassengersl to pick them up when they came back for the return journey. Another great weather problem was the fog and in u poem about the job of a plate18yer, Mr A L Jex, who worked on the length gang covering Whitwell wrote that: 'When thll t black beast colled fog descends, A signal post he must a t tend; Put detonators on the line, So drivers may be warned in time'. The agricul tUfal goods traffic declined rapidly at Whitwell after 1945. There was the competition from the G E R at Reepham and from the increas!ng number of road hauliers, full wagon loads from Whitwell became non-existent from the late 19405 onwards. He recalls that he was on fogging duty at Whitwell one day and he cracked a fog signal to stop a goods train. After a while he heard what he thought was wagons on the rails and then through the fog came a brake van and eight wagons. The track was downhill from there to Lenwade so he jumped on the brake VHn and pulled up the wagons in the mack Water Cutting. He then. went back to Whitwell Station and told the staff and they arranged for an engine to go down and pick up the wagons. His only reward By the 19505 the passenger traffic had declined and this sleepy country station displayed a general absence of business. A member of staff from the Norwich office of the Railway remembers a day in the mid 1950s when he went to Whitwell to catch the train back to Norwich. It was a cold day and the waiting room fire made a welcome place to sit by until the train came. There was no one about 6 �and sadly its state in June 1991. would come and in February 1959 the last passenger train steamed its way through Whitwell, the lamps were put out, the doors were closed and the cold winters day was warmed only by the nostalgia which so many felt for this much loved railway. except a lady station attendant; when the Norwich train came in - she called 'Whi twell and Reepham Station' three times - no one got off and just the one passenger got on; as the train slowly pulled out of the station he remembers thinking 'change and decai - it was therefore inevitable that closure Whitwell Station - date unknown, but believed to be circa 1920. 7 �The Reepham Line Q.j ~~ ~fi ~ii!i iii'i!& ifii~'i~~~ffi5~ffi5~~¥Wi~ The East Norfolk Western Extension Railway Before the railways, communications in North East Norfolk were served by the turnpike systern which in this area was sparse and followed the main coach routes and by a dense network of country roads which until the 1870s was extensively served by carriers carts. Essentially all ronds in this area seem to lead to and from Norwich. Passenger services on these roads were very poor, the smaller market towns such as Aylsham were well served with passenger coaches twice a day, but Reepham had to make do with a passenger service twice a week. Apart from these services the only alternative was to hire a horse and carriage or to pay for a seat on a carriers cart. William Leeds, the proprietor of the Sun Inn, ran an omnibus and carrier service from that establishment every Wednesday and Saturday, leaving at 8am and concluding the journy at the IMoon an9 Stars Public Housel in Norwich, returning the same day at 4.30 pm in Winter and 5pm in Sum mer. The journey passing through Booton, Alderford, A ttlebridge, Taverham and Drayton. William Stimpson-Lewis offered a similiar service from Reepham on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and the Post Office operated a mail cart which left Reepham at 4.30pm and which returned from Norwich at 6am the fol1owing morning. Carri ers carts rarely took more than a ton of goods and were primarily to transport consumer goods to and fro m market centres and to supply local shops and businesses. I-leavy, low value goods were less In the 1860s and 70s the people of Reepham were able to journey to Norwich or have their goods picked up from or delivered to there by the two local carriers. A timetable from the early part of this century, note there is no Sunday service. When land was purchased for the line many Farmers only sold on the condition that the 'Lord's Day' was observed. NORWICH ITborpe) WROXHAM. AYLSH AM (South), COUNTY SCHOOL, and D£RE R.A.M A RtaUon tor ThorDe Bt. Andrew a I o E 1.01 . RLln! li5th July t.o ith &lJtembu I n(;h~4'e 3 mlnut ..... l'{flr on 8&lurda,.-a E~cept F The L Eu~ Ancliao. Llmlud accommothLl()n Via Norwlrh lTho~) ~p . 1 0 p .m. on Wedo~Jayl and 1 J p . m. OD tla\urd.ys • Arr. D 8 p.m. until 2Hh JUDe UeV. 10 2~ a.ro . DC Saturda,. f p .m. 8 or S BaturrlaYI onl,. , I lJoep. 11 f' p.m. on Munda,. 8al UfcU.T!I For &THEa TW. \ I N~ betw&ell "0",..1<:..11 and W'hllU 1..1 tu.m. T&.bld ~ aDd U-Jforwlch u~d WrouLlD, 'fable ~-)Cor-lc..h Lnd Ooun~y School, Table ~-------Dou..oL7 ~ool "!lei Dere.hLmJ 'tAble $4. 8 �often carried in this way. Farm waggons, droves of animals and walkers formed the rest of road traffic at this time. Footpaths were also intensively used by both locals and by foot postmen. Carts were expensive, 8d to 1/- a mile, and more in bad weather and hence were a strong factor in the isolation of the communities in this area. During the mid nineteenth century in the whole of North East Norfolk less than fifty passengers a day could be carried by public transport and yet there was little call for a more intensive coach service. This dearth of traffic was noted as a fact by the Board of 'Trade when the rest of the country was gripped by railway mania. North East Norfolk therefore lacked any manufacturing industry and it lacked a transport infra-structure capable of supplying any new large industry or resort, the area was totally agriculture based and it was undeniably prosperous for the farmer if not for his labourers. This area ~ was, in the eyes of many an entrepreneur ripe for the consideration of a profit making line of communication - the railway! The first railway in Norfolk to be built was the Yarmouth and Norwich railway conceived in 1841 by the Stephensons as the first link in an east-west trunk railway from. Yarmouth to Peterborough, the line was completed in 1844. The second stage of the Stephenson project was the railway from Norwich to Brandon which was duly built and when the line was extended from Brandon it finally allowed Norwich to be linked to London, although it was one of the last major urban centres in England to be so joined. Norfolk was linked to other main centres of trade but the route was often tortuous and the lines badly run but there was no reasonable alternative. In 1850 goods sent from North East Norfolk to Ipswich, had to be carrried by horse to Norwich and then consigned on the railway via Cambridge and London, a journey of some 200 miles as against 40 by road. This long journey was still quicker and more reliable as the turnpike in winter was invariably half a yard deep in mud. .: ..:;- . ", '"'.,>-,.' " . . .. , 9 ' �The Station Staff take time between trains to pose fo r the camera - date unknown, but probably the early 1900 s. A busy m o men t at the Station during the in ter war period. The use of the Railway declined during these years, bu twas revived fo r a few years during the Second World War. The Last Passenger Train to stop at R eepham Station - organised by Aylsham and D istric t R ail A ction Co mmittee in 1 978. 10 �The First World War brough a halt to the extensive holiday traffic to the Cromer/Mundesley area and there was compepsation by an increase in military and general farm traffic as maximum production from the land was encouraged. The immediate post war period continued this revival particularly as farm production stayed high but the first buses started to run scheduled services to Cromer and Aylsham. When the road surfaces improved during the 1920s and bus stops were introduced into the very centre of Norwich, the passengers started to turn away from trains onto the buses. They found they could catch a bus which passed through the village rather than walking up to two miles to a station to catch a train. There was then a flood of proposals for railways to fill the gaps in the railway map of the 1840s and 50s in North East Norfolk but for various reasons none were built. In the early 18705 construction began on the line from Whitlingham Junction to North Walsham and after the appropriate Board of Trade inspection it was permitted open to traffic as from the 20th October 1874. The line ran through Wroxham and it was from here that the east-west extension was planned. The East Norfolk Railway Act of 1864 had originally planned an extension to Aylsham but delays in building other extensions (noteably to Cromer) and other financial problems slowed down expansion plans so that the Act to extend the line to Aylsham was not granted until the 16th April 1876. Tenders for the work were submitted during 1878 and that of the lowest, William Waddell, was accepted and in August 1878 the work commenced. There were a number of initial problems particularly with the weather; bricklaying was stopped in December, due to the severe frosts. The Wroxham to Reepham and County School line really suffered in this inter-war period, being an east-west line when most of the traffic was northsouth (to the coast and the Broads). Reepham to Norwich was catered for also by the M & GN line from Whitwell (which was 35 minutes quicker) and by buses. Worst of all in the inter--war period was the depression in farming and allied industries. Arable North East Norfolk was depressed more than most areas and with little money available to finance development or initiatives the railways were losing a lot of a decreasing total of traffic. It was not until the approach of the Second World War that traffic began to increase markedly. RAF Stations built at Coltishall and Foulsham brought extra traffic to the line, agriculture revived as in the First World War and bus schedules were slashed. A great many people now had to travel and the only service available were the trains. However in the Spring of 1879 with a large increase in the number of men employed and with the assistance of two stationary steam engines and a traction engine he was able to keep to his contract of 'Coltishall by the middle of June l and he estimated that he would be at Buxton by the end of June. The Board of Trade Inspector declared the line adequate and the first section from Wroxham to Buxton was opened on the 8th July 1879. The Company however was running into financial problems and when shares in the Western Extension (to County School) were offered in September 1879 there was a lack of res onse and this coupled with proposals for extensions submitted by other railway companies in Norfolk meant that there was litttle chance of the Wroxham to County School extension becoming a profitable possibility if it ran on its own. It was inevitable that it would only survive if it was taken over by a larger company, this happened in June 1881 when the East Norfolk Railway was amalgamated with the Great Eastern Railway. During these troubled times however, the building of the line continued with the extension from Buxton to Aylsham opening on the 1st January 1880 and from Aylsham to Cawston opening on the 1st September 1880. At the time of the Great Eastern Railways takeover in June 1881 land for the two miles beyond Reepham had already been purchased and work from Cawston was proceeding on schedule. After the war there was a rapid decline in passenger traffic on the line from Aylsham to County School once the buses and private cars returned to the roads. The long meandering line from County School to Norwich via Aylsham in a slow train pulling dowdy and worn carriages which were at least 40 years old were no match for the direct and competitive buses. The passenger services from Wroxham to County School ceased on the 15th September 1952 and the line from Foulsham to Reepham was closed to goods as well. The line was linked to the M &. GN line from Melton Constable to Norwich via Whitwell when the Themelthorpe curve was laid in September 1960 and this allowed the concrete production from Lenwade to form much of the traffic for few years until it finally closed to goods in 1982. After the amalgamation with the G.E.R., the East Norfolk lines were developed as part of an integrated system but this development favoured the Norwich to the North East Norfolk coast area and this was further enhanced when a line from Mundesley to Cromer was opened in 1906. The line was last used in the mid 1970s when a small number of passenger trains were organised by the Aylsham and District Rail Action Committee. The journeys from Thorpe Station to Lenwade (and back) via Wroxham, Aylsham, Reepham and Whitwell were packed with passengers but they provided Ii ttle more than evocative reminders of the slow pace of life of a bygone age, a service which could not be profitably sustained today. The western extension of the North East Railway became the poor relation of the system; it proved to be an unpopular and profitless extension which slumbered along into the twentieth century; it epitomised the sleepy rustic branch line that -our memories are so fond of. 11 �Memories of th R ilw y ~WiY:~~fi~i~i' ai'i~ifii~i~~~~~~~~~~ The days of man are three score years and ten but that was certainly not the vision that inspired the building of the 'Western Extension of the Great Eastern Railwayl, as it was termed, when it was opened in 1882, but 70 years WaS how long the passenger service lasted until its closure in September 1952. Horse-drawn trucks were the motive power, and Mr Walter Wilkin, drove the tip horse. Originally the road from Cabbage Court to Cawston New Road (now known as New Road) ran through Crown Meadow, but with the construction of the railway bridge to the east of the station, it assumed its present curve over the bridge. lnciden tally, this bridge is the highest spot in Reepham and served admirably as a lookout post for air raid wardens in the last war. The blaze at Lowestoft in its worst night could be discerned at this vantage point. La'unched amidst much anticipation (with perhaps not a litte trepidation) during the period 1876-79, grandly the project gathered sway from Aylsham to County School, as Cawston, Reepham and finally Foulsham Stations arose and the railway tracks compl~ted their easy communication in 1882. All the actors on that stage have now taken their last call and it is no longer possible to converse wi th anyone who was involved wi th the building of the line. There are many and varied episodes connected to the building, some are complimentary and many are contradictory. The search for detail c-an be long, exciting - sometimes exasperating but always interesting and at last a more or less coherent story can emerge. When the line closed it was still possible to contact people in the Reepham area who could remember the 1880s. Whilst most could remember the line being built very few worthwhile details could be gathered. Victorian ideas as to the Sabbath - and they were not bad ones either - insisted that the sale of many properties through which the line ran was conditional upon there being no Sunday traffic over them and this reservation has been scrupulously observed. ~---------~------~ M AID1S HEAD HOTEL, NORWICH. I;\'t,C't,\f'i\.'< I;\DIO\jI\\'t,\) \'t\I;\O\) (j't\ O\) \ , The onlY purely Fa.mJ1y Hot.elI.nNorwlch, and the County Hotel of Norfolk {or over 500 yeaTS. OPf'O.'iITE THE CAT HEDRAL. CHAROES MOOERAT.E, ~ \RSVC\.I\"S CI'IH. The patriotic urge, to provide waste paper and reduce the danger of fire f rom aerial attack early in 1939 doubtless resulted in many old papers being given over for salvage. II AOY JEUNE W'.:I: t'i' (S IN ' ''' £. · ·W!(IIILY SVN " CI-( A ISTMA.6 N \J ~8tA , 18 96: "It seems to me that the real interest oj Norwich centres in th e Cath.<.::;;-<.!I and the Maid 's Head Hotel, " One lost paper held an accoun t of the dinner gi ven at the Kings Arms, Reepham to celebrate the opening of the line when the Superintendent (Mr R W Kendall), under whom it was built was chief guest. T lI. t O JUP\04IC .A.O OA( $$ N" ' ICIW AL. TILrP)oo.o~r MAIO $ Hr.A o. N ORWICtt. Address, "Proprietor." N O_ &S , N OR WICH The high fields bounding Stoney Lane and the eastern boundary of the yard to the railway bridge are often a puzzle to people. The navvies who built the railway excavated the site of the Reepham Station yard, leaving the fields high up on either side. The soil tha t was removed went to build the embankments which lead to the bridges on the Cawston and i\ erdiston roads. One old inhabitant, Mr Matt Timbers recalled the making of the yard, entailing the work of a pick and shovel brigade (IlThere were no excavators or bulldozers in those day, you know!!), and the earth was run down the ' slope on a specially-constructed light track to build the embankments approaching the bridge over the Kerdiston road. ~--------------------------------~~~~ 12 �+---------------------------+ GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY. ~ EASIDE, AND P BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK. TOURIST, FORTNIGHTLY, AN D FRIDAY TO TUESDAY ISSU E D F ROM LONDO N AS UNDER : TOURIST, (a) Liverpool Street or St. Pancras to- . , . Hu nstanton · L owesto(t .. ·. ·. 1\[ undesley-on-Sea · . , Yarlllont h ·. Cr(\mer~ ·h Wrox ham . _ N orwich . ·. ·. . . Liverpool Street .. · . ·. · ., , ·. ·, · . .. · . .. ·. t o- W alton.oo·the-Naze, C lacton- l o n ·St!L.l, or Frinton ·. . I H ~rwich or Dovercourt ·. F el ixstowe .. ·. ·. Alckburgh .. · . . ·. ·. South wold .. · . · . · . · Southenu-on-Sea, tBurnham- ) on-Crouch .. f ·. · . . · ·. . .. Clas~. s. d. ! 1St Class. C lass. (c) 3 rd Cbs", d, s. 0 10 0 d. 22 0 II 0 IS 0 22 0 TI 0 15 0 22 0 1I 0 15 0 22 0 1 I 0 11 6 10 0 1 7 6 6 10 0 13 10 0 13 9 0 20 l' 0 20 0 0 20 0 10 18 6 6 27 6 27 6 II .. 20 0 12 0 20 0 12 0 1 23 4 14 9 3 8 16 1.8 17 '27 3{ 3 9 5 25 0 27 6 1 t4 4 t7 t4- 4- t8 d. 16 IJ 0 IS 0 2 34 31 ~, !;;. !-. . 0 0 Class. 0 d. 6 3 rd Class. 1st d, s. 18 19 30 33 34 31- ARE FRIDA.Y to TUESDAY, FOR.TNIGHTLY (b) 3 rd 1st TIC K ETS 5 27 27 0 .. .. .. 3 6 7 6 6 6 7 6 0 10 0 3 0 16 IS 0 2:::! 0 6 8 I I 0 0 3 6 0 I (a) Tourist lI'lckets are issued tltlily throl.lg-Ilullt the year, by allY train, ;'\l)d arc avail,lhlc (or the retllrtl jou~Iley by any train a.s fullows. Th,?se issued from 1St May to 31St ()ct(lb~r ~llcJuS!V e 011 any day up to and lnc1udlllg' 31~t DCCl!lllhcr; those Issued frmll I~t Novemher to 30th Al->nl IIlCIU SIVC Oil allY day withifl two calendar mOllths (rolll the (\;It.:= of iSSllC. (b) Fortnightly Tickets are issued daily l>yallY train, and. an; availahle for return II}'. any uf the adv(~ rrised trains Oil ~lllY (i:ty withil_1 .15 dityS, i~lcIlJdin~ ddYS uf ISSue alld return. ee) .E'nda,v to Tuesdo.y Tlckets are l~sul:d every l·nday and Satunby lly allY train, and ,lre iLv"ilalJlc fur retu rn by ,Illy of the advertised traills UII the day of issue, or on cwy tidY lip to alld including- the ft)llowing' Tues(I;IY. • These lid.:ds are t',nlled to JF1'o:t:hfl))l olllyfroJJL lJ.[ay to Odv/7r:1' blciJlsivl!. 10Ur£j·t aJld Fortllt:I:iJtly hrJ:t'/s art: only :'.:,::,ut'd 10 HU1'Jlltam-on-Crouch'/rOJJl ~!I1Y to Od, inclusive. These Tickds are ~lv:.Lil;Il)le to or from additional StatIons a~ follows :-Hllllstalltoll Tickets at 1 [t::tch;llll j Lowe~toft Tic.kets at Heccles, Rc<.:dhalll, Carlton Colville, Ullltllll Broad, Yarmouth, Crolller, Mundeslt..:y j Y;trllloutil Tickers at Bcccics, Reedham, St. Olaves. Acle, Lowestoft. Cromer, I\luJldcsley ; CWILIer Tickets at North Walsh,UlI, ClIIlton, Y;lrmouth, Lowestoft. Mundesley j MUlldesley Tickl:ts at P ,lstl)lI :l.IIO KIlClptnrl, CrOlller. Yarmouth, l.owestuft; Walton-()Il-thc-N;ize Tickets at Frinton, Claetun, llarwich, Dovercourt; CI;(etoll-OIl-Sea Tkkcts at Frilltoll, \Valtun. H.trwich, Dovercourt i FrilltOJl-lIl1-Sea. Tickets at Claclon, Waltt)ll, lJ.lrwich. J)overcourt; J{.(rwich Tickets at Dovcrcourt, P;lrke!;;tl)l1, FrintoJl, CI;lctUl1, W.t1t(jII, l FL:lixstuwe; Fclixs{Owe Tickets at Trimley. HarwiCh; Aldt..:burgh Tickets at Leistoll; Suuthwold Tickets ilt Darsllall!, Wen haston, Blythburgh, Walbcrswick; SoutheJld on· Sea Tickets at PrittlL'well; Burnh;\lIl-on·Crouch Tickets nt Famhridg-e, Althorne, SouthlIIinster. Pils~t:ng-crs 1I1uSt pay the ordinary local ~i1il;!'\e Fares when trilvl!llillg- from one Station to the other. S }'aiJOljft:r.... travdtlJlg to or ./}"O))l. FdixJ/owe wilh Har'zvlch or Dov~rcolI1't Tickets arc rcl/llirert 10 pay the dijfert'Jzce Ot'/7Ut'I'1t the rt!sjr:dhe Fares. ill arldiho)l to the Local 5z'1l¥le Boat 01' Rll il Fan', 7I.IhOl tra7 /l'ih'JlJ.," ./1'O)Jl the 011r: pial'( to thl' other. Extra. Journey Return Tickets at H.ed uoed Fares are is~uecl at the above Stations-excepc SoutIH·.nd-oll-Sea, Bumhilffi,oll.Crouch, Prittlewdl, Famhridg-e, Althorne, and Southminste r-to the Station from which the Tickets an; j:;!:olled) to visiturs holding- not less than two Tourist or ¥oTtllig'htly :rickets. The J;:.xtra Journey Tickets willlJe available fur return until the date of expiry ofthc Tickets III respect of which they are lssLtcd. J. 'F. S. GOO DAY. GENERAL MANAGER. Liuerpool Street Station, 1900 . ~-------------------------------------------------~ 13 �The Midland and Great Northern Railway Company had for some time been considering a line which would give a more direct route to the Midlands whichl covered much of the area taken in hand so energetically by the Great Eastern once the necessary sanction had been given the latter really got on wi th the task and the speed with which the work was done came as a great shock to those who favoured the nearer route to Norwich from Whitwell Station. Because of the close proximi ty of the two stations of rival Companies the fare to Norwich was the same, notwithstanding that the mileage from Reepham was about double that from Whi twell. The Whi twell line had no Sunday service either. The story of the sheds at Reepham used as blacksmi ths' and iron-workers' shops, of the turntable in use because the Government of those days forbade a train to run with the tender before the engine; the work of Mr H E Hawes, a survivor of those days when he was a carpenter employed in the interior construction of the station's dwellings at Cawston, Reepham and Foulsham and on the woodwork of the line - are not all these with many another written in the Book of Memory. In the early 1880s a favourite Sunday walk of those days was to the station to see the weekly progress of the line - how many more sleepers had been laid; this walk was alternated with a visit to Booton Church to see how many more bricks had been laid by the Rev Whitwell Elwin Dnd his team. reasonable so he started walking a short cut home along the railway line. It was late and dark and a train overtook hi m, cutting him to pieces. The gory evidence of the accident was only revealed when the train stopped at Reepham Station and search parties went out and soon found further evidence to SUbstantiate the tragedy. No story of the Reepham railway would be complete without some reference to its stationmaster-s, the first of whom was Mr Richard Sayer, a genial and much-beloved gentleman. It seems he was succeeded for a s.hort while by Mr Frank Rice, who subsequently became stationmaster of Sheringham, to help in its development from a lobster fishing village to a popular North Norf olk watering-place. Probably his successor was Mr Youngman, whose son Harry contributed much to the cultural life of Reepham through the Orchestral Society and Nigger Minstrel Troupe before the 1914-18 war, in which he was killed. Later holders of the office were Mr Wilson, Mr Moore and finally Mr S B Ba.ss whose maternal grandfather was a Mr Hoggar who was the first stationmaster at Foulsham. Mr Bass came from a real railway family who accumulated 390 years of railway lservice between them. Eleven members of his family we~'e ' stationmasters. ~------------------------~ PELMANS' HORSE SALES, The line from Reepham to County School was opened on the 1st May 1882 and two months later the July issue of the Foulsham Parish Magazine proudly printed the first timetable of the East Norfolk Railway wi th its conglomera-tion of IMixed ' , 'Parliamentary! and IMarket' trains. By this it took 43 minutes to travel from Aylsham to Foulsham, the editor for brevity omitting reference to Cawston and Reepham. The journey from London to Foulsham by the 'Mixed' train occupied 5 hours 14 minutes while the 'Parliamentary' one took 6 hours 29 minutes. NorwiCh to Foulsham by the same trains were a matter of 1 hour 24 minutes and 1 hour eleven minutes respectively. There were, however 11 trains daily from Norwich to Foulsham and 10 from Fowsham to Norwich. All these, of course, passed through Reepham too. Norwich. mESSRS. SPELMANS' Fortnigbtly Sales of High-Claus ~ Horses are noteworthy for their assemblage of follies, Cobs, Saddle and Harness Horses, and Hunters. Entries can be auanged on application at tbe Auctioneers' Ofll.ces. St. Glles St.reet, Norwich, and 28, H.a.ll Plain, Great Ya.rmouth. OUTSIDE LONDON THERE ARE FEW MORE IMPORTANT CENTRES OF Periodical In 1882 the fastest train of the day did the 17 mile journey from Foulsham to Norwich in 63 minutes. This seems to be the fastest time recorded for this trip in the 70 year history of the line. Horse Sales THAN THE GlTY OF NORWICH, The building of the line seemed to have been relatively accident free, or else no accidents were ever recorded, but two incidents were recorded. Firstly, the one outstanding incident before the line opened when a steam traction engine used by the contractors blew up near Foulsham while the users were de~parately trying to replenish the boilder with water from a nearby stream. Shortly after the . line opened the only bad accident occured when a man named Flatman left Cawston where he had been waiting longer than he thought WHERE $PELMANS' SALES ATTRACT BUYERS FROM ALL PART. OF THE UNITE 0 KINGDOM. I ~--------~~------~----~ 14 �-----------------------------~I was then where magisterial business was transacted and where a well attended busy market was held each week. The railway gave Reepham a direct communication with neighbouring villages and with towns like Dereham and Norwich, while London was now only 5 hours travelling time away. To the farm labourer of the time for whom a journey to Norwich was likely to be an annual event the prospect of leaving Reepham at breakfast and to be in the centre of London for lunch must have been difficult to comprehend. Although it is unlikely that he would have been able to afford it let alone have the free time to go. The novelty of a railway journey though, undoubtedly brought a shrinkage of trade and it is more than possible that the railway started the dispersal from the countryside. >~~~------------~--------------~ Was the coming of the railway to Reepham a blessing or not! Till the 1880s it certainly was a prosperous, self contained unit, numbering many influential people among its inhabitants. Whitwell Hall, Hackford Hall, The Brewery House, The OHands and The Moor House were all the homes of gentry and Reepham The railway came as an engineering marvel which provided unlimited travel to the people of this Victorian era the service however, did not change much during the next 70 years and in its latter days it had many faults of infrequent and slow service but the passenger train during its 70 years at Reepham did meet a very real need. Even wi th its faults there was considerable sadness expressed when its farewell finally became necessary. E 4 No. 2793 The 2.10 pm from Dereham to Wroxham leaves Reepham Station in - Our local railway memories are encapsulated in pictures like this. 15 May 19:50 �- -- ~~ -1 ,:' " ~j, -I:· J...,.. ~ . "" 'I :::'. -"-----.,<, B 16 I �Around the -World 17 �K 2 No. 61748 A Gresley K2 ,' e.: passes Themelthorpe, later the site of the British. Railways curve, on 10th May 1949. Heepham is one of those few places that had the benefit of two railway lines, which ran independantly f or many years and which were unexpectedly linked in 1960. The line through Reepham Station which closed to passengers in 19~2 and the line through Whitwell which saw its last passengers in February 1 9 59. The railway lines were eventually taken up in t he mid 1980s but in the intervening years the lines con t inued in use until the mid 1970s with regular t rains hauling freight, the final goods train from Lenwade made its journey on 4th January 1982. The reason for this continued use was the building of the Themelthorpe curve in 1960. This line starting from Whitwell Station and turning back almost on itself at Themelthorpe returning to Reepham Station makes a pleasant walk which traces the transport Hne which for 70 years was the backbone of most of the life ond goods that came in and out of Reepham. Prior to British Rai lways amalgamating the li nes in 1948 the area was served by the Midland and Great Northe rn J oi nt Ra ilway which journeyed into Nor wich Cit y Station (t he a re a east of He igha m Stree t now developed as an industrial estate) a nd the Gre a t Ea stern Rail way which journ eyed into Norwi c h Thorpe Station. The t wo Norw ic h s tations wer e only a mile a part ye t t here was no dire ct link and a ny frei ght that had t o be moved f r om one s tation had to be se nt northw a rds vi a Nor t h Walsha m, Cromer a nd Melton C onstable a nd t hence ba ck to Norwich. For a distan ce of one mile direct t he actual fa il j ourne was imm ense, th e rout e was affe c.t ionately know as 'going-ro un d-t he-world'. When t he T he melthorp e c urve was laid it halved t he journey at a s t roke. No. D 5537 Concrete beams on low loader wagons leaving Len wade in August 1 965 and abou t to make .their jo urney aroun.d the Themelthorpe curve . 18 �~~~~~~~~~~'~~~r~g~~~~rl.~~~ Reepham Station The timpson Co nection O:l IiiY~~fJ~i~iii~'i~iffiWi~~~~~~~W¥i~~ As the railway builders moved on their relentless course from Cawston to Reepham and on to Foulsham during 1880 and 81 the site of Reepham Station became an important point for the Company building the line. The site occupied a large area which today is bounded by Stony Lane and Wood DaIling Road an d it was deyeloped not only to house the station, ssociated buildings and various areas of lines to e used for marshalling goods traffic but also included areas and facili ties that at the time were vi t al to t he railway buildingo There was a carpentersf shop, where level crossing gates were built and materials prepared to build the signal boxes. There was a blacksrfli ths' shop where the metal work for gates a nd buildings was forged and there were areas used f or s toring the sleepers, rails and the mass of other ite ms that were broug"ht in by rail to assist in the Taken about 1930 it shows Stimpson and Hurn staff with some of their delivery wagons. 111.r Th omas Hurn is second right from the centre horse and AIr Ben Stimpson stands to its left. 19 �AM E ._----------_ .... _- - - - .. -._--I Scale - ., 0 IHRRRR 20 1 rhain fo dn inch 3 & I I -- �On each weekday the 6pm from Wroxham and the 6.05pm from Dereham met briefly at Reepham at 6.38pm REEPHAM STATION as it was built and laid out in the 1880's. The only items that remain today are the Granary, the Station buildings and the Old Carpenters' shop (later used by Stimpson's for stabling horses); this is the shaded building in the upper centre of this layout. 21 �+.1- 'I- '1' + -I- -I-'~'I- +++... building of the line onto Foulsham and beyond. The site even included a bakery which was built to produce bread for the gangs who worked on the railway, many of whom came back at night and slept in and around the station area. + + ~: + -I- .).t-I- To encourage its usage the owners of the railway had to introduce and sustain goods traffic; they couldn't relay entirely on passengers to produce their profit and so the area round the station became a site of Victorian business development. Businesses were to be encouraged into the station area and hopefully would profit and expand from the regular delivery to the station by the daily goods trains. 't: r/ . 12 +"" ++'1' ·1- +./-+ + -I- ++- ++- +-1-""1- '" + '1-++ 1-+++++++ ·1· "C .1"fO SIIIJIP.on, 'R.ecp~am t l flU: oj. STIMPSON & ~: Coal. Com, CaJ?t! 6- :t :A[ allure ~r erc/'anl5 + :1: + -I+ t COALS:t -I- "" .j. -I- + + ... ... FOR t COMFORT + -I- + ... t-I- \Ve :1: your t CDn meat dem8.IJd~ all jar HOUSE, STEA1v{ & 1(ITCHEN + :~ Special QUOlo.lionlJ (a,. Lar!!er Quanlilies t DELIVERIES TO ALL PARTS + + Trucks + + sent -I- to allY :t -I- t -I- + Station + + + .-- -> ... ... .. . .. .. ::: CORN, ·1· CAKE & t 4- MEAL Ev~,.y(hi(lg in CallIe Food ·1· 4.to ·1· :!: t 1: HIGH GRADE MANURES We Sf')":!. d,C :1: Best + .J. 1 + ... t!OQUlrht.1 Inloil.J PrOUljJt A{contion GJYII/) and A YLSHAM For COAL, COALlTE ANTHRACITE COKE Pig. Poultry and Cattle Foods Fertilizers "We serve to please. and we are pleased to s.e rve " PHONE PHONE 201 2 114 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - _ . +,. ++ +++ -I- The three companies cuntinued in competition until 1927 when Sharpins closed down and their business area in the station yard and Granary was taken over by the other two, although by this time the Sall Coal Company had changed its name to Stimpson and Hurn. Collers moved their Reepham area base to Aylsham in the early 1960s and the whole station site was then taken over by Stimpsons. All grades of Solid Fuel DISTRIBUTORS B.O. and C.M. PRODUCTS of...j' L.o All in the station area, although Taylors was taken over in 1886 by the SaIl Coal Company. Coal, animal feed stuffs and grain were the main business of Sharpins and Sall Coal whilst Collers mainly con cen tra ted on the supply of coal. LIMITED REEPHAM J REEPHAM STATION Y~lIr :::'1- -I- +.1-++ ++ +++ ++++ '!-'I- +++ + -I- -I- ++ oj. ++ -I ' ++++ "' ... R. Coller & Sons, t+ J ·1· t + 01- + + ·1· -I- ~ "CUmpQu! Our P,ias" ./. Quality :r. ./. -I- In the first year or so after the opening of the line Garrett Taylor, Sharpins and Collers all set up business -I- '1' -I- The area to the south of the sta tion buildings and the main up and down lines was developed as the business area; the Railway built a large granary (approximately 200 feet x 50 feet), there was an area known as the coal grounds and a group of cattle pens all served by a series of sidings. ~. + 01- :l: + The obvious business role was one that would satisfy the supply and .clem and of the agricultural needs of the areas and also to provide bulk goods for the business and domestic needs of the residents in and around Reepham. Service HURN Mr Benjamin Stimpson was a farmer at Morton and Great Witchingharn who purchased farm land at Sall in the early 1880s when c,arrett TAylor had to sell up; Mr Stimpson also took over their Reepham Station bus-iness setting up the SaIl Coal Company in 1886; the business continued during the next 100 years and the site is still used today by Pertwees for the distribution of seed corn, agricultural chemicals and fertilisers. 22 �ing the past 100 years the following name changes ve occurred. From 1886 to approximately 1914 ere was the Sal 1 Coal Company, Ben Stimpson d E. Stimpson; from 1914 - 1932 it was Stimpson d Hurnj from 1933 to 1965, E Stimpson and Son, d then E Stimpson and Son Limited; from 1965 o 1980, Stimpson and Partners and Stimpson and e rtwee Limited, and from 1980 (and probably not ally) Pertwees. Benjamin Stimpson (who was the grandfather of e present Mr Ben Stimpson) set up the Sall Coal om pany, an agricultural merchants business which eal t in animal feed stuffs, grain and artificial :erti lizers, these were bough~ and s.o ld throughout e local farming community and they also bought coal which was then sold to business premises .and householders in Reephan\ and the neighbouring ·llages. coal grounds were served by two lines ong which the trucks were brought to be unloaded; he coal was often stored in piles at the station and unless the coal could be directly shovelled out _ o m the trucks then men were employed who would hovel the coal into skeps which were then carried awa y from the tracks and hand tipped into prepared ooden bays. e coal would be distributed in various sized lots ma inly to the more affluent households of the district ho could purchase and store the coal in such bulk. The big Houses in the area would order coal by the r uck load and many a long working day had to be endured by the employees who were responsible or deli vering the regular truckload ordered by the wners of such places as Haveringland Hall and Great Witchingham Hall. "-hen steam engines were used to thresh the corn the farmer would arrange for a suitable amount of steam coal to be delivered to the farms and this mild be supplied in bulk by Stimpsons· and Collers. the deliveries being made to arrive in advance at e respective farms as the threshing contractor it h his machinery made his way from one site to ano ther. Some farmers would buy a truckload of s ea rn coal for use in the house as well as for :hre shing. The coal was also bagged and weighed in small lots which was then sold by a delivery undsman who toured the local area. Stimpsons d their main rounds in Wood Dalling, Kerdiston, lli t well and Sparham with most of the Reepham area. being covered by Collers. The coal (as with 1 other deliveries) was made by horse and cart :rom the 1880s until after the 1940s although the 1 rst motor truck entered service with Stimpsons - 1925. _ e coal was usually bought through a Factor such _.lellonie and Golder of Ipswich, Bessey and Palmers _ Gr eat Yarmouth or Vintners of Cambridge and was mostly obtained from the Nottinghamshire A Stimpson inventory of 1887 shows that they er-e stocking best coals, kitchen coals, brick burning , smithy nuts, cobbles, screenings, coke, natural _ds, steam coal and household nuts. 23 In the early 1960s Collers moved to Aylsham and continued with their coal rounds but by this time there was a general decline in the demand for coal, the requests for bulk deliveries had all but gone and the introduction of oil fired central heating had reduced the household demand. The closure of the goods traffi c in the 196 Os and the subsequen t difficulties that would ensue in the delivery by road signalled the end, in 1965, of Stimpsons as coal merchants. Most of the work at the Station concerned with coal was carried on outside in the yard area, the granary was rented and used for the other sides of the business; the feed stuffs and grain and the artificial fertilizers. The company bought in general feed stuffs which were sold to the local farming community and it bought from the farmers their cereal crops which were then sold or stored depending upon the market demands at the time. The grain was sold at the Norwich Corn Hall in Exchange Street (now the home of Jarrolds Department Store). A balance sheet from the end of the last century shows that the follOWing feed stuffs were being sold to local farmers; bran, barley meal, cotton cake (square and long), decorticated cake, supers, linseed cake, maize (flat and round), malt culms, lamb food, black oats, rice meal, tares, porridge meal, fowls wheat, bullock food, beans and white peas. They also sold bar, land and rock salt. At that time there was a small demand [or artificial fertilizers and Stimpsons were buying in and selling on nitrate soda, phosphates, superphosphate, lime, bone manure and sulphate of ammonia. Much of it seemed to be recorded as manure: "this would appear to have been 8 generic term to describe the product irrespective of whether it came f rom animals, chemical firms or as a by product from the mining areas (basic slag was high phosphate). Stimpsons were responsible locally for their pioneering approach to the manufacture of feed stuffs: whilst there may not have been a specific demand from farmers for animal farm compounds. Stimpsons recognised that balanced feed stuffs were much more beneficial (and cost effective) than single feeds and they developed products which were then sold direct to local farmers. In the early 1930s they started preparing mixed pig and poultry feeds and this soon developed into a wide range of similar products. In those ea-rly days all the feeds were mixed by hand shovel but as the demand increased a mechanical mixer, hammer mill and oat crusher were all purchased and installed in the Granary. The early development with artificial fertilizers led to the setting up of an agency with rCI in 1930, sales increased during the 19305 and during the Second World War the business was almost wholly concentrated on it. There was a great need for the Country to become as near to self sufficienct as was possible and at the same time Stimpsons had to sustain a decrease in their workforce as more and more staff left to take their place in the Forces. �Mr Ben Stimpson supervising another delivery of Artificial Fertiliser from leI in the 1950's, Towards the end - Stimpsons unload another delivery in the 1960's also Artificial Fertiliser. 24 �less staff available and with a growing demand crop production Stimpsons concentrated on - -':-idal fertilizers ,and decreased their activities - feed stuffs and grains. to shunt the trucks into the granary ready for unloading. The station yard diagram shows two lines of track, one which goes behind the granary, this was known as the 'back road' and another which goes in one end of the granary and out the other end. This was known as the 'shed road'. Two horses would be used and they moved the trucks around in the sidings until the ones to be unloaded were in posi tion, they would then be pulled by the horse to the south door of the granary. - '- - was freely available during the early years he war but a decline in the number of men in pi ts coupled with a particularly long and bitter spell in January 1942 caused the rationing of to be brought in later that year. Stimpsons con tinued wi th their coal rounds, although the __ ly to them had been erratic particularly during winter months when the transport of coal by would sometimes break down completely. When - -ooing was introduced the deliveries continued . g the rest of the war but it was of speCific Olffi ts and to regular customers. There were two mixed goods trains a day, which passed through the station and every afternoon if trucks arrived for unloading then the trains would leave them in the area to the west of the station si teo There was a gradien t up through the coal grounds, until it reached the granary dOOf; there it levelled out. If the trucks required unloading in the coal area or other outside sidings or in the granary then they were pulled into position by two horses. One was fitted with a special harness and pulled nearest the truck and the other outer horse was fitted with an ordinary trace. er the war some areas of business slowly declined in 1965 (the year the coal sales finished) they -erged with Pertwees: eventually the feed stuffs ·sed and today the whole business concentrates artificial fertilizers, agrochemicals and seed - _ many years the business relied heavily on horses - ~ t heir delivery work and also for use in the yard Both horses would walk on the right hand side (not between the fails) and they would pull the trucks The Granary today, little changed in its structure since the 1880's. The Goods Trucks were pulled into the building through "the large doorway on the right hand side. original enters shop, ~ standing only just-' 25 �J 17 No. 65534 A train of Cattle Trucks wait to pull away in April 1950 Harvest Machinery waiting to be unloaded -- probably destined for sale by Randells to Farmers in the district. on the long haul up from the dip to the granary doors. Once they reached the doors the gradient levelled off and by now there was sufficient motion for the trucks to run on inside the granary (the horses having by now been released) or if the trucks had stopped they would be pushed or 'pinched' along by hand by means of a long pin-ch bar. There was a gradient up to the granary, once unloaded (and with the downward gradient out) the trucks could be pushed manually down into the Sidings. Stimpsons had horses available for the coal delivery and each day, for six days a week, one of these would be out on a round in the morning and then back to shunt the trucks in the afternoon. As the shunting was really a task for the GER they paid Stimpsons f or the f acili ty of the horses doing the work of a train. In 1890 there was an income of nearly £90 a year from the GER for this work. (The GER also gave a first class return ticket to London which was invariably made use of by Mr Stimpson). The amount of work must have been extensive When you consider that the average wage of a labourer of the time would be little more than £25 per year. 26 The daily shunting was physically hard even for the horses and they did not last too long on this work, it was a necessary task Which had to be carried out. If the trucks were not unloaded within three days then the buyer would be charged 'demurrage' by the GER. Another problem, particularly during the colder months, was that the grease on the truck wheels would begin to harden and this made their movement a lot harder, particularly for the poor horses pulling them uphill. In the late 19205 a horse named 'Smut' was regularly used on this work and it cost Stimpsons £1 25 Od a week to supply this service; it cost 10/- a week for oats, bran and cut hay to feed 'Smut' and a labourer cost 1/- an hour for two hours a day, six days a week. If none of the horses were available to shunt the wagons, then a horse from one of Stimpsons nearby farms would be brought in. The shunting with horses started in the early 1880s and carried on until the mid 1930s when the operation was then taken over by trains. Throughout the Country the railway companies used many horses as an alternative to trains to shunt goods trucks and in the larger stations th~y were �A great deal of other work was carried out at Reepham; there was the seasonal need for the loading and movement of sugar beet to Cantley and large consignments of grain, fruit and vegetables were sent out from the station, all of these were manually loaded and unloaded for many years by the local farm labourers. The sta tion had the use of a group of cattle pens and these were used for cattle going to and from the local Reepham Wednesday Market. Cattle sent from t he Reepham area t o the main li vestock market in Nor wi ch were invari ably sent fr om Whit well, the journe y fr om Whit weU t o Norw ich was much quicker than t he journey fr om Reepham Station whi ch would delive r the ca ttle to Trowse Station wh ereas the Whitw ell line ended at the Ci ty Station which was then a much shorter drive (up Westwi ck Street and 5t Andrews) t o the Market held each Saturday morning in the a rea around Norwich Castle. The imbalance in the business for transporting cattle was partly offset in the warmer months of the yea when large numbers of local cattle were se nt to Th e Loading Gauge, unused now for 30 years and nearly smothered by natures un;;hecked growth . . eepham Station - !l1id 1930 'so used for th e delivery of goods. Grass alongside rural lines was cut and dl">ied and sent as fodder the horses based in the urban areas, notably London. e companies employed inspe ctors wh o would travel d their a reas and inspec t the horses on a six thly basis. If horses had not be en available at eepham fr om Stimpsons then it L reasonable to :;ssum e that the GER woul d ha ve had t o supply and aft e r them. }en t he li ne was being laid a carpenters l shop was which carried out most of the cialised woodwork requirements of the line as progressed towards foulsham. After its short vi tal working period the building was left vacant was eventually hired by Stimpsons for them stable their horses in; it held up to six. Collers had horses and they were stabled in the area occupied by th e new industrial uni ts in Collers _. The stables used by Stimpsons horses are still - t o<la y; it is the delapidated wooden building the nort h side of Stony Lane. Any visit to it should _ taken with car e a s th e building is leaning badly ill probably collapse in the not too dis tant ~e. H owever, a visual inspection shows its hi st ory, - floor is la id in a numbe r of pla ces with small e stable bri cks, par t of th e fl oor has been laid old redundan t sleepers, possibly th e only ones _ can now be found in t he station area and under - :ll'esent roof you can still find re ma ins of he covering that was put on by t he r a il ways builde rs e early 1880s - t. at Reepham 27 �Reepham Station for the journey to Acle marshes where they were grazed during the summer. On the edge of the main platform there was a loading dock with small manually operated crane which was used to lift farm machinery on and off trucks, machinery that was bought and sold by Eglingtons and Randells, the main agricultural machinery merchants in the area. The loading dock was also used by the loading and unloading of horses, these animals whether for hunting or for working on the farms or to work with local business people were highly valued and could not be driven and packed into trucks like cattle. The M & GN supplied special covered wagons (which contained seats for grooms and other workers who rode with the horses) and these wagons had large sides which would drop down onto the loading dock and down which the horses could be 'led. It was common practice for horses travelling to and from local hunts and race meetings to be loaded and unloaded in this manner, although such events never happened in Reepham. The GER had a parcels office (the small building next to the station) which was used for small parcels and they also had an area in the granary which was used for storing or holding the larger items. Reepham was the epitome of a country station which served a small but busy market town acting as a centre to the surrounding rural area. The area was wholly agriculturally based and the station and its five acre site adequately served Reepham's needs during the seventy years life of the railways. The GER Reepham station was always in competition with the M and GN at Whitwell but there was little doubt as to which one was the more successful. Reepham was always full of people, horses, traffic and generally displayed an air of business; Whitwell was the one which won prizes for its flower beds and settled into a rural quietness between trains and which dealt with goods on an intermittent rather than a regular basis with the exception of the animal trade on Saturdays. We miss them both and although Whitwell has deteriorated to a state of dereliction, the buildings at Reepham in their ·soft cream brown brick remain and as a permenant reminder of their former glory. The station master's house with the attached booking office and waiting rooms, the small parcels office and the large granary are all in current use. No doubt whilst they remain as working buildings they wil1 be preserved in good order and will act as a living reminder of their contribution to the history of Reepham and its area. A present day view of the Station Buildings. The Parcel Building is the small separate unit to the right. The two storey part of the building was the Station Masters' house. 28 �NORFOLK NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1952 IVELY FAREWELL TO RURAL LINE With a "funeral oration" from the footplate and wreaths to bedeck the engine, there was a suitable farewell at Reepham Station on Saturday night for the last passenger train on the Wroxham -- County School line. -The Last Pas e ger T • In ' WH~~fi~i'~iiii'~i!iffii~~~~~~B:i5Wiffii~W¥i Branch railway line between Wroxham and County 1 (North Elmham) was open to passenger traffic th e last time on Saturday 13th September 1952, -e that date the line remained open for freight until it finally closed on the 31st October .. . The closure of the line to passen-ger traffi c :.5 an econo my mea sure by British Railways. 29 On the night of 13th September the last passenger train steamed westwards from Wroxham to County School and various ceremonies had been arranged at intermediate stations along the route to make the ending of a service which had been in existence for over 70 years and which had served so well the rural com munities of this area of Norfolk. �open in far more difficult times than the present and pointing out that for many residents in the area the action of British Railways would cause real hardship and inconvenience. The following detail is taken from the newspaper report of the time and it portrays the affection and regret expressed by the local people at the closure of this much loved raHway line. 'One man, for instance, declared that if he decides to use the bus service that will operate in place of the railway service he will be forced to hang about for 80 minutes after leaving off work before he can begin his homeward journey every night. Further along people were speaking of mothers with young children living in the villages who used the train to visit the shopping centres along the line. With the train, they said, these women could take their toddlers and their prams or push-chairs in comfort; now that they would have to travel by bus they would be obliged to carry their children in their arms all the way and all the time. 'At A YLSHAM (North) Station, the black and white crepe paper round and between the pillars supporting the roof of the main platform probably reflected the views of most of the 300 or so citizens who ga the red there, and Chopin's Funeral March, played over public address equipment as the train steamed in from Buxton, seemed to harmonise with the general feelings. The "bang-bang-bang" of exploding detonators as the train drew to a standstill appeared to strike an incongruous noteo 'It must be assumed that when Mr J B Postle, president of the Chamber of Commerce, handed the driver and firemen cigars and bottles of beer, complete with clean tumblers, he was not trying to be lighthearted, but anxious to offer the men tokens of appreciation of their services on the branch line, for, with the help of an assistant, Mr C Skoyles, who, like Mr Postle, wore a top hat and a dark overcoat, he also clambered up a ladder to the top of the engine and hung a large wreath of dahlias, held by a wire round the funnel, over the front of it. 'A t tached to the w rea th was a card bearing the words liTo the memory of another limb of private enterprise which was amputated during the scourge of nationalisation - 1881-1952". 'Then Mr Postle and others having jumped on board to take part in the ceremony at Reepham Station, the train moved slowly off, exploding more detonators as it did so. As the red lamp at the rear of the last carriage faded into darkness, the big crowd slowly melted away. The public address equipment came to life again wi th a modern dance tune in a brave attempt to cheer the gloom, but the emptiness of the waiting rooms had a more telling effect. Then the doors were closed and locked and the porter wondered - would he never see the platform filled with people again? Mr J. R. Postle, president of Aylsham Chamber of Commerce, placing a wreath on the train when it arrived at Aylsham on its return journey. 'Among the many hundreds of people who gathered at the stations to watch the train arrive and then depart into the night, there were several who regarded the occasion wi th lightness of heart. But there were many more who looked upon the passing of the service - which had been a great boon not only to them, but also their parents, their grandparents, and in some cases, their great-grandparents - with real and sincere regret. 'Four of CA WSTON'S oldest inhabitll.l1ts, Whose total ages were 344 years had been taken by cars to Wroxham so they might travel back to Cawston on the last up train. 'On arrival at Cawston they were presented with their rail tickets as souvenirs of the ride by the 'In big and little groups all along the platforms people could be heard recalling that the line had been kept 30 �- on master, Mr J Burgess. They were taken by o the King's Head Inn where light refreshments if served. 9pm, when the last down train reached Cawston, 100 villagers and friends were collected on platform to say 'hail and farewell'. -;-onators normally used as fog signals were placed the track and as the train drew into the station flashes and explosions added to the tenseness scene. !reath was hung on the engine and 'Auld Lang _ e l was sung by those present, then for the last e the train left the station and a large Union - " at half-mast waved it on its way. c t rain steamed on its way covering the short e y to Reepham. - _oon as the 'Pink Uns' had been collected the of pedestrians to RE EP HAM Sta ti on started t he platform was thronging with spectator's good 20 minutes before the scheduled time of _=- -al of the last train into the station, whilst the - -on yard assumed the activity and proportions a c ar park. Never before have there been so many __or cars assembled there. An event, which during previous week had been dubbed 'e. lot of squit' - _ -ually gathered interest and in its final denouement -- clearly proved to have captured the public ~ ~ ation. there was never evidence of any sense of 'rag' ugh the modest ceremony devised by Reepham ber of Trade and Commerce quickly bore the p of an 'occasion' of some importance with - - general public not lacking in initiative. -te 300 people were gathered on the platform, - above their hum of animated conversation the of the Reepham Band were heard. With e cted near-punctuality the long train from _ ston Signed its approach at the Railway Bridge shd with the noiseless efficency and grace of ..:.. express of a more aristocratic line into the station the Chamber's guests, Mr Edward Gibbs and - H E Hawes were engulfed with the spectators, - - the other 35 or so passengers from Ca wston mbarked. 'The former should have been welcomed by the Chamber, but in view of the length of the train, which almost measured that of the platform, and the surge of the crowd, it is not possible accurately to state what happened to this part of the programme. It is understood that a few of the Cawston passengers made the return journey home on foot. 'Then public initiative took command, as Mrs Matthews offered bouquets as a spontaneous gesture of appreciation to the engine drive and fireman. To make the occasion the more impressive, Press photographers hoisted her on to the footplu te and in the flash of their camera bulbs the public had a better view of what was happening. 'In the meantime, the District Passenger Superintendent (Mr D S Lewis), his Chief Staff Clerk, Mr Birkett, and the Reepham Stationmaster, J\lr 5 B Bass were being welcomed and entertained in the station waiting room by Mr Ben Stimpson. chairman and members of the Manllgement Cornmit tee of the Reepham Chamber of Commerce. '50 amidst the strains of Auld Lang Syne frorTI the band, in which the crown joined, the wElving of handkerchiefs in sad farewell, the train mounted stel:l.m to roll outward into the dtirkness for the lu~l time. As it gathered speed rockets (another -unofficaJ addition to the programme) mingled with the scurrying smoke in tribute. IThe final scenes took place in the waiting room. where Mr Stimpson thanked the general public for their grand support, the band [or their greot heir> and Mr Postle and the Aylsham Chamber of Trade and Commerce for their friendly co-operotion and association. Mr Postle thanked the Reepham Challlber for their hospi tali ty and Mr R C Seals repli ed for the Band in which he thanked Mr Skovles of the Aylsham Band [or taking the trouble to corne over and conduct the Reepham Band on tha t occasion. They were proud of the honour he had accorded them'. So a service that had existed for 70 vears came to an end, it was poignant that a num-ber of the older spectators at Reep-ham included some who had been marched by Mr W Pitcher from the school to the Station Bridge to watch the first train intO Reepham Station. GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY. ~EASIDE' AND BROADS AND RIVERS 31 �If there a e hosts They should be here on the old M. & G.'N. 1949 brightens the 10.31 am to N orwich City as it approaches Whitwe ll Sta tion. D 15 No,62528 The Winter sun in February The railway lines around Reepham were built well after the railway mooia which swept t hrough early mid Victorian England. Their working li fe was from the late 1880s until the pl::l.ssenger closures in the 1950s although goods ti'affic carried on for a few more years. Today the line rem ains and has found a new life in offering a route to walkers and horseriders, its past use remains in the empty cuttings and archless bridges nIl built by hand more than 100 years ago. The line was buil t by nuvvies who used tipping trolleys and hand tools as tlle y dug, blasted and dran k their way th r ough the N orrolk coun tryside, man y of them li ve d t oo far away to ret urn hom e at ni ght, so they slept in barns or am ong stacked up sleeper s c overed with tarpaulin s. Many of t he work men em ployed on the li ne we r e ex-far m la bourers from the surrounding ar ea s who were attracted by the 50% in c re ase over the normal wage which nav vying offered and during t he su m mer months particula rly, the possibility of over-time gave the m th e chance to earn e ven more. The gangs were ma de up of colourful characters such as Sam Shirt wh o apparently was not impeded in tl1e quality of his work by having only one ar m j Lum py Ling, Spi ttin g Joe the Diddekoi , and Loo Dye, the latter of whom was famous or notori ous, for his breakneck style of engine driving. The men often had to get or make their own meals. They cut wood for fires and would cook their food in com m unal coppers, which often inCluded anything they could get by poaching. But mostly they would exist on the staple diet of bread and cheese and vegetables often taken from the local farmers' fields. These vegetables were cooked in the coppers along wi th t he famous Norf olk dwnplings m a de fr om bread dough. Water for the coppers oft en had t o be ca rried long dis tan ces and t o ensure that none of it was was t ed any left over after the vegetables and dum plin gs had been cooked in it was used for making tea. The gangs dug cuttings and used the soil to construct the e mbankments and they built culve rt s, br idges, level c rossings and stations with mos t of t he ma t e ri als be ing sent by rail fro m Melton Constable as t he line moved relentlessly on towards Norwic h. On some occasions it was nec essary t o use locally made bricks from san d and clay dug from n earby pits an d then fired in local brick kilns. 32 �Under the bridges you can still see the blackened remains of old train smoke high above on the brickwork. The cuttings are steeply pitched and up to 18ft high. In the summer many areas are ablaze with hawthorn and particularly the dog rose. Later in the year they are heavy with hips and haws a berry-red harvest of crimson and scarlet. e line was built life for those in the permanent ym e nt of the Company was geared to the ~ .:::... and departure of the trains. For a short while rt of the working day was one of hurried ............"'"-"~ and in between it could be confined boredom arly during the wet and colder weather but enjoyment during the spring and summer This intermittent workstyle affected all sta tion staff but particularly the signalmen the crossing keepers. Many a signalman has -ered off to fish in nearby pits or streams whilst - . g for the next train. When the railway was in use the sides of the line were kept free of undergrowth and were used for hay. This was scythed and the tonnage wos sent to London where it was used by the horses of the Great Eastern Railway. This scything of the high grass was a practice which also helped to prevent fire along the banks from the snarks of passing engines. The policy of keeping the undergrowth down meant that wind borne sparks sometimes did not stop until they had landed in and subsquently set alight to nearby cornfields. -- e turn of the century Railway regulations stated - ga te-houses such as the one at Themelthorpe, . only be occupied by married couples, and the d had to be a rail way employee. This meant -: d uring the day (when most of the trains passed gh) the operation of the gates was left to the . With the house so close to the line when the went past they would shake the doors and " w panes and rattle the pictures on the walls ove the ornaments on the mantleshelf. 'The Last Sleepers' on the old track bed at Reepham Station . J1. & G.N. Crossing Keepers' Cottage -:hemelthorpe. _ €.! Along the walk if you look carefully you can find the few remaining examples of the railway and its staff; the odd sleeper covered in undergrowth which will in time rot awaYi the few rails which were never taken away when the line was ripped up and which will no doubt permanently remain, offering a metal grave stone honouring the life of the railway; whilst their surface bears no inscription they will remain for many years their very presence speaking volumes of the seventy years that the line formed the backbone of the industrial and social life of this areo. crossings were a prominent feature of the .t GN. They usually had a small crossing-keepers : ge, perhaps built of concrete blocks made at - . Ielton works, alongside. Originally it was intended :JUild a cottage at all but the smallest crossings, -de it with a plot of land, and then offer it rent with a modest wage to anyone who would '"take to handle the gates as required. The wages E ... ed varied according to the traffic and in a : minor lane just after the last war it would couple of pounds a week and this sort of sinecure a s much sought after. The line will now become a reserve for nature and a place of peace and solitude for the walker but it will also become a time capsule of ghosts and memories: before the last war there were a number of passenger trains every day travelling along the two lines either side of Reepham. They were slow but punctual and many a farm worker would stop and check their pocket watches or would time the routine of their day with the sound of the whistles or the sight of the trains. In this hurried age we can now only look back and cons' er these thoughts with nostalgia but wouldn!t we like to travel back in time and ride on these trains again ••• if only we could! Reepham Station was built the navvies were ate in that the site was used as a main base the contractors and a bakery was completed - a ailable to make bread and dough [or the workers ade their way back to Reepham each night. - li ne is now overgrown and has become a wilderness ildlife such as seen in very few other places - _-. It offers a rural enchantment in its slumbering _ - and you can feel a wistfulness and nostalgia _ railway tha t has now gone forever. 33 �In 1979 the route of the former M &. GN Railway from Norwich to Lenwade (a length of seven miles) was opened to walkers, cyclists and horse riders for them to use as a footpath and bridleway. The route was named after William Marriott who was the Chief Engineer and Manager of the M & GN system for 41 years. A further 14 miles has now been purchased and the route has been extended from Lenwade to Aylsham via Whitwell, Themelthorpe, Reepham and Cawston. The walk finishes in Aylsham opposite the station of the Bure Valley Light Railway. j THEMELTHORPE ~ ~ ,------ _ !~ ~~~~~~~~~I~~9i~.~f?MPn~~'~~ --~ Marriott's Way ;a""...,~ ~t5!d~jiii·~~ifii~Wi~~ff.ii~H6Wi ·~ The walk was offically opened on the 1st May 1991 by the Chairman of the County Council's Countryside Com mi ttee, Ingrid Floering Blackman. The route is not a public right of way, but members of the public are invited to use it as a footpath and bridleway a t their own risk. The purchase and development has been carried out by Norfolk County Council, Broadland District Council and Norwich City Council with further assistance from South Norfolk District Council, Costessey Parish Council and The Countryside Com mission. Discussions were started with Bri tish Rail in 1987 to purchase the 14 mile section and these were concluded in December 1990 when contracts were exchanged and the implementation work com menced. Part of the agreement was for the County Council to also take over the bridges and put them (and keep them) in good order - all 35 of them! Urgent work costing £44,000 has had to be carried out on the bridges at Lenwade and Whitwell. Although a lot of money has had to be spent it is intended tha t no further structural repair will be required for a least another 20 years, it is ironic that the sleepers used to repair the bridges were imported from Holland as good sleepers at a reasonable price are no longer available in this area. Whilst walkers and cyclists are to be encouraged there have been efforts made to discourage the motorcyclists who use and churn up the track. A large number of gates, stiles and fences have been erected and these should make it difficult for the motorcyclist, the large gates will be padlocked but are there to allow maintenance vehicles to get in and out. Horse riders have been presented with gates that can be opened without dismounting and three horse ramps have been built to allow horses and riders to get down easily from embankments, the best local example is alongside the bridge over Orchard Lane. J 17 No. 5567 'Trains you could set your watch by ~ --- changed into LNER livery the 3.S2pm to Norwich approaches Whitwell in May 1949. 34 �--~ o o 2 Weavers' Way / V'in g Hall Link Palh 3 2 ....-MARSHAM ,, r ' 1 ' ', I , IYIWSTRAWBERRY HORSFORD YELLOW TOADFLAX - oute is well signed with small unobtrusive signs the gates and larger sign boards, which offer -e detail and some of the basic rules to be followed. the railway was in operation the wildlife was . r estricted. The track vegetation was frequently sprayed or burned off so that the trains were obstructed by scrub and the sparks from the - g st ea m engines did not set fire to the tra ck. as only a very limited range of wild an imals - plants tha t survived under such con diti ons. In ears since the closure limi ted work bad been 35 ''"L ' J\. ./ . . :. \ . ~. ": ' 1)r:.=Jr~ ~'Vf~ < . ': . ... , , , ;%' , ~ . .~ 'V' - 5 mile Norwich :.,. ~Q -0-. ,"--. R'IverSI'de WaJk' ",I'(; ~~~"~ " �carried out and the ve'g etation has been allowed to encroach back in some places nearly across the track. A priority was to create a strip four metres wide along the whole length and this has meant that a great deal of vegetation has had to be cleared or cut back, this seems visually drastic but a season's growth will heal the wounds. With exceptions of where the track starts and finishes in Norwich and Aylsham the only other place in its 21 mile length where houses come up to the track is in neepham where the Richmond Rise estate and the houses along the Cawston Road come up to the track; it is in tended to plant trees to soften this view. Generally there are some excellent views from Marriott's Way compared to other similar walks, particularly th~ local views from the embankments beyond Whitwell Station looking towards Reepham, at Kerdiston looking towards Pettywell and on the line beyond Orchard Lane looking towards Cawston. Since the closure, a range of wildlife has colonised the line. Trees and shrubs are the main colonists, including oak, field maple, thorns, apple and the rarer spindle, with its distinctive coral-pink berries. The track bed and some sections of the banks have remained open, developing an interesting dry chalk grassland nora of a type that has become increas;ngly rare. Sections can include attractive flowering species such as wild strawberry, haresfoot clover, great mullein and primrose. Nature conservation work will be encouraged in a number of areas particularly the cuttings which are good habitat for all manner of wildlife, a good example is Blackwater just south east of Whitwell Stati on. Cuttings often support both a wide variety of plants and good ranges of insects, particularly nectar-feeding butterflies and moths. In some places, the track verges are wet tcr and species such as marsh-marigold, meadowsweet, common or Norfolk reed and horsetail. Horsetails are non-flowering, fern relatives which are of particular intel'est as they come from a very ancient family that has survived almost unchanged for over 40 million ycars. j The most frequent animals that will be encountered are insects and birds, bird species include jay, magpie, goldfinch, wren and green woodpecker (whi ch is noticeable when flying because of its loud, laug"hing song). 36 One aspect relating to wilcllife that will not meet with everyones l approval is the control of rabbits, this work is not only essential but is also a statutor"y obligation under the 1953 Rabbit Act. Whilst many walkers will have enjoyed watChing the rabbits that Ii ve in the embankments near the meadows off the Back Lane beyond Broomhill, they will I'm sure, appreciate that the large numbers that can be seen must be controlled. With the purchase of the line the necessity of this control has now passed to the County Council. The walk is now offically open, it I?asses through some lovely Norfolk countryside and is there not just to be used by mainly to be enjoyed; the closure of the railways may have been regretted but now the old routes have been opened up they can be appreciated at a pace that is probably comparable with the speed of the steam engines that for 70 years plied their way backwards and forwards through this coun tryside. One point will, however, never be fully accepted; the name MorrioU's Way. The Themelthorpe Norwich length is the route of the M & GN Railway whilst the Themelthorpe-Aylsham length was originally run by the G.E.R. The two companies ran in competition for many years, competition which was at times fierce and which fuelled solid loyalties among its employees. Whilst the two companies were amalgamated with the nationalisation in 1948 and the two lines were physically joined in 1960 many people will never agree that an area of G.E.R. line should be known as Marriott's Way. �__ - .2780 The 2. 33pm from Wro xham - : to enter Reepham Station in A.prill _ . J ~ 5 ~ '0 . 5478 The 12noon {rom Dereham .. Reepham in August 1948. �Prin ting I & J Watton Tel. Norwich 871998 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletters Description An account of the resource A comprehensive collection of newsletters published by the Reepham Society. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Printed and digital Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/RS/Magazines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1983-2000 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Magazine 1991 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2401101055 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource A4 PDF, 40 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Reepham Society RS Database 425 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher GER Railway M&GN Railway railway https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/02e4210ec832ae1d495ab1555d02f8b8.pdf bc7c698110db97034cc2afc000cc1bfb PDF Text Text THE REEPHAM SOCIETY Magazine �, .It ItAJ1!~~~.J.llAltlW· ~dh OUI!... &, CO· Ii"O~, M,E:;,RCl;liAJlIi1;'S, Partners: E. GIBBS, M. GIBBS (Min) This copy of Edward Gibbs and Son invoice heading cannot be appreciated as a black and wh ite copy, It is a wonderful mixture of red, blue and green - few letter or invoice headings today meet this artie tic standard ~ Contents Marjorie Gibbs 1899 ·1992 1 2 Edward Gibbs and Son George William Reeve 8 Reepham Market Place 1902 ·1920 11 The Stately Homes of Reepham 19 The Ollands Estate 20 The Moor House 24 design; ensuring that materials suitable to their location are used and features of the landscape protected. Society affairs are managed by an Executive Committee of twelve members who are elected annually. In 1992 membership of the Society had reached over 400. Open meetings are held in eight months of the year, with speakers on a wide range of subjectsj non-members are welcome. A Magazine is produced periodically (at least once a year) by a Society member, Michael Black; this has customarily contained items of historic rather than current interest; current matters are reported in occasional Newsletters distributed to all members. THE REEPHAM SOCIETY is a local amenity society affiliated to the Council for the Protection of Rural England and its County Branch, The Norfolk Society. It was Inaugurated in 1975 by a group of local residents who were concerned that the character of the town wes under threat. They were worried about the possible loss of features of historic or public interest and the risks from over-development unsympathetic to this rual environment. The Society's area of influence covers Reepham, Booton, Hackford, Kerdl.ton, Salle and Whitwell. The Society c<>-operates with the Parish and District Councils in monitoring approved new developments Bnd encouraging good standards of archi tectural II �of silence, of d us t y roads rutted by horses Hmi cartwheels, a countryside innoce nt of oi l and petrol. A youth spent in the slow a nd ti meless years leading up to the Firs t World War a nd in a sma ll !lHl rl-: ct town which was the central po int of business for the surrounding a rea. A tim e when work was hard a nd long and when many weeks of end less work were intermittently broken on ly by the hi g h days and holidays that the town organised and enjo yed. A t this Vi sit, which so unfortunately turned out to be my last, s he recalled th e Black Diamonds and partic ularly the fe te in the summe r of 1912 at which the troupe gave their firs t and possib ly t heir bes tloved performance. Her memo ry brought back de tails of that day nea rly 80 years ago as thoug h she remembered it from yesterday. How a t 12 vears of age she had helped with the refres hm e nts and how her fathel' had a ll owed her to stay up late and go back for t he eve ning ente r tainment. Marjorie spoke of the fri e nds s he m.::t a nd with whom she enjoyed herself, and her recoll ections of that day vividly descri bed an era of Heepham!s hi s tory that is long past and sadly no lon ge r in the recall of most lo cal people. Marjorie Giobs 1899 1992 MARJORIE GIB BS was a founder and life member of the Reepha m Society and in my earl y days as maga zine secretary she contac t ed me and offered me assistance with whatever de t a il she could supply in connection with prospective articles about Reepham. In recent yea r s I had made a number of vi si t s to in of so Marjorie and had spent many interes ted hours her sitti ng room, listening, discussing and learning the minuti a of Reepham detail that her memory prodigiously recalled. One afternoon in the early s ummer of 199 2 I went to see Marjorie at The Laurels, her home in De reham Road , Reepham as I wanted s ome add itional information about the Black Diamonds, 8 local minstrel troupe which performed in Reepham in the years just before and after the Fi rst World War - a troupe which included her father, who was a founder and subsequently a lead in g member. As usual we sa t a nd talked in her si tting room , a room that could recall a famil y's history and even ts that reflected the past century, a room th at breathed memories and nostalgia. Here was the burea u that Marjorie so often went to, to find some item that contributed to her particular topic of conversa tion. Pho t ographs of her father and his business, old ac count books that clarified a point, somewhere one of the drawers held 'the bones! that her father fashioned and then used when he was one of the four corner men in the Black Diamonds. Her fath e r, Edwa rd Gibbs, who figured greatly for many years in the business, parochial and religious life in Reepham and many words must have passed between the members of his fa mily as to how the town would organise, cope with and enjoy Coronations, Jubilees and other celebrat ions and how the families in this close rural area would cope wit h the tragic unfurling of events of both world wars, particularly the First whi c h was to t a ke the lives of so many young men of the area, many of whom Marjorie know a nd whose names she could so easily recall. Disasters, happin ess, grief and joy - this room could recall them all; the pictures, the carpets, the furniture, some of it decades old, was seeping with this memory. Its very presence recalled clearly to Marjorie her life; a life synonymo us with Reepham. Her childhood spent in Reepham when this area of North Norfolk was still decid edly rural - a ruralness 0603 870939 IVli ddlemarch Broomhi ll La ne Heepham MANY times Marjorie put her memories into the written word wi th articles in local publi cations, ea rn estl y refl ecti ng the oral hi s t or y t hat on ma ny occasions I was pri vileged to enjoy. It is ironic that thi s latest Re epham Society publication contains three ar ti cles which refle c t the abilit y and detail that Marjori e could offer; their in clusion was plann ed long before he r death a nd I ha ve no hesitation in ded icating them to her memo ry. She had a great love for Reepilam , its hi story and its inh ab itants and the town has lost a de a r friend with he r passing; ma y Ma rjorie Gibbs lon g a nd fondly remain in its memory. Michael Black 1 �Edward Gibbs Senior took an active part in the business until he was ninety-four, and he then maintained a daily interest almost until his death in December 1959 at the age of ninety-nine. Edware Gibbs Junior started to work for his fat her immediately after leaving school, and only service in the First World War intervened. A motor cycle accident in 1915 robbed him of his sight but he still carried on working in the shop. At the age of seven tyfour (in 1966) Edward Gibbs Jun ior decided to retire together with his sister, Marjorie, al though bo th r egarded the closing of the business as a I1matter of real regret Ti • Mr Gibbs, after 60 years in the business, decided to retire for two reas ons - firstly, because he wanted t o; and se condly, because of a declining trade. The days of horses in farm work had long since departed; he stocked the equipment the y needed for which there was no longer a demand. It was decided in 1966 to try and sell the business as a going concern but unfortunately the firm was unable to find a buyer. Early in 1967 the stock was Edward Gibbs and Son EDWARD GrESS AND SON, lron mon gers and Seed 1\1erchants, became an institution in Reepham and their shop and general agricultural services to the farming fraternity in and around Reepham is still remembe red with fondness today by many people even though their shop closed many years ago. It was said that the Gibbs! business was famous for two things; firstly , its picturesque premises and the excellent service it gave, and secondly, the late Mr Edward Gibbs, who attended the business daily until he was nine ty- eight. March, 1881. Dear Sir, We beg to infOlID YOIl that we hu.'e cal·dully The premises were large, with many warehouses; each one assigned to one section of the various goods stocked. Two years after Edward Gibbs took over the original business, the grocers shop adjoining became vacant and this was added to the existing s ho(?; There was a dwelling house attached which was enlarged in 1904 to assist with the ex(?ansion of the business. Behind the front buildings there was a· courtyard surrounded by the warehouses and other buildings which made up the complex which for the next 60 years was to become such a vital and ,"veIl respected part of business life in Reepham. It is said that there were ironmongers on this site long before the business was bought by Gibbs, but the exact date of the foundation of this business is not known but in t he churchyard is a tombstone inscribed lIW illiam Samuel George, ironmonger of this parish who died at the age of 69 years in 180 21!. The Geor ge fam ily ran the business until it was purchased by a f ir m called Sand S W Leeds in th e early 1870s who ran it until 1888 when Mr Edward Gibbs took it over. Edward Gibbs was born in 1860 the son of a farmer; he always wanted to be a farmer but during the 1870s farming was in a bad way so he applied for an aprr~nticeship with James Cooper and Son, iron mongers of East Dereham. He was accepted at a premium of £~:O and se rved his five years starting at 2s 6d a week. He stayed with them until 1887 and when he left his weekly wages had been raised to 305. On 11th October 1888 he took over the business of S and S W Leeds and a week after he was married at St Marts Church, Hickling. His two children subsequently became partners; his son Edward in 1920 and in about 1957 his daugher Marjorie took an active partnership. ,;elected , and can now offer GENUINE E1'WLISn (nOME ~l varifliy of OOOWN) AND FOREIGN ~e£~5, $gtimIfuntl which we highly r ccolllU!:wl fur cluulllino.i3, r3.r;) quali ty and reasonable prir:.:s. ,Ve have al so Borne good SEED O.-i.TS, glOwn ill this parish_ MANGOLD, SWEDE and TURNIP SEED at lowest pricCl.!. Your ki nd fuvours are r espectrully salicit(!J by, and 61.uill receive the llroInpt atteluion of Yuur oucdiC:Ilt Sin-vallts, p 8r p. 'f. CO RN, POLLARD, MEAL, ~EEDS, &c. TILES, 1'_1 VEJIESTS ..LVD D!ULV PIFH;-;. AGENTS FOR AGRICULTURAL MACHJNERY~ S & S W Leeds ran the business until it was purchased by Edward Gibbs in 1888. This is a card presented to local farmers by this firm. Such r'epresentations today would be hard to find. 2 �there is little demand for paraffin. It is a similar story for the seed merchants. There are no horses needing hay and so there is no call for hay seed. Bullocks are no longer fattened in yards and so farmers do not grow swedes and mangolds. Much as the passing of these traditional trades may be regrett ed, change is inevitable. lronmongery is just one of the many trades that once flourished in Heepham and is now gone. In 50 years tim e will the comp ut ers that now fill the shop premises of Edward Gibbs evoke as much nostalgia as does the smell of linseed oil and the sight of hazy sunshine pouring through the mixing of clover, rape and trefoil seeds! The closure prompted the following a rticle by Cyril Jolly which appeared in the Eastern Dail y Press in April 1969. Thomas Piercy (on the left) and Edward Gibbs, Senior mixing seer! in the Seed Room The Shop That Mirrored 200 Years of Change The Norfolk Ironmonger's Shop now closed after 200 years of trading revealed on its shelves two centuries of social history and change There are more interesting ways of studying social history than in books. The closing of an iron monger's shop, after two hundred years of trading, has shown me in a fascinating way how the tides of cha nge have ebbed and flowed over rural life. Changes in lighting, cooking, travel, farming, sport and craftsmanship - revealed by goods on the shelves of a picturesque 18th century premises making a corner of Reepham's Market Square. discounted by 5% and this discounting cont inued for the next three months reaching 20% before an auction was held in April 1967 in Irelands saleroom in Reepham (now the site of the car park in Station Road) when the remaining items were sold off. The old fashioned ironmonger's shop is now a thing of the past. Those that have survived have adapted their methods and their stock to meet tOOay's requirements. With no horses on farms there are no blacksmiths requiring iron for horse-shoes and wagon tyres. Nobody has oil lamps any more and This picture was taken in the 1890's a few years after the business was purchased by Edward Gibbs 3 �Edward Gibbs, Senior with 'Monarch' - the horse was stabled at the rear of the premises, the area now known as Merchants Yard. TIThe Square has its own charm, with thatched and Georgian houses, Flemish and crow- step gables, and two parish churches enclosed by the winding wall of one churchyard. The ironmongery is itself a little kingdom, with two double- fronted shops, attics, cellars and a neighbourly medley of store-rooms and granary. Beneath four panes of 'bulls-eye' glass I entered the main shop, which resembled Hampton Court maze with its passages and stairs. One stairway beneath the main counter led to a cellar. I bent double under the counter to enter this Ali Baba's cavern. Instead of oil jars 1 found two large tanks, one for linseed oil and the other for lard oil. The spillings of generations mixed with sawdust caked the floor, and wall racks held paint, turpentine, black harness oil, and preparations only old tradesmen would recognise. A dozen smells also competed for recgonition; linseed oil won easily. In an attic, beneath adze-trimmed beams, were scores of parcels that had slept snug on their dusty shelves for a century. They contained nails (mostly hand-made); nails for carpenters, builders, wagon wheel tyres and strakes; nails for shoeing horses and the bullocks that once worked ploughs· frost nails and caulking nails. Here I tried out a machine that might have eased the drudgery of knife cleaning fifty years ago. 'Tortoise' stoves elbowed door furniture into a corner, some would have graced a mansion and some a coal shed. A tub of gum arabic (used for starching shirt fronts in Edwardian times), scythe blades and plough blades, put back the clock half a century. Climbing up cobwebby stairs to the seed warehouse, I skirted bins labelled clover, rape, trefoil and saw a set of seed riddles and a set of measures made in Dereham by Bradley and Utting and a flailing stool. The operator sat on one end, laid the corn on the other and beat it with a swipe of a hand flail. In the yard was a gunpowder magazine for cartridges were made here. A hundred cases were set up in a frame, filled with powder,shot and waddinp; and the ends rolled in with a treadle machine - now only fit for the scrap heap. The proprietors, Mr E Gibbs and his sister, showed me the main shed with its countless drawers each bearing a sample of the contents nailed to the fron t. What a cavalcade of village life they represented. There were brass plug-taps for wine barrels of halls or public houses, (some had a locking device - and probably needed it). Cattle clippers, pig and bull rings, 'humbugs' for putting in the nostrils of cows when giving a medicinal drink, cheese wire; a key for fitting skates and ancient brass gear for shutters and blinds. Some peculiar needles puzzled me - they were larding needles used to pierce meat on a spit and draw off the grease into a larding tray; I handled lamp glasses of all shapes and curious tools for many crafts made in an age when wearing value mattered more than a glossy finish. In the office was a 'wheelers' round', used by wheelwrights to measure iron for re-tyring cart wheels, and well-thumbed price books going back to Victoria's golden reign, listing nails at IOs.6d. a cwt., a bass broom at two pence, and copper sheet at fifteen pence a pound. My brow furrowed as I picked up a swan-necked object - a stand for goffering irons! There was an ancient machine with a turntable for sharpening horse-clipper blades; unopened boxes of candle snuffers; a whip shOCKer tina unaressed leather for pump clacks. Miss Gibbs recalled, as a girl, selling 'penn'orths' of red ochre for smartening doorsteps, and 'penn'orths' of black gunpowder for cleaning out oven and copper flues. Had I known, in my boyhood, what fun I would have had with mother's wall oven! As a lad, Mr Gibbs first had to collect a fris ky pony from the meadow and then had to take down sixteen shutters for the shop to open at 7 a.m. It closed at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m . on Saturdays. Thursday was halfday - it closed at 4 p.m.! He also remembered a tub containing macassa oil which his father boiled 4 �with beeswax and oil of lavender to make a hair pomade. We looked in vain for some needles used to make up straw and oat flight mattresses. Tu.rning out more drawers we conjectured on the use of 'Rotten Stone' powder, and green copperas (was it used to prevent lime rUbbing off walls'?). There were dozens of other objects, once in common use, now museum pieces. They were facets of bygone rural life; peepholes on to a half-forgotten yesterday. In fact, beneath the many- angled roofs was two hundred years of social history, told in oil lamps, flat irons, tarred twine - and, 1 suppose, 'Rotten Stone'. After Cyril Jolly's article appeared in the Eastern Daily Press, Mr Gibbs received a letter from a reader in Gislingham, Suffolk who had read about the closure but he wondered if it was possible for him to obtain "a pound or so of the 'rotten stone' powder" which so intriqued Mr Jolly. It seems that this powder mixed with certain acids and oils offered the best means of restoring the lustre to ancient copper. The reader had tried with a number of iron mongers and chemists to find some, but to no avail. Miss Gibbs was able to supply the reader with some of the 'rotten stone' and he was able to clean some pieces of antique copper which until then had resisted all the orthodox methods of cleaning. Thomas Piercy worked for Edward Gibbs and Son for more than 50 yea rs and any article which refers to the history of this firm would not be complete without a mention of his time with them. Thomas Piercy was born in 1861 and lived with his parents at Thorney Farm, I<erdiston where hi s father was stewa rd. After leaving school at fourteen he worked on the farm with his father but in 187V he decided that he did not much care for farm work and went to work for Wand S W Leeds the ironmongers and seed merchants. He was employed as a carter at fifteen shillings per week (75p). The two Leeds', uncl e and nephew were both named Stephen, (not to be confused with the Whitwell tanner who was another Stephen Leeds). The elder Leeds' lived at the shop and the younger at Church Hill in the house now occupied by Mr and Mrs Uells. After working for the Leeds' for some years Thomas decided to join the Metropolitan Police but when the Leeds' heard of this they promptly revised hi s wages to one pound per week , quite a good wage a cent ury ago and enough to make him change hi s mind about the police force. The business was sold to Mr E Gibbs in 1888. The elder Mrs Leeds (now a widow) moved from the shop and went to li ve with the other (and younger) The business premises had been enlarged in 1904 and IIOW occupied the whole of the frontage which is contained toda;'1 between Towns End Corner and the former Barclays Ran/>. Apparently the array of hardwood and ironmongery was brought out every morning and taken in again at the enr/ of each day. This shows the premises in the late 1930s 5 �· . with 'Monarch' ready for the day's deliveries. During the First World lVar the Honourable Artillery Company was Reepham based and 'Monarch' had to share his stable with two of their horses. I The lale 1950s ... and Horses 6 �Mrs Leeds at Church Hill. When Mr Gibbs purchased and took over the ironmongers business he lacked experience in the seed trade. Thomas Piercy knew both sides pretty well a nd initially Mr Gibbs depended on his knowledge of the seed side of the business. His eldest son, Fred was taken on to learn the trade of ironmongery from Mr Gibbs, but tragicall y he was killed in an accident in the shop in 1904 aged fo urteen. His place was taken by another son, Wilfrid who se rved for a time and then went to work for a Norwich ironmonger. He was killed in action in France in 1916. Thomas Piercy became a pensione r in 1920 but still went to the shop on a part time basis. When he died in 1930 he had worked fo r more than fifty years in employment with Edward Gibbs and Son. His g randson, Wesley Piercy who lives in Reepham, recalls hi s childhood when as a small boy he would freq uently visit the premises with his grandfather. Whilst a n ironmongers and seed merchants shop may not have been deemed the most interesting of places Wesley always found it fascinating. liThe shop itself had stairs under the counter leadi ng down to a mysterious cellar a nd other stai rs to room s above. Throughout the e ntire pre mi ses there was a indescribable smell of turpentine, lard oil, linseed oil and the smell of a dozen other substances. "Across the yard was the seed room. This was reached by ascending a winding st a ircase to the top flool', at the far end there was a low door wit h MIND YOUR HEAD a sign stating 'Mind Your Head'. Here the various grass and clover seeds were mixed, these would be sown with barley and when grown would be cut for hay. IIOccasionally, I was allowed to accompany my grandfather with the horse and cart delivering bars of iron to blacksmiths in the surroWlding district. One of these was Hardiments of Kerdiston which was where the horse went to be shod. Another was Millets whose smithy was on t he main road to Sparham, in those days the road was often referred to as the turnpike. The most exciting trip was to Barrets at Lyng. In those days this invol ved going t hrough the river. This was in the early 1920s when the present bridge had not been built. TTl also remember goi ng to Weston House, Weston Longville and Heydon Hall to deliver paraffin. I believe these trips for me came to an end when Mr Gibbs replaced the horse and cart with a Ford lorry. Thi s was driven by a man named Henry Rose; my grandfather never learned to drive". On twenty years and wares are no longer displayed in such volume outside the shop. The virginia creeper has by this time nearly covered the whole fron tage . . The premises in the 1950s 7 �George William Reeve The Reeve family circa 1900 at Booton. George is next to his mother, and the other boy is Walter who lived at Hackford Vale and for many years ran a carrier business. He was also a J P and served on the local bench. In the centre is Violet (now Mrs Muddle), in 1984 at the age of 96 she drove up from her home in Kent to visit George. GEORGE REEVE died in May 1984, aged 94, after a very active and eventful life; his return to this area in the late 1940s quickly earned him the apt description of r village lad made good '. He was born in Bawdeswell where his parents kept a public house, in Decpmuer 1890 but after about three years the family moved to a house in Booton Street. He started his education at Booton School, but for some reason he couldn't settle down and it seems that the remainder of his schooling took place a t Lyng where he went to live with his grandmother. An early job, possibly during the school holidays or shortly after he left school was as 'odd job boy' at the Moor House. One task was attending to the pumping of water to a tank situated at the top of the House by a mule driving a pump in the garden. The clearance of undergrowth at the Moor House in the last year or so has uncovered this old pump situated in the corner near The Moor turning, off the Norwich Road; the remains of the machinery are clearly visible to passers by. Little is known about the next few years but in his later teens he worked in London for a corn merchant and even managed to purchase a car, quite an achievement around H:I08, although on his own admission he "had to run it mainly on paraffin to keep expenses down!". While in London he became friendly with some American students who apparently spoke highly of prospects in the United States so George decided to go with them when they returned to their homeland, selling his car to pay for his passage, but being completely broke on arrival. 8 �Throughout his life George short period he enjoyed remarkable employment success, rising to the position of Chief Jnspector by 1918. One of his most treasure red possessions was a silver cup presented to him in 1918 at a dinner given in his honour by his own staff; it was inscribed 'as a token of esteem by his Inspectors and Checkers'. This dinner and presentation was recorded in the local paper at the time - would always find a use for his undoubted talents and making use of his motoring experience he obtained employment as a chauffeur with 8 well-to-do American family. Around 1914 he obtained a job with a Government .. construction firm in Washington (New Jersey) which with the outbreak of war in Europe became engaged almost totally in producing war supplies. He was there for just a few years and during this relatively WASHINGTON PARK (N J) GOVERNMENT MAN HONOURED 18 May 1918 of 35 men inspectors and A party Woodbury and vicinity checkers from t Thursday night gave a theatre per y . ch i et Mr in Phi liadelphia to their George W. Reeve the entlemen were After the theat~e I er ' sg magn i t I cent escorted to rug loaded tab 1 e banquet ha I I where a we lI t of the . ded for aI I the wan s provi inner man. after -dinn e r speec~es Many p l easant W J Cha rlton acting were made. Mr as toastmaster. After the war there was a decline in the type of work that he had been involved with during the past few years and he decided he wanted to make his way so he traded on his own in the business of removals; he built this up and for a number of years was successful and em ployed several drivers to carry out the work. The large influx of immigrants to the USA in the early post- war years meant there was a considerable transient population at this t i me Co Bobb i e Nash of Bill y Watson t •• :~: . at the Casino Thea re, plaYing t and pleased the an honoured gues dotes and stor ies. boys with many anec . d d at the piano I Hill pres! e I' te touch brought Mr Ch ar es. d with hiS de Ica . b an . that i nsp I red the oys forth me I od I es t O u r i n9 the even i n9 p to do the two- s e • h If ot his fel l ow C P Budd on b e a Cap t • d an i nscr i bed cup employees presente ded with a few to Mr Reeve WhO re sPhC:art i I y thank i ng d well-chosen war. s'\ alty and support . everyone tor their oy and George's decision to be his own boss was more then justified. Information about the next few years is hazy. These were the years of the Wall Street crash a nd the Depression which hit America so hard and then spread over most of the major manufacturing countri e~ of the world. During the mid/late 19205 George had some connection with the manufacture and selling of oil burner stoves with the trade name of 'Islander'. 9 �within a f~w years had developed the garden; pedestrians along the Booton end of the Norwich Road were well rewarded as they glanced through the open gateway with a vista of well laid-out flower beds and quasi natural shrubberies. He estahlished a tyre business in a separate building which was situated just inside the gateway and he carried on with this until the mid-1960s although one of the large metal signs remained visible to passers-by until the house was sold. On the domestic side of his life it appears tha t George at some time married a British girl who joined him in America but could not settle to the life there. She returned to this country and they were subsequently divorced; there was one son from the marriage. George later married an American girl and his son from that marriage is still in America. It seems that this marriage was over before he came back to this country in 1936. During the last 10 years of his life George's health declined and he received devoted care from his housekeeper, Mrs Betts, who gave much assistance in the original compiling of the notes that led to this article. For many years there was an ironwork seat which stood on the Moor Corner looking up the Norwich Road towards Booton Street. George placed it there and cemented it in when he heard that the authorities were planning to widen the road by taking in the wide green verge, which he claimed belonged to him. At that time the road was not widened and the seat remained. A number of years later (and after George had died) it was widened and the seat was moved to the opposite side of the road. Sadly little remains to-day of the items that George so profoundly stamped on this corner of Reepham. The house has been replaced and his garden and shubberies were swiftly and sadly removed by mechanical digger. The outbuildings, the metal advertising signs and the ironwork seat are now gone. It is ironic that the only thing that George would recognise to-day is the remains of the muledriven pump in the corner of the Moor House grounds - the one item that was there before all the others! It is not known whether George dealt with the 'Islander' as a sideline to his removal business, whether the manufacture a:nd selling was carried out under licence or whether George actually invented the stove. After a gap of nearly 30 years George returned to England in July 1936 but, as he had acquired American citizenship in the previous years, he was only allowed an Alien Permit to land for six months and with no authority to find or enter into any employment. After a few months he returned to America but came back in 1939 with permission to stay for twelve months. For a time he stayed with his sister, Mrs Muddle, at Lyng and for some time at his parents' house at Booton. In 1940 he stayed at a Hotel in Thetford J which seems to have had something to do with the restrictions on his activities as he was still classified as an alien. He had by then managed to acquire another car and, according to an entry in his passport, was officially 'allowed to use his car in connection with his business', whatever that was at the time. In February 1941 he was exempted from the 'Alien Restriction Order' on such occasions as when called upon for Ambulance Duties, and unconditionally exempted in October 1941. Soon after the end of the war he started building a house on the Norwich Road/Moor Corner in Reepham. This was a house with a character entirely of its own, and built in the American style with a big basement and an off-the-ground verandah which went all round the building. George made the hollow concrete blocks for the walls and he also made individually the concrete and sand red tiles. The house was centrally heated with an automatic burner using diesel oil which was thermostatically controlled with the main unit situated in the basement. In 1946 such a unit in a house in this country was indeed unusual, but his years' manufuacturing the 'Islander' obviously played a great part in the innovation. The unit provided heating for the whole house as well as producing the domestic hot water. George moved into this house, always known as 'New House', Norwich Road thereafter, in 1946 and The 'New House' shortly before it was sold in the late 1980s 10 �Reepham Market Place 1902 1920 The story of Reepham Market Place in the early years of the century as seen by the eyes of a child REEPHAM, having a cattle market, liked to term itself 8 Town. The centre of that Town was indeed the Market Place and so it was the vital centre and always referred to as 'The Town'. Even today the older generation will remark that they are going in to 'the town' to shop, or across 'the town ' if proceeding further or even meeting someone in 'the townl. It has many nostalgic memories for me - indeed I have a very affectionate regard for it. It was the centre of most activities, since the Parish Council (of Hackford only in those days) consisted mostly of residents of the Market Place. It had street lamps of a kind, about four lanterns attached by iron brackets to the walls in various dark corners. These contained oil lamps complete with chimneys and a lamp lighter was employed by the Council. He was responsible · for kee ping the lamps filled, trimmed and he lighted and extinguished them at the appropriate times. They were not used at all during the su mmer months. The only lamp lighter I can remember is rvt r James \\Iasey. Du rin g the First World War the lamps were not lit at all a nd in the dark winter evenings I used to walk to Guides with 8 cycle oil lamp. The social life of the Market Place was al most a community in itself. Messrs Austin (butcher), Fisher (grocer and draper), Hall (saddler and harnessmaker), Peck (general stores), Cocking (shoe sales and repairs), Riches (high class grocer) and Gibbs (iron monger and seed merchant) all had premises in the Ma rket Place. They were all members of the Parish Co uncil and most of them served on various committees that were formed from time to tim e. One of the highlights of the year was the Fair on June 29th and I can remember th e excitement of us youngsters when the Market Place was invaded by vans, roundabouts, coconut shies, shooting galleries and stalls selling home-made rock of many flavours and much stickiness. They usually stayed for a week to the delight of the younger generation, although the adults were glad when they left owing to the noise and ma ny other inconveniences. Stalls were gay and li ghted by paraffin flares. The majestic engine with its sh ining brasswork was adm ired and wondered at by everybod y as it prov ided the power Probably taken in the 1890s - showing the original roof line of Hall's shop (the Saddler and Harness maker) 11 �for wages, and do most of their farm shopping at the local iron monger's and agricultural engineer's. If the sale yard was too full, calves and sheep would be kept there until such time as there was roo m in the saleground. The market place was the central meeting place of everyone. On Sundays the Salvation Army band would hold services in the Market Place afternoon and evening. The band was very good in those days. Two Arm y officers were in charge and the Army had a good cause here. I would always run to the window to see them march by as they paraded to the barracks in Norwich Road via the Back Street - that is, if I was not in Sunday School in the afternoon. The market place set the scene for another 'once a year' occBsion. The Oddfellows held a district church parade, usually on Whit Sunday evening, when men, and in some cases their wives, came in from various lodges, arriving by wagonette, horse brake, horses and traps or bicycle. The men met at 6pm on the market place, looking very impressive in their various coloured sashes, and following a very imposing banner bearing the symbols of the Oddfellows, they would march to church via Back Street. In tnose days the chUrches were not amalgamated, and I think the Oddfellows' service was held alternatively in St Mary's and St Michael's. After the service they would again parade with th e band (usually the Dereham Volunteers' Band, proceeding along Norwich Road, Reepham Moor, and Cabbage Court (now New Road) to Station Plain and back to run the roundabout, the organ with its repertoire of tunes and current for the lighting system. The organ was also a strain on the pockets of the youngsters for pennies, which often had to be supplemented by a visit to their parents two or three times during the evening! The vans were drawn up side by side on the King's Arms plain facing the road and the horses were put to grass on the meadow. We used to visit the 'Fair people' and take them fruit and vegetables, since my mother always remarked "Poor things, they have no gardens!!. One family came year after year and we would be asked in to the van, so spotlessly clean - a wonderful house on wheels and 1 wished I lived in it! People would throng in from the surrounding villages and make it a real frolic. I was told to be home by 9pm for bed, but I would lie awake listening to the organ playing its repertoire of the topical tunes of the day and waiting for God Save the King at llpm. Disturbing the quiet of the week, each Wednesday saw scenes of much activity when market day arrived. Farmers drOve in with their horses and traps, the la tter of various shapes and sizes. The horses were taken out of the shafts and stabled at the King's Arms or The Sun, though some pi'eferred the lesser hostelries such as the Lord Nelson, The Greyhound, Duke of York or George Bnd Dragon. The carts were parked on the Market Place or in the yards of the selected stabling. Farmers used to congregate to talk to each other and exchange views and farm gossip, bargain with the merchants to sell their corn, or go to the bank 12 ., �often awakened by the arrival of the mail cart and its noisy driver. The cart was like an ordinary heavy trap, with a covered-in portion behind for the bags of mail, and was red. The horse was given a nose bag while the driver knocked up the post master. He came every day including Sunday. A t the turn of the century the cottage which is now situated next to Ewings the Estate Agent, was the Parish Reading Room. This was run by a committee most of whom were parish councillors, with Doctor E V Perry as Chairman. Downstairs was a public room with daily newpapers and a number of period icals such as 'Tit- Bits', 'Pearson's WeeklyT and 'Exchange and Mart'. A number of monthly magazines were ava ilable along with the 'Illustrated London News' and 'Punch'. Upstairs was a library which consisted mainly of second- hand books which had been collected from various sources over the years. There was another larger room upstairs which contained a full-sized billiard table; this was mainly patronised by the younger men and boys while their more sedate elders read the papers and smoked in comparative peace downstairs. In 1911 Mr Sam Bircham leased part of Hackford House to the Reading Room committee and all the papers, books, furniture and equipment including the billiard table were removed to these much more suitable premi$es. The old reading room remained empty until the war when it was used as a billet by soldiers based in Reepham. During the War the Town Hall (known in those days as the Old School) was used as a Red Cross to the Market Place via Station Hoad, collecting money en route. They would then disband and repair to either the King's Arms or The Sun to 'whet their whistles'. As a child this was a highlight and my mother would entertain one or two the the wives during the parade and we would keep open house with coffee and cakes for anyone my father or my brother brought in afterwards. It was a 'treat' for me to be allowed to stay up to watch the parade after church. 1 cannot recall the Coronation of Edward VII but to celebrate this 1 believe marquees were erected on the market place and the whole village attended a feast of cold salt beef and pickles (I don't think salads were so f ashionable then), with plum pudding t o follow. As a souvenir every child was given an enamel mug bearing the picture of King Edward and Queen Alexandra. Another feature of life in the market place during t he winter months was the weekly dancing class held ' in the King's Arms club room. I envied my sister and brother who were old enough to attend this very popular pastime. Mosf of the young ladies and young farmers from the district attended (even Mr Peck, though not so young!). The culmination of all this was the annual dance, held in the same place. Miss Boon supplied most of the music on the piano and the dance usually finished by midnight. The King's Ar ms had a flourishing Bowls Club, well supported by the market place residents. Anot her daily event in the the market place comes to my mind. At 6am the people living there were 13 �• '. . r, .~ '" - r, , ~ .. ..-, • REEPHAM MARKET PLACE. SOUTH -" ~..".,q. ~ L:..:2:~:.£~;j,;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~: ~'J. REEPHAM MARKET PLACE BEFORE THE FIRST WORLD WAR 14 �RE £PI-iAM MARKET PLACE , EAST, --~--------~-. - - note some of the businesses remembered by Marjorie Gibbs: Austins, Fisher, Hall, Peck and of course E. Gibbs 15 �• 'The Black Diamonds' in their make -up and finery ready for a performance hospital run by Lady Grace Parry, who headed a team of nurses who lived at Hackford House; with so many young men away the facilities offered by the billiards room were used by convalescing soliders as part of t heir recreational facilities. In 1919 I\-:r Bircham gave Hackford House to the parish as a war memorial and it was re-named The Bircham Insti t ute (now The Bircham Centre). Musically the residents of the Market Place could be an entertainment in themselves. Mr Fisher was organist at the chapel, choirmaster and also conducted Glee Parties. Mr Cocking played the bass fiddle and trombone, Mr Juby the violin, Mr Edward Gibbs junior th e violin, piano or Bny other instrument he could find, and with residents from other parts of the town a string band was formed, not grand enough to be called an orchestra. Local concerts for various charities were given in the old school, Mr Peck singing in his light baritone voice, part-comic, part-sentimental songs that not always succeeded in being f unny. Miss Boon was a willing accompanist and would also sing well-known ballads of the day such as 'Dc)n' t Hurry' and 'The Song that reached my heart', ac companied on the piano by Miss Austin who lived next door and who was also pianist with the string band. Mr Austin had a rich tenor voice and could always be relied on to sing 'Nirvana' or 'Thora'. Mrs Wilton and lastly the Gibbs family would sometimes help. My father was ever popular with repeated rtaqu~sts for one of his six or seven humorous pattCl' songs, for some of which he had never seen the music and for which my brother would invent accompaniments. Since my father had a gift of wit and great humour he could always be relied on to make a racy speech of introduction or pass a vote of thanks. The elder daughter would recite and the son, with that rare gift of improvisation, would play the piano or organ and any instrument that he could find for his collection. He even invented an attachment tor the piano which was like organ pedals and produced music from bells, each pedal playing one bell. The younger daughter (myself) only came into the music picture about 1913 by playing accompaniments on the piano and piano solos, and even at an early age was in great demand to sing childish songs. Throughout the war she sang in concerts for the troops. Her voice was trained but she could never pursue a musical career as intended as with the shortage of manpower she had to leave Dereham High School and make a career in the family business instead. In 1910 with several 'outsiders r from other parts of the town and surrounding district the musical gentlemen of the market place formed a highly successful minstrel troupe, calling themselves 'The Black Diamonds'. Mr Le Neve, the relieving officer from Derehaffi Road, was interlocuter, the two cornermen were my father as Bones and Mr Sidney Eglington as Tambo. The assistant cornermen were Messrs Austin and Peck. They rehearsed in the club room and were in great demand as entertainers. The troupe had a strict code of dress, with coats of black sateen and red buttons, dark trousers with white shirts with small red bow ties' the two cornermen had cutaway evening coats, red waistcoats, very large bow ties and red stripes down their trousersj the two assistants had similar outfits but with small bow ties. Mr Neve, the interlocuter, sat in a high chair in the middle of the back of the stage and his task was to control the overall performance; with his exaggerated bow tie, evening coat with contrasting cuffs, button hole and a large watch chain across his waistcoat his imposing presence left the audience in no doubt as to who was in charge! The first major performance of the Black Diamonds was given at the fete held on 20 June 1912 at the Dereham Road home of Doctor E V Perry (now Eynsford Lodge). They had been practising hard for the previous year and had met twice a week and rehearsed in a barn a littlE: further along Dereham 16 �Road (now part of Tylers Mead). For their premiere a covered prosceni um was erected, t he String Band accompanied and t he performance, along with the rest of the fete, was a huge success. The stage was unique in those days in that it was lighted by electricity supplied through the gardens by land line from Mr John Dixon, who at the time had the cycle shop on the corner of Towns End. The arrangements for the fete were carried out by a committee consisting mainly of gentlemen fro m the market place, with their wives forming the tea committee. It commenced at 2pm and with the exceptionally fine weather throughout the afte rnoon and evening a large number of local people were attracted and stayed and enjoyed themselves. The first part of the afternoon's proceedings were taken up by the band (which had paraded from the ,\1arket Place) and a detachment from Watts Naval Home, North EI mham, who performed various military, musical and life saving drills~ After the boys had finished their performance they were provided with 8 substantial tea which was topped up with further li ght refreshments just before they left. By 7.1 5pm a large crowd had assembled to enjoy the first part of the eveni ng's entertainment, The Black Diamonds under the musical directorship of Mr George Storey, who was also the bandmaster of Reepham String Band. The troupe performed for more than two hours a nd their programme of songs and choruses, some serious others humorous, was well received and several well-deserved encores were given. As dusk descended the garden was illuminated with hundreds of fa iry lamps festooned along the paths and amongst t he trees and bushes. These lamps consisted of coloured glasses about the size of a la rge cup, each containing a nightlight, and were lit ready for th e String Band which played for dancing on the IDwn until well after llpm. The whole affair was a great success, not leas t finanCially, and the proceeds were devoted to thc Reepham and Hackford Nursing Fund. The friendl y market place t ook on a different aspect with the outbreak of war in 1914 a nd everything seemed changed. Market days still continued, but with less en thusiasm . Local men were eithe r called up or volunteered for the forces, and with the arrivDl of troops the market place became a parade ground. We had army personnel here throughout th e war, billeted in homes and various bu ildings. There was much excitement when the first troops arriv ed ill late 1915. These were the IN Company of the Honourable Artillery Corps. , well remember them arriving on horses with their equipment. We were awaked by the sound of reveille from the market place at 6.30am and it was also sounded from various other points in the town. During the day were heard 'Come to the cook-house door! and later, at sunset, the 'Last Post'. To the younger gene ration who did not realise the seriousness of war it was a th rilling sight to see t he Company on horseback lined up for inspection on the market place, probably before going around the country- side on manoeuv res, and many a child was late for school in consequence. This gI'OUp of 1916 - Marjorie Gibbs is taking the picture in the centre foreground 17 �peacetime soldiers who were called up at the outbreak of war were drawn from all quarters of city life in London - stockbrokers, solicitors, actors, musicians and all grades of professional life. It was Reepham's boast that it held a very special regiment. These men entered into the village life and were very welcome guests in man y homes. The officers' mess was at the Ollands and the NCO's and men were in billets. The horses were kept in various stables in the town and we had two, as well as our own horse, in ours. We had two sergeants billeted with us. One was a dentist from Hanover Square, London who by way of contrast was the Saddler Sergeant. The other sergeant was a highly qualified engineer and he was the Wheeler Sergeant, so he was more or less dealing with machinery. Although the sergeants' mess was at Brewmere, these two invariably had their evening meal with us and became part of our family. The very small artillery guns of the Ii.A.C. were kept and g uarded on the market place. One vivid memory of the H.A.C. is still very much imprinted on my mind. It was New Year's Eve. We had kept open house for most of the evening for coffee and drinks for several of the officers and men with whom we had become frie ndly. (There seemed to be a great camaraderie amongst these troops and the various ranks mingled with each other very freel y). Nearing midn ight everyone came out of their houses and a huge ring was formed entirely round the market place. Soldiers and civilians linked up, in rather a merry mood, and we all sang 'Auld Lang Syne' and 'Home Sweet Home'. For a very young teenager, taken care of by one of the sergean ts of the household, this was, as I have already said, an unforgettable experience. If the market place could feel it would have thrilled as it listened to about 150 folk of all ages singing the Old Year out and the New Year in. It was with much sorrow that we saw the H.A .C . depart for active service in the spring of 1916. The Middlesex Yeomanry with horses, followed during the ne xt winter and the year after that the Hampshire Yeomanry arrived on bicycles and then instead of the market place being a parade ground with horses, we saw bicycles lined up for inspection. By this time a small YMCA was functioning in the King's Arms club room. A succession of regiments followed a nd each one entered into the li fe of the village, although we did not have another New Year's Eve on the market place. During the war several of the market place gentlemen were special constables and would be on duty in pairs, working on a rota system . The young generation became adept at avoiding their respective fathers, not wishing to be caught wi th a special army friend. When peace was declared and Reepham was again without its troops it never seemed the same. The tone of the town had altered, some men did not return, some were crippled, some had been prisoners of war and we all felt war weary and in a much more thoughtful mood. However, the old market place itself never changed a nd it returned to its peaceful splendour and serenity, as it is to-day. EDITOR'S NOTE Most of this essay was originally written by Marjorie Gibbs as a contribution to a study of Reepham and the surrounding villages. Whilst the bulk of the original article has been used. I have included some additional material, particularly that relating to the Black Diamonds and the 1912 Garden Fete. The inclusion of this article and the proposed changes were agreed in principle by Marjorie a few weeks before her death. I feel sure that she would have approved of the final result and that she would want me to stress her original comment that any critical remarks were not meant to be unkind in any way, but were merely a child's impressions and thoughts, seen mostly from a humerous angle. Taken in the early 19005 it shows the ivy clad church of St Michael's 18 • • �The Stately Homes of Reepham O NE of the saddest aspects of change, particularly since the Second \Vorld War, has been the passing of the big houses in and around the Reepham area. Up to the 19208, Reepharn could point to a number of these modest rStately Homes of England 1 and all they meant to their local rural communities. Hackford House (now known as The Bircham Centre), si tuated in the Market Place is one such residence that is but a shell of its former opulence. The home of a branch of the Bircham family, it was given t o the town as a thank-offering for the peace which followed the 1914-18 war., to serve as an indoor rec reational centre know as The ilircharn Institute. Its many rooms provided accommodation for meetings, ?a rticularly to many local voluntary groups and club s; and this use continues today. It also offered facilities as consulting rooms for visiting Veterinary 19 Surgeons, a Dentist and on Market Days a room was regularly taken by a Chartered Accountant. Hackford Hall, the erstwhile seat of the Collyer family exercised a considerable influence for many years and although it underwent many vicissitudes after Brig-General J J Collyer left it in the 1930s it Was restored to its proper use as a residence and has remained so since. Whitwell Hall is another residence, that although still accessible in some ways to the people of Reepham, is no longer used for the purpose for which it was built. The last person to use it specifically as a family home, left in the mid-1930s and it stood em[Jty until 1938 when it became a school. The outbreak of the Second World War saw the early closure of the school and it was used during the next few years by the military who exacted their usual toll on the building. Set in parkland of some 40 acres it was farmed after 1945 by Mr A H Ivins and there was the introduction of using the premises for summer cam!;)s. This use, was most successful, as it still is today, and there are many children living near and afar who have fond memories of this building and its grounds. There are two other big houses which deserve mention and these are the subject of greater detail. One has been demolished, this was Reepham House formerly known as The Ollands, a charming residence that retained its character and use until the 1960s, and secondly, The Moor House, a residence remembered for its beautiful well laid out gardens and which, after many years of neglect has now been restored to an element of its former glory. The Norwich Road entrance to the O/lands Estate �The Ollands Estate THE area in Reepham that we know as Ollands Park and the adjoining area of Moor House Close (bounded William Bircham lived in the property until the estate and various other areas of land that he owned in Reepham were sold at auction in July 1883. The House would have become available for possession by the new owner at Michaelmas that year but there is doubt that William Bircham moved out after the sale. Kelly's Directory of 1885 lists the occupants of the I-louse as William and Henry Bircham (his son). The next owners were Mr and Mrs Kendrew who lived there from about 1890 onwards. In 1914 Alexander Kendrew died and although the House was still owned by Mrs l{endrew until her death in 1920, she did not live here during the Great War. by New Road) was formerly the Ollands Estate, this was an area of nearly.....19 acres of parkland, gardens and lawns overlooked by a mansion originally called 'The Ollands'. The Mansion was built in the Elizabethan Style by William Bircham Esquire in 1832 and at some substantial cost. The interior was adorned with superb oak carvings and was decorated and finished in an expensive manner which offered a high degree of refinement and taste for a moderately sized establishment. It was built with the main rooms facing to the southeast a nd during the early years the grounds were developed so that eventually the house stood surrounded by park-like lawns adorned with ornamental timber and enclosed by plantations of trees and shrubs. The House consisted of the following rooms: In the basement there were a number of arched ale and wine cellars. The ground floor had an entrance hall with inner glazed doors, a vestibule with doors leading into the garden, a drawing and dining rooms, study, back hall, housekeeper's room, butler's pantry, kitchen, cook's pantry and scullery. The main rooms were fitted with carved oak mantelpieces and all floors were paved with stone. The first floor was approached by a broad oak staircase which was lighted by a large fine stained glass window. There was a central boudoir, eight sleeping and dressing rooms and a bathroom (fitted with a bath and water closet). There was a second floor with four large bedrooms and a open landing. Outside there was a rear courtyard with a servants hall, knife and coal houses, larder, large bin and a force pump which filled the cistern at the top of the House. A House of this size had to have its own transport and this was accommodated with stabling situated around a paved courtyard, it comprised a double coach house, a stable with four stalls, another stable with three stalls and a box, all with lofts above, a harness room, a second smaller coach house and a range of outhouses. Nearby was a coachman's house built in the same style as the House. In the years after the House was built the gardens were developed and after a few years it was surrounded by flower gardens, a rosary, walled fruit garden, outside vegetable and fruit gardens and a n orchard, supported by tool and fruit houses. A large conservatory was built near the House, also there was a double vinery (70 feet long) complete with hot pipes and a heating room, mushroom house, melon yard, various pits, potting houses and a large soft water tank. • John Alexander Kendrew • Mary In 1916 the House is recorded as being unoccupied but records also show that it functioned as a Officer's Mess for certain periods during these dark years. In the early 1920's, Mr Edward Phillip Oppenheim lived here and it was known as 'Reepham House', 20 �Although now generally forgotten, E P Oppenheim was during this period a famous novelist who wrote about 150 books, mainly travel, in addition to many new spaper and magazine articles in this country and the USA. To avoid paying certain taxes he moved to the French Riviera in 1925 and his daughter and her husband, Mr and Mrs Ryder Smith, continued to live here until 1928. Certain local opinions in Reepham have expressed, in recent years, that the House was lived in during the 1920's by the more famous novelist, Henry Rider Haggard. This is now clearly accepted as being un true although there are a number of comparable points tha t led to the apparent acceptance of this error of me mory. They were both writing novels at the same time a nd were famous during the 1920s; both lived in Norfolk (Rider Haggard at Ditchingham) and they bot h abbreviated their christian name to the first lette r. Edward Oppenheim's daughter and son-in-law, Mr and Mrs Ryder-Smith , lived at The Ollands and the similarity of names (with Rider Haggard) probably, more than anything else, fostered this mistake. It is highly likely that the two authors were socially a cquainted and more than likely that Rider Haggard visited 'Ollands House' but he never actually lived t here. A few years of Mr Oppenheim's occupancy are s ti ll well remembered today by some of Reepham's residents. When Mr Oppenheim moved in he brought with him his own butler and a Chauffeur, recalls Wesley Piercy. The butler was a Mr London and he lived in the house (now known as Echo Lodge) which was originally built as the coachman's house. The Chauffeur, Mr Mair, lived in one of the pair of cottages in Norwich Road, opposite St Mary's 21 School. The other cottage was occupied by a gardener, Jimmy Smith and his wife Polly. Jimmy may hRve been a gardener but he also had a reputation as a Reepham character and one who was partial to more than the odd half a pint of beer, much to the chagrin of Polly who was always trying to alter his ways to those of a more temperate nature. The large field known as Mill Hill and now cove red by the Moor I-louse Close estate was part of The Ollands' grounds. It had been let by the Ken drews to a local farmer for use as arable land but j\l r Oppenheim stopped the letting and laid it down to grass. Two or three local boys li vin g in the New Road area went as a deputation and called on ~ lr Oppenheim to ask his permission for them to be allowed to play on the field. This was kindly granted on condition that they stayed out of the plantation areas. A splendid field on which to pJay foo tball or cricket after school was gained and at weekends the Band of Hope football team played their home matches there. On the fifth of November each year, on this field Mr Oppenheim provided a great firework display which was supervised by the butler and other members of the staff. There were enormous rockets and other fireworks f ar bigger and better than those that could be bought locally that enthralled the watChing crowds, particularly the youngsters who were given sparklers to hold in their hands. The fireworks stopped after Mr Oppenheim moved but use of the field continued until the property was sold, the kindness offered was greatLy appreciated and no-one ever abused the condition concerning entry to the plantations. When the House was sold to Mr Harmer he immediately banned everyone from the field and used it for exercising his two riding horses. �Marjorie Gibbs recalled the occasions that she met Mr Oppenheim; lithe first time, he came into the shop (the firm of Edward Gibbs and Son, tronmonger and Seed Merchants of Reepham which closed in 1967), he was wearing flannel trousers a blazer and a straw boater and walked about smoking a cigar; quite a personality and looked most elegant. liRe was a writer of mystery and detective novels and in those days he was widely read, he was probably as popular then as Agatha Christie is today. 11Th ere was a flourishing choral SOCiety in Reepham in the early 1920s and the twenty of so members would go carol singing at Christmastime. The first night we visited the large houses in the district having first acquainted them that we would be calling. On the second night we concentrated on various houses in Reepham finishing up at 'The Ollands'. I well remember one Christmas, I think it was 1923, we were ushered into the large entrance hall by the butler, Mr London. We were greeted by Mr and Mrs Ryder Smith who asked us to sing to them. We were then regaled with hot sausage rolls and mince pies together with liquid refreshments. I can well remember Mr Ryder Smith offering me a choice of whiskey, port, sherry or coffee, 1 very modestly chose the latter only to be admonished afterwards by my friends for not taking anything stronger whilst I had the chance. IIAt about 9.30pm Mr and Mrs Openheirn - the parents of Mrs Ryder Smith - came out from dinner (both in evening dress and he with the inevitable cigar) and they chatted with each of us; this was the second time I met Mr Oppenheim.!! The ownership passed to Mr and Mrs T CHarmer (the Norwich clothing manufacturer) who -lived there until 1950 when it was bought and lived in by Mr and Mrs F J Irwin until the late 1960s. After the lrwins left, the house remained empty. It became prone to vandals and its glory, particularly the gardens, began to fade. There was a demand at this time for residential building land and this large accessible area in the middle of Reepham was easy prey to the planners and developers. In the early 1970s the House was demolished and grandiose plans for an estate of large detached houses was commenced. A few houses we re built before the developers fell into financial difficulties and for some time the area of half constructed houses and piles of unused building materials gave the place • • a blighted air. The work was eventually resumed by other contractors and happily by the early 1980s the work was completed and the grounds of this former splendid mansion were allowed to settle to their new use. Many people in Heepham remember The Ollands with fondness and there are still some who can member the House in its heyday with its formal gardens, conservatory and paths wandering through the large number of mature trees. Very little remains today; Echo Lodge in Ollands Road, a few of the large trees are still there to remind us of the former grandeur and some of the road names will continue the memory of former residents of the House, notably Bircham Road and Irwin Close. I .uIo'''''"' , .,,, GG';;:;;' -·.-'C·..: , ' 9S 6 ," ' . .:>8J 22 �THE OLLANDS, HACKFORD··NE 23 �The Moor House In the late 1870s, William Bircham was forced to reconsider his financial position. With the encroachment of the railways, th e Bi rcham Brewery monopoly in this area was put under fierce competition, pa rti cula rly from th e Norw ich Breweries, and the family were in turn placed under severe financial pressure. In 1879 the Old Brewery House and various other lots in Reepham we re sold a t auction by Messrs Spelm an and Compa ny. The Old Brew ery House was bought by Samuel Bircham, who although a member of the Reepham Bircham family, was a successful sol ici tor who lived in Surrey a nd practised in London. It was ironic and perhaps satisfyi ng to William Bircham t hat Sam uel should purchase the Brewery House and he further extended Samuel's estRte in Reepham when after William's deat h in 1886 he lef t in his will the area in, around and including the Moor House to Samuel who had to purchase his holding. Due to his financial difficulties, William had mortgaged the Moor House and t he s urrounding area to Samuel Bignold in 1876. To in herit the property Samuel paid £2,250 to clear the mortgage. As Samuel now owned all th is a rea he decided in 1888 to clear the whole si te to ma ke the house larger and ge nerally to tUlO it into a house of some magnificence. All th e dwelli ngs, farm build in gs and o t her buildings were demolished and the whole area t urned into gardens and grounds to compliment t he new I-louse. The Bla ck Lion Public House was demolished and a new one was built on the opposite side of the road. A ga rdener's cottage was then built on the si te of the old Black Lion. The onl y early building which survived beh ind the house was probably used as outhouses and stables to ser ve the original s maller Moor House. I have been unable to fin d ou t who carried out the extensive rebuilding of the Moor House but Harry Hawes wrote in 1949 that the Black Lion was built by John Hever and Son, builders of Norwich and that his father Thomas Hawes was given the o rder to demolish a nd clear away all the cottages, farm houses and buildings which were on the site, he was also g iven the order to build about 50 yards of fl int wall with encloses part of the grounds. TilE HOUSE and the grounds that we know to-day as the Moor House were built in 1888 but there was a smaller house (with the same name) occupying the site before this date. It is difficult to detail when the original house was built, but it is known to be between 1846 and 1865, probably nearer the later date. The tithe map of 1846 for this a rea shows only a general collection of fa rm buildings and other dwellin gs. In 1865 Kelly's Director y of Norfolk records a Mrs Dalrymple as a private resident living at Moor House; th e Directory records very few private residents and it can be assumed t hat those included were persons of some rinancial means and social standing, and this status would no doubt have been shown in the local community by the size of their residence. In hi s reminiscences of Reepham, Harry Hawes recorded that rMrs Dalrymple lived there, she was aunt t o Mr Sam Bircham a very nice old lady, generous to the poor. She would ride about in a donke y chaise f itted with a glass front and whenever she went out she was always accompanied by her nurser. Mary Anne Dalrymple was born in 1778 and died in Reepham in 1875; In 1799 she was married to William Dalrymple and had ten children. It is reputed that William Dalrymple wal ked from Dumfries, Scotland to Nor wich to join some uncles in business there. He beca me a surgeon and gained a national reputation for his work at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. One of t heir daughters, Marianne, married William Bir cham in 1823. William was a brewer who lived at The Ollands and he owned the various t ithes that today make up the area of the Moor House, and it was he wh o is assumed to have built the original house .. Willi am Bir cham remained in re sidence at The Ollands and never li ved in Moor House but it seems to have been t he home of mem bers of his fam ily. Anoth er daugh t er of William a nd Mary Dalrymple was Cathe ri ne who, in 1837, married Francis Thomas Bircham and their son was Samuel Bircham who eventuall y inheritied the Moor House. After the death of Mary Ann Dalrymple in 1875 a Mr Fre nk Parmeter of Booton Hall came to live at the Moor I-louse. The Kelly's Directory of 1883 lists a Miss Bi.!'cham a nd Francis Pa rm eter as residing there. There was anoe-Ier branc h of the Bircham family which lived at Boot on Hall and Francis Parmeter (from Ayls ham ) married one of the daughters of the Samuel Bircham who resided there in the la te 18th and early 19th century (not to be confused with the ot her Samuel Bircham mentioned above). By the late 1870's Frank Parmeter was widowed and he went to live at the Moor House with one of his wife's unmarried sisters. After the House was completed (at a cost of £19,000) Sam uel Bircham lived there for part of the year alth ough working in London. He also li ved in Surrey where he built three further houses to live in. It is said that his wife did not like li ving in the Moor House and they spent their tim e in their various other homes. Sam uel Bircham lived here until the turn of the century when it was rented to Ernest Hudson who was here from about 190 3 un til hi s deat h in August 1931. Whilst living at the Moor House his son Sydney died, aged 27 in 190 9 and his wife Helen and second son Eric both died 24 �• in the infiuer:::z:z. members of t:Ie aI. Tbe OIlands this area of Reepham must, during the summer months, have been wonderful to walk rowd and look at. _ = !!. of rme :>edII: along New c:a=e the horses ~ awey by the Army. _ ~........-i-= - IiICDe of his horses cam e back B.i1rl i .. is '- &a= ¢e!' of losing them caused him nen~l" in lz.Te EY ;;;ore. Ernest Ei.lCson is still remembered today by som e residents 0: Elee?hal'IJ .,'ho recall him as a large and ki.nd elcerly man. He had a north country accent and he ""-as reputed to be part of the family that U' owned Hudson's Soaps; whether or not this is true he was always referred to as !Soapy Hudson! in Reepham. Local people who knew the House during this period rem e mbe r the grounds and front gardens as always being meticuously kept. With similar attention by full time gardeners being paid to the nearby grounds After Ernest Hudson's dea th in 1931 the House remained empty until the Second World War. It was kept windproof and wa tertight duri ng these years until it was used by the Army during the war years. There were many serving mem bers of the armed forces based in and around Reepham during this time and it seems that those based at the Moor House constantly c hanged. Their general role was not believed to be of any grea t or secret importance. In 1947 the Bircham family sold the Moor House to Dr Eglington who used it as a nursing home until the late 1980s. During the later years the House was used by numerous film and television companies to provide settings both inside and outside for various films and programmes. The most notable being the extensive use by Anglia Television in connection with the film adaptations of a number of P D James' novels. The Moor House was sold again in 1989. No part of this publication should be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior consent of The Reepham SOCiety 25 �1 Printing 1& J Watton 1 / 93 Tel. Norwich 871998 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletters Description An account of the resource A comprehensive collection of newsletters published by the Reepham Society. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Printed and digital Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/RS/Magazines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1983-2000 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Magazine 1993 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2408201700 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource A4 PDF, 28 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1993 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Reepham Society Reepham Society https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/2a933f58637e586ac91157cee4370c48.pdf 4e1930766b89dc44e967e9a089adcd3a PDF Text Text THE REEPHAM SOCIETY Magazine �THE REEPHAM SOCIETY is a local amenity society affiliated to the Council for the Protection of Rural England and its County Branch, The Norfolk Society. It was inaugurated in 1975 by 8 group of local residents design; ensuring that materials suitable to thei r location are used and features of the landscape protected. Society affairs are managed by an Executive Committee of twelve members who are elected annually. In 1993 membership of the Society had reached over 400. Open meetings are held in eight months of the year, with speakers on a wide range of subjects; non-members are welcome. A Magazine is produced periodically (at least once a year) by a Society member, Michael Black; this has customarily contained items of historic rather than current interest; current matters are reported in occasional Newsletters distributed to all members. who were concerned that the character of the town was under threat. They were worried about the possible loss of features of historic or public interest and the risks from over-development unsympathetic to this rual environment. The Society's area of influence covers Reepham, Booton, Hackford, Kerdiston, Salle and Whitwell. The Society co-operates with the Parish and District Councils in monitoring approved new developments and encouraging good standards of architectural Contents 1 Introduction Briekmaking in Reepham 2 Moor House - Glasshouse 8 13 Whitwell Hall 23 The Cawston Duel 25 In an Austin Seven No part of this publica tion should be reproduced in any '().or by any means without the prior consent 0' The Reepham Society 11 �Introduction The magazine will hopefully offer the reader articles of varying interest. although they are not all specifically about Reepharn. The area of benefit for the Society includes the four Reepham parishes. Salle and Booton but occasionally I feel it is wonh including something of a specific or historical narure from one of the nearhy villages. In this issue I have therefore included an article about the duel stone at Cawswn; many motorists on their way from Norwich to Holt or beyond will have sped past this memorial without even noticing its existence. In 1698 a duel took place which tragically resulted in the death of Sir Henry Hobart. A stone memorial was erected some years later to commemorate this and today the site is looked after by the National Trust. It is situated about 100 yards to the south of the Woodrow Garage. Until it closed down in me 1960's me Woodrow Inn was a popular stopping place for motorists on the road to and from Holt and the North Norfolk coast. It was a pleasant country Inn surrounded by trees and in those days had me added attraction to the traveller of the duel stone in its grounds. The area was spoilt when the Inn closed and many of the trees were felled to enable a garage to be built there although the National Benzole Company which owned the site presented a small area around the duel stone to the National Trust. It is sad that roday's commercialisation has brought "Jet" petrol to a site which is of such local and historical interest. Unfortunately our priority these days is to help the traveller quickly on his way rather man to encourage him to linger and give some moments of his journey to a stone commemorating an event that happened 300 years ago. I have little doubt though, that in 300 years time the site of the duel will still be remembered but will that future generation still be using (or if not, at least remembering) "Jet" petrol! The other articles are all Reepham based, I have gone back to the Moor House. Not to the House itself but into the kitchen garden to consider and enthuse about the glasshouse. This doyen of the Victorian age which at the Moor House has been so painstakingly rebuilt by the Leonard family and in particular by Mr. David Wright whose labours over the past two years have so transformed the grounds of this property. The area had been subject to neglect and disrepair for so many years and it is heartening that in a relatively short period the enthusiastic and sometimes quite seemingly brutal work carried out, has transformed the gardens back to a semblance of their fonner self. Collison Bros. built many hou ses in Reepham with the largest number contained along the Wood Dalling and Cawston Roads'. AU the bricks (and many of the tiles) used in the building of these properties were made on a site near Orchard Lane. The clay was dug on site, it was moulded into shape. fired in the kiln and the bricks were stacked ncarby until ready for use. Nothing remains today of the brickyard but the legacy of brickmaking in Reepham is seen all around with numerous buildings displaying the many and varied styles, shapes, size and colour of these basic but essential items. A large house that was certainly not built of local materials was Whitwell Hall, although the earlier Hall (much of which remains today) Obviously was. The Hall built in the 1840's for Robert Leamon is of a handsome white brick roofed in slate, a sty le lhat made the House completely different to any other in the area. At that time few people in this area would have had the wealth to buy in for example, slate for the roof but Robert was to become a man of wealth and property and ostentation is the best way of describing his particular requirements. During the course of more than 60 years from 1821 onwards Roben Leamon was to increase seven·fold the size of his Whitwell estate; his wealth increased also but the family fortunes were to reverse in the 1880's and with such drastic consequences. Like the Moor House though, Whitwell Hall is today in the state it was over 100 years ago and these two dwellings (along with Hackford Hall) display to our present generation the taste and grandeur of the families who were rich enough to build them. However. none of these families, the Birchams, Learnons and Collyers, could have foreseen that in the passage of time the Houses would remain as a lasting memorial long after they had gone. Finally my introduction must include some spec ific acknowledgements, whilst man y local residents have assisted me with oral and written material which has allowed me to write the enclosed articles my thanks in particular go to Tony Ivins, the Leonard family, David Wright and Reginald Rudd. Also to the 1898 publication of "An Account of the Church and Parish of Cawston" by Walter Rye which offered detail about the Cawston Duel. It is unknown as to whether or not the bricks used in the building of the Moor House came from a local source but if they did they would have undoubtedly been supplied from a local brickmaker and probably from the kilns situated only a few yards up the road on Crown meadow. Tel. Norwich (0603) 870936 1 Michael Black Middlemarch Broomhill Lane Reepham �Brickmaking in Reepham Like many of its neighbouring towns and villages in Notfolk, Reephum has through the centuries inherited a richness of buildings many of which survive today and hopefully with the benefit of the Reepham Conservation Area they will stand for generations to come. They may not stand out so majestically as the two churches or some of the larger buildings such as Whitwell Hall or Hackfard Hall but they are now regarded with the same level of import<Ulce and rightly so. They have an individuality of their own and as such they fann a very natural part of OUf Town. This ind ividuality is probably due to [he fact that nothing but local materials were used . In previous times transport (0 move the required items other than short local distances was extremely limi ted. Unlike recent years when a great variety of building maleriais has been brought into Reepham by the easy availi bility or lnms;:xm. However has this choice and the large number of 3adl{wrnl properties built; added or detracted from the overall chann d living in this rural market town? Most people would f!!el that lhe sol id use for so long of local ma(erials and the reC{.I!t lise of a much wider range have jointly helped develop Rcephwn into a place of some character. Wnilsl brick is generally considered to be the main building materiaj in Norfolk the three traditional materials of clay, flint and carstone have been extensively used and these along with a number of minor ones have all played their part in the cenruries old construction of buildings in Norfolk. They have all given their own individual character to the houses in which they were used . Not all these materials were used in this area as there was none locally available, notably carstone. The re are examples in the Reepham area of the use of materials which are no longer in favour as suitable for bu ilding. Weatherboarding is the style of finishing off wood framed buildings externally with horizontal courses of boarding, with one board being lapped an inch or so over the one beneath and originally they were finished with a coat of tar. This style of building found liule favour in Norfolk except in farm buildings where it was frequently used. It was a quick and efficient way of erecting buildings and whilst it deteriorates if not looked after there are a number of examples to be found in farms around the Reepham area. Weatherboarding is to be found on the east facing wall of the house on the comer of Ollands Road/Church Hill and on the renovated buildings in Reepham Moor just further up from the old Black Lion public house. Homes of half-timber work were built extensively from the Middle Ages and this method of building was reliant upon a 2 good supply of timber and craftsman who were well acguainted with this particular work. There are still a number of barns in this area which display in their roofs the art of piMing together huge wooden beams and trusses but there are very few houses left which display this particular building art. Probably the best example in Reepham is a house in Back Street. This is a two storey house which is timber framed and plastered to the street side and brick to the-rear, the main building dates from the 16lh century. At this period in Reepham's history the Back Street was either the main road through Reepham or was the edge of a medieval market place which was probably much bigger than the present one. It is likely that most if not all the original houses along here were constructed in this half-timber work. Most people associate Norfolk with flint and it is used extensively for building particularly in the south-west and along the north and north-east of the County. it was not easily obtainable il~ the Reepham area although it is seen in a number of specific places in the Town, notably the retaining wall built around the eastern edge of the Moor House and the wall on the southern end of OlJands Road (recently restored with the financial help of (he Reepham Society). The buildings with the greatest amount of flint are of course the two churches of Reepham St.Mary and Whitwell St.Michael and the lower pan of the churchyard wall along Back Street. Own individual character. �strength, often renowned for their capacity to consume large amounts of liquid to appease the thirst that this work brought, particularly in the Summer months. Excavations were carried out in the grounds of Whitwell Hall in 1973 and some fine examples of medieval flint walling were uncovered, walls which were Obviously part of a dwelling of some importance. To make clay lump the clay would have been spread out in a thick layer and all stones which were larger than a walnut would have betn removed. The clay would then have been watered and short straw, dried grass or sedge to act as a binding agent would have been spread over it and trodden in. This process was known as 'pudd li ng'. A horse or the labourers in their bare feet would have carried ou[ the 'pudd ling', which broke up the natural fracture lines in the clay and so reduced its proneness to break-up by weathering. There are two main materials left to consider and these were the most extensively used in this area; clay and brick. Originally clay was used in a process known as wattle and daub and this was the main way of building the walls. It consisted of a timber framing with wattle slicks laced vertically and horizontally in between which fanned a key for clay mortar to be stuck on. The whole of the framing was generally plastered both inside and out and buildings of this construction have almost the same appearance as those built of clay lump. The clay was then put into wooden moulds or frames to fornl a block which was generally eighteen inches long by nille inches wide by six inches deep, these would have been used for the external walls. Blocks were made to the same length and depth but only six incht:s wide for the in lernal walls. The blocks were set on level ground for a few days and when sufficiently dry were tumed up on end and taken to a platform where they were left to finally dry out. Depending upon the time of year this could take a month or Iwo and often the blocks were fanned throughout the Winter for use the following Spring. Clay lump was first used in Norfolk about 350 to 400 years ago anc was still used as a housebuilding material by local bui lders up until 50 to 60 years ago. There are some good examples at Kerdiston which were built for the District Council in the 1920's, An old say ing 'Give it a good hat and a stout pair of boots and il will lasl hundreds of years' is attributed to a clay lump house. The 'hal' is the huge ove r-hanging eaves and the "boots' being the solid base of brick or flint , the base usually being tarred for additional protection. Sometimes the houses were built with a dripboard about halfway down the side walls which would divert rainwater away from the 'boots'. The clay lumps would then be built on a plinth of brickwork or flint-work by se tling the lumps into clay mortar. The finished walls were then finished with a coal of clay slurry, topped with tar, then sanded and coloured. In other parts of Norfolk (particularly in the south) different colours were ofren used but in this area the houses were mainly white. The finishing coat had to be applied as quickly as possible after the wall was built as it was essemial not to lei water ger into the clay lump as it would disintegrate very easily. On fam bui ld ings (and sometimes on labourers cottages) the clay was often tarred. This made for a long lasting water tight building but asthetically it was not very pleasing; could anything have been gloomier to a poor faml labourer trudging back in the falling lighl than to go back to a black house. Clay was used because it was extensively available in this area, it only had to be dug out of the ground. There are many pits scattered around which testify to years of activity in extracting this material.The best example being the clay pits at Booton; these water filled pits have a reputation for being very deep which indicate to the large amount of clay that was taken over a long period of rime. This would have all been hand dug, loaded into sma ll carts and then transported to the required site, Anyone who has experienced digging ou t clay will appreciate how difficult the task was and these labourers were men of great Bricks, Pantiles and Weatherboarding. 3 �areas of brickmaking in Reepham. 'ON . ,~ , ,. ,.e.., . .. . ..... :..: ........•.~." • •~;o;,.. ". lSll P'j-. " Covering the solid clay-lump building would have been a roof of The O.S. map of 1886 shows the area in Kerdiston which had been used for at least 200 years, it closed down at the end of the 19th century. pantiles or thatch. Pantiles would have been laid on Norfolk reed and hair mortar. Thatch always seems the best covering for plaster walls and in this area good thatching straw and not reed would have been used. The second map shows the Cawston Road area from just before the Second World War; all the houses Finally. we come to brick, the material that was used most extensively for building houses and fann buildings in this area. Brickwork was introduced into this country in Roman times but the an of brickmaking ceased after they left and it was not reintroduced until the Middle Ages when brickmaking was brought to East Anglia by the many Flemish weavers who settled here at this time . were built from bricks made at Collisons brickyard (marked on the map as Kiln Chy.). Kilns were originally situated in the field just to the north east of the Crown P.H. - bricks made and fired here were used to build Newland Villas in Station Road. .. '~-89S . " 4 �Collison bought the area of land between the new railway line and the Cawston Road and during the late 1880's he built a new and large kiln at the eastern end bounded by Orchard Lane. Collisons were able to utilise the clay resources on this site to produce the bricks which during the 1920's and 30's built most of the houses that stand today on LIle Cawston Road , Wood Dalling Road and in Labumham Grove (an area orig inally called The Mountfield Estate) and the houses on New Road built for the fomler St. Faiths and Aylsham R.D.C. This area with its large pockets of suitable clay must have proved of great benefit to these immigrants who soon made and used bricks, a use that paralleled in growth with their increased prosperity. Bricks are made out of clay dug au( of the ground and allowed to weather, it is moulded into shapes and then baked. The brick earth contains sand and clay and other ingredients including oxide of iron and lime; these two are the main colouring agents with the maximum amount of iron producing a dark rich red. This is the natural colour of bricks made from clay from this area. Reginald Rudd who lives in Richmond Rise remembers working in the brickyard during the 1930's when he was apprenticed to Collison Bros. Reepham has a richness in buildings built of brick not just in the older areas of the Market Place, Back Street and The Moor but in most other areas of the Town .where the choice and use of brick reflects the now past industry of brick making in Reepham. In the past most villages had a clamp or kiln, usually situated next to a ready source of clay, from which bricks were produced. Marshall Howard a builder in Cawston operated a large kiln on the outskirts of the village until after the Second World War and brickrnaking was practised in Foulsham until the early part of this century "The brickyard was entered from the Cawston Road near the junction with Orchard Lane. It was a triangular shaped site and it ran along the railway line at the back of the houses on the south of the Cawston Road." When the houses were first built they had relatively small gardens but with the closure of the brickyard the gardens were extended over the old site and down to the railway line. Today nothing remains, the site is now entirely covered by houses ~nd the pits from where the clay was dug have long been filled in and grassed over. Even the pit which gave the site a continuous supply of water has completely disappeared. Reepham seems to have had two main places of brickmaking, the first one in Kerdiston. It is known that there was a thriving brick building business here throughout the nineteenth century and probably throughout the previous century also. There is a fann here called Brick Kiln Fann and the field directly opposite is shown on the 1846 tithe map as 'Brick Kiln Pightle'. It also shows the outline of a number of buildings which on the first O.S. map of the area in 1886 are shown as the kilns, a number of pits fr<?m where the clay was dug are also detailed. When the map was revised in 1906 the brick kilns were described as "disused' although some buildings including a smithy remained. John Eglington of Kerdiston is listed in Kellys Directory of 1846 and 1853 as a brickmaker as is Freeman Eglington in 1865 and 1875 .There is no such mention in later directories and it is assumed that brickmaking ceased here towards the end of that century. "The pit from where th~ clay was dug was situated al the bottom near the railway line; digging clay was a hard lask but made easier by having a bucket of water standing ncarby, this was used to wet the spade each time before it was put into the clay. The clay Slipped off easier with the spade wet but it was very different if the spade was dry, the clay would stick and each shovelful had to be scraped off. The clay was then taken to a large tank about 10' in diameter, known as a pugging mill, here it was mixed with water piped up from a nearby pit. The tank had a central spindle into which was fixed a bar, this extended across the top of the tank and five downward spikes were fitted to each side of the bar. It resembled a large spiked comb. A donkey or pony was harnessed up to the spind le and then walked round and round the tank so that the spikes thoroughly mixed the clay and water. Initially this was hard work for the animal but it became easier as the water was worked into the clay and a thick paste created." A great deal of energy was needed to pound and pummel the clay to the requi red consistency; it is difficult to believe that before horsepower was used this task was carried out manually - hard work indeed! NOthing remains today but if you look carefully you can find pieces of deep red brick in the ground around the kiln area. If you stand here and look eastwards towards Reepham, the field in front of you (brick kiln pightie) shows severe undulations and some very high banks. evidence of where the brick clay was dug for so many decades. \ Towards the end of the 1870's, Newland Villas, the row of houses in Station Road were built by Arthur Collison; who was in business as a publican (the Black Lion P.H.)and a builder and he used bricks from a nearby site. Brickrnaking had been carried out for many years on the area bounded by the Cawston Road and New Road. In 1846 the two small fields here were named as Clamp Close (situated just north of The Crown P.H.) and Brick Kiln Close (the area today on which the houses in New Road are being built). Brick making was carried out here although it suffered certain difficulties in 1881 when the line of the new railway was laid directly through the site. It seems that Arthur l I, "Towards j the end of the brickyard life the pugging mill was replaced by a crusher which was driven by a little petrol engine. It mixed the clay thoroughly and was also able to crush the stone and other impurities which previously had to be removed by hand. Whilst this process was faster than using a donkey or pony it was not so reliable and would often breakdown. When the clay had been thoroughly mixed into an almost plastic state the excess water was drained off (back into the pit from where it first came), the large stones would be removed and the wet clay would be dug out and barrowed up to the brickmaker. 5 �He would rake a double handful of wet clay and throw it into a mould, the clay would be tamped down, the top skimmed off and the wet brick shape turned out into a nearby barrow.The mould was always placed onto a small wooden pad which had the letter 'C' moulded onto it and this letter would be impressed into the clay when the brick was turned out. could result in a high proportion of 'throw outs'. If the heat was built up too quickly the clay would dry out too soon and the bricks would crack. This particular kiln seems in Mr. Rudd's recollection to have been soundly built to a specific design and the firing of bricks had a high degree of success. The kiln would be fired three or four times a year and each firing would produce about 5000 bricks There was one person permanently employed to run the site although when extra help was required other men from Collisons would be brought in and sometimes up to six would be employed on the site. The house on the Cawston Road known as 'Crows Nest'was built for the brickmaker. When Harry Collison was told that the first brickmaker to live here was going to be a Mr. Rook. he said "well the house must be called 'Crows Nest' " ~ and so it was. The last brickmaker for Collisons was Alan Jeffries who continued living here after the brickmaking ceased. A typical Collison Brick - made in tens of thousands during a period of more than fifty years, they were used to build many houses in Reepham, most notably around the Cawston Road. This area was originally called the Mountfield Estate. "Once the kiln had been lit the brickmaker would be responsible for bringing the fire up to temperature and keeping it going until the bricks had been baked. He would build the fire up gradually until a heat haze could be seen coming out of the top outlets,this showed the heat was going through all the kiln. He would then keep the fires going until the baking process was completed. This would take three to four weeks and during this period he would also be making more wet bricks ready for the next firing. The secret of achieving good shape was to accurately throw an adequate amount of clay with the right force, if this happened air pockets would not form and [he clay would properly fill the mould. When it was adjudged that the bricks had been fired, the fires were left to die down and the kiln allowed to cool. It would take about a week for the fire to go completely out and a further 10 days or so for the kiln to cool down. The entrances would be knocked down and the bricks removed. They were very hot when taken out and it was hard work which required a thick pair of gloves; once outside the bricks would quickly cool. The day bricks would then be moved to the drying shed where they were carefully stacked.This long narrow shed had a flat roof, slightly sloped to let the rain run off and with old sacks hanging down the sides to give further protection to the outside bricks against excessive wet. The elements, particularly the wind and sun would then partially dry them out; this process would vary depending upon the time of year and it could take several weeks. The bricks were then barrowed into the kiln and stacked from the outer edge working into the centre. The kiln was a long semi~circular brick building built partly under ground level, with doorways at either end. It was constructed with an inner oven area where the bricks were placed and an outer brick skin which conta ined a lower level where the fires burned. The fire level was reached from the outside by a number of openings at the ground level which allowed the coal to be shovelled downwards directly onto the fire. The smoke and heat went upwards over the curved inner area and out through a number of top outlets. When the kiln had been filled the entrances would be sealed up using clay and old bricks, then the fires would be lit. " The empty kiln would be checked in case any repairs were necessary to the structure and when ready the next lot of bricks would be barrowed in and the process started again. There was a considerable colour difference in the bricks, those nearest the fire were burnt almost black with the colour changing to a light red for the bricks stacked in the centre of the kiln. The black bricks were very hard and if knocked would shatter into pieces whereas the light red bricks were soft and could be easily cut and shaped with a bricklayers trowel." During the 1940's the ciay on the site had been worked out and Collisons were buying in clay from Cawston. The brickmaking process was very labour intensive, with the clay having to be bought and with competition from the increasing availability of cheaper bricks transported from the Bedford and Peterborough brickfields it was no longer a paying proposition and the yard was closed. The temperature and time needed to fire bricks in a kiln was a bit rough and ready by the standards of today but these brickmakers acquired a skill in controlling the required temperature and were able to raise the fire to something like 1000 degrees centigrade and then to hold it for the required period.lf the correct temperature was not acheived or maintained it would mean a wide range of quality in the bricks fired and The brickyard was in use for some 60 years and when it closed it fmished a manufacture that had been earned out in Reepham for hundreds of years. All traces of these brickyards and their kilns have gone but their legacy remains in the houses and other buildings that we regard as such an essential part of the character of Reepham. 6 �seventeenth and eighteenth centuries can be seen in a number of later properties. Close inspection in some areas of brickwork will show the Common English and Flemish brick bonds and the later Stretcher bond which was normally used when the structure included a cavity wall. Other less common brick bonds are also to be found here. Ordinary bricks were used for decoration, usually this was acheived by creating patterns in profile or by the bricklayer integrating different types of bonding. Decoration by using coloured bricks is nor noticable. Decoration on the end of buildings was often achieved in the chimney breasts or more particularly on the gable ends. The Dutch gable is often considered as a highlight of the bricklayers craft, whilst a number of good examples can be found in the nearby villages of Cawston and Foulsham; they do not appear to exist in Reepham. Different size bricks can oflen be found in older buildings; until the end of the eighteenth century most bricks were made two inches deep but the introduction of the brick tax in 1784 caused the size to increase with a three inch brick becoming the common size thereafter. It is not uncommon (0 find bricks larger than the three inch size; it usually depended upon the personal size nominated by the local brickmaker. One of the houses siruared along Reepham Moor; whilst architectural derails dating from the sixteenth century can be seen at Moor Farm later details of interest from both the COLLISON BROS. - Reepham Brickmallers and Builders Left to right: Horace (Horry) Collison, together with Herbert (Witty) Witred, Stanley Alford and Harold Alford. 7 �Moor House - Glasshouse architect's drawing board so that a number of 'desirable Tudorbethan residences' could be drawn in around the mature yet protected trees. Reepham already has a Moor House Close and many people would agree that we were not yet ready for a Moor House Park Estate also! We are only too aware that even with an organisation like the Reepham Society it is often difficult to protect the buildings and general landscape of the Reepham area. Government initiatives gave us a local Town plan which in tum produced a conservation area. This protected area includes much of Reepham but even with this level of protection it is still possible for structures that have stood as part of our heritage for so many years, to disappear. Often quickly and sometimes without reasonable opposition or protest. The Moor House was to be retained and planning consent was given for a number of different uses, whilst one of these was for residential purposes it was unexpected but extremely acceptable when the House was bought with the purchaser's intention of turning it into a family home. A decision which has now turned to fruition. It is even more gratifying to know that not just the House but the grounds and outbuildings also are receiving attention by the owners and eventually it is hoped to return it all to the state in which it was originally built and subsequently enjoyed over 100 years ago. In recent years we have all lamented the loss of large areas like the original Ollands Estate, or buildings like the bam on School Road or even the brick wall along Bar Lane. They could have been saved and the structures put to an alternative use; admittedly the wall along Bar Lane would have been expensive to repair and in parts to rebuild and some would argue that its costly retention would have been of little value, other than aesthetic to future generations. However, if we can consider saving the wall at the southern end of Ollands Road then the Bar Lane wall should have merited a better fate than it ultimately received from the contractors bulldozer. I'm sure many readers will have noticed and appreciated the labours of Mr. David Wright and Kirby Leonard, the owner's son. which has brought such a dramatic change in the gardens and grounds around the House. Many hours have been sP'!nt in cutting. planting and mowing these areas. Sometimes with a necessary ruthlessness and at other times with a required tenderness to ensure that a semblance of order and balance is returned to what was once an area of Victorian splendour set out in the fonnal and required manner of that age. The statutory planning controls and conditions that we have all had to consider or confront at some time or other, coupled with the media interest and subsequent regret often expressed when an old building is demolished, has given us a greater awareness of the need to retain our past even if the structu res saved have to be adapted to an alternative and more accep[able use to suit today's requirements. In receO[ years Reepham has achieved more successes than failures in retaining buildings rather than condemning them to the labours of the demolition contractors and much of this has been achieved by the local interest and desire in wanting to save buildings rather than lose them.The Reepham Society with its watchful reputation must take credit that the townscape we appreciate in Reepham today is there partly due to their effort. To the north west of the House and behind the wall along New Road was the kitchen garden, an area of starus and immaculateness that was the domain of the head gardener and his staff and which would have been ranked by Samuel Bircham and his family as one of the most important areas in the Moor House grounds. The walled kitchen garden is a form of gardening that was practised for many centuries but it reached its zenith in Victorian times when there was a tremendous demand for this relatively small area to produce a wide range of fruit. vegetables, flowers and plants to meet the constant requirements of the House and its occupants. A continous supply of vegetables for the dining table. fruit for dessert. flowers for decoration and pot plants for the house would be expected and it was the head gardener's job to meet this and for all days of the year. It was therefore to the relief of all interested parties a considerable triumph of common sense and a sense also of local history when it was announced that The Moor House was to remain. It was not going to ignominiously end up as a pile of rubble or that a plan of its grounds would end up on an 8 �However, this legacy of Victorian splendour was time consuming and highly expensive in tenns of labour. As social conditions changed during the earlier decades of this century it became an area of neglect, forgotten and unused by its later owners, a victim of 20th century changes and the mass yet cheap import of fruit and vegetables which had previously only been available to the landowner who had money to spend on heated glasshouses and a large gardening staff. However this garden and the glasshouse in particular. is now pan of a success story of which the owners must be justifiably proud and I'm sure they would like to share this with all those people in Reepham who have cares or feelings that something that could have so easily been forgotten has not just been saved but has been painstakingly, and I've· no doubt expe nsively restored. to it's original condition. There were many reasons for the popUlarity of glasshouses with the Victorians but two in particu lar allowed this era to reach the zenith of its use. Prior to 1845 glasshouses had been common in the very large country hou ses where money to provide and support them had been no object to me rich landowner. rn 1845 the removal of the glass tax meant that glasshouses and the general lUXUry of forced garden produce could be available to most houses of consequence in both town and country. Secondly. Thomas Rivers a well known Victorian nursery man came up with the idea of 'orchard houses' after experimentation in 1848 at his nursery. He found that he could grow peaches. nectarines and apricots with great success if he sheltered plants with a glazed roof and sides and allowed ventilation through openings which could be adjusted so as to maintain a constant temperature. This gave maximum prmection to the fruit trees and it ensured the setting of fruit in Spring and the thorough ripening of next year's fruiting wood during the Autumn. The fruit and vegetable garden at the Moor House became like so many others an item of the past and because it was untended it slowly returned to a natural state. This particular garden however was destined for a revival. The brick boundary wall along New Road reaches 18' in height along its southern end; this was purpose ly built as it was [Q fonn the back wall of the carriage house and the stable block which in tum stood next to the large kitchen garden glasshouse. The precise and orderly Victorian thinking deemed that the glasshouse would face directly south overlooking the garden which would in tum be situated next to the ample and continous supplies of manure generated by the horses stabled next door. Many people in Reepham were aware of this large glass building and most could recall that within their memory it had always been in a sorry state. Some and it is not very many. could remember it from the pre-War days of the 1930's when it was last commercially used. The memory though of most people was of its broken guttering. of the smashed glass panes which had once so majestically covered the wooden frame and of the frame itself. now paintless and in many places rotten. The interior was choked with nettles. brambles and other weeds which along with the few remaining hybrid plants had grown rampant as they all struggled for light and survival. It had become a jungle of untamed growth and it seemed to epitomise the collective neglect and disinterest that had befalIen the House and grounds. He wrote a pamphlet about this called "The Orchard House" which was so popular that it appeared as a book and this ran to many editions during the decades after 1850. It was said that the orchard or large glasshouse became so familiar and essential in a good Victorian garden that no other garden structure up to that time had ever advanced so quickly in popularity. 9 �Initially the orchard house differed from its companion glasshouse as it was primarily to grow fruit in. However it was soon found that a broad range of garden fruit and vegetables could be grown together and the Moor House glasshouse is a good example of a unit that was able to offer this double requirement. The high north wall allowed for trained fruit and the lower south area was ideal for a wide range of other fruit and vegetables which would grace the dining table. Up to the early/mid part of the 19th century there were only a small number of vegetables available for the country house table and during the winter months the variety was very limited indeed. It was said that a turnip. cabbage or leek were often the winter mainstay ahh ough broccoli. cauliflower. peas. seakale and artichoke were becoming popular. As the century progressed gardeners found that by forcing vegetables on hotbeds of fe nnenting manure, in forcing sheds. frames, terracota pots or in warm glasshouses they were able to offer a wider range of vegetables and fruit and for them to make an out-oF-season appearance on the dining table. It was possible to provide fruit from heated glasshouses two months or more earlier than its normal season. A glasshouse the size of the one at the Moor House would have undoubtedly been fitted with a system of iron piping which would have been fed from a small outside boi ler and the heat provided would in tum be used to force on the fruit and vegetables. The Moor House glasshouse presents us however with someth ing of a conundrum because there is no evidence of a boiler house or any fonn of heating, other than natural sunlight, being provided. Miss Ann Bircham whose family owned the House can recall the kitchen garden area during the 1920's but cannot recall the ex istence of any fonn of heating. The internal ironwork of the glasshouse is structured with a large open hole in each support indicating that is was probably designed to take a heating pipe but for some unknown reason they were never installed. It was known that when Samuel Bircham built the House his wife was never happy to live here and in consequence the time spent here was on a limited basis. Perhaps Samuel felt that the cost of installing a boiler and then running this for an irregular household use was an expense [hat could be avoided. It seems therefore that from the time it was built and until the tenancy of Mr. Ernest Hudson (1903 to 1931), the glasshouse was used in a fairly fannal gardening way but was still able to provide a wide range of fruit such as peaches, nectarines. figs, early vegetables for the winter table, summer salads including tomatoes and cucumbers and no doubt melons. a particular Victorian favourite. Gooseberries, raspberries and currants could also be potted-up and brought on in such a house. When Ernest Hudson rented the Moor House in 1903 he introduced a more regular use to the glasshouse - he turned it into a commercial peach house. The house provided a cool shelter to several peach trees which would have been trained to fan shapes. This meant th at in January the dead wood (which had borne fruit the previous season) would be cut off and the young shoots fonned the last Summer would be tied-in to wires which were nailed into the nonh wall. This pruning and tieing-in would have been carried out to a high standard, if not the work would be undone and would be painstakingly re-tied to the head gardener's satisfaction. The peaches that were grown were picked and sent for sale to Covent Garden in London; during the earlier part of this century fresh sem i-exoti c fruit commanded good prices and there was little competition from the Mediteranean countries. The fruit would be picked one or two days in advance and laid out to dry so that the skin would lose the effects of humidity which would have built up in the glasshouse. The peaches would then be wrapped in tissue paper or in a thin layer of cotton wool and the wrapped peaches were then placed in boxes (which usually held twelve frui t) and these small boxes would be stacked into returnable fruit hampers. 10 �The glasshouse today is a wonderful structure, the triumph of a desire to return a useful and well built example from the the Victorian age back to a pristine state and for the building to be used once more for its original purpose. Whilst we, the readers, are probably coment with our lO'x6' or t 2'x8' green hou ses After the fruit had been firmly yet securely packed it would be taken to Reepham Station and from here start its journey to London. It arrived after only a few hours and would enable the fruit picked in Reepham to arrive perfectly ripe and ready for immediate dinner table consumption. ,. When Ernest Hudson died in 1931 the House remained empty for a number of years until it was used for military purposes during the Second World War, In these few years up to 1940 the Bircham family retained the services of a gardener who continued to work and look after the kitchen garden and the glasshouse. It is fair to say that from the War onwards the use of the glasshouse declined and it subsequently fell into the state of dilapidation that became familiar for so many years to those people using New Road. _ _-...,:c_ . -,,-i:::~~' .--~-.. . _ ......o:... :.;...,_~'- -- :J~~l~:::-_ ~-=:- _.__ Care and expense though has now been lavished on [he glasshouse and today it resembles closely the state in which it would have been see n over 100 years ago; but what efforts it has taken. More than 1500 panes of glass were purchased and installed, considerable carpentry time has been spent on repairing and replacing the damaged woodwork particularly the lower opening window frames. All the original Victorian ironwork supports have been retained although they were in good need of cleaning and repaiming. The strucrure however proved to be remarkably sound and what is seen today is all original. Even the hand pump on the eastern end has ~en restored to working order. There is an underground tank at thi s end which collects rainwater from the glass roof, the tank is not overlarge for such a building of this size and David Wright feels that in some long past hot Summer the tank would almost certainly have been completely emptied. bought in an easily erectable state, we can offer nothing but admiration for a project that has seen the rebui ld ing of a glass structure lOO'x18';d8'. Now that their labours have achieved such a success let us hope that those instrumental in this project will have many years "fruitful" pleasure from it. There is one other fearure from the past that remains in (he building - a large vine. This is one plant that has withstood all the natural turmoil and upheaval of the past 50 years. Hopefully this year it will produce a harvest of grapes, the first for many years to come. Ann Bircham can recall the vine being here in the 1920's; vines were a favourite with the Victorians so is it feasible that here is a surv ivor from the plants installed by Samuel Bircham's gardeners so long ago. 11 �THE MOOR HOUSE GLASSHOUSE - 12 1993 �Whitwell Hall Godolphin was a nobleman who was fond of a good talk and a quiet life and so delighted was he with the Doctor's conversation that he invited him to go and live with him. He also introduced him to all his friends and in due course obtained for him the post of non-resident physician at the Chelsea Hospital. Monsey was able to live at the Earl's house at S1. Jame's in London. I In London this extraordinary Doctor from Norfolk, with his I l I According to the 18th century Norfolk historian, the Rev. Blomefield, the history of the manors of Gamban and Whitwell Symonds (which includes today the areas of Whitwell Hall and Hackford Hall) can be traced back to Anglo Saxon times. The land is listed in the Domesday Book (1086) as being owned by Rolf de Bellofago who was given the land after the Nonnan conquesl. In 1659 Augustine Messenger held the Manors of both Whitwell and Hackford and in 1680 these were inherited by Robert Monsey who became Rector of Bawdeswell in 1683, In 1689 he was obliged to take an oath of allegiance and supremacy to the new King William but he declined to do this and he was subsequently deprived of the living at Bawdeswell. He was more fortunate than many other members of the clergy in that he owned a small but yet comfortable estate and so he retired to Whitwell to live. He was able to indulge in his passion for growing plants paI1icularly oaks and some of the oak trees that he planted at Whitwell during these later years still survive in good order today.lt was here that his son Messenger was born in 1693. It is said that the eighteenth century was rich in "interesting physicians" and one of the most remarkable (and certainly the oddest) was Doctor Messenger Monsey. He is recorded as being uncouth, unwashed, able to del iver the most outrageous remarks and generally to behave in the most unseemly manner, was generally unpopular yet always tolerated on account of his wit and malice. He is mentioned in most of the contemporary records of the time. Messenger spent his fonnative years at Whitwell being educated by his father until 1711 when he entered Pembroke College, Cambridge. He graduated B.A. in 1715 and returned to Norwich to study medicine. He finally settled down to practise at Bury St. Edmund's and might have remained there for the rest of his days had it not been for a fortUnate accident which occurred when the second Earl of GodoJphin was taken ill at Bury, on his way LO his house at Newmarket. Monsey was summoned to attend and the patient made a swift recovery although history does not record whether the recovery was fully or partly due to the professional ability of Messenger. appalling manners and scathing tongue was a novelty and became an instam success in the broad social circle of friends of the Earl of Godolphin. He became a great friend of Sir Roben Walpole (who was the first person to hold the office of Prime Minister) and it is reputed that Messenger was the only man who dared to contradict him and to beat him at billiards. The Doctor had a prodigious output of general verse and literature but his celebrity owed linle to the pen but everything to his conversation and hi s habits. He never did anything in a common manner, when one of his teeth ached, he would tie it by a length of catgut to a perforated bullet and fire the bullet from a pistol: he claimed this method of dentistry to be painless and urged all his friends to remove their painful teeth in the same manner. He never said anything unless it was unexpected or outwgeous, his talk was vigorous and incessant. anecdotal, highly flavoured and crowded (like his letters) with classical quotations and deplorable puns. He was also reknowned as a teller of scurrilous after dinner stories once the ladies had retired and ldt the gentlemen to their port Lord Godolphin died in 1766 and none of Messenger's other patrons could quite endure the possibility of having him as a pennanent resident in their houses. He had married when he lived at Bury but his wife was dead and his only child, Charlotte, was married to a linen-draper in London and was preoccupied with her large family. The idea of retirin.g and moving back to Whitwell was the very last thing he wanted to do so he had to leave 5t. Jame's and retire to apartments in Chelsea Hospital. He continued to maintain his contacts and his remarks were as much quoted as ever; but he grew old and soured and intensely di~agreeable, and his dress and general deportment became even more eccentric. He was much disliked at Chelsea particularly by the junior doctors who were eager for his post and salary. Messenger would aggravale them by refusing to give up the position and by saying thar they would all die before him anyway: a statement which he did his best to fulfil by living to the age of ninety-five. He becanle increasingly lonely as the years wore on, for he had by now outlived all his friends, and his scalhing wit and 13 �unpredictable conversation was too strong to be accepted or appreciated by this later era of London society. His daughter spent as much time as she could willI him but this was limited as she had eleven children and a husband who was in business. During these later years he maintained a regular correspondence with William Wiggeu Bulwer of Heydon Hall, William lived only a few miles from the Whitwell estate and generally kept an eye on the place for Messenger. It is known that Messenger and Charlotte would occasionally visit Norfolk but it seems that whilst they would visit Whitwell they would always stay at Heydon, in any case the Hall would have a tenant living there. Travelling from London to Norfolk in the 18th century would have had its limitations and in these later years the old age and failing health of Messenger coupled with the family ties of Charlotte would have made journeys impossible. In 1767 he began these letters to William and they continued with the last one being written only a month before his death in December 1788. 10 20 Chiins )I, mile Whilst outwardly he appeared the same disagreeable and awkward person he had always been, these letters displayed him in a mellower and less savage mood. Amid the wit and general buffoonery there runs a pleasant current of affection and kindness particularly for his daughter and especially for Mr. and Mrs. Bulwer and their daughters Molly and Sally. He wrote of Heydon as the place "where I have always met with so much cordiality, pleasure and hospitality - for I do assure you I have passed no moments of my life with more satisfaction than at Heydon". He died at Chelsea at the age of ninety-five, on the 26th December 1788. His will was wonhy of him. It was nineteen pages long and was extremely detailed and complicated. He insisted, with elaborate and ghastly directions, that his body should be dissected and the remains thrown into the Thames. The recipients or his clothes were detailed down to his 'old shoe buckles'. Many people received sums of money ranging from Five Pounds To Six Hundred and Fifty Pounds but all his propeny and lands 'in the parishes of Whitwell and Hackford in the County of Norfolk' went to his daughter Charlotte. A complicated entail that the Whitwell estate should pass to her female children and to their issue only was included and it seems that Messenger's intention was to exclude the male line of the family from any long tenn inheritance. J. mile ( 440 yotrdsl Whitwell s~c,: H.R .O. e-i.. I/:C:>(co-:...":..:.!!'~~~ The exten t 01 the Whitwell Hall estate is indicated by the shaded fines. rft",p 14 rlg,o �Hall was initially occupied on an annual tenancy by Mr. Matthew Breese Copeman. However it was only eight months later that, in the same newspaper, the following notice appeared on five consecutive Saturdays in February and March 1822. Like her faLher, Charlotte did not appear to have lived at Whitwell Hall during the rest of her lifetime. She had eleven children and a husband who was in trade in London as a linen draper. Their home and business was fimlly rooted in the Capital and there seemed little sense in moving up to a rural estate in Norfolk and so for a few years longer Whitwell Hall and its fanns continued to be let to tenants. Fadens 1790 map of Norfolk marks Lhe Hall as being occupied by a Mr. Thomas Cooke . Charlotte only lived for a few more years and she died in 1798. Her eldest daughter Caroline inherited the Whitwell and Hackford Estates and on the 18th March 1800 she married John Bedingfield Collyer. John was the 2nd son of Daniel Collyer of Wroxham Hall and he and Charlotte moved into Hackford Hall. The Collyer family and their subsequent generations were to live at Hackford until Brigadier-General John Collyer left during the 1930's. The exact date cannot be established but at this time the Whitwell Hall estate was sold by Caroline either just before or j ust after her marriage. In the Land Tax Return of 1801 for the parish of Whitwell the proprietor is shown as Edward John Ellis. The same Edward Ellis is listed in the Momingthorpe Return for 1800 so it is probable that he purchased the estate between April 1800 and March 1801. The Land Tax Return for Whitwell continues to record Edward Ellis as living at Whitwell until his death in February 1821. His subsequent Will shows him to have been a somewhat wealthy man, he left a number of specific cash bequests totalling nearly £3000 with several bequests payable per week or per year fo r the reSl of the life of lhe recipient. The whole of the estate was left to his nephew James Ellis of Hackford with the provision for him to "be kind to his Father Arthur Ellis, if not the estate was to pay him an allowance of 20/· for the rest of his life". Unfortunately history does not record the actual outcome! Also included in the Will was £100 to Robert Leamon the Younger of Fakenham who was also appointed as sole executor and was to be paid expenses and a reasonable allowance for carrying out the necessary executive duties. James Ellis was a harness and collar maker (also the trade of Robert Leamon) who lived with his wife Alice and their eight children in a house on the comer of Reepham Market Place, on the site which was later occupied for so many years by Barclays Bank. James however declined to move into Whitwell and it was left to Robert Leamon as executor to find a tenant for the Hall and its surrounding arabIc and pasture land. The letting was advertised in the Norfolk Chronicle in early June 1821 and the AI '11Ie AII.i!d 11111, Marht Pir/ee, Nonl'icJ, tI';j' dwy 2'IJ Mureh bi'IWI't'li lilt! IwlUs vf J and 5 itl IIII' afll'rl/Oo/l (unlcss SOUlier Jispvsd oj by Pn·vale eMllrml). All Ihat very desirable ESTATE called HI11irweIl Hall, in WllitUleIl, in the COlillty if Norfolk, late rhe residence cf Edward jolHi Ellis, Gefltlemall deceased alld t10W i'l the oC(IIpatioti cf Mr. Matthew Breese Copemall, as tel/ali t from year to year; comprising a capital Matlsioll HOlise will! artached and detached qffices of evel}' descriptiotJ, fit for the resideuce tf a Gellteel Famify atld 130 acres, three roods alld 17 perches by slIn.-ey, of excellelll arable and pas/lire laud, willI hams, stables alld every otller requisite f arm buildiflgs, for the ocwpatiot1 cf the same. Also a Messuage, fl OW used as Cottages atld a COI/Vel/iel/l atld and well plamed Ti.J/I Ya rd, comaillilJg 14 /Jalldlers, 17 vats, six laps wilh tlecessary limes alld grait,ers, convenient dl}'illg shed, mill house, leather hOl/se, bark hams, .Hables alld other outbuildings, requ;sitt'for carryillg 0/1 the Tan/lillg Trade . TIle /vial15iotl H Ol/se comaiflS all elltrallce hall, with keepillg room, dillillg and drawing rOOIllS, six bedrooms, three allies, kitchen, store rootll, good (ellars and otlier domestic offices; it is situated 011 an eminen(e wilh a lawlI ill fro/It surrounded by growing plantatiOfIS, which it1close a trout stream, a greenhouse alld large gardetls, well planted with choice Jruit trees, a capital orchurd eU. The Estate may be viewed UpOIl applica{ion to Ihe tenat1t. Printed particulars and conditions if sale are ready for delivery alld may be had of the Auctioneer alld at the place of Sale atld for price by Privare Cot/tract apply personally or by letter post paid to Mr james Ellis at Reepham or Mr Robert uamon jutlior at Faker/ham. The Auction Sale did not however produce a buyer and Robert Leamon obviously felt the time had come to move up from the status of harness maker to that of country gentleman and so he purchased and duly moved into Whitwell Hall during the summer of 1822. This move was confinned when the following notice appeared in the Norfolk Chronicle in November 1822. Fakenham - To be sold by Auctiot1 all Wednesday 13th N ovember TIle remainill...,! parts if the valuable stock itl trade cf Messrs Leamon alld SOt1, Saddlers, Collar atld Harness Makers. To be sold without reserve 15 �Robert purchased not just the Hall and its surrounding farmland but also one of the two Whitwell tanneries. The tannery had been an essential part of lhe Estate business since the 18th century and it was to remain so throughout the next 50 or more years. Robert's ownership introduced a period of considerable change at Whitwell.He enlarged and modernised the tannery during the 1840's He made sure the estate was properly farmed and also built up a thriving timber business. Robert was obviously a man of some wealth and in 1840 he pulled down most of the old red brick Hall and built in its place the white brick and slale roofed Regency style house that remains to this day. In 1842 he moved the road some 100 yards to the north and built a new carnage drive which ran to the front of the House. ROBERT LEAMON who bought the Whitwell Estate in 1822. On the southern boundary of the present park are some springs, the presence of which no doubt gave the origination of the name 'Whitwell'. The springs flow up from the chalk and if the surface chalk is disturbed the water runs a muddy white. In old English Whitwell means white spring. At the time of the enlargement of Whitwell Hall embankments were constructed to contain the flowing water and so some four hundred yards east of the Hall Robert constructed a reservoir (or spring pond) to supply the Hall with a supply of fresh water. Research has shown that at the eastern end and a few yards below the reservoir a brick lined pit was built to contain a hydraulic ram which was installed in 1842. This machine used a flow of water from the reservoir to pump a smaller quantity along 300 yards of lead piping up to a tank in the Hall. The water was (and still is) very hard and this quickly coated the inside of the pipe which in tum minimised the danger of lead poisoning. The rise from the ram to the tank was about 80 feet and it took ten gallons of flow to pump one gallon of water into the tank at the rate of one gallon each minute. ......... The reservoir, which originally supplied the Hall with all its watervery little of the original ram can be seen today, what is left is situated at a lower level and in the trees at the far left of the picture. 16 �The original installation pumped the water into a large slate tank mounted on brick piers in the boiler room. Water was then piped co the kitchen and from here it was collected by the maids and carried by them to the parts of the Hall that required it. In later years tanks were installed in the anics and these were primarily used to supply the bathrooms and the flush lavatories. The waste flow of water which drove the ram was channelled along the southern boundary of the Park and a dipping place was made with brick steps leading down to the water so that the families living in the Orwell Cottages could come with their pails to get the water they required for their domestic purposes; this was in everyday use until 1939. The reservoir filled from the chalk springs it has always run constantly to overflow and has never been known to freeze over. It maintains a constant temperature of 10 degrees centigrade throughout all times of the year. The ram supply was used for the Hall until 1970 when the increasing use of agricultural sprays in the arable field next to me reservoir was judged likely lO pollute it. Robert's change of status in life to that of country gentleman was acheived by hard work and a shrewd ability to rum all aspects of the Estate into a profitable business. He died on the 7th March 1853 and was succeeded by his eldest son, also named Robert. ROBERT LEAMON (2nd) In his lifetime Robert (2nd) was to greatly enhance his inheritance and also to enjoy a reputation as a considerable personage. He owned an estate of nearly 800 acres and his business interests thrived. He was involved in politics and was the sponsor for Clare Sewell Read, a well known Norfolk MP of the time . He was also secretary to the group of country gentlemen who in 1850, erected by means of public subscription, the large Corinthian column erected as a monument to the memory of Thomas Coke at HoU~ham Hall. He is also known to have had a financially lucrative contract to supply timber to the Government, probably for the Navy and he bought large amount's of oak from other Norfolk estate's such as Felbrigg. He'must have had considerable capital available to be involved in and to sustain such a venrure. Robert had obviously inherited some of his fathers business acumen and he continued to take the Leamon family through a period of financial prosperity. a period that was to eventually decline and end so unhappily a few years after his unfortunate death in 1878. Whilst there were a number of reasons for the decline in the family fortunes they can be initially traced to a disastrous fire which occurred in 1874. The fIre which burned for three days destroyed the many stacks of tan bark which stood in.a yard near to the tannery; some of the tannery buildings were also burnt down. The can bark was not insured and to replace this and also to update the tannery Robert had to borrow capital. Skins for tanning had to be obtained from slaughterhouses and these mainly came from Norwich where most of the completed 17 MARY GILL Wife of Robert Leamon (2nd) �WHITWELL HALL in the 1880's showing some of the notable 192 3'300 changes and additions made by the Leamon family . IB61 2 ' 459~'I ' Hall I? "', : 1. The site of the Tannery. 15S l J ,, 2. The new co urse of the 53 1' , beck (the 'new cut ') which supplied the tannery with water. 157 3. The two cottages (now 'Hillside') let to the Midland and Great Northern Railway Company as homes for the 5 "97' station-master and signalman. Bought by the company in 1919 and turned into one house for lhe station master. 4. The line of trees built to screen the new station from the fron t view of the Hall. 133 l~ 020 5. The reservoir and hydraulic ram installed in 1842 to pump water up to the Hall. 18 �leathers were transported back with much of the trade going directly to the shoe manufacturers. The untreated skins were delivered to Whitwell in relatively small loads by carriers carts and this slow and limited fonn of transport was unable to compete with the new railways. The extension of the Victorian railway system enabled hides to be transported quickly and in bulk. Small country tanneries began therefore to suffer from serious competition at this time from the large urhan tarmeries notably in Bennondsey. Much of the work in the larger tanneries was helped by machinery whilst the local tanneries output was acheived· almost wholly by labour intensive means. Robert realised that his tannery was becoming uncompetitive and with the additional burden of the 1874 flre he decided not to just rebuild and replace his loss but to modernise the overall rannery enterprise. Money for the venture had to be raised and it appears that Robert borrowed from a local group of businessmen known as the Springfield Group of trustees. He greatly extended the Tannery by making additions of other tan pits, drying sheds and by building in 1876-77 an engine house fitted with a steam engine. This was used to grind the bark which was essential to make the tan liquor in which the hides were steeped. The outflow from the sJc.jn washing and particularly when the tan pits were cleansed gave off a dreadful odour, so Roben moved the course of the beck further to the east of the Hall by having a new course dug out. This is still referred to locally as the 'new cut'. Despite all the investment business did not upturn and the local community. and his family. were all greatly shocked at the severe loss when Robert committed suicide in August 1878. He hanged himself in one of the Whitwell Hall bedrooms. He was succeeded by his son Phillip. Phillip was unable to stop the decline and the Leamon fortunes went from bad to worse with the whole enterprise eventually being declared bankrupt in 1883. Phillip went to India to try and recoup the fortune but he didn't succeed; whilst he was away his wife remained at the Hall until 1887 when the Springfield Trustees foreclosed and she and her family were forced to leave. Her six small children were placed in the care of various relatives,and she went to live in Norwich. Sadly the considerable strain these years placed upon her affected her mental condition and she finished her life in an asylum. In retrospect it is ironic that the coming of the railways was the death knell of the country tanneries yet Robert sold some of the Estate land to the Midland and Great Northern Railway to enable Whitwell Station to be built in 1883. When it was sold Robert insisted on the condition that the M and GN plant trees along the new line of the road to screen the sight of the new station from the Hall. The trees subsequently planted were SCotS Pines; they grew quickly and fulfilled the screening condition. Most of them remain standing today. The front of WHITWELL HALL (in the 1880 's) looking towGrds the east; Robert Leamon (1 st) built the Hall in the 1840 's and also constructed a new carriage drive which led to the front of the building. This was closed up in the 1920 's and since then all traffic has used the rear driveway only . t The three generations of the Leamon family who lived at Whitwell all had large families and today their descendems are widely scattered throughout the world. In recent years Tony ivins has enjoyed a correspondence with branches of the family liv ing in Canada, Tasmania and in many pans of this country. The Springfie ld Trust retained the ownership of the Estate for the next 40 years and the Hall was let to various tenants. In December 1921 Mr. C. Banan bought the Estate but by 1925 he 19 �- The property was then sold to Forest School Ltd (1928) Ltd. ( a private company registered as an educational charity) which has owned the Hall to this day. Forest School had outgrown its original premises in the New Forest and they moved to Norfolk in the Spring of 1938. The school remained here until early 1940 when the threat of invasion along the Nonh Norfolk coast caused the children and teaching staff to be evacuated to south Devon. The Army requisitioned the Hall shortly afterwards and they remained here until late 1945. The School did not return but a Forest School Camp was held during the Summer of 1947 and during the next 20 years the Hall was increasingly used for Easter and Summer holiday camps and for staff training courses. In 1965 tented camps and house accommodation was offered to schools during ternl time and this pattern of term time activity and holiday camps continues today as the Whitwell Hall Country Centre. Tony Ivins joined the staff of Forest School when it moved to Whitwell in 1938 and apart from war service with the RAP from 1940 -46 he has been actively engaged with the School to this present day. Suzanne Dammen joined the school staff in the summer of 1939 and Suzanne and Tony were married in 1946 and made Whitwell their home . PHILLIP LEAMON - taken in 1879 a year after he inherited the estate from his father. had sold the 320 acre Hall Fann to Mr. Arthur Stimpson and also sold to CapLE.H.Barclay the Hall and 40 acres of parkland. Capl. Barclay lived at Whitwell with his wife and three daughters until 1937 when he inherited Colney Hall and subsequently moved there. Robert Leamon b.1787 d.1853 Robert Leamon m. Mary Gill b. 1822 d.1878 b. 1819 d. 1883 I I Robert had married Mary Gill in 1847 and like most other Victorian families of this period they had a large family; their first child a son was born in 1849 and ten more children followed during the next twelve years. The first son was called Robert (as had been the first son of the previous three generations). Sadly he died at the age of two and the Estate was in time inherited by the next eldest son Phillip, who was born in 1853. Another son was born into the family in 1854 and he was subsequently christened Raben. I Robert Phillip m. Elizabeth Reed b. 1849 d. 1851 b.1853 b. 1855 d. 1932 d.1924 . I 1 Mary Phillip Muriel Lilian Connie Herbert TIlE LEAMON FAMILY at WhitweU HaIl 1822 - 1887 b.1855 d.1904 b.1862 d.1928 b.1857 d.1954 b.1856 d.1935 Arthur '. Sydney Julia Annie b. 1854 b.1854 d. 1924 d.1895 b.1852 d. 1929 I I Robert + Rosa (Twins) Fanny I Brian and Sue Evans assisted by Paul Mortimer are now responsible for the management of camps and house· parties and also for the Estate. Tony still maintains an active interest as he is chairman of the company directors. Mary Herbert b.1856 d. 1871 b. 1857 d.1933 In the Whitwell Road cemetery there is a large memorial to Robert and his wife Mary and also to their 11 children. On the other side of the cemetery and almost parrallel to this memorial is the family grave of the Collyer family. It is perhaps ironic that the two families who lived and worked as neighbours should end with their final resting places so close together. 20 �JfRS PHILLIP LEAMON with her six children; Mary the eldest/ooks about 8 years old and so the pic ture was taken about 1889 some two years after the fa mily had left Whitwell Hall. The three eldest children with their mother, nurse and Mr Preston the coachman. Taken in 1884 it also includes a lady, at ille back of the trap. whose name is unknown although it is probably one of Mrs Phillip Leamon l; sisters·in-law. 21 �Members of the Whitwell Hall Staff in the late 1870's The large memorial to Robert, Mary and their 11 children in the foreground . .. the family grave of the Collyer family may also be seen almost directly in the background. WHITWELL HALL 1993 The outline of the Conserva tory from the 1880 picture can be seen on the side wall of the main building. 22 �The Cawston Duel Sir Henry Hobart of Blickling Hall was a Norfolk baronet and had been M.P. for Kings Lynn in 1681. He was a strong supporter of the Revolution of 1688 against James II and was later to fight in Ireland with the army of William III and was with him in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne. He was again M.P. for the County in 1695, but lost his seat in 1698 . There seems little doubt that some election squabble caused the famous Caws ton duel fought in August of that year. Oliver Le Neve, his successful opponent was born about 1663. Although the family name was an old one in the County of Norfolk it was not one of the nobility, in fact his father was an upholsterer who came to London to follow his uade . Oliver benefited in finance and also in position when his kinsman and namesake Oliver Neve of Great Witchingham, who had also been a London tradesman, left him a considerable property. which allowed him to be sent to Oxford to be educated. After leaving Oxford he moved back to Norfolk and lived for some time at Mannington Hall and whilst here he married into two well placed Norfolk families. Firstly to Anne Gawdy (the daughter of Sir John Gawdy) who died in childbirth and secondly, in June 1698, to Jane, the daughter of Sir John Knyvet of Ashwellthorpe. Oliver's honeymoon, therefore, was hardly over when the quarrel which ended so fatally took place. The cause of the dispute seems to have been some remarks which Oliver Le Neve was said to have made that Hobart was a coward and had shown himself to be so when he was fightillg in Ireland. It seems that these remarks were made shortly after Sir Henry Hobart had lost his local seat as an M,P. but at the time Le Neve denied that it was he who had made them ami Le Neve seems to have written denying the trulh of the allegation. Hobart would nOl accept this denial and he went to Reepham and insinuted publicly that Le Neve: wrote the letter to avoid fighting him. Le Neve felt his honour had been sullied and wrote back with a challenge for a duel "Honored Sir, t at Reifham yesterday, when you I am very sorry I was no . h that I might not only gave yorseif the trouble of appeanng tn::e~aying what is reported I have further justified the Trut~d of mYthat I wrote not that Letter to oU did but that I might have to. Yh dit or yor author has confirmd , b t that if t e ere !I hn avoid fighting you; u , d nd desirous to meet you w e you in the beliif of it, I an: rea I yo;herwise, I expect your Author'S and where you please to asslg;I ~a take my satiifaction there; or name in return for thiS I tha from Blickling, and send you a else conclude the Imputacon spr':~l not rest as it is, tho' it cost the time and place; for the matter s a life of Yor Servant, OLIVER NEVE . Aug. ye 20th, '98 23 �The duel was very quickly organised and it took place the next day on Sarurday 21st August 1698 and was no doubt a fierce one, for Hobart ran Le Neve through the arm and Le Neve, who was a left handed fencer, hit Hobart in the belly and seriously wounded him. Henry Hobart died the next day and was buried at Blickling on 26th August. Apparently no monument to his memory was erected at Blickling but a stone memorial was erected on the duel site., The stone was paid for by Mr. W. Wiggett-Bulwer of Wood Dalling Oliver Le Neve died of apoplexy, at the age of 48, in November 1711 having survived the duel thirteen years. A great sportsman and greater drinker, the open-air life of a country gentleman probably kept him alive longer than might have been expected, and remains to this day. Henry Hobart had nine children, one little girl being only two months old at the date of the duel. His wife survived him less than three years, dying of consumption in August, 1701. Le Neve recognising that the County influence of the Hobart family was too great for him, left the country immediately and went to Rotterdam. Ways and means for the fugitive's keep in Holland were raised by a sale of goods by Robert Fisher, who wrote to him on 23rd January 1699, that he could only raise £100. Oliver's newly married wife seems to have stood by him for she sent a message by the same letter that "she will be very kind to you, and desires you would write to her often, and desired to see you safe at Witchingham again". It was suggested through supporters in England that Court influence for an acquittal should be brought to bear, through Lord Rochford who Le Neve was to meet at his country house in Holland. Although this meeting had to wait until The Cawston duel was the last recored duel fought in Norfolk, it was well chronicled and publicised at the time and in particular because there was considerable feeling that Oliver Le Neve was not at fault. Henry Hobart should have accepted the letter of apology - he didn't and this subsequently led to his tragic end. The duel stone was erected on land which eventually became part of the grounds of the fortner Woodrow Inn and in 1964 the stone was given to the National Trust. Lord Rochford found time to visit his foreign estate. In March 1699 the Hobart's were moving against Le Neve for their kinsmans' death and the matter of the duel was considered at the Thetford Assizes. Although no decision was offered by the Coroner to Le Neve's immediate prospects it was accepted that he had "irmumerable friends and supporters in the County". During the next few months Le Neve had to rely heavily on the support given by his friends and family and many items were sent over to him. Bedding and horses were sent to Holland in March and April and in May his friend Robert Fisher sent him 12 dozen "nog", a potent Norfolk ale forwarded to him in hampers. In July Le Neve was living under the name of Mr. Davyes and by now had bought a house in Rotterdam and his wife had joined him there, During the Autumn efforts were made by his friends to get a favourable judgement for him and in December he was advised to surrender himself, for "if the Sheriff forbear proclaiming him it would be too great a favour, and might prejudice him thereafter, as his enemies may challenge the jury on the ground of partiality". Ultimately he came back to England, and was acquitted, to the great joy of his friends, in early April, 1700. 24 �In an Austin Seven The "bus" is waiting -step ins ide! We're off! by Aylsham Road we glide; The sun is bright, the day is dear, Northward our baby car we steer. Blue sky ! fresh breeze! an ideal day ! We'll trip it to Holt and Cromer way. By Horsford's tangled woods we bend, Where dancing light and shadows blend. 'Mid oaks and firs on every hand, Through the green glades of Haveringland; Where scenes of charm and beauty hide, Least known of Norfolk's countryside. Here Cawston Church comes into view, h's square tower bold against the blue, Whi lst Salle above the woodlands high, Points with grey fingers to the sky, So speed we on our coastward way, By lanes new decked with opening may, .And on by rising lands until, These busy folk and windows gay 'Tis Holt Stock sale and market day! No lingering, though to stay we're fain, We petrol up and start again. Sheringham pleads, we fain wou ld stay To watch the rippling wavelets play Along its sunny beach; but no, Cromer's our aim and there we go. Here sweep the strong sea winds and stir The towering larch, the spruce, the fir; Around us, yellow gorse and broom Have graced the heath with scented bloom; There, wide o'er Kelling's trackless ways, Nature her gorgeous robe displays , With all the tims of morning spread, Purple and gold and rosy red. Up by more may-decked roads we wind, Leave Beeston and its cliffs behind; On, by The Runtons, on we speed, And curb at last our fiery steed Just in the midst of Cromer Town, And to a quiet tea sit down. Now the North Sea! some glimpses fine, We mark its far horizon line; And here, beneath our very eyes A scene of matchless beauty lies; By mile on mile, the ferny glade s Dip to a dell of woodland shades, A charming spot, beloved and famed, And "Pretty Comer" aptly named. We mount the steep of Edgefield Hill. • 'ow the fair scene, expanding wide, Deligh ts - at slackened pace we glide. Now eastwards bends our road and we Glide down by woodland ways, to see How the high rhododendrens fair Bloom bright with blended colours rare. Later, a brief stroll up the rise To stretch and view the sUllset skies, That arching o'er the ocean dim Bend down to touch its golden rim. The western light of evening falls On church tower, cliffs, hotels and halls; Cromer, more fair ne'er seemed to be"Set like ajeweJ in the sea". Just a brief spin, one ne'er forgel, And every tum a beauty spot. Norwich, 1931. In the poem the Austin Seven. its driver and passengers didn't quite travel through Reepham, if they had it is obvious that they would have had little inconvenience in the Market Place from other traffic - quite a different situation today though! The motorists of the time seem to have had the benefit of not just the open road but also a policeman who was conveniently placed to guide them safely across or around Towns End Corner. 25 E.li. �--. Printing I & J Watton 1194 Tel. Norwich 871998 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletters Description An account of the resource A comprehensive collection of newsletters published by the Reepham Society. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Printed and digital Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/RS/Magazines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1983-2000 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Magazine 1994 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2408201705 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource A4 PDF, 28 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1994 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Reepham Society Reepham Society https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/12996b152c40b126eeb2e0c64dbbbf63.pdf 9914dab8c369164babd0c119fffa74f0 PDF Text Text THE REEPHAM SOCIETY Magazine �THE REEPHAM SOCIETY is a local amenity society affiliated to the Council for the Protection of Rural England and its County Branch, The Norfolk Society. It was inaugurated in 1975 by a group of local residents who were concerned that the character of the town was under threat. They were worried about the possible loss of features of historic or public interest and the ri sks from overdevelopment unsympathetic to this rural environment. The Society's area of influence covers Reepham, Booton , Hackford, Kerdiston, Salle and Whitwell. The Society co-operates with the Parish and District Councils in monitoring approved new developments and encouraging good standards of architectural design; ensuring that materials suitable to their location are used and features of the landscape protected. Society affairs are managed by an Executive Committee of twelve members who are elected annually. In 1995 membership of the Society had reached over 400. Open meetings are held in eight months of the year, with speakers on a wide range of subjects; non-members are welcome. A magazine is produced periodically (at least once a year) by a Society member, Michael Black; this has customarily contained items of historic rather than current interest; current matters are reported in occasional Newsletters distributed to all members. © THE REEPHAM SOCIETY 1996 No part of this publicatioll should be reproduced ill allY form or by any means wit/lOut the prior consent of The Reepham Society �WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27,1939 Reepbam CATTLE MARKET J sAJ..ES BY AUCTlON T ION - I bJ t.e 5& Co.) A, ~ NORWICH 'Pnooe fOI .5oCJ~ UQ mana&ed / 6tn .\~ .... - IYLETT o'dock.. .D SToo<. iEX"l' nUl' lRY a.t and Te\e~bOoe l~.U COOK. AHO HOUSEKEEPER. ~ In JaDuary .,OOK.GENERAL wa~t.Q:: B:~Ite; w.re~: tor una.. mud.rDIU~lc.. · uSl,la' ouUn'~"tD'17 llilIUlY .~~~~·~·r~;:"· Nor ..... ,,"" aile' ac:cordtol to J13· oK GENERAl- req,l.nud, W Cattale KOSPltal. ly Matron . experlence.-APP . td or C CO - T and bathroom w~~'C~co:- Tornbland. ~orwtcl\.. FAT CATTLE SALE THE COUNT't A .' NORTH W ALSs~~ 01' THE SEASON HO HOUSEOPENINGJANUARY 1940 PARLOURr.lAIOB A TffiIRSDA Y. 4tb • PARLOURr.lAIOS RMAID EVERY THtJRSDA~. IRELANDS' NORTH WALSHAM STOCK SALEALVES. ~NLING CALVES. "'am. MART NOTICE d der 401. 'II . • REEPHAM ~UCT~~Ns~12. o·clock. Wt!6~KlNG C.-R.-KE.EPfa~.\.U~wn sltt~ni-r~~) Times of Sale: Cdm.Sh~~~ n 1 o'cloclt. Watton '2; lents In sider one wltn c and M.ART COWS SITUATIONS VACANT poultt)'. Beasts an ::JRY . ,nd B1JLI.S. nce}. IRELANDS' HILL AUCTION TlUS OA~ • E. NORWICH Classified Advertisements 01' SATURDAY NEXT Beuta LO o·clock. Store [Imd of Sal.. Fat U ~ o'clock. Bea&ta 12.30. 'fat Sheep . purpOsa all IRELANoa NORWICH ~ FAT PIGS (by Lu:t:llc. PJULTRY. C;GGS. and ~~ll; ;TOCK. Sale !,O commen;~ ~~~5~°E'~~! Pll' and. kC~V:HOW. 'Phone U. a\ 11.15. Fat at 1 O'docL Dead SLOe ~~~~~R~'?l~~T~~C~lg~K ~::i N .. ory,;.,cl't' .. , £36. A. ~~~~7;~~~~~~·Al!r~af~~'~~n. N'cll. OJLLlNS'~ •• HOUSE. KITCHEH AHO SCULLERYr.lAIDS , 6rst weelt In not u,nde KlTr~~~Y~ exp~rienC~a~~;~SS:~a: retetcOa L 17 )'ean.-Wrlte., :i,e~rn Abbey, Norfolk. Lad)' Gurney. Wa. iolni 'M ID ReQUlred. tor nus lateness has not been due to one major failure but to a number of minor and sometimes annoying problems all of which have combined to hold up the completion of the main article and in tum the overall publication. There is however one problem which cannot in any sense be regarded as minor and in some quarters is now regarded as disastrous. This was the fire last August which so tragicalJy reduced much of the contents of the Norwich Central Library to a charred mess. Anyone in Norfolk who has carried out even limited studies or researches into local history wiLl know that one of the first and possibly the only place to call was the local studies section of that building. If further study was required then a walk to the basement floor to the Colman and Rye was necessary, A lot of my researches in the past have involved time in the Central Library and the loss of this fine facility is ~) ~!ntroduction and Acknowledgements I must admit that the production of this magazine is late and for that [ apologise. There is an unwritten requirement from the Society for the magazine to be produced on an annual basis. I could argue that Ihere was one in 1994 and now this one in t 995 but I wouldn't want to answer a direct questi on as to how many months there have been in between. 1 �greatly regretted, let us hope this facility will soon be available again. The main article in this magazine about the 'Reepham Auction Mart' would have been developed from sources available within the Central Library but with its aspects of Reepham that show or illustrate life in previous generations. We all like to look back to the immediate past (hence our attitude to the collection of antiques and memorabilia) with the recent social history venture at Reepham Station being a particularly good example. An old unavailability this infonnation has had to be obtained from elsewhere. I therefore gratefully acknowledge the help photograph can for example, be greatly enhanced by the offered by the library of Eastern Counties Newspapers and recollections of an elderly resident, their words relating to a long lost event are often worth far more than the picture the scrapbooks of Reepham owned by Mr. W. Freestone. There are surprisingly few photographs relating to the saleground and most of those included have been taken from the newspaper cuttings owned by Mr. Freestone. As the original negatives are no longer available prints have been taken from these cuttings. Other help with photographs has come from Mr. William Green of Warham can show. The camera may capture but the spoken word brings it to life. Marjorie Gibbs had a prodigious memory. which recalled the details of Reepham life and events going back to the early part of this century. Our oldest residents now recall events which perhaps go back to the end of the First World Mr. Robert Howes of Kerdiston and also sources of the War and in ten years time the years of the Roaring Twenties Reepham Society. I wish to thank also the Daily Express Newspapers for and the Depression will be the furthest point of local recollection. Peoples memories will always have value in the future and this has never been more relevant than today when we consider the monumental changes that have taken their kind pennission in aJIowing me to reproduce a Giles cartoon and for general references I am indebted to the writings of George Ewart Evans, to the 'People's War' by Angus Calder and 'I Remember' by Marjorie Gibbs. place during the lifetime of people who were born during or immediately after the last war. The last fifty years has seen the tenns of existence change more than in the previous thousand and we should in the future be able to canvass the vivid accounts of the social conditions and rural techniques which can illuminate the accumulated documentation. Provided of course the future My particular thanks are for the recollections that have contributed to the greater part of this magazine and I feel with this particular issue the contributions are sufficient witness to the worth of the infonnation provided. I hope that these memories will give as much pleasure to you the reader as they have given me in listening. recording and in Local Studies section of the proposed Central Library is transcribing them. The people I thank are Mrs. Queenie Ewing. Mr. Robert Howes, Mr. John Williams, Mr. Ben Stimpson, various members of staff at lrelands (past and present) and in particular Mr. Hubert Sheringham. fitted with emergency water sprinklers!! The detail available from memories is of immense interest and all that is usually required is an hour or two of conversation to hear and record this. Whilst many people would regard this as a relatively innocuous task they would I'm sure be surprised at the number who either immediately turn down such requests or who agree to talk and then decide against it. sometimes at the last moment. John Ricketts is currently recording the memories of some of our older residents , a record which will be invaluable in years A first draft of the saleground article was offered to Ben Stimpson for his perusal; a subsequent long conversation with him one evening meant the addition of material as well as numerous relevant changes. Whatever there is of enlightenment in the article the basis of it was greatly enhanced by Ben. FinaUy, I would express my gratitude to John Watton who offers me help as both publisher and to come. The people of Reepham that both John and I have spoken to are, I'm sure, only a small number who have such recollections. Information that should be recorded. printer and brings together all my efforts into a magazine that always end up far better than I initiaUy envisage. Many of the articles for the Reepham Society magazine that have been written by myself or other people during the past ten years have been based partly on references to preserved documents and partly on oral transmission. I would therefore ask that if anyone feels they would like to talk about life in Reepham as it used to be, 40 or more years ago. then please get in touch with us. J would ILke the next magazine to be dedicated to fanning in and around Reepham with a particular emphasis on the days when horses and not tractors did most of the work. If you feel you can make a contribution or if you have any photographs or items of interest then please give me a ring, the Reepham Society would be interested and grateful. Whilst it is felt that this oral tradition is in decline due to the large scale techniques of storing relevant documents there will always be a place for the historian or sociologist, amateur or not to seek details of what life was like years ago. Whilst documentation can present us with the clinical or statistical details, there will always be room for the physical details of the I saB' if, I was there or I knew him or Michael Black her type of evidence. Organisations like the Reepham 'H' 01603 870936 Society are to be commended for their efforts in preserving 2 Middlemarch Broomhill Lane Reepham �It was an annual occasion that was greatly looked forward Reepham Fair to. it brought life and vibrancy to the town and temporarily increased the takings of many of the local businesses particularly the public houses. In these present times our children clamour for a trip to a theme park but in those past days the thrill, entertainment and overall fun of the fair made its way to Reepham and doubtless this once a year event was appreciated, enjoyed and remembered far more than the expensive outings of today. The fair was held on the Market Place up to the outbreak of the Second World War. From 1939 the limitations imposed on the fair people by the War made such events impossible. Although visits by fair people resumed in the late 1940's and continued until the 1960's they were on a Edward I 1272 -1307 Conquered Wales, 1277 - 83, and attempted the conquest o[Scotland 1291-1307. much smaller scale and the stalls and rides were moved from the Market Place to a field on the outskirts of the town. The size and grandeur of the fairs of these earlier years had gone forever. Whilst this annual fair gave Reepham a week or more of local supremacy the dominance of a market in this area of Norfolk was for many Reepham Market was founded in 1277 when Sir John de Vaux, whose lordship of Hackford extended into the parish of Reepham, obtained a charter from Edward 1 for a weekly market on Saturday and a fair on ' the eve of day and years with the neighbouring town of Foulsham. Around 1300 Foulsham was the metropolis of the Eynsford Hundred and for at least the next three centuries the Reepham market was not to be compared with that of its neighbour. morrow' of the feasts of Saint Peter and Paul - the 29th June. This fair was for many centuries one of the highlights of the year to people living in and around Reepham. At the tum of this century the Market Place would be invaded by travellers vans. roundabouts , coconut shies, shooting galleries and stalls selling all manner of sweets, rock, souvenirs and general cheapjack items. Such a large Market Day gathering of fair people lasted longer than the original charter condition of an evening and a day and usually they were here for at least a week with some of the last to leave taking up to three weeks. Although the fair offered a time of great delight and excitement to the children the adult part of the population was glad when they went owing to the noise, the Norwich fairground families for the supply of a quantity of paint so that the 'cakewalk' could be repainted whilst it However. the size and status of Foulsham slowly declined whilst at the same time Reepham steadily prospered and during the 18th and 19th centuries established itself as a typical market town. With a population of about 1000 in 1845 it had acquired, apart from its Market Place, a number of activities which distinguished it from a 'village'. These would have included a bank, several inns, a brewery, clock and watch maker, chemist, grocer and draper, coach builder was at Reepham. The fair moved on, the bill was not settled and stone mason. and for years afterwards the annual visit of the fair meant an attempt by Mr. Gibbs to obtain his money. It is said that he For generations, until it fmally closed in the early 1970's, the farmers of the neighbourhood looked to Reepham to provide a weekly market for their products. The original market was set up in mediaeval times and this allowed a convergence on Reepham of all manner of people who wanted to buy, sell or barter and the market would also have disruption and general inconvenience that was caused. Mr. Edward Gibbs, the ironmonger. once gave credit to one of never was successful in receiving payment. This annual fair occupied the whole area of the Market Place; the vans (or homes) of the fair people were drawn up side by side outside the Kings Anns with the horses being put our to grass on a meadow near the outskirts of the town. The various rides were placed on the remainder of the area and at night the whole scene would come alive with a blaze offered a type of 'employment bureau' where arrangements could be made to hire a craftsman's skills. For instance a carpenter would have lived in the town or he may have come in and set up a stall from which he would take orders or arrange work. He would then go to carry out the arranged work in the house of the person who wanted furniture of sound, light and colour. There was a large and majestic steam engine which provided the power to run the roundabouts, the organ with its wide repertoire of tunes and to provide lighting for some of the stalls. All the stalls were gaily or gaudily decorated and those not lit from the steam engine were illuminated by paraffin flares. made. This type of service would have been the same for many other trades such as bricklayers or builders, dressmakers and tailors. 3 �With the large innux of people for this particular day the town would have had to make specific arrangements, water had 10 be available and the requirements were probably satisfied by communal wells or by the town pond which was situated where the Fire Station stands today. The stalls would have been organised into fixed lines with passages between and market latrines would have been dug; in the winter cut reeds or old straw would have been spread about on the roadways to soak up the mud and rain. Special beer was often brewed and bread would have been baked for the refreshment of those attending. Market Day in those times would have been a diffi cult experience for the many who attended. The main street (now Back Street) would have been narrow and hold-ups would inevitably be caused by the traffic passing through. This moved at different speeds - there were riders on horseback, singly or in groups, horse drawn carts of different sizes and probably slow, solid bullock carts, swaying and moving at a walking pace or less. There would have been piles of stinking street rubbish to negotiate . children playing, stray animals and many a drunk unintentionally sleeping in the gutter. Park.ing of animals and carts was a problem and the length of parking time was much di sputed. Although this was probably the manner of Market Day in Reepham for centuries it became somewhat more organised in later years and particularly during the 19th century. By this time the fami lia r layout of the centre of Reepham that we have today had been built. The Back Street was no longer the main thoroughfare and the roads leading into the town would have allowed a much easier passage for for those wishing to travel through on Market Day. In 1845 Reepham is recorded as having a hiring fair, this was one of the many customs associated with the farming year which had prevailed for centuries but which like so many others died out during the early part of the 20th century. Towards the end of September the hiring fair would have been held and those agricultural workers who wanted to 'break fresh ground' would gather in the Market Place wearing a piece of coloured ribbon or cord in their buttonhole. This was a sign that they were seeking a new situation. When the labourer had agreed terms with a farmer he would accept a shilling (usually) and this would bind him to serve his new employer for a year. Whilst St. Michaelmas day is officially the 29th September; in this area the payment of all due rents and the various necessary farm movements would become effective on the 11 th October. New farm engagements would commence on this date and should the labourer have defaulted then the farmer was entitled to sue him. Although considering the wages offered and the limited possessions of the labourer this was not much of an option to the farmer. It is further recorded in 1845 that Reepham had a weekly market, which sold stock from within a wide catchment area. What isn't known is the 4 BACKSTREET date when the day of the weekly market changed from Satu rday to Wednesday although it had been held on Wednesdays since at least the earl y 1800's. It was wi th the coming of the ra ilways in the mid 19th century that the movement to market for both man and beast became easier. \Vh.ilst this transport change initially benefited Reepham the drawing power of the great market in Norwi ch, with its need to feed a large population, gradually stifled all the smaller markets who offered competition. Although competition with Norwich was never something that was parti cularl y appropriate from the much smaller local markets like Reepham it was a major element that contri buted towards the eventual closure of the Reepham saleground in March 1972. Until the setting up of the new market saleground by Irelands in 1877 the Wednesday market is recorded as being a com and can Ie market with the 29th June as the annual fair for stock and horses. Linle is recorded of the com market and it was probably a small affair compared to the much larger ones held elsewhere in the County. The indoor facilities ofthe Com Hall in Exchange Street, Norwich (now the home of Jarrolds Department Store) were palatial indeed compared to the open Market Place at Reepham which su bjected the buyers and sellers to the vagaries of the weather. �Corn and Cattle The com market would commence in the Autumn once the grain to be sold became available on the local fanns. With harvest over and the barns full the threshing would begin; in the 19th century this was a boring. arduous task. carried out by four or five men at a time who would use a flail, the tool that was like a wooden jointed whip which when used in a steady rhythmic way would shake out the individual grains of com. After threshing was completed, the 'winnowing' or 'dressing' of the com, would be carried out and the remaining grain was scooped up into "bushels" - the standard measure, levelled off and tipped into sacks. Grain would be taken straight to the mills after dressing or samples would be taken to the market so that it could be sold. "Stock and staple" were the tenns given to the types of com sales. "staple", or "sample"'was when the farmer would bring samples of his com and book the order, he wou ld then arrange delivery where and when required and then collect payment. This would save cartage in bad weather. an important consideration on the bad winter roads prevalent EARMARKED - A Red Lincoln steer receives his ear mark, necessary under the fat stock subsidy scheme, at Reepham cattle market. The "operation" is being performed by Mr. L. Blythe. - July 1954 5 �in this agricultural area at that time. "Stock", was when the farmer took the com in sacks to sell direct. collecting payment at once. This method of sale often favoured {he buyer as he would try and beat down the price, knowing the fanner would let all go cheaply, rather thaol have to cart the corn home again. During the 1880's there was obviously a good demand for grain in this area and a number of local businesses were actively involved in the buying and selling. There was Bircham and Sons who purchased for their brewery, William Hannant and George Wright both com dealers, SquirreU and Utting com and cake merchants, 5 & 5 W Leeds com and seed merchants and Coller and Sons coal and com merchants. llrree of these businesses were established at Reepham Station and the coming of the railway to Reepham at this time boosted the local com market, albeit only for a few years. There was an initial spirit of optimism as the following letter placed in the local press in November 1882 indicates: The reopening of this market took place on the 4th October 1882 and has continued every fortnight since with remarkable success quite beyond the most sanguine expectations. The next Market will be held on Wednesday at half past two (instead of half past three as therefore) at which time a train will arrive at Reepham Station (Great Eastern Railway) and those coming from Norwich and elsewhere will find a conveyance ready to take them into the Market. The principal buyers have consented to find sacks and do all they can to make the delivery to sellers of corn bought at this market as easy for the farmers as possible at the railway station nearest. Seeing there is every facility and good prospect of making a good corn market for the neighbourhood, the farmers are solicited to support this project in every way they possibly can. We are expecting a full attendance at the next market. I Reepham Auction Mart I Messrs. Irelands saleyard - an area that was to become an integral part of Reephams prosperity was originally an orchard. It was the property of Mr. William Bircham who owned the Reepham Brewery (now the Old Brewery House Hotel), various areas of land in and around Reepham and a number of public houses, including the Kings Arms. The orchard, which for a number of years had been let to the landlord of this establishment, was tri.angular in shape and is recorded in the subsequent Bircham Estate sale catalogue as occupying an area of 2 rods and 13 perches. It was obtained from Michaelmas 1878 on a 30 year lease by Messrs. Irelands, at an annual rental of £5 . The orchard also contained a small bam with a yard and sheds and these continued to be let to the Kings Arms at the annual rental of £7.IOs.Dd. The orchard had been leased for development as a canle saleyard and it was subsequently advertised by Irelands as the 'Reepham Auction Mart'. In the Summec of 1883 the Bircham Estate was put up for sal.e by public auction and Ihe sixteen lots were sold at the Norfolk Hotel in Norwich. Lot 12. comprising the Auction Mart and the bam were purchased outright by Irelands. N£SS~i SP£iHJ4N 118j . In 1883 canle were still being sold on the Market Place although Irelands fortnightly sale is recorded as a "large stock sale". A notice in the Eastern Daily Press for a fortnightly sale in Jul y 1883 infonned interested parties: Messrs Ire lands offer for sale at Reepham Auction Mart PRIME FAT BULLOCKS, COWS. HEIFERS. STORE STOCK, FAT SHEEP. HOGGETS. FAT AND STORE PIGS and OTHER EFFECTS. Commencing at 12.30 P.M. Your Obedient servant, It is unclear as to whether local competition was prevalent between buyers and sellers in the Market Place and the new saleyard but Irelands would appear to have established the major level of business. R, p, GOOCH. 6 �THIS picture, a study in expressions. was taken during Messrs. Ireland's sale at Reepham, on Wednesday 22nd March 1950 stock to provide the army with the means to haul the artillery and above all for transport. Although the weekly market continued this loss was the cause of great inconvenience to many farmers who relied upon horses as their only mode of transport. With bad harvests in 1915 and 1916 and with the continued success of the German V-boat campaign the Government acted and set up a Food Production Department which had wide powers to purchase domestic produce and agricultural products. Many items which wou ld have been disposed of through the system of the local markets prior to the War were now purchased direct and the market as a vital element of the local economy began to decline. This decline was compounded further when, after another difficult harvest in 1917, rationing of food was introduced. The fanming industry was able overall to make a positive contribution to the war effort and fanmers did rather weU from August 1917 when an Act was passed which was initially to guarantee minimum cereal War and Depression At the outbreak of the First World War the selling of cattle still continued on the Market Place, Irelands had become a weekly sale with the annual fair still taking place from 29th June. The 1914-18 War and the resulting period of depression which greatly affected agricu lture in this area severely altered these arrangements and by 1925 the annual fair was no longer recorded. Wi th one or two notable exceptions all market and sale activities had been moved to Irelands saleyard and they rook place on a weekly basis. The outbreak of War in 1914 did not immed iately change the pattern of agricultural life in this area with the harvest of th at year being brought in before fann workers of military age began to trickle away to join the "great adventure". The greatest threat was the requisitioning of farm horses by govenunent agents with many a local fanner losing good prices for the next six years and also introduced a minimum wage for fanm workers. This however was repealed in 1921 and prices and wages feU sharply. 7 �The 1920's is recalled as being the most depressing period for farming, a depression which in tum affected those areas of business which relied heavily upon it. Market prices that had been high during the War years plummeted, the price of cereals fell so sharply that profits could only be gained by farmers who worked the best land and could produce a high yield. The introduction in 1919 of death duties on large estates meant that a great deal of land was placed on the market. Land values were still high and during this postwar period there were huge sales. It was estimated that by 1921 more than one-quarter of all local farm acreage had changed hands. The auctioneers suddenly found a short term boom for their services in dealing with the many land sales that occurred. These high prices failed to last and from the early 1920's the state of farming generally went into a sharp decline, farm prices fell sharply and farmers dismissed their workers and tried to make ends meet by using family labour, machinery or by reducing standards and grassing over previously arable land. Many farms were sold as the owners went bankrupt and landlords of large acreages found the land could not be let at any price. The wages of farm workers which had reached 46/- a week in 1918 had now been eroded down to 19/- a week, there was no alternative to these labourers but to work at the low rates as many men were already out of work due to the high number of farm closures. The period from a farm workers strike at the Easter time of 1923 until the General Strike in 1926 is seen as the lowest _ . t .. _ ...__ • 8 point in these bad times but after this date things began to slowly pick up. Ouring the War the Governmen t had introduced the new crop of sugar beet, ironically as Germany had supplied 80% of Britain's pre-war demand for this crop. From the mid-1920's the Government gave the farming industry a much greater financial backing by offering a contract price for growing this root crop. [t helped to get the farmers back to a healthier state by giving a level of fmancial security coupled with a crop that assisted crop rotation. Previously fanners had grown mangolds, swedes and turnips which were a root crop to feed cattle with. The import of cheap beef particularly from the Americas undercut the market price of cattle rai sed in this country. Farmers could not afford to keep them and in tum they no longer grew the root crops required as fodder. The lack of animals (0 sell meant a severe reduction in trade for [he local markets and the auctioneers. The introduction of subsidies on wheat and also on slag and lime greatly helped. Many lields in this area had become sour and under productive. They needed liming 10 increase yields, basic slag (which is a phosphatic fertilizer) was sent from the coalfields by train to Reepham. It was delivered to the nearby farms and spread onto the fields. Among th ose who survived the depression were farmers who were able to rear or support a flock of sheep and 10 many farmers the yearly cheque for lambs was the largest single item in their annual income. Whilst many locally raised sheep were sen( (Q the large sa les in Norfolk such as the June lamb sale at Diss (the largest in East Anglia), there �was still a large number sold in Reepham. An annual Spring lamb sale was held by Irelands at Bnston, an event which This mode of transport slowly began to change as more and more farmers started to use the competitive cattle coincided with the local fair. However this sale. like the sale were prepared to pay higher prices than those that could be lorries of the hauliers for their market transport. The old order of the fanners. the local markets and the cattle drovers all reliant upon each other for so long were to be so radically changed in just a few years by the transport changes that accelerated during the second half of the 20th expected in Reepham. There was a wholesale improvement in fanning from 1936 onwards, but the results of [he worst times were felt right century. The canle lorries took the trade from the rail ways and the trade went to the larger markets or direct to the abattoir. The up to the outbreak of war in 1939 and it was generally felt that the land fit for the re~Jming heroes of the First World War did not materialise under the wide Norfolk sky. cattle drover had all but disappeared by the 1940·s. the of sheep at Reepham. did not have the pulling power and higher prices of markets like Diss. Sheep driven to the fair at Diss attracted buyers from far afield and these buyers railways closed during the nex.t twenty years and many of the smaller and more local markets had gone by the mid 1970·s. Reepham Stock Mart (as it was originally known) reached its peak during the years 1900-1914, when it was ilmong the best in the County, with local people adamant that it was only inferior to the larger markets on Norwich Castle Hill and at King's Lynn. It served faithfully and well a wide Animals have always been sent to market; the buying and selling of beasts and fowls has always been an integral part of fanning life. and profit and fortune were only to be had if a farmer was able to raise his stock to a standard which commanded a good price. Until the latter part of the last century many aninnals would have been driven to the local inland agricultural community - with the nearest opposition market although some were often driven longer distances to the larger or seasonal markets as bener prices could be markets and the annual sheep sa les at selected towns as far distant as Dereham. Fakenham. Holt. North Walsham and Norwich - and weekly entries of 200 cattle in addi tion to plentiful supplies of sheep. pigs and poUltry were of quite throughout the County would mean long days for the common occurrence. obtained . The demand of the Norwich and Kings Lynn drovers who were entrusted to take care of the animals being sold or bought. However the time and effort taken by the local faomers and the hired drovers would generally be well rewarded by the higher prices obtained. First the Railways then the Cattle Floats Beasts and Drovers Reepham had for many centuries enjoyed a standard rural catclunent for those who attended its weekly market. the numbers attending as with most rural areas was limited to the daily journey made possible by horse and cart, a distance of some four or five miles (or a ten mile round trip) . Initially Reepham gained a shift in importance with the coming of the railways. with two lines and two stations positioned at the north and south of the Town . Famlers from a wider area were able to buy and sell stock and for a number of years. particularly up to the First World War, the market prospered. Animals would be brought in by a mixture of boys. fann labourers and drovers . The former two would have driven aninnals from the local farms or from the two railway stations whilst the drovers would have come from some distance where it was impractical to use rail transport . The driven aninnals would low and bellow as they had al ways done, mostly moved in slow but seemingly organised groups. Occasionally an animal would bolt from the herd or flock but this would quickly gain the attention of the from the 1920's this prosperity. brought to drovers dog~ which would increase the noise level as they Reepham by the railways. declined as more and more trade was switched to the more lucrative Norwich Saturday market with the loading of mostly cattle onto the early trains from Whitwell and Reepham stations and then being unloaded at the Trowse and City stations in NOT\vich and driven through the streets to the Castle Hill market. drovers could exercise tight control with their charges this was not always so with the groups of animals that were being led. even short distances. by some of the local lads. On shorter journeys that were not worth the bother for a drover the fanners would sometimes get their labourers to However barked and chased the aninnal back into place. Whilst the 9 �drive animals to market. Some farmers were reluc(ant to do this as they felt that the labourers were having a morning out at their expense, so they paid some of the local lads a few pence to do this particular job. A decision not popular with the labourers but the fanners felt it was money well spent. Whilst this offered a financial1y prudent arrangement to the fanner he tended to tum a blind eye to the difficulties that the lads often encountered or unwitting ly caused. A small herd of young pigs would want to go in every direction except forwards and certainly not on the most direct route to the sale pen. A sudden noise wou ld send the frightened animals scurrying in all directions, if an open garden gate or a gap in the hedge was discovered many a Reepham resident ended the day with an upturned flower bed or a vegetable crop dug up earlier than was intended. After the market it was a similar story but in reverse, if a fanner had bought animals and wanted them taken home by an experienced hand he would seek out one of the drover brethren and arrange for 'limma' with his '01 dorg' to go across and take the animals to their destination. If a shorter journey was involved 'the Ideal boys wou ld still be willing, despite their early morning problems. A local drover was Sidney Frost who lived in Whitwell Street, a man who was renowned for his large size and his infrequent change of clothing - although this was blamed on rus droving which often meant many days at a time away from home . With his dog trailing beside him he would be at the Ade marshes by 4 am to receive cattle which were then walked back to be in Reepham by sundown ready for delivery to the saleground for the following day's market. During the latter part o'f the 19th century and the early years of this century large numbers of Irish catt le were sent over to be sold initially at Norwich market. The cattle were landed on the west coast and then sent by rail to Norw ich. Local drovers were employed to receive and if necessary to look after the cattle for a few days and then to bring them to the market for sale. Irish cattle were very popular at Norwich because they were ideally suited for the lush coastal marshes. They would be sold and then sent to the marshes for fattening up, the rich grazing ensured they were ready for sale again after about three months. The cattle would be brought off the marshes by the marshmen ready to meet drovers like Sidney Frost who then had the slow but steady task of walking them to a local market. The Irish cattle were often in a bad state when they arrived in Norwich. They had li ved very poorly in Ireland and some of them were in a wild state. often the drives to the marshes were very difficult for the drovers and a great test for their skills. Once this difficult task had been achieved the cattle thrived quickly and the long return journey to markets like Reepham was much easier with a bunch of fat and contented beasts. After the First World War the work of the drover was gradually but irretrievably taken over by the motorised 10 cattle float; although in the early years the size of the vehicles was small and the number of animals that could be carried was limited they were obviously much quicker and the services of the drover and his dog. who had been part of the local agricultural life for so long, soon became obsolete. In later years the cattle floats would be brought into the saleyard, reversed up to the pens and the animals would be loaded up for a journey to their new home or on their fmal journey to the abattoir. The animals wiih a degree of initial re luctance, would anxiously climb the boards with the lorry driver and yard helpers banging empty pails on the sides of the lorry to encourage the hesitating beasts along. The shrill yap-yap-yap of the drovers dog had now been replaced by the sounds of grinding gears and labouring engines. The old order of centuries had changed . Although most of the drovers stuck to their known trade some of them would buy and sell for dealers and butchers and eventually some moved fully into the dealing business when the old order changed Some animals would be brought in by other means. One or two norses would be harnessed to pull a cattle float which would hold two beasts, pigs would be put into the back of a tumbril and then covered over with a net and nearly all the poultry was put into crates which were conveyed in the back of a fanners trap or driving cart. Billy Easton. landlord of the Ratcatchers public house at Cawston, was typical of many at that time who dabbled in the ways of the market by buying and selling poultry and small stock. He would journey into Reepham every Wednesday with his horse and cart and would have two or three crates of chickens and perhaps some rabbits to sell. After a day at the saleground he would go home with some other poultry, which had been bought at an advantageous price, ready to sell at a higher price a week or two later. In those days everyone in this rural area kept chickens, mostly for the eggs but also for the kitchen pot. When the birds had fmished laying they would be disposed of. There were no household freezers for the birds to go to so they would be sent to the local market and sold. There were large numbers of poUltry sold at Reepham each week with most of the purchasing carried out by specialist poultry dealers. A number of dealers came each week from Brislon, Hevingham and Norw ich but there was also the regular attendance of buyers from further afield and particularly those who purchased for the meat trade in the Jewish areas of East London. After having been sold the birds destined for the dinner tables of Bethnal Green and Shored itch would be put into crates and pushed on a hand cart up to Reepham Station; they were then packed in the guards van and sent to Norwich ready to catch a late afternoon train to London. Local Advertisments from past years . .. �Market Day and the Public Houses There were a diverse number of people who regularly attended Reepham Market Day. Local buyers and butchers were joined by many from Norwich and other East Anglian towns. There were also Midland buyers and some coming from as far north as Manchester. These long distance buyers would travel to a number of local markets until they had purchased all their requirements. Attendance at Reepham on Wednesdays would be followed by a journey to Acle on the following day. Added to these were the drovers who have already been mentioned and of course the farmers, butchers and dealers, who reached the town in a variety of carts, traps and even occasionally the elegant gig. The horses were taken our of the shafts and stabled under the watchful control of "Duckety" Rudd at the Kings Arms or Billy Hall at the Sun and these two hostelries in the Market Place did a thriving business while bargains were driven and settlements made. Some farmers preferred the lesser hostelries such as the Lord Nelson, Gre yhound, Duke of York or George and Dragon. In this pre-motor car era, the caring for the horses a'il<iSloring of carts gave much opportunity to the rival ostlers, whose frequent encroachment beyond their own bounds upon [he frontages of residences and Q(her business establ ishments oftengrew to dimensions which presented quite a problem. Another popular place was the Crown. mainly due to ir's proximity to Reepham Station and the roads leading buyers I FOR ,\ QUIET DRIN'IN PLEASANT SLRROUNDINGS and sellers in from Holt. Cawston, Aylsham and Wood Dalling. This particular public house was open all day and would pick up a lot of business during the afternoon as farmers. butchers and various other traders made their way up to catch a train home or were journeying past by horse and trap or on foot. During this later part of the day many had already imbibed at the public houses in the town and were often a little worse for drink. Memories still exist locally of some of the Briston dealers who regularly made their way home in an intoxicated and fighting state and who would stop and have 'one for the road' at the Crown, Some local businesses were indeed cautious and Hunts Stores on Station Plain would often lock their shop doors until these particular dealers had passed by. In the centre of the town fanners would congregate and talk to each orher, exchange news and gossip and bargain with the merchants to sell their com or go to the bank for wages. They would take Ihe opportunity to carry out necessary fann shopping with visits to the ironmongers or the agricultural engineer. Their wives would come too and would make their way around the shops, market traders and cheapjacks drawn in by the one day of the week when everyone came to buy and sell. A horse drawn Sainsburys van was a regular feature before the First World War, it would be based in the Market Place and would buy eggs brought in by the farnlers wives, these women also brought in and sold farm made butter to the local shopkeepers. Many of those attending would return to the hostelry of their choice to invest some of their profit in the liquid refreshment available. The local public houses were open from 10 am to 10 pm and both the Sun and the Kings Arms enjoyed considerable trade. There were the early drinkers who had taken advantage of the relaxed market day times, the farm hands who had brought in or were to take home THE Loolun I at your watneys local vl~jl KiJl~fs REEPHAM I IlJe ..:-\rIDSj TRUNCH :U.\UKI:T I'LACE . nl:l:l'".'\':\1 --_. FINE ALES & STOUT - ALWAYS A WELCOME AT TIlE SlJ1V nEEPILUI RITA and BILL IIll/h' t"l /JlolllcrI old ,urd BREWEO 8Y Steward & Patteson TItUNCH BREWERY LIMITED llt'llT!:D TRUNCH PocktAorpe Brewery NORWICH 1It'1I" 11 _ NORTH WALSHAM _ NORFOUC: �animals and then there were the farmers. butchers, dealers and other traders. Later in the day after all trading had been concluded the auctioneers and their staff would arrive. They all came to eat, drink, strike deals, catch up on the gossip and converse with their friends and acquaintances. The bars would be full and the beer would flow and many would contend that although Market Day was primarily business the best part was undoubtedly the socialising which took place after the organised buying and selling had been completed. The day would conclude with many people heading home in a befuddled but contented state. The market thrived during the pre-War years but with the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 and its subsequent restrictions it entered upon a general decline from which it never recovered. The heights of the sales during the Edwardian era were never again achieved and the slow decline continued during the next 60 years. There were periods of reestablishment. notably in the late 1930's - when the Hitler War cried a halt - and again in the early/mid 1950's after the limitations of the Second World War were finally lifted. Until the introduction towards the second half of this century of the larger and monopolistic abattoirs all killing of animals was carried out by butchers at local slaughter houses. Reepham butchers like Pratt. Utting and Spriggs all bought animals at the market, kept them until required and then carried out the slaughtering. Mondays was the quiet day of the week for the local butchery trade so the fateful animals were dispatched on this day. . ~ ~ ~I] '-1lNlsrJtr OP FOOD ~ N-\.TIOl'( Re ~ 29 AI. RATION '':;-Y/::tUCT,O"S N°Ol9762 B OOK (D). Food Rationing aiid other Controls The market continued during the years of the Second World War but the sale of the majority of the animals was strictly controlled by the Government. After the introduction and general success of the scheme of rationing in the First World War the Government felt that this would be an essential element of their war prograrrune. It was decided in the first week of War in September 1939 that food rationing would inevitably come, but for the time being food production was · to be controlled so that food supplies available would be well looked after and evenly distributed. 1bis early control was an attempt to prevent anything like profiteering and to avoid a dislocation of food stocks. Controls were introduced on Wednesday 13th September 1939 with an order made for fixing maximum prices for fat cattle, calves and sheep primarily destined for slaughter. Whilst it was possible to sell poultry and young pigs to the highest market bidder it meant overall that the sale of animals had to be carried out through the local livestock market and direct sales from the farm were prohibited. A dealer and the fanner agree a sale - this type of agreement on the/ann disappeared with the advent of the Second World War, and all animals had to be sold through the local market. 12 �The controls, in various forms of intensity, lasted for the ne.,t IS years although the first few months of the 'phoney war' caused the Government to ljft the restrictions in December and for a short time the market reverted back to a normal state. However with the initial introduction of the controls many farmers had assumed that with a market of fixed prices it would not pay for them to retain beasts for fattening and many beasts had been disposed of at control prices during the previous three months. Though the shortage pushed up Christmas prices that year it was a simple fact that local farmers had received no encouragement to hold on to their animals as they usually did for the Christmas trade and the relaxation of controls was short lived. strictly rationed. This coupled with the subsidised ploughup policy caused many animals to be sold and slaughtered during the autumn and winter of 1940/41. This resulted in a severe decrease in the keeping of animals and particularly of pOUltry and pigs which gave little back to the soil in return for what they ate and by 1943 the output of eggs had fallen by half, and that of pigmeat by two-thirds below the pre-War level. During the early years of the War there was pressure from the Government to put as much extra land as possible Whilst this had an initial drastic effect on livestock there was a need to maintain a balance as British fanning at that time was essentially mixed. It was appreciated that to 'under the plough'. Millions of extra acres were planted with cereals and although this compensated the levels of foodstuffs that could no longer be imported it had an initial production and there was an effort to retain fat canle and fat pigs, prices would be guaranteed and the production and and drastic effect on fanners who kept livestock. There was tremendous propaganda pressure from the Ministry of Food (who seemed to have an insatiable bias for more potatoes) , The camera catches the atmosphere of the market as the crowds gather around the auctioneers . .. some to bid and buy . .. some just to watch and listen. reduce too much would affect the level of meat and milk sale would be strictly controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture. After 1940 all purchases of livestock for slaughter were made on the Government account, farmers acre of average arable crops fed far more of the population than one acre of average grassland. It was widely promoted were asked to maintain orderly marketing of stock in the normal quantities through the appointed market and to cooperate with the various stages of control as they were that an acre of average wheat saved at least as much introduced through the war years. shipping space as seven acres of the best grass in England. Farmers who had kept livestock before the War had relied increasingly on cheap imported feeding stuffs, these were no longer available and those locally produced were all Reepham was nominated as a Market that could grade canle and pigs and for the next few years, until the regulations were fmally decontrolled if 1954, the regular Wednesday sale day continued. to plough up more land and there was an argument that one 13 �Grading When the animals were sent to market they were no longer sold by auction. The stock would be sent in by the local farmers and inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture would grade the animals. Although in the early part of the War some of the grading was often carried out by experienced local butchers and farmers like Thomas Hudson of Bawdeswell. The animals would be weighed and checked and the decision of the grading fixed by means of an ear tag. The resulting grade would determine (he price the famler received. The controls would also determine the particular butcher or slaughter house to which the animals were to be sent. Grading at Reepham would start at lOam and would usually take up to three hours to complete. Whilst the animals were sent to market it was a very controlled procedure and somewhat alien to many farmers who had always been used to the ways of a more open sale environment and to those who had been used to selling animals direct from the farm to local dealers and butchers. A reminder that Christmas is only 12 weeks away is provided here. Seen (top right) is Mr W. G. Ewing, offering some of the 1000 turkeys that were penned. September 1950 14 There was also a level of resentment to the Ministry officials who would sometimes grade animals to a lower price than that expected by an individual fanner. However much the system of control was disliked it allowed Reepham Market to remain open during these dark years even though it had become no more than a local point for the control of basic food production. The number of people, panicularly farmers, who attended the market declined during these war years. Unless a farmer had animals to buy or sell he didn't go - times were hard, fuel was rationed, there was much to do and few people to do it and no time for standing about socialising in Reepham saleyard. Thoughts Turn to Christmas �.-I · J A BIRD IN HAND ... Prospective buyers Mr G. Childerhouse and Mr F. E. Falmer, inspecting geese at the Christmas poultry sale. Tuesday 14th December 1965 Dealers An essential element contributing to the local mark.et system was the role of the dealer. They were men who were mainly farmers or who had access to land upon which they would graze or store can Ie until such time as the animals could be profitably sold. These men wou ld travel around the various daily markets in Norfolk and beyond, buying and selling animals although they dealt primarily in cattle. The buying and selling would not however always be carried out at the saleground. In Reepham the various dealers would be found in their usual seat at a favoured hostelry and many a deal was struck berween them and their customers without the help of the auctioneers. One of these exceptions was "Latcher" Woodhouse, a cattle dealer who lived near Aylsham. He would never sell through Irelands market but always sold his animals privately so as to avoid having to pay commission to the middle-man. He would drive over to Reepham in a pony and trap and the 15-20 cattle that he had for sale would be brought in by a local drover. He would position himself (and the animals) near the outside railings of the Brewery House and from here conduct his business; a manner of sale that he continued throughout the inter-war years. Edward de Grey Seaman had extensive fanning interests locally at Foulsham, Kerdiston and further afield at Kings Lynn. He would always sit in the Kings Arms and conduct his business with the aid of a pot of tea which was constantly refilled during the dealing berween him and his customers. John Perowne, who farmed at Brandiston, could always be found in the Sun and Fords the bakers in the Market Place was the usual haunt of Sam Pye who had butchers shops at Cawston and Swaffham. Deals here were often concluded over a cup of tea and a hot meat pie or a plate of 'hollow' biscuits. 15 �During the depressed years of the 20's and 30's many farmers lacked the fmance to buy cattle but had the land to graze them on, so they would come to an arrangement with a dealer. Young cattle would be bought by the dealer and then fattened and looked after by the farmer; when ready the dealer would sell the cattle and a financial settlement from the profit would be shared between the two of them. Many small fanners during this period had no alternative but to seek out the dealers on Market Day and to try and set up such an arrangement. A deal that would give the farmer a small but greatly needed level of income. There were also buyers like Fred Wright who purchased for the Norwich Co-op Society and Billy Brooks of Horsford and Hubert Large of Swanton Morley who bought for slaughter houses who in tum supplied the butchery trade. There were many local butchers who bought for their own shops; Sam Pye from Cawston has already been mentioned but other regulars included Chris Payne from Foulsham and Charlie Howard from Lenwade. The relationship of dealers, butchers, farmers and the weekly market was a structure that sustained for many years but was broken with the advent of the Second World War when all sales were strictly controlled through the nominated markets by the Govenunent. The Christmas Sale and Fat Stock Show In the early part of this century Messrs Irelands in conjunction with many of the local shopkeepers, introduced a Christmas Sale and Fat Stock Show. The local traders contributed to the prizes for the many classes and there were cups and rosenes provided by Irelands. The groups of animals and fowls including pigs. sheep. cattle. domestic birds and turkeys were divided into many classes and the showing. judging and selling was a great social draw for many people in Reepham and from further afield. Like all stock shows the animals were the main attraction. they won the prizes and then suffered the unfortunate dignity of being sold to the highest bidder for slaughter for the Christmas trade. This annual sale and show began early and finished late and it ran with considerable success fo r some ten years until 1914. h anracred large entries in all sections and was a very popular event for exhibitors. buyers and the residents of Reepham generally. Competition among the exhibitors ·was al ways keen. and very high standards were reached. Among prominent Reepham exhibitors at that time were the farming brothers John. Ernest and Tom Sharpin while others included John Perowne from Brandiston and Billy Payne from Cawston. Rivalry among butchers was even keener and when a Reepham butcher was fortunate enough to obtain a prize beef, the carcase was early displayed prominently and proudly in his shop with its prize rosette. Needless to add, its delicately marbled fat in its appetising red meat was eagerly sought by his patrons. while its suet was a prize indeed. There was many a proud head of the household in Reepham in those days who brandished the carving knife above the roast beef of his Christmas diMer knowing that he could offer his family nothing fmer. The Christmas Fat Stock Sale and Show of 13th December 1911 was a good example of Reepham Market at its most successful. In the week before the local press had carried the market notices which indicated that the following number of animals had been provisionally entered. ... the outside railings of the Brewery House 16 �------ - -- - ------ - ---- - ----- - ----, 85 Grand Over Yeared Fat Polled Angus. Shorthorned Oxen and Heifers .£32 lOs. €Iud £J1 5s. 250 Half Bred and Black Faced Sheep 12 Heavy Suffolk Fat Shearlings 100 Fat Pigs 1000 Fowls (including Turkeys. Fat Ducks. Geese and Chicken) Order of Sale On the day. all those preliminary expectations were exceeded and Irelands dealt with possibly the biggest sale ever held at Reepham. The following report from the Eastern Daily Press of the next day tells it all. REEPHAM. A SUCGEStl}<'UL SROW. The market tm't\1l ()f Heephaln yesterday was crowded with fal'mers, but.ehnl's, ~wd d-eal(~ l";:;, 011 th~ occasiull of 1I-h..-;.-:;I·;:j. ll'e lumh:;' <-lllllu;:d ChJ'jstlU<lti show '0 1' LIt .stuck. 'l'hi:; yeal ' pl'tl\·ed I.!J bo olle of the Oe~ t yet heJd . both in. CjlllHltity .and qlwl·ity. The filt cattlH (;ompl: i~, e{1 UO IJl'iille over-yeul'ed box- lHI UoelL~. llli.lll.Y or gTeat weIght and. t:i 11 ven-v I' qUi.dHj' . 'J 5el'e w-u::; ~l.J-!::iU a. laJ ·~er H~l'..\' CHowe SJU-:f'P, hULl -UrN! h o ;..::.;d.'-i. '.n.w good, the llJghP.:st, ill J. cwt. l!\"ll \\"(!Ig·ht b.iH,,: K-blet!U illld traUe· for be.uf wa,::; vel""Y tact, fol' ~e\'el'<.Li yeal":S~ }etchlllg froID 4')-'s. tu 4 7:::;. l\-Iuttoll trade W.i.Hj <l.bo very lUueh hetter. ...:\ppeode-ct are a lit5t of the I> r jz~ WlnUtH'S for cupt; pl'eseulcu. by ~· entJ·y awl trali.er:;tue.n uf t l l l j di~t.('i~t:. l~est fat beast, I')ilver cup, valu-e .£5 [>ti.-Won by 11il". G. 1<' • .tloddy of bolw'l ck with a blaek polled homebred, wCJghing- 14 cwt. ~ qr~. :!lbs., and pUl'chased by Ml'. ;J.'homas Stimp.-:;on, Jj(>:-l'eham. fOl" £;'H 1(),;. Mr. Hoddy W'"'. however. dis- qnalified iu <':OJH:)f-'qll~n('e of the radins of bix milefi. \'....<L~ Best j'"t bullock fed by tenant farmer, presented bv Reepbam tradecmen silver cup, value .£5 5r;.-j\tf r. George Seaman, of Oulton,. W~ clwarded the prize with a black Angus, weIghing 16 cwt." 3 q"'i .• "nd sold to Mr. B. E. Smith. Bunwell. fOI" ,£41. t.he top price of tbe day. Best pell uf five cross-bred hoggets-~~n by Mr. John Green., a.nd sold to lvir. D ICKerson (N "rwieh) at 595 ench. Best pen of black·faced 6lu",p-\V()U by Mr. ,J o hn Perowlle. and bought by Mr. W. Ba.yfield (Doreham) at 6&. Pigs at II o'clock sharp Fowls at 12 Beasts at 1.30 Sheep at 2.30 l$ uppJy 01 B<'St pail" of fat beasts. fed by t enant farm,ers1J'his was won by .Mr. J-ohn !:'el'owne, uf (]'uton llall. WIth a pair nf Scotch bullock" •. bought by M·p.ssl't-;. Ii'. il';;lyfielri and Rub~rt Stlmpsou tOt" Th~re w&re b-everaI other very good hoggets shown. whieh realised much better prices than of late. Twel Vi) choice Suffolk. 6hearlings l'ealised 69s .. 71}; .• and 69s. each; they were th., property of Mr. George S-eaman. . . Mr. ]<;d ward Stimpson of Sail won both priZes in th" swine dass, th·e bE'6t pen of ·three fat piad and the b£'8t 6uloje pig. They were Gold at°a'n avel'i:l.g"e of .£8 e,-~h tu 1ft.. It·UUlP. Ree-pham. :Mr. Purdy of Cuwston touk the cott.age.rs' prjz.e fOl" the be6t p~g. ~r he betit pa.ir of tUl'keY6 wen t to 1{r. W . .T. C-omer of 'V-f':stOlL. J\tll'. Bartle took the seco-ud pl'lze. The best pail' of fat 'geese ~vere sent hy Ur. H.. Daw>;on, and the second paIr by M.r. U. BmwIl. For the best pair of fat ducks Me&irs. Lowe Bros .• Guestwick. were award"'"' the prize. with Messrs. Gibbs Br06., Guestwick, secolld. Fat chi-ckens,· fir~t pnze ~:f.r. Lock, 6econd prize M· €t:;t:jl'~ . .Gibb:5 Jjros . " . 1."he pigs included SOUle vel'Y heavy w.el-ghts. ,,\lHI trarl·e ruled Tn.ther better than r-ecent Pl'l-c€S sev-eral m"-1.king from £5 56. to .£8 lOs. each. ' The poultry show include<l.an· ""ceptionally large supp'.y. from 150U to 2000 h",d being penned. Turkeys made up to 23.5. each, ducks 4.<. 3d. each, geese 7s. each. chicken.s &s. 9d. to 4.< . each.· The attendance wa:-; ver~Y lal'ge. and buyers attended from all parts of Norfolk, a large number of Norwich butchers. as well as the principal bubehers from Fakenha.m. Derehrull, Holt Sheringham. Cromer. OVBrlStrand. North Wal;hll.lll. Aylsham . Foulshmn. and Ileighbourin ff villages. In ,t he eVEillirfg several of the co;npan:v Gat dmvn t.o dinner, the chair being occupied by Mr. Aubrey Radway, during which the cups wer-e presented to th(3 nrize-winnel"&" hiti farm exceeding M J'. George Seamau t.hen·for e awarcl-f'd the eup for a black Ang-Ut:l we-Ig-ll i ng- 16 cwt: 3 qrs ., anti pUl'chased by 1\.11'. 1;'. Jj-ay11.-el.d, It'oU1:ShaIll, for £;59 IUs. Best butcher's hullock. fed by tenant far mer, t-.ilvel' ~llp-'l ·he win.ner was Ml'. John Pel'OWlle. uf Gut-on Hall, WiUl a red shorthorn, weighing; ]" cwt. !! qr¢;., and Bold tu Mr. Charles Dig~ellbi ui Holt fOJ' £37 lo.;. 17 �I . . .. Dinner in the Kings Arms club room The conclusion of the press report mentions the dinner he ld in the evening. From the early years the bustle and enjoyment of the Show was concluded (and some would say enhanced) with a dinner in the Kings Arms club room: although in the latter years up to the Second World War it was held in the Sun Hall. Mr. Hubbard was the publican at the Kings Anns and he was responsible for the decoration of the room and the preparation of the meal. It was wholesome fare. greatly appreciated and hungrily consumed to replenish the sturdy frames of the dealers. fanners. auctioneers and other men who attended. Men who had spent the day in the business of showing. judging, buying and selling. Though no doubt they had found it necessary to replenish their energies with a draught or two of ale and a hastily eaten pie their stomachs hungrily awaited the evening repast. Th ~ meal offe red copious amounts of beef and pork (generously supplied by Bayfields of Dereham) with the plates further tilled wi th ample supplies of vegetables. This was followed by trille or a fruit tart and custard and cheese was available for anyone who felt he had a space left to fill. All of this would be washed down with draught beer and whisky chasers. The meal was followed by speeches and the presentation of the Show cups. In some years the parrons enjoyed enlertainmenl with recitals or monologues performed by the more musical or artistic members of the local community. The Hall would hold up to 100 diners and it was strictly an all ticket affair. TIle tickets were keenly sought after and would be sold out long before the day of the Dinner. Some of the diners wou ld stay in Reepham for the night but the locals who attended would fmd their way home, late but happy and many a horse rerurned to its stable with a rider or driver obli vious to the world and encapsulated in a fug of sleep and alcohol. The Christmas Sale suffered mixed fortunes, particularly from the effects of the two World Wars and it took a long while before it returned after 1945. At the first post war Christmas sale in 1954 the Reepham and District Chamber 18 of Trade challenge cup was won by a Hereford steer exhibited by Mr. Simmons of Witchingham and the beast was bought by Mr. F. Sunon of Acle. There were many other classes to be judged for canle and pigs. There was a heavy entry of cattle for this particular show sale although the entry of more than 450 pigs is reputed as being down on the previous week. Although the Christmas Sale and Show was revived the DiJUler was not and something that had figured prominently on the Reepham calendar for so many years had disappeared. The largest post-war Christmas poultry show ever recorded, when over 800 lots changed hands, had been held the previous year in December 1953 when loading and dispersals were maintained by the aid of torches long after dark. There was a fine show of turkeys with some birds realising up to 6/- (30p) a pound. Apart from the turkeys that year the sale offered a wide range of poUltry to grace the Christmas dinners tables of the local area, this included caponised chickens, coloured birds. beSt quality hens. cross breeds and a number labelled as 'inferior fowls'. There were geese and ducks and for those who didn't want poultry they could have purchased a rabbit - wild or tame. Although it was Edward VB who made the eating of turkey at Christmas fashionable, the present popularity of the rurkey is very recent. The high price paid at the market in 1953 was for the purchase of a bird that was (at that time) considered a lUXUry. Goose and chicken were routinely eaten on Christmas Day until the late 1950's when the turkey - with the help of a certain Mr. Matthews - began to dominate. More than 10 million are now sold every year at Christmas. The sa leground (now occupied by the Station Road car park) was not large compared to the size of other markets in Norfolk. It was of a triangular shape with two large entrances; one siruated where the present car park entrance is and the other further down the hill towards Towns End Comer. There were also a small pedestrian entrance into Chapel Walk (often called Saleground Alley). There was no pavement alongside the area as there is today and the sale ground went right up to the edge of Station Road. Along the east side were the uncove red sheep and cattle pens. On the opposite side along Station Road was an area covered in corrugated sheets used for the penning of pigs and cal ves and next to this was a small brick and tiled bam. This had been built originally as part of a small group of buildings when the land had been part of a farm; when the area was bought outright by Irelands in 1883 it was still being used for the winter storage of cattle. The west wall of the bam fronted directly onto Station Road and is remembered by many people for the profusion of bills and notices that were plastered over the lower brickwo rk . The bam was used as a storage and display area for the limited amount of deadstock sent for sale. Anything not sold would be slored here until the following week and �- '- A nice white turkey among those presented for sale at the first of the Christmas 1968 poultry auctions, has an anxious look in her eye, as though aware time is getting short. Holding the bird is Mr. J. Haggerty. in particularly cold weather calves to be sold would be put in the bam away from the icy draughts of the open barred cattle pens. Next to the bam were the toilets and this area was also occupied by a stall which sold cockles, mussels and other shellfish to those attending the market. The market was small yet busy and the close proximity of the animals, the emuent generated by both men and beasts which was dealt with by limited drainage and the smell of shellfish must ha ve offered a rare cocktail of heady yet rustic smells. Indeed one abiding memory offered was the trail (and odour) of animal urine that found its natural way from the saleground pens and downhill towards the street drains at Towns End Comer. In the centre of the saleyard was a row. of poultry pens which individually held up to ten birds. The pens were made of netting and the whole section was covered with a pitched roof to keep off the rain. Also in the centre was the wooden office used by Irelands on sale days and the weigh bridge. The site originally contained at the northern end a tall American prairie style windpump, used to raise the water required by the saleground. In later years a motorised pump was installed in a small shed situated over the bore pipe and the tower was removed. In recollections of the saleground this tall wind pump was remembered clearly by many people. In the early part of this century there were few houses along Station Road and the tower was clearly visible as people approached Reepham from Kerdiston, Wood Dalling and Cawston. 19 • �/ These Market years are connected with the names of many people who had a direct and indirect association with the saleyard. Ernie Lines, 'Ikey' Wright, and Les Blyth who did the portering, Tom Bacon who looked after the poultry, Herbert Vardigans who used to help wash down the yard and take away the days accumulation of straw and manure, Billy Freestone who unlocked and locked the saleyard and carried out the geneml caretakering duties and Tom Hall who helped with the clearing up. There was Fords the bakers in the Market Place who supplied the bread and meat pies which fed many of those anending and Clifford and The Saleground Owners Irelands was founded by Anthony and Henry Ireland who had extensive fanning interests in Guestwick and Wood Oalling. They opened offices in Guestwick and Foulsham from which they conducted business as land agents and auctioneers and were well established when they purchased Violet Watson who between them were licensees of The the orchard in Station Road which was to become the Reepham saleground, or Reepham Auction Mart as it was advertised in the local press of the time. Henry's son Edwin took over the fum in the early part of this century and continued with its expansion particularly in selling at the large and lucmtive market at Castle Hill, Norwich. By the 1930's Irelands had become a large and active organisation in the farming and general agricultural life in Norwich and North Norfolk. At this time their main office was based in Norwich and they were holding regular sales and auctions at Norwich Castle Hill, North Walsham and Holt as well as Reepham. During the 50 years, until his death in 1953 .t the age of 92, there were few members of the farming fmternity in Norfolk who had not had dealings with E B Ireland. Hubert Sheringham started work with Irelands in 1946 as an articled pupil and he had to pay the fum a premium of £100 a year to work there and learn the trade of .auctioneer and estate agent. Thankfully this form of apprenticeship lasted for a relatively short time and within two years he had become qualified and remained with Irelands for the next 40 years until he retired as a senior partner in 1986. During his time with Irelands Hubert was a regular auctioneer at Reepham. Immediately after the Second World War the rural areas of Norfolk still relied heavily upon the established system of markets to buy and sell and the many local markets held on different days of the week provided employment to a number of company auctioneers and other staff who would attend and carry out their particular tasks. Other well known auctioneers at Reepham included Alfred King from Trunch, Brian Boning and Arthur Gibbs from Norwich and more locally William (Billy) Ewing who had been employed by Irelands until he was called up for war service in 1940. During the War he would help out at local markets when on leave and when de mobbed in 1946 he was reemployed b y Irelands and continued to sell at Reepham until its fmal closure. The saleground was often a bustle of activity, there would be three auctioneers working at the same time - selling poultry, pigs and canle and assisting them would be the porters, helpers and clerks all going about their business in this relatively small area. Sun, the local public house favoured by Irelands for 42 years until Violet retired in 1964. Chartered Auctioneers, Estate Agents and Surveyors VAL UATIO NS und ertak en for REAL ESTATE, PROBATE, INCOME TAX Etc. IRELANDS WEEKLY MARKETS REEPHAM (Wednesday) NORTH WAlSHAM (Thursday) HOLT (Friday) NORWICH Hill (Saturday) OffiCES: Barclays Bank Chambers Norwich Telephone 20)45 North Walsham Market Place 20 Telephone 19 �effects", and "Capital Holdings", "Live and Dead Stock", "Agricultural Carriages", "Choice In-calf and heifers", "Pedigree pigs and poultry and useful working horses". There were many of these sales but much more went under the hammer than the items in the catalogues. In many cases the fann sale was not simply a sale but the disintegration of a way of life for a fanning family and for some the break up of a wider fanning community. Irelands Meadow Mrs Violet Watson Ire lands also held Spring and Michaelmas deadstock sales. These sales were held on the meadow (known as [relands meadow) which was bounded by the Kerdiston Road and Smugglers Lane - an area which in the last 20 years has been built on and is no w covered with houses and lrelands carried out a number of local fann sales and in the depressed inter-war years the appropriate page in the Eastern Daily Press would carry the bungalows. Before it was sold for development the meadow was used in later years for the parking of cattle auctioneers advertisements for "excellent pair of brick and tile farm cottages". "desirable lots of household furniture and 21 Early days of Irelands - centre seated is Henry John Ireland of Wood Dalling, Standing on the left is Alfred George Gibbs, �I MARKET DAY SQUEALS December 1954 With a squealing and a shooing, Mr W. Cook's pigs tumble helter-skelter out of the lorry to Reepham Wednesday Market. floats and other vehicles but twice a year and for a few hours only it came alive with the bustle of Irelands Spring and Michaelmas Sales. Apart from the limited use every Wednesday in connection with saleground parking the field was used as a general recreation ground and particularly by the Band of Hope football team who played here during the 1920's. These two annual sales consisted of all manner and classes of agricultural machinery and miscellaneous dead stock that farmers wanted to dispose of. The sales would be held on Wednesday and would start at lOam so that the majority of items could be sold before the sale of beasts and poultry commenced at the saleground nearby. The Michaelmas sale in October 1949 was typical of many successful sales held in these post war years, the car park is recorded as having handled 54 cars and six lorries and a fme Autumn day brought out a large number of people , some buying, some selling .. others who were interested to buy if a bargain came their way and the majority who just came for a morning out. More than 350 lots were offered and many were cleared at keen prices. it was probably not a day for the bargain humer. The more important items sold on the day included a Fordson Major Perkins diesel tractor £475, chicken houses to £31, Morris 8 van £60, tumbril £29, Deep Digger Plough £30 and pitch pole harrows £32. 22 On such days a large number of people would attend and the Market Place would be full of parked vehicles. Wednesday was the one busy day of the week for the local Police with a constable controlling the influx of people and traffic by standing on point duty at Towns End Comer. Parking Problems In the days of horse drawn travel parking had never been regarded as a nuisance but the increasing numbers of motorised vehicles caused the residents of Reepham to consider from the early 1920's that it was a problem and after much public agitation the use of the Market Place as a car park was brought about by the former St. Faiths and Aylsham R.D.C. The Council purchased the property from the then Lady of the Manor (a member of the Eglington family) for £400 in 1937. The ancient market was bought by the District Council on the urgings of the Parish Council who had been concerned for a number of years at way the Market Place had been managed, after being let to a lessee of the Lord of the Manor. �The End of an Era The Market fmally closed on the 8th March 1972. During the previous week the Eastern Daily Press had carried a notice from Ire lands which stated; The annual Christmas Show had been held in December 1971, the animals were prepared, shown and judged as they had been for the previous 100 years but the day was tempered with an element of regret and the knowledge that this was probably the last one. The market was held in the early weeks of 1972 and then on Wednesday 8th March Irelands fmally called it a day. Without ceremony and fuss the 32 fat pigs and sows that had been entered on that day were sold and loaded up for their various destinations. The dead stock was auctioned and the few traders. dealers, farmers and local people who attended drifted away in the early afternoon. The straw and manure was cleared away. the yard swept and washed down and in the failing late winter gloom the few electric lights were switched off, the gates closed and an area that had served Reepham and its rural catchment so well for nearly a century settled down to await its furure. A brief report appeared in the Eastern Daily Press on Friday 10th March but it was linked in with the closure problems of the Dereham Auction Mart. The few words offered about Reepham were a small. yet unfitting The Auctioneers wish to announce that the weekly market for live and dead stock will be discontinued after 8th March 1972. periodic sales of Household furniture and effects will be held in future and the first of these will take place on Tuesday 28th March. Like many other local markets it had suffered a severe decline in trade by the early 1970's and it was inevitable that a market that was small compared to others in the County was no longer fmancially viable. Irelands decided to concentrate their interests on the much larger and more lucrative Norwich market. Keys weekly market at Aylsharn had been established in 1954 and as Reepham dwindled so Aylsharn succeeded with a lot of the people involved in the general market business preferring the Aylsharn saleground with its much larger range of pens and cages (much of it under cover) and easier parking on the actual site. There had been a drastic decline in the num ber of animals being sold; fat cattle and calves were no longer being sold here and the market relied entirely on the sale of pigs. rabbits. poultry and dead stock and the occasional sale of furniture and household effects. The Spring and Michaelmas sales went when Irelands meadow on the Kerdiston Road was sold. The number of fat pigs and sows sold each week fluctuated greatly, sometimes it reached 150 animals but the weekly trade was often much lower and far too often the numbers sold were less than 50. The heady times of the early 1950's had gone forever; market days' when record entries of more than 500 pigs. up to 200 cattle and on one particular occasion in September 1952 when more than 2500 head of poultry were auctioned, would epitaph to the death of a market that has once stood with the best that could be found in Norfolk. The traffic problems in Reepham had been viewed with growing apprehension for a number of years and the closure gave Broadland District Council the opportunity to purchase the site from Irelands and in 1978 to open the area as a car park. The preparatory work and subsequent landscaping to achieve this has been very thorough and all trace and vestige of its former use has disappeared. As surely as Irelands Auction Mart buried all traces of Mr Bircham's orchard more than 100 years ago so the asphalt. bricks and ground covering shrubs has removed all traces of the saleground. We can only speculate as to what the next 100 years will bring to this area!! never again return to Reepham. 23 �REEPHAM SHOPPING WEEK was held in June 1950. It was Oliginally planned as the Reepham Shopping Days and these were scheduled for June 14th, 15th and 't6th, but the overall event was predeterrllined a success and events took place throughout the whole week. It was planned by members of the newly fonned Reepham and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce and the Shopping Week Committee was chaired by Mr. S. Curtis. The purpose of the week was not for the individual gain of a few tradespeople but was intended for the benefit of the Town of Reepham as a whole. It was hoped at the time that this would be the first of many such occasions which would advertise Reepham as 'a shopping centre and by degrees to increase the overall prosperity of the town. Further Shopping Weeks with varied success were held in the following years. The success of the nrst one in 1950 assisted the Parish Council the following year in deciding that they would not support the festivities for the Festival of Britain but would offer their support instead to the Reepham Shopping Week. The prospect of the new decade of the 1950's meant so much to the people at that time, the previous decade had contained the dark years of War and the period of post war austerity. This had now passed (even though some rationing was to continue until 1954) and the transition from war to peace by the Labour Govemment elected with a landslide made their way into the town for most if not all of their shopping needs. A trip to Norwich was an irregular or perhaps even an annual visit and this for most people could only be made by train and not by car; transport for most people was by bicycle or else they had tp walk. Larger orders placed with the local shops would be delivered by the shopkeeper's van or by a delivery boyan his tradebike. Bacon rashers were freshly sliced by hand for each customer, sugar was scooped out of a drawer by means of a handled measure and was weighed into thick, dark blue paper bags and thick rinded cheese was sliced by hand. Shopping was a necess ity that for many women fanned a regular part of their daily routine, meat safes were essential and refri gerators were a luxury. Stabilisers and preservarives in food were yet to be introduced and if you wanted to keep food for any length of time it had to be bottled, pickled or preserved at home. The vegetable patch formed an indespensible part of every household and chickens and rabbits were kept for their ultimate value as a pie filling. Much of the area had not been connected to the electricity supply and nor was mains water fully available. The flush toilet was still considered a luxury and for many the al ternative was a little hut at the bottom of the garden, serviced on a weekly basis by the horse drawn "Night Cart". Everybody knew exactly who everyone was, mechanised farming and household conveniences were unheard of. the abundance of vehicles on the roads had yet to appear and J. victory in 1945 had in a few years achieved conspicuou s success and the hopes of the people were that this trend would continut:. Memories were still very clear in Sainsbury was a town grocer indistinguishable from recollecting the harshness and deprivation of the War and .the post-War discomfort when in 1947 the heavy snowfalls and extreme cold gripped the country for several weeks was determined that this Summer event giving the worst winter in living memory. For so many years the basic foods and other household items had been thousands of others. The tum of the year in 1950 signified hope and everyone would bring pleasure and profit and would be repeated in future years. The first part of this hope indeed came true, as the local press reported after the Week was over "it was a thoroughly sound job that has been well done" . Whether or not it brought in the continued material success that the local unobtainable or rationed, simple pleasures became luxuries and routine travel had been tedious and time consuming. These times of deprivation and inconvenience, which traders hoped for was uncertain at the time but the fact would be forever associated with the 1940's had however remained passed and 1950 was seen as a cornerstone. A decade viewed with hope and optimism and people were convinced that the worst was over and social conditions and life people into the town to enjoy the events and Reepham was placed well and truly on the map. The programme of events started on the Tuesday with the Grand Eve of Opening Dance which was held in the Reepham Band Hall when Gerald Amies and his Orchestra played from 8pm to lam. During the Interval the result of the ballot for "Miss Reepham" was announced. It had been agreed that "Miss Reepham" could be any lady above the age of 18 from within a radius of five miles and Miss Daphne Barrow was elected by the vote of the audience. generally could only get better. In 1950 Reepham was very much a local centre for the surrounding area. Agriculture was probably the largest overall employer and farm life was still greatly dictated by the walking pace of the carthorse. Reepham was a focal point for the rural population who lived within a walking or cycling distance and a large number of people regularly 24 that the occasion brought a large number of �The following day saw the highlight of the "Week", the grand parade on the Wednesday afternoon of Light, Heavy, Riding and Saddle Horses and Vehicies, which came from many local fanns and trades and a gathering at the same time of the North Norfolk Harriers This parade congregated in the Market Place and despite some adverse weather a large number of people watched as the turnout was judged and the various rosettes and other prizes were distributed. It .,-as prev iously announced that two "mystery persons" (a lady and a gentleman) would lOur the main streets between 2 and 3 pm and if they were successfully challenged by someone who was also able to produce a Shopping Week programme they could claim a prize of 10/-. Miss Peggy ~{jUe r was the only person to successfully challenge . and she secured the prize. was a First Prize of 3 guineas and the event was greatly appreciated by the many people who au ended and particularly by those who went home with a prize. Friday evening was an exceptionally busy time with many people coming into the town for the Knock-Our Bowls Competition and a Darts Contest. The bowls was organised by Mr. C. Plume and played on the Sun Inn and Kings Anns bowling greens with the winne rs Messrs. A. Carman, H. Bell and H. F. Laskey winning by 9 shols to 3. The darts competition was organised by Mr. G. Bunn, and this attracted more than 300 entries. The finals were played at the "George and Dragon" with winners coming from Caw stan, Lenwade, Plumstead as well as Reepham. "Miss Reepham" with her attendants, Miss Joy Jones and Miss Jean Tubby presented the prizes In the evening the massed bands of Fakenham Town, The "Week" was an unqualified success, it brought many CawslOn and Reepham played in the Markel Place from 7.30 - 9pm and this was followed by an open-air dance with the mus ic being provided by Mr. Birds radiogram. From the early morning bustle of the weekly livestock people into the town and whilst this may not have raised a sustained level of trade for the local shopkeepers it certainly achieved its objectives in the short term. A opportunity was market to the enjoyment of the late evening dancing the derived which allowed the local tradespeople to fully display their merchandise and Iheir efforts were initially .. hole town participated in a level of enjoyment that had rewarded. The committee responsible for the organisati on DOl been experienced for many years. On the following day a mammoth whist drive with 35 tables was held at the Band Hall. Mr. H. Gibbons acted as Master of Ceremonies; there been thoroughly well done and the foundation was laid for a similar successful event to be held the following year. were rewarded 100 with the knowledge that a good job had �Daily Express, Oec. 9th, 1947 .. I wish someone'd hurry up and pinch this - bird if they're going to." Austerity, Food Rationing and with a general shortage of poultry, the Christmas Lunch/or 1947 demanded more than a little attention! Printed by REEPHAM PRINTING SERVICES Church Street, Reepham Tel. 01603 871102 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletters Description An account of the resource A comprehensive collection of newsletters published by the Reepham Society. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Printed and digital Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/RS/Magazines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1983-2000 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Magazine 1996 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2408201710 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource A4 PDF, 28 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Reepham Society Reepham Society https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/127073d235cfe48d24158062518b1728.pdf 03f15121d11e2b93b9e1f05131fa235a PDF Text Text 20 THE REEPHAM SOCIETY Affiliated 10 the Council for the Protection of Rural Englalld Newsletter - January 1998 (Follows July 1997 Issue) Introduction This newsletter continues the Executive COlIunittee's commitment to keep members informed about the Society's activities ruKi proJX'sed future events. The newsletter will be distributed by collectors at the same time as 1998 membership cards when calling upon members for their 1998 subscriptions. which we have managed to keep at the same level as last year - £4 per household or £3 if any member of the household is a senior citizen. General A<; a reminder and for new members. The society operates as a local amenity society within the parishes of Reepham, Booton. Hackford. Kerdiston, Salle, and WhitwelL It is a registered charity affiliated to the CowlCil for the Protection of Rural England and is non-political and non-sectarian. The Society is also non-profit making and financed entirely by members' subscriptions, voluntary donations, and fund raising activities. Membership is open to aU who are interested in the area covered. Objects are to:1. 2. 3. stimulate public interest in the area: promotc high standards of planning and architecture; secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historical or public interest. In addition to its own activities to promote these objects, the society cooperates and co~ordjnates with other oodies such as the Parish Council, clubs and youth groups. The society also keeps a watch on activities and deve lopments outside Reepham that are likely to affect the to .....'11. Planning After years of expert sterling service, M,u-garet Hemmings has stepped down as Chairman & Secretary of the Planning sub-Committee. Jan Henry is now Chairman and Jolyon Booth is Secretary. In 1997 the sub-committee commented on 36 applications. Broadland District Council subsequently rcliJsed 3 of them and approved 26 leaving 7 outstanding at the tin,e of going to print. The refusals were applications to set up businesses - a Pizza takeaway in Townsend Court and two successive applications to set up a Hair Salon in a house in New Road. Amongst the approved proposals wa<; the conversion, to residential use, of stables at the Kings Arms with consequent improvement of a blank wall in Back Street by reinstatement of old windows. Further development ofthe Randall's yard site was approved to allow conversion of the old George and Dragon to two dwellings and addition of two more houses 10 U1e terrace on Norwich Road. The fate of the old wall at the bottom ofMaithouse Lane is currently under negotiation. Outstanding applications include the development of the old granary site in Stony Lane. Outline pennission for 9 houses was granted in April but a specific application has now been made for 7 houses. An L-shaped belt of trees around this site is now protected. Also outstanding is an application to keep horses on a patch of growld next to Whitwell Common, which we opposed because we doubted its suitability for grazing and feared pollution risks to the Site ofSpeciai Scientific lintercst. Since last January's newsletter the restoration and repainting of the old Spar shop to become Echo Antiques and the conversion of TIle Chimes into Motts Chemi:-,1s have both reen completed with results that we hope Joost people will fmd attractive. The modifications to the Broadland Local District Plan. have reached the final stage. They make very few changes in Reepham most ly to match the designated use of certain areas to their actual use and to preserve some patches of green, Nev"sleller Jan 98 �• • Page 2 Footpaths The Parish Council have sub-contracted to us the responsibility for the twice yearly survey of footpaths within the parish. Volunteer members shared the work between them and completed the first survey in November. 1be fee of £150 is a helpful addition to our finances. The next survey is due in May additional volunteers please contact the secretary. TheCPRE We continue to support the CPRE through its County Branch, the Norfolk Society both by our corporate subscription and by participating in CPRE activities. In October we mounted a display and helped at the Norfolk Society's Silver Jubilee exhibition at the Assembly House, Norwich and we have sent representatives to the Society's General Advisory Conunittee and to its award ceremony at County Hall. We look forward to Martin Walton's t.."lIk about these awards at our meeting on 121h February. Ralph Cox has completed an extensive planning research project, on our behalf, fur the Broad.land District Committee of the CPRE. We understand that the County Branch has now adopted Ralph's work as a model for use by other district committees. The CPRE has now discontinued its product marketing but we shall still ofter our remaining items at our general meetings. RS Garden Competition The Reepham Society's 1997 gardcn competition easily maintained standards set in carlier years, with the number of entries again topping 80. The awards ceremony on this occasion al,lowed time for each judge to explain how prize-winners were selected, and to make a few general remarks aoout gardening features which appealed to them. We were most interested to learn of the variations in approach by each judge. Unfortlll1ately several prize-winners did not attend. Wirmcrs, in order - lSi, 200. 3m, and Highly Commended - were as follows. The Stimpson Cup (Large Gardens). Mr. & Mrs. NT Wood; Mr. & Mrs. M WoodnUl; Mr. & Mrs. DW Jones; Mrs. A Wyand. Judge Laurie Riches. The Ewing Cup (lntennediate Gardens) Mr. & Mrs. HW Raffell; Mr. & Mrs. JR Lambert; Mrs. RM Attridge; Mr. & Mrs. RW Franklin. Judge Brian Norbury. The Margaret Cameron Cup (Small Gardens) Mr. & Mrs. DW Everett; Mr. & Mrs. IW McGilvray; Mrs. E Plant; Mr. & Mrs. J Lay. Judge Mike Allen. The Chairman's Cup (Vegetable gardens) Mr. W Roberts; Mr. WJ Tubby; Mr. HN Egmore; Mrs. NA Jinkerson; Miss. 0 Burton; Mr. S Tebbutt; Mr. M Jozefiak. Judge Mr. EG Geater. The 1998 award ceremony will be further expanded by agreement with the judges so as to provide a period for questions from the audience along the lines of Radio 4's "Gardeners' Question Time". We extend a warm welcome to any interested gardeners, particularly members of the Reepham and District Gardening Club. Other Support Activities As already reported in the July 97 newsletter we continue to sUpfXJrt the activities of various other Reepham organisations such as the Scouts Extravag~ Charter Day and the Victorian Day. at which last we raised on the cake stall a record £50 tor Ray's Hall. Once more our thanks go to Pat Large and her team of helpers who have provided cakes for stalls, refreshments and other assistance on our behalf Newsletter Jan 98 �• Page 3 Rcepham Society Archive. Over the past twelve months many new photographs have been added to the Society's archive. This was increased by a number of items from a member of the Beaver family who resided at Beaver House in Norwich Road. Some :further items of memorabilia from the G ibbs fam ily have now been included. One item of particular interest is a copy of a journal by J.P. Leeds who resided at lbe Oaks Farm, Kerdiston, and which gives a wonderfill account of the day to day running of a furm and the lifestyle ofhis family and associates from 1823 to 1828. J.P. Leeds was a relative of Stephen Leeds who ran tlJe Tannery at Whitwell. The archivist has been able to help famil ies who have been to Reepham during the past year with information on older relatives and ha'i been able in many instances to provide copies of photographs of places where they lived. Six families have been assisted during the past year. We were able to help with information to the Television Company who made a film of the problems of adopted children who wi.<;hed to trace their natural parents. This was broadcast on one of the "Matter of Fact" programmes which was seen late last year. Another family was helped in tracing their natural mother. This concluded in a happy reunion for all concerned. To pre!\erve good things and create better ones, it is vital to understand the pa<rt .md learn from it. The archive is an important resource for everyone in Reepham and we are most grateful for the care and skill that Brian Hardiment has put in over a number o f ye.:m to collect and organise it all. From time to time he mounts displays of special selections of our material which members and others find fascinating and informative. He is always looking fur more. so if you have any photos, docwnents or other items of historical interest that you are willing to share please let him know. Finance In view of our heahhy balance of around £2500, we feel we could accept a possible excess of expenditure over income in 1998 and have decided not to increase the subscription. The footpath survey fees (mentioned earlier) a lso improve our finance s and there is always a possibility of some fimd raising event during the year. Membership Additions and depletion.') have a lmost exactly balanced to keep numbers at roughly 250 households. This makes us one of the largest amenity societies, a fact that recently led the Aylsham Association to ask our committee's advice on how we had managed it! The truth must, we hope, have something to do with what we oITer to our members. lfindecd we are getting things right then, to make sure we continue doing so, we need to know what our members want. As a step toward that end we are planning to offer tea and biscuits after the AGM, which we hope wiU e ncourage members to stay behind and, amongst other sociable activity. have a "filII and frank exchange of views" with committee members. We would welcome any offers of help with these refreshments so that the providers are not so busy they are left out of the talk. If we were to extend this practice to other meetings we should then have to make a small admission charge to cover costs rather than rely on a begging rowl at the door. Please tell us what you think. Programme ofeveots The events for 1998 are Hsted on your membership card but this went to press too early fo r some events to be included. In particular we are hoping to arrange some outdoor event in the summer and would like to do something to draw in both new members and some of those existing members who don't come to our o rdinary indoor meetings. Any committee member wouJd be delighted to hear suggestions. In particular Newsletter Jan 98 �. - Page 4 the Secretary (Jolyon Booth) can be found at SO Bircharn Road, Reepham, NORWICH, NRIO 4NQ Tel: 871181 Fax: 8711111 email: Jolyon.Bootb@btinternet.com The Magazine Members have expressed a wish for fill1her issues of a magazine. We do have something in mind, which we hope to print during the year hut our regular researcher and writer, Michael B lack. has found it increasingly difficult to make the time for this work.. Any offers of help in this area from members would be most welcome. Otber Help Needed and Gratefully Received Eileen Plant, who has been finding ~lJe3k.ers for our meetings for some years now, has expressed the wish that someone else should take on this role. Any offers please? It is long past time to thm1k Harry Bibby and Geoff Hemmings for their regular perfunnance of the chore of setting out chairs for our meetings. Members mayor may not know that some years ago the society published a postcard showing All Saint's church Hackford - one of the three churches in Reepham churchyard - before it was demolished. A few copies of the card are still available in St Mary's but the society is in the process ofreprinting and hope to have copies of the new version available soon. The illustration alongside is to give an impression only and cannot match the quality of reproduction of the new cards. We should like to take this opportunity to thank all our distributors and collectors and wish all our members a Happy 1998. Don't miss the first meeting on 12tb February - 8pm in St Michael's. Newsletter Jan 98 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletters Description An account of the resource A comprehensive collection of newsletters published by the Reepham Society. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Printed and digital Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/RS/Magazines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1983-2000 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletter January 1998 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2409041000 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource A4, 4 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 1998 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Reepham Society Reepham Society https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/70033e1774b1db8aa26c9886827b993b.pdf 49f117264ee6df7bdbb718063444b13a PDF Text Text 2r f • THE REEPHAM SOCIETY Affiliated to the Council for the Protection a/ Rural England Newsletter - January 1999 (Follows September 1998 Issue) At this time of year, as our voluntary collectors go round asking for your subscriptions, we generally include in the newsletter a reminder of the Society's aims and activities. The society operates as a loca1 amenity society within the parishes of Reepham, Booton, Hackford, Kerdiston, Salle, and Whitwell. It is a registered charity affiliated to the Council for the Protection of Rural England and is non-political and nonsectarian. The Society is also non·profit making and financed entirely by members' subscriptions, voluntary donations, and fund raising activities. Membership is open to all who are interested in the area covered. Objects are to:- I. 2. 3. stimulate public interest in the area~ promote high standards of planning and architecture~ secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement offeatures of historical or public interest. In addition to its own activities to promote these objects, the society cooperates and co-ordinates with other bodies such as the Parish Council, clubs and youth groops. The society also keeps a watch on activities and developments outside Reepham that are likely to affect the town. Planning As an Amenity Society, we are entitled to be notified about and comment on aU planning applications in Reepham. These are scrutinized by our Planning sub-Committee, of which Jan Henry is now Chairman and Jolyon Booth is Secretary. In 1998 the sub-ccmmittee commented on 28 applications. Broadland District Council subsequently refused 2 of them and approved 24 leaving 2 outstanding at the time of going to print. The most significant refusal was for two pig buildings at Wood Fann Kerdiston as reported in the September 98 newsletter. The most significant proposal since then is to convert Riches House (The old Happy Shopper) into a shop and four flats. We have not opposed this but BDC have yet to decide on it. Highways Members wil~ no doub~ be pleased to learn tha~ at a Parish Council Meeting on 25~ Nov, there had been a constructive exchange of views with two County Council Highways Officers on a range of highways topics. The Officers accepted that long vehicles should be discouraged from coming through Reepham. As soon as possible they would put notices on the BI145 at Bawdeswell, Aylsham and Fir Covert Road advising drivers that the road was unsuitable for long vehicles. The effect ofthese advisory notices would be monitored to assess the likely value of framing a restrictive regulation. They would also change the direction sign off the A1067 at Bawdeswell so it showed Reepham rather than Aylsham, as at present. They thought various other ideas about changing road priorities, protective kerbs and a chicane were not feasible though they believed Reepham was near the top of the queue for traffic calming. They would come and look at our parking problems outside Spar and along Norwjch Road. There was a possibility of extending the 30 limit beyond Booton Beck. RS Garden Competition In order to keep a unified theme for the evening, a new fonnat was tried for the presentation of the Reepham Society'S 1998 garden competition prizes. So, after they had very fully and carefully explained who was getting the awards and why, the judges fonned themselves into a gardeners' question time panel. The audience challenged them with a wide variety of questions, which they fi elded most expertly and Newsletter Jan 99 �/ • Page2 adroitly. All three of them found something to say about almost every question - there was no repetition and only the faintest hint of disagreement - altogether a fascinating evening. We are most grateful to the judges, for the time and effort they contributed. Between them they visited 80 gardens twice over. Winners, in order - lsi., 2nd, 3m, and Highly Commended - were as follows. The Stimpson Cup (Large Gardens). Mr. & Mrs. R Kemp; Mr. & Mrs. R D Harding; Mrs. A Wyand. Judge Mike Allen. The Ewing Cup (Intennediate Gardens) Mr. & Mrs. R W FrankJin; Mr. & Mrs. JR Lamhert; Mr. & Mrs. H W Raffell; Mr. & Mrs. B Simpson Judge Laurie Riches. The Margaret Cameron Cup (Small Gardens) Mrs. Pat Waterworth; Mr. & Mrs. IW McGilvray Mr. & Mrs. DW Everett; Mr. & Mrs. J Lay. Judge Brian Norbury. The Chairman's Cup (Vegetable gardens) Mr. W Roberts; Miss Dorothy Burton; Mr. HN Egmore; Mrs. NA linkerson; Mr. W J Tubby; Mr. S Tebbutt; Special Award /0: Mr. P Walker: Mr. & Mrs. D Leonard Judge Mr. EG Geater. Programme of events You will see from the list below and on your membership card. that this summer we have combined the "outdoor" event with the presentation of the Marjorie Gibbs Rose Bowl (hanging basket) awards. Last year it was the social aspect of both these events that members seemed to enjoy most and we plan to lay on some (gentle) live music as well as food and drink to oil the wheels. 1999 Programme FEBRUARY II The Knight on the Bed of Stone. (Like the Kerdiston tomb to St.Mary's Church.) lIIustrated talk by Kate Nightingale (Reepham Society) MARCH II Victorian Cooking: Rich & Poor. Talk and display by Lyn Gash (Norwich Museum) APRIL 29 AGM Election of Officers & Committee for 1999-2000, followed by Medieval Norfolk from the Air. llIustrated talk by Derek Edwards (Norrolk Landscape Archaeologist, Gressenhall) MAY 13 Unusual Britain Illustrated talk by Belen Paterson (Fonnerly of English Heritage) JUNE We hope to arrange an outing. (Memhers' suggestions would he welcome.) JULY 17 Society Summer Soiree & Presentation of Awards for Banging Basket Competition at Moor House, by kind permission of Mr. & Mrs. Leonard. SEI'IEMBER 9 The Sinking of the Titallic_Dlustcated talk by John Balls (Relative ofa passenger) 14 Saints Alive (Unusual church dedications in Norrolk & stories of their saints)-Illustrated talk by Philip Skeyte (Enthusiast) ocroBER NOVEMBER II 7:30 PM START The Society's Garden Awards followed by Gardeners' Question Time Norfolk Amenities Group AGM Members will be interested to learn that we are hosting this year's Group AGM ( 16 April at the Pavilion, Stimpson's Piece) where we hope to put on an exhibition of the Societies activities. Please notify Jolyon Booth if you wish to participate. Literature Festival Reepharn 's fame as an intellectual power-house has spread as fur as Norrolk County Council who have chosen the town as the location for a Literature Festival (though they want to call it something else!) to be run in conjunction with the District Council on 2 1, 2200, 23rd October. A Festival activity that the Reepham Society particularly wishes to help promote is <reminiscence gathering'. The memories of some of the Newsletter Jan 99 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletters Description An account of the resource A comprehensive collection of newsletters published by the Reepham Society. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Printed and digital Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/RS/Magazines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1983-2000 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletter January 1999 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2409041005 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource A4, 2 pages (incomplete - last 2 pages missing) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 1999 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Reepham Society Reepham Society https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/f9b6d6087a234b24cb6068149f1bd48b.pdf cee061fe7a8fd11ec0766b17abb12473 PDF Text Text Reepham Society Magazine Millennium Edition April 2001 �SOLICITORS Hunstanton & Guestwick DIVORCE WILLS LANDLORD AND TENANT (PRiVATE OR BUSfNESS) COMMERCIAL LEASE PROBATE EMPLOYMENT CO-HABITA nON CONVEYANCL'IG PERSONAL INJURY DEBT CIVIL LmGATION Legal Services Commission Franchised Firm So Public Funding may be available FREE HALF HOUR Office Hours Tel. Fax 01485532662 01485534802 After 5.3()pm Tel. 01362 68423 JHlJilll JB3 elJrJnl Residential Care Home, Church Lane, Sparham, Norfolk Tel. 01362 688702 email: ronny.hill barn@virgin .net Hill Barn is an attractive family-run Home for the elderly, offering an informal and homely atmosphere. It stands in attractively landscaped gardens with open views across the countryside. The proprietors have over 20 years experience in elderly care, and with their daughter Nicola Bryant, RG N, Dip MCS and a team of highly dedicated and NVQ trained staff provide 24 hour care tailored to the needs of the ind.ividual. Var ious hobbies are catered for and a wide range of entertainment is tegularly offered. There is also a visiting hairdresser, chiropodist, optician, mobile library and shop. All meals are home-cooked and special diets are catered for. The Home has held a Good Food Hygiene Award from Breckland Council since 1997. All rooms have call bells and TV points. Accommodation is ground float with mainly en-suite facilities. For further information or to arrange to visit the Home please contact the proprietot Mrs. Ronny Hawtrey-Eastwood or the manager Mrs. Bryant at the above address. �Editorial Contents Editorial 3 Why Reepham? 4 Public Access and Right of Way • Tony Ivins on Whitwell 6 9 Hackford through the last Millennium Childhood memories of Reepham A Thousand Years of Salle 13 20 22 Reepham Personalities and Institutions 26 The Reepham Society is established for the public benefit in the area comprising Reepham, Hackford, Whitwell, Kerdiston, Salle and Booton. The aims of the Society are: 1. To stimulate public interest in the area. 2. To promote high standards of planning and architecture in the area 3. To secure the protection, preservation, development and improvement of features of historical or public interest in the area Front cover. )olyon Booth, Chairman of the Parish Council, with the competent help of the local Fire Brigade, erecting the banner advertising Celebration 2000 which marked the turn of the Millennium in january 2000. Typeset by eRB Associates, Reepham Printed by Norwich Colour Print, Drayton We have to mark the Millennium Year in some way. The Reepham Society nearly let it pass but, seizing on the fact that arguments hav.e been made for both 2000 and 2001 as the definitive Millennium Year, we have jllSt about squeaked in with a Millennium Edition of the Magazine. Not before time, did I hear someone say? Well, it is true that the last magazine went to print in ... well, quite a time ago . As a result we d o have quite a lot of material to draw on. To mark the Millennium, we want to look back at the history of Reepham and our group of parishes. We have included articles on the history o f Reepham, Whitwell and Hackford because that is what this magaZine has always focused on but we also thought it appropriate to celebrate some of the weU-known people who have contributed so much to the work of the Society and to the community. We had intended to bring out new publications and hold a History Exhibition to mark the Millennium in 2000 but the renovations carried out on St. Michael's and SI. Mary's churches made that impractical. Doesn't the tower of St. Michael's loo k splend id after its renovation? The work on St. Mary's is m ostly internal so do go inside and take a look. There is male to come. However, we have d ecided to bestride the two Millennium years by publishing this magazine and another book, Poems froml<eeplw/II and by holdin g the History Exhibition in May 2001. A preview for Reepham Society members will be held on May 10th, and the exhibition will be open to the public on May 11th, 12th and 13th. You may even have bought your copy of this magaZine there. If you have not heard of I'oems from Reep/ulIlI, let me tell you that this is a charming collection of poems entered by local people for the Reepham Literature Festival in 1999. They were too good not to have a larger readership than the six judges of the competition so the Reepham Society has published them - with an ISBN number so that a copy will be retained in the British Library and Reepham will have made one more permanent mark on British history! 'Poems' is on sale in Very Nice Things and Echo Antiques. The Reepham Society is not, however, solely concerned with the past . We are a member of the Norfolk Society (CPRE), we have links with other Amenity Societies in the county and we are also consulted on planning for our area. This is a time of great and rapid change so we must look forward as well as back. Within the limits of our constitution we in the Society are concerned with preserving, protecling, improving and developing features of historical and public interest in our area. We have already embarked on the promotion of environmental awareness in relation to safe and effective waste disposal. These issues affect al! of us at a time when we can no longer go on ignoring our individual res ponsibility for keeping our increaSingly crowded planet a safe place in which to live and bring up children. What better time to look forward constructively than during the first year of a new millennium. Oh, in case you were wondering what Reepham did to mark the Millennium, we should remind you that Ce/e/)mtiol1 2000 was held in SI. Mary's in January 2000. This was a rea lly effective event in which over 200 children and a smaller number of grow-ups joined together to look back at the last 2000 years - not to mention parents and others fro m the town who formed their audience on three occasions. This was a very moving even t and drew people together in a very appropriate way. 3 �Why Reepham? Wesley Piercy One of the older and better known Reephoffl residents is Wesley Piercy. Now in his eighties, he has lived 01/ his life in Reephom and has always taken an intense interest in the history of the town. He completed the local history course run here by Chris suggest, would have been called Reepham. The AngloSaxon ' ham' ending is generally thought to be ea rlier than 'ton' and Olhe r suffixes. The question then arises as to where the original settlement was likely to have been. This, I suggest, was somewhere in the vidnity of the market-place and churches. If we try to put ourselves In the minds of a party of immigrant farmers looking for a place to settle, this area seems to be the one they would be most likely to pick for the fo lJowing reasons: Barringer in the 1970s and, later, went on to receive on Open University degree. Whilst completing his history course he wrote 1. this specu/alion on the origins of Reepham. Why does Reephom stand where it does? Why is il so different from the surrounding parishes? Perhaps most puzzling of all, why did its churchyard contain three churches, now reduced by fire to two. Read on if Z. you wont to know some very believable theories of the origins of this fown. ' Ree pham is a small market town which extends into four parishes'. So says the White's Norfolk Directory of 1845. Why these four parishes, Reepham St. Mary, Kerdiston, Hackford and Whitwell, should collectively be known as Reepham whe n Reepham St. Mary is the smallest and least important is a puzzle. People are puzzled, too, by the fact that three of these parishes had churches in the sa me churc hyard, which is said to be unique. This paper is an attempt to give l>ossible answers to some of these questions. If one looks at the district, either on a map or on the ground, the four parishes, with the addition of Salle, form a compact whole with bounda ries followi ng streams for most of the way. Salle has to be included as the boundary with Reepham is so complicated that it seems that they m ust originally have been one. It seems possible that these parishes formed one large pre-Conquest estate . This, I 3. It is high e nough and far enough from the River Eyn (Booton Beck) to be in no danger of flooding and yet is not so exposed to the wind as other parts of the parish. Wit h an underground stream running through, it is easy to sink wells to give an adequate water supply, wells being the only water supply until very recently. The soil in this area is a good medium loam , easily worked and well drained, with a sandy sub-soil under much of it, whereas much of the outer area is sliff clay. A good deal of this land was gTazing land and was not ploughed until very recent times. It can on ly be surmised where these early settlers came from . !-l ad they come directly from the continent or from a previously settled part of Norfolk? If the former is correct, it is possible that they landed at Caister·by-Yarmouth and fo llowed the Roman road that led inland from Caister and crossed the Eyn at some point in the Reepham area before contin uing on towa rds Bawdeswell. If this was so, they would have passed through many miles of hea th and woodland with very poor soil. The sam e applies if they came from the Norwich direction where much of the ground between Norwich a nd Reepham grew nothing but bracken unti l a few years ago. For people approaching from either of these directions, the fertile valley of the River Eyn would have appeared very allractive. If, as we suppose, neepham was an early Anglo-Saxon settlement, the original inhabitants would have bee n pagans. Though no pagan cemete ry has been found, it seems possible that the present churches stand on what was origi nally a sit e of pagan worship. 1 This we can only surmise but the si te does appear to be very old if the heigh t of the churchyard, several fee t above the roadway, is anything to go by. It is a fact that when sewer pipes were laid in Church Street a great many human bones, apparently very old and crumbling, were dug up. This seems to indicate that the original churchyard was much larger than now and that the churchyard was originally on the level of the street. If this is so, it may be supposed that the early burial ground must have been associated with a church. TIlat would mean that there was a church on the site at a very early period, any remains of which would be many feet below the present churches. Who knows what might be fou nd if they could be excavated. The fl oor levels of the existing churches, being only a little below the level of t he ChurChyard, seem to indicate that the churchyard was a considerable height above the street level even in the very fourteenth century. These must be indicators of a ncient site. 2 ,I ReproduC/ion drawing of All Sainls Church, Hackford mode in '784 before mosl of the ruins were pulled down. All thot now remains is 0 fragment of one wall. 4 2 WIth the development of metal dNectors and increasing interest In historical research, further evIdence is slowly emerging of early settle. men ts In and around the Rcepham area. [Ed.l It;5 ;n tcrc~tlng 10 nott also that lmtead of stepping up into the chancel of St. Mary's there Is a Step down 10 a lower level. Was thiS the original slit of a church? �This was the opinion of the late Rev. H.G.B. Follard, Rector of Bawdeswell and Foxley, who had studied Norfolk churches for man y years. A si milar situation was discovered at Bawdeswell during the building of the present churc h there. The previous church was destroyed during the last war when an aeroplane crashed onto il. Under the fo undations of the old church were found the base of a Norma n tower of flint and the foundations of the body of the churc h which was apparently built of timber or wattle and daub. There would have been plenty of limber available which, being less durable than flint, may explain why so few Saxon churches remain in Norfolk. The first church in Reephllln, then, was probabl y also of limber and not replaced until, perhaps, the thirteenth century. This does not, however, explain why there came to be three medieval churches in one churChyard. If, as was suggested above, Reepham was a large Anglo-Saxon estat e consisting of the four parishes of present-day Reepham and Salle, and the original settlement was in the present church and market area, it is possible that the other parishes were off-shoots of Reepham. This may explai n why four or fIVe parishes are still collectively known as Reepham. Reepham Itself was known as Reepham SI. Mary with Kerdiston. If these names came into general use for the separate manors, as in similar cases elsewhere in the county, it would be si mpler to explain why they arc still, and apparently always have been, called Reepham. Salle, of course, is not called Reepham. If, as suggested , it was part of an original large estate, it may have become a separate parish with its own church at an early dat e. Hackford and Whitwell, which could have become Reepham All Saints and Reepham St. Michael's, but did not, evidently take their names from topographical features. In the case of Hackford (the fo rd at the bend), it must be from the ford in Hackford Vale where the bridge now is. This is also the only ford in Hackford. It may see m logical to suppose, then, that this was the o riginal settleme nt in Hackford. There is anothe r small hamlet in I-Iackford which is known as Pettywell, another name from a physical feature. This is probably a later dat e than Hackford, otherwise this could have been the name for the parish. 3 However, I-I ackford extends into the town itself and includes the whole of the Market Place which must have been part of the original sett lement of Reepham. There do seem to be some good grou nds for assuming that these settlements were ex tensions of Reepham by people seeking new land as the population grew. " For Whitwell, the details are rather similar to Hackford. It joins Reepham and Hackford near the churches. The parish boundaries have been arranged so that they m ~t at a point in the churchyard with each church standing in its own parish. The former Duke of York public house is said to stand in all three parishes. Bar 1...1ne, the former GraciOllS S~reet , leads from the church into Whitwell parish. Whitwell Street could be the origina l Whitwell settlement but a more likely spot seems to be ncar Whitwell Hall where excavations have revealed traces of an ancient settlement. TIlere is anothe r group of houses o n Whitwell Common and the White House, though now showing a Georgia n fa\ade, has been identified as on the site of an older manor house. Another small settlement on the outskirts of the parish, Jordan's Green, was probably fairly late as it has grown up on very stiff clay. Kerdiston appears to have had two centres, o ne connected with the 'Giant's Moat' near the Old Hall and one with Kerdiston House, a farmhouse now demolished at View m:ross the moot into the Kerdiston mooted site known locolly as the Gionl's M oot. The moot itself is now surrounded by trees, b(Jt the remains of on old well can be seen inside the moot. the other end of the parish. The population was, apparently, never very large and there was never a public house or shop, though there was a blacksmith within the last fifty years and, form erly, a brick and tile works. Much of the parish, il seems was wooded llntil fairly late. Th e last remnant of ancient forest , the 26 acres of Haw Wood, was only cleared and ploughed aft er the Second World Wa r. Much of Kerdiston is also heavy clay and a good proportion of the present arable was grazing ground until the 1940s. The question remains, why th ree chu rches? And stranger, why are they all in the same churchyard? The old story of three warring sisters is nothing but a legend though it may contain a grain of truth. It is natmal, when the original manor split , that each lord should wish to have a church on his manor or estate. Unless some pre-Conquest documentary evidence turns up we shall never know the truth. If, as seems likely, there was already a church on what may have been an ancient sacred Site, what can be more likely than that all the daughte r settlement's should wish to worship on the same site as tbeir forefathers, and be buried there, leaving us with the puzzle of our three churches. 1 Apparently the origi nal name was Peller's \'Jell which seems to include a mime, ~rhaps o f the oWner. \'Je should nOI forget, howe\"Cf. Ihal Iho:!rc b also ~ suggesllon Ihal Reepham Moor was the site of Ihe ori ginal SClllemenl which cou ld offer another explanalton fOI the den-Iopmenl of the lown. 5 �Public Access and Right of Way Kate Nightingale Reephom has many footpaths and lakes in the centre of the fawn which are public rights of way. There ore also many other footpaths and green lanes around the town which have been there, as they say, 'for time out of mind'. Having a public right of way on your doorstep makes you wonder what the phrase, 'right of way: actuolly means. It also gives you some insight into why some landowners should be so keen to (elis! the use of rights o( way by the general public! After all, the general public does include some people you might prefer not to walk over, through or along the side of your property for a number of reasons. Having started this article, I was goil19 to wait unti{ the new Access to the Countryside Bill hod passed through Parliament but, having waited some months, I decided thaI we could not afford to hold back a new edition of the Reepham Society Magazine any longer. As a result I must remind readers that some legal details on access and rights of way may have changed by the time they read this article. What is a right of way? It is one of those phrases which people use free ly wit hou t really understa nding what it means. When rights of way were first gra nt ed, they were granted by owners of land to others In their own local com munit y who wished to cross their land, perhaps to access their own land or to work in the fields. They knew the people who would use this access, personally. and both the community and the landowner, however large or small their holdings, respected each others' rights. Respecting others' rights was taken for granted in a small community where everyone knew everyone else. After all, Jiving in community depends on mutual give and take. [n our modern world, as communities grow in size, we do not all know each other. Different groups have different va lues and aspirations. It is much easier to infringe ot her's rights and liberties if you do not know them or have some lack of respect for those who belong to different SOCia l groups or are in a different age group from yourself, even if you do not mean to do so. There is also a tendency, in these days of consumerism, to put more emphasis on righ t's and rather less on those responsibili ties which are the other face of rights. One reason that there has always been such contention over access and right of way over open land is due to the fact that the public right of 'way' across land and the rights of those who own the land on and around a road or path are not the same. You can only expect your right of way to be respected if you act responsibly in respecting the rights of the owner or owners of land and property around the road. Some people will know of the celebrated case in the 19305 when the Manchester Ramblers made a mass trespass onto the grouse moors of the Duke of Devonshire in Derbyshire. Seventy years later, a IIIO(/IIS vivel1di has been worked out between those wishing for access to beautiful areas of countryside and large landowners. Not least was the initiative of the National Trust in buying up large areas of land to allow public access. However, we should remember that it is the preservation of moors and coverts for game by landowners which has preserved much of the countrySide now 6 available for access by the public. It seems only fair, in the circumstances, to respect the landowners' right s to dose areas when needed to prevent disturbance to game or stock. It is this care and seclusion which keeps the land undisturbed for other wildli fe and, we have to admit, not all members of the public exercise t heir responsibilities effectively. At the other end of the sC;lle we could consider those rights of way in a small market town such as Reepham. Those who live on lokes and narrow paths and roads are all 1'00 aware of how inlrusive the passage of others ca n be. People passing late at night, despite the lack of street lighting, chat loudly under bedroom windows. (You wou ld be amazed at what can be overheard!) We wiJI not embarrass them by recounting some of the late-night activities or describing the debris left behind. During the day people look over fe nces inlo gardens; a young man stops to smoke an illicit cigarette whose smoke drifts into garden or silting room, passing dogs make resident dogs bark or leave less pl easa nt evidence of their passing! Others sometimes park blocking the road, usually when a resident is lale fo r an appointment or when there are several cars behind as you want to drive in. In this context it is also appropriate to mention the new European legislation on Human Rights which states that a person has the right to 'peaceful enjoyment of his personal property'. That would also include noise bein g created outside someone's property on any right of way, including a metalled road. This can include thoughtless noise and lill er created by children who often have no idea of how disruptive to others their play can be. All of this makes you have some sympathy with farme rs and landowners who discourage walkers from using rights of way on their land, especially when a path goes righ t across a growing crop. Is it too much of a disadvantage to walk round the edge of the field? It is far more difficult for the farmer to keep that path clear when he is sowing the crop. He did not cover the path wit h malice aforethought and the law makes allowances for this as the farme r does have a duty to indicate and clear the cOllfse of a right of way, even if it does go across the midd le of a field. I, for one, can never understand why anyone wan ts to walk across the middle of a field with a standing crop just because there is an old right of way there. Why wiJfulJy damage a crop? And if you are looking for interesting wildlife it is going to be in the hedge, not in the middle of the field. Another aspect of this Issue is that of 'common rights'. Until very recently, land always belonged to somebody, ultimately, of course, to the Crown. In feudal times anyone who owned land held it of someone else. Although the feudal system and its associated communal agriculture was replaced by money rents fo r tenancies and personal ownership of farms and land, the question of common land and rights of access has taken much longer to resolve. In the manorial system common rights did not mean that common land was open to all and sundry. A common belonged to the 'commoners', a group of specific· ally designated people who held specific rights, in common, to a piece of ground. Those rights of access were for prescribed purposes which may originally have been to graze beasts, gather kindling, dig turves and so on. The ' fen tigers' were particularly notoriOUS for their riotous defence of their common rights when Charles I enclosed and sold off tracts of the Fens to ou tside landlords. This led to drainage and loss of their common rights on that fenland. �Commons were the last flicker of the age-old style of communal farming and were retained for the very purpose of ensuring that villagers did retain a place to graze their beasts and to gather wood for their fues. In this area they com prised the heath land and marshy land along the streams. Much common land has, of course, been sold off or enclosed. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries some common land became 'poor allotments', which were used either directly or indirectly to provide for the poor, and other commons have been opened to public access by a variety of means. During the last two hundred years the concept of a common has changed and commons have been defined under a series of parliamentary acts. The Commons Registration Act 1965 defined a common as follows: over our countryside. The Countryside Access Charter defines both rights and responsibilities in relation to rights of wily: Countryside Accen Charter I. a] footpilths - on foo t only bl bridleways - on foot, horseback and pedill cycle cl bY'vays - on publiC roads deSignated as bY'vays (sec also below). NB. Public rights of way are marked as such all Ord nance Su rvey maps. Public rights of way have been closed in the past around reservoirs or if land was sold to the Forestry Com mission though many of these paths are now being opened up again. Land which has been allotted under any Act for the exercise or recreation of inhabitants of any locality or on which the inhabitants ... have a customary right to indulge in lawful sports or pastimes ... or have indulged for not less than twenty years. 5 Th is demonstrates very clearly how attitudes to and ideas about common land have changed si nce enclosure of commons and th e demise of communal far ming practices. The only registered common in the Reepham area Is Whil'well Low Com mon though there are other remnants of former common land indicated o n old maps. Since 1981 l>ublic Rights of Way in the County o f Norfolk, as elsewhere, have been defined under the Wi ldlife and Count ryside Act 1981. Any changes had to be obtained under a Modification Order from the surveying au thority, the County Council. This involved taking evidence that included a description of the path or road and local statements of the traditional use of the right of way before the Modification Order could be confirmed, published and marked on the map. Local authorities have a duty to protect rights of way and must record them. They also hold a register of commons and village greens. II is to them that you should report any problems. In the 1990s, 'green' elements in the population have been much more insistent on the rights of access to the countryside for all. At time of writing (March 2001) the new Ad conflTming unlimited access rights to specified areas of open land is to become law. My own feeling is that there is already conSiderable access to open country and to extend this will mean disturbing land which not only needs to be undisturbed for farming but to protect the way of life of the anima ls and plants which live there. One aspect of unlimited access that is only now becoming clear is that farmers and landowners will have the right to close areas temporarily if necessary and that areas with unlimited access will be mapped. The Act will not be effective until the maps arc complete and this coul d take one or two years However, in 1992, the Countryside Commission published the Countryside Access Charier which defined rights of way but also gave information on the responsibilities of those making use of rights of way over land belonging to others. This is particularly relevant fo r town dwellers (and some country dwellers) who may have limited undcrstilnding of the disturb,lIlccs, not only to farmland and farm anima ls but to wildlife, from the irresponsible exercise of any rights to roam uncontrolled 5 I am Indebted 10 sara Blnln for tht' inform~tjon on commons in 'The Impact of commons registration: a No.folt study', 'lamhcape Ilistory' and 'Common land, poor relJef and enclosure'. Pus/ & PIrM"/, No.16S. November 1999. You have a right of wily 011: On a Right of Way you are allowed to: 2. 3. a] take a pram or pushchair or wheelchair (if practicable) b] take a dog on a lead or under close control (this means within ten feet of you) cl circumvent or remove an obstacle suffiCiently to allow you to pass. You have a right for recreation on: al public parks and open spaces - on foot! bj most com mons near older towns and cities - a ll foot, sometimes on horseback c] private land if the owner has a formal agreement with the local authority. Some areas are open to the public by custom or consent. a] open mou ntain, fell or moorland and coasiline. (Much of this belongs to the National Trust whose aim was to open the countryside for general recreational and aesthetic use, especially to town dwellers.) bJ most commons c] some woods and forests (This includes those owned by the Forestry Commission.) dl count ry parks and picnic sites e] most beaches f] towpaths on canals and rivers. III ad(iitiQfI; • • Land being rested from agricultural use may be temporarily open to public access - notices will display the fact. This may include use by horses and pedal cycles. Some private tracks and paths may be opened to the public by the owner on a concessionary basis. This means you can use the footpath as normal but that the owner is reserving his rights to close th e footpath, usually in response to some abuse by users. We have to remember that it is those who live and who have lived in and used the countryside who maintain it. It is they who have made the English landscape the beautiful place it is. This is not a natural, tota lly unspoiled environment. It is because it has been managed and developed over centuries by farmers and other landowners, great and small, that the cou ntryside is as we sec it today. If it is made uneconomic for them to continue their way of life, the land will lapse back, not to its previous state, but to overgrown scrub. Without our protection and sympathetlc usc of our rights of access to our fragile countryside it will be 7 �irrevocably damaged. This is a particular risk at a time such as this when farming is depressed and there is li ttle money to spa re for conservat ion, even as more and mOIC people come into the cou ntryside. You shoul d always remember that the OS map that you are using could be out of da te. Surveys are only done at len&'1hy intervals and reprints have, in the past, been based on surveys which could have been carried out some time previously. In this age of IT the whole process is being speeded up and the natlonal map is available on-line. This allows the sale of up-ta-date maps through authorised agen ts. These maps can be centred on your own home or other specified site and you obviously have to pay the agent to cover the copyright fee. Needless to say, Norfolk has been one of the last areas to be computerised in this way. Further information about rights of way and countryside access can be obtained from: Countryside Commission Posta! Sales PO Box 124 Walgrave, Northampton, NN6 9Tl For a Rights of Way Action Pack (CCP 375P) please contact: Countryside Commission Publications Printworks Lane Levenshulme. Manchester M19 3lP The Country Code In relurn for your right to enter or cross someone else's land you have responsibilities that the Countryside Comm ission has enshrined in the Country Code: 1. Apart from main roads, motor vehicles are only allowed on byways and roads used as public paths (RUPP), which were indicated on the OS map. RUPPs are, however, in the process of being re-categorised as bridleways. 2. Respect the work and life of those whose living is earned from the land. 3. Close all gates and do not damage locks and catches on them . 4. Guard against all risk of fire. This is a very real risk as global warming results in hotter summers with tinder dry grass and undergrowth - even quite early in the year. 5. Keep dogs under control, especially in lambing time . In sheep farming areas the farmers can shoot a dog seen in the field and off the lead, however well behaved or just having fun. And there may be young birds and animals or pheasant poults in the undergrowth in any part of the country. Untrained dogs can do much damage quite unintentionally. 6. Do keep to the public paths, especially in farmland . Not all paths are open to the public. You can check this on the OS map. 7. Always use stiles and gates to cross fences, walls and hedges. 8. Never interfere with crops, farm machinery or livestock. Protect wildlife - plants, animals and birds. 9. Keep water clean. 10. Take your litter home with you. 11. Take care on country roads. The road may be empty but there is no pavement, the road is narrow and what is round the next bend? 12. Make no unnecessary noise! 8 �Tony Ivins on Whitwell Part 1 Tony Ivins was a founder member, and remains the President of the Reephom Society for his life-time. This article is based on a recorded talk on the history of the parish of Whitwell, where he lived for many yeors. Unfortunately, the beginning of the transcript had some damoge bur I think we hove recovered most of it. The talk began by acknowledging a debt to two wellknown local historians, Chris Barringer and David Yoxley, both of whom hove, in the past, carried out a great deal of research in the area. At least two lopes of the original presentation are held in the Reephom SOCiety Archives. Anyone who wishes to lislen to or copy the tape should contoct the Chairman or Secretary of the Society. A good place to begin the history of this parish is to consider its name. Whitwell is said to me'ln 'ctear spri ng'. There are a number of live springs in Whitwell. In partiClIlar, there is a good clear spring ncar the sout hern boundary of the park of Whitwell Hall. This was embanked in 1842 to provide the water supply for the Hall itself. It has never failed and, coming from deep underground, it maintains a consta nt tempera ture for its population of frogs, toads and small fishes. POSSibly, that old Roman Road, after the Roman's went horne, was an access route for variOlls Saxon groups who ca me looking for land to settle in. That really brings us to the earliest Whitwel.t village records. In the north-eastern corner of Whitwell Hall there arc the remains of an old village. We knew t hrough o ral tradition tha t there was a village there but it was not until the early 19 70s that an archaeologist came along called Helen Supcrmeisl'er. Sadly, she is no longer with li S but she spent that summ er, wi th a group of friends, excavating there. They found the footings of medieval brick walls, quite a number of the m. Underneath those she found staining in the soi l that could indicate a possible Saxon settlemen t. The last mention of that village Ihat we know of is on Fayden's 1797 map of Norfolk and on the site of this Village he has marked 'Whitwell demolished'. And we think that the last few, possibly empty, cottages were pulled down so that the owner of WhitweU at that time could enlarge hi s park. At the southern end of the hall grounds, getting towards the south-eastern corner, there's a sit'e which we think may have been the first Whitwell Hall, probably an old timberbuHt Saxon Hall. There is a little clearing, still clear, strangely enough, surrounded by what our man called 'bottomless ditches', in other words very soft muddy ditches. An arc haeologist friend who came to look at the site some ye.lrs ago thought these ditches indicated a moat, possibly a drainage moat around the old halt. Of course, it would have had the advantage of bei ng quite close to the Whitwell Hall when it was opened before the last war as the Forest School. • The earliest history of the parish can be traced back to Roman times with the presence of the Roman Road which TUns from Biltingford and Bawdeswelt, through Booton and on to CaiSl'or-by-Yarmouth. The actual route of the road is not clear across Whitwell but in Whitwell Hall grounds it can be seen as a sort of sma ll curved emban kment. It goes on through Jorda n's Green to Bawdeswell along Common Lane. 6 6 One Indication of The sHe of a Roman load is The use of the telm 'Street' In a vU1age name. We Should remember th is when comidering the rOUle o f the lOad through Whi twell even though th e OS map marks it differe ntly and the word 'Street' Is common in Norfolk vmagts with no e'l1dencc of Roman presence. springs I mentioned earlier on so it would have had a good water supply. Getting away from Whitwell Hall and back to the parish, there is a seventeenth century map, of which I have a copy, which shows the Whitwell Field with its cultivated strips. That Whitwell field lay between the present Whitwell Street and what is now called Whi twell Road, wilh Mill Road in the middle. That made quite a big cu ltivated fic ld, one of the common fields of the Whitwell village. This map seems to be a copy of an earlier map, copied later to show which of the strips paid tithes to which of the three chu rches in Iteepham because the various strips arc ma rked 'W', 'R' or 'H'. 9 �• • This map of 'Whitwell Field' was probably used in the eighteenth century to establish to which church tithes should be paid. It is almost certainly copied fram on earlier mop as it still shows all three churches. The railway line now cuts across the west end of the field. The buildings of Leeds Farm are dilapidated today but they occupy the site of the Leeds Tannery. In the field behind here il is possible to see the remains of at least one of the tannery pits. The other piece of common ground in the vi llage is still there. Whitwell Low Common, some 40 acres of rather wet common has no ownership as far as the Commons Commissioners know . Their feeling is that it was a piece of manorial waste but, among the early Enclosure Awards, is an early nineteenth century one that says that this bit of ground should be set aside for the poor of Whitwell to gather fuel and, possibly, to dig peat as well. Such rights are . known as the rights of tl.lrbMY. One little bit of medieval history that is quite interesting is that there has been a long tradition of a chapel of St. Nicolas in Whitwell. We think this may have been si ted on the Whitwell Hall groundS, just south of what we call the New Wood because there is an acre of ground there which, until 1880, belonged to the Dean and Chapter of 10 Norwich Cathedral. This migh t possibly indica te that this was the site of the chapel of St. Nicolas. However, there have been no excavations there but we should note the site as a possible site of interest for the future. There was also, near the vi1lage, an old water mill that worked from the little stream that rises near Themelthorpe and runs through the Hall Farm grounds and then through Whitwell Hall groundS, eventually running into the Blackwater River and, thence, to the Wensum. Th is mill possibly ground the corn for the old Whitwell village. After the Village became derelict, the mill itself was probably abandoned but was rebuilt in the 1830s to break up the tan bark for the Whitwell tannery, of which [ will say a bit more later and it did that sort of work until the 18705 when it was replaced by a steam engine. �Coming right along now to the njnetcenth century, the principal landowners then were the Leamons of Whitwell Hall . They came to Whitwell in the early nineteenth century and Icft by thc end of that century, three generations of the m. They had a tannery. The Leeds of Wh itwell Green Tannery were tan owners and farm crs, too, whilst the Collyers of Hackford Hall also owned quit e a lot of land in Whitwell. 1 There is a map of 1824 that shows interestl n g road changes in the parish. It shows how the first Robert Leamon, like many another landowner of the time, pushed the road away from the Hall because he felt it ran too near his house so he had it moved about SO yards farther to the no rth. Several other little tracks were cleared out and a riding alley was o pened - that is the little lane and a bit of footpath that runs between Whitwell Street and Mill Lane, crossing Mill Road and through to the Whitwell Road. It is stil l called Riding Alley. Fiddlers Alley runs from the top road above the Hall down to the bottom road through Whitwell. Bar Lane is an interesting road that runs o ut from Back Street in ){eepham as a little foo tpath but until 1816 it was a cart road. A good many years ago now, I was given a bit of a notice board that had been used as a shelf in a cottage when o ne of the corners was cut off. It was a white painted board, and on it in black lettering were words to the affect that this road had been shut up 'By Ordcr' at a certain session. The date was 1816. As it was found in a cottage o n the corner of Bar Lane we are pretty sure it referred to the shutting up of Bar 1...1I1e. Another in tcresting little fact that o ne of my loca l friends told me is that when Bar Lane was open as a cart road it was called Gracio us Street. I cannot tell you any more abou t how it should get that name but that is how it was. Nineteenth century people Some years ago I was able to get a copy of the census returns for Norfolk and I tho ught it might be interesting to look at what Whitwell parish looked like, the people who lived and worked the re, wha t sort of work they did and how many of them there were. And it goes ra ther like this. The biggest group of people was those whom the census ca lled 'agricultural labourers'. Whitwell parish comprises just over 1500 acres so it is about the area of a reasonably sized modern farm. In this parish the Whitwell farmers employed 69 men, 30 boys and four women on 1500 acres. Now, those of you who farm o r have connections with farming will contrast that with what happens today perhaps at the most haIf·a·dozen chaps. There were len farmers. Interestingly, eight me n and two women were farming then. Most of the farms were fairl y small. I will go through them because quite a lot of the names keep going ove r the years and arc still known now. Mark Eglington farmed 270 acres and employed nine men and five boys. Jo hn Biliham - now that's interesting because a number of people will know that at the cnd of Whitwell Street is an area known as Billham's HiJI and that is where he farmed. He o nly farmed 22 acres, but to do that he had three m en and a boy. II Peter Wilkin , his acreage is not recorded. Most villages used to tan th~ hides of their own ocasts In the past so it Is possible that these tannert es are on much older slt ~. Ill' is also named as a ' machine own er' In one census so he probably had a hor:se-drawn thres.hh\g machIne wh Ich would be hIred out to ot h ers. [Ed·l Sarah Barrelt farmed 40 acres and she employed o ne man to help he r. Step hen Leeds I mentio ned earlier on he was one of the prinCipal landowners in Whitwell, farmed 880 acres and employed 30 men and 16 boys. He also had his tan yard, those bui ldings near Whitwell Common, JUSI beyond the White House. That was Leeds Tannery wh ich, inCiden tally, finish ed work aOOut'1903. As a tanner he also employed ten men, three boys, three carpenters and a blacksmith. Thomas Dunger farmed 332 acres up by Jo rdans Green and he had seven men and three boys to do the work of that. Elizabeth Neil farmed 50 acres with 'one man and two sons', whether they were he rs or the man's it doesn't say. Ma ri anne Secker we would really call a sm,lllholder now. She farmed an acre and a quarter. Robert Leamon of Whitwell Hall farmed 340 acres o n whi ch he employed 21 men ancl ten bays. As 1 said earlier, he was also a tanner employing 17 men and five boys. John Bacon farmed 22 acres. I don' t know where he farmcd . If you have added up all those acreages, you will find that it comes to a lot more than the 1500 acres in Whitwell parish. The answer to that is lhat Stephen Leeds, who farmed that 880 acres, had a Jot of land in other parishes. In total there we re 89 farm workers, m en and women . I will not list all those, although, here again, you find names tha t have persisted through to the present. There were th.rce pages of farm workers then we come to the blacksmiths there were two blacksmiths in the parish. John Smith, who was a qualified tradesman, aged 46, and J ohn Rudd . Rudd must have just come out of his apprenticeship because he was aged 16, born in Reepham as a jo urneyman blacksmith. The name of Rudd goes o n in Reepham today. There was one brewer - Mark Brett, a man who combined the job of being a bricklayer and an inn.keeper. That happened quite oft en, I found , especially with the little beer houses. V~ ry often the man followed a trade and his wife looked after the beer house. William Springell kept the pub called the Cock Inn which was in Whitwell Street and is now the house ca lled 'The Old Star'. There was another inn· keeper at the FOldgate on Whitwell Common - Samuel Vile. A high proportion of these villagers were born in Whitwell, Reepham or the surrounding parishes. Hardly anyone comes from very far away. Well, o ne chap came from Cawston - that's a lo ng journey. He was one of the three bricklayers. In a 10 1 of Norfolk Villages there was a brickmaker and bricks were made. I do n't think bricks were ever macle in Whitwell, but I suspect he worked at the Reepham brickyard which is just up where the road turns sharp right by Reepham StaUon. Now carpenters - there were lot of those. It is interesting to rcflect for a minute that in these early records one never finds t hc term 'builder' - they're all of a named trade. If you wanted a job done you didn 't send for a building firm, you sent for the tradesman you wanted to do the job carpen tcr, bricklayer, mason if it was stone work, and so on. As a result, you never find 'builder' listed. As for carpenters, I see there were a lot, about len of lhem living in Whitwell, not necessarily all working there. One of them, Thomas Sawyer - good name for a carpentcr - was also a wheelwright. 11 �Now, cattle dealers and shop-keepers - four of those. Three of them seem to be related - Ihey all named Neil; and then dealers in fish - two of them - William Guymee and Peter Wilkin, both born at Whitwell. This again shows the big variety in trades and tradesmen. There were seven dressmakers, so it seems quite obvious that no one went and got something ready 10 wear - you ca lled in someone to make it fo r you. The seven dress· makers were Jane Ware, Feank lins, Galimee, Roland , Vile, Vane, Secker. There was one washer-woman, Elizabeth Hunt and one char woman, Deborah \Vilsoll. In the parish there were two grooms. They would probably have worked either at the White House on the common or al the hall. Shoema kers - again you see no buying of the ready-made things. Three shoe makers working here - Guymers again and a Rudd . Also a turf maker and fowl dealer. Quite how he made his turf I don't know but I imagine he would be drying the turf for burning, possibly turf gathered on Whitwell Com mon. paupers lived with their grown-up children - their famities. I didn't find one in Whitwell who was living alone. They were all in their seventies. One man was 84. The census gives the professions of some of them. Rebecca Whur, was formerly a stay maker, Thomas Barker a carpenter, the o thers were all agricultural labourers. In t he parish at that lime there were a 106 dwellings occupied and three empty. That includes the two listed as big houses, Whitwell 1·lall and the White House, but they were mostly cottages or very small farm houses. Listed in the census was a total of 477 people includ ing children, 224 males and 253 females. Of that total, 173 were in jobs, leaving 304 not work.ing. TIlat is what the parish looked like in the middle of the nineteenth century. I think that there is one really significant thing. That is how occupations and jobs were very loca l because they are pretty we)) all working in the parish or in the neighbouring parishes of Hackford, Recpham and Kerdiston. As I mentioned earli er, their ancest ry, too, was loca l. Most of them were born in Whitwell and I think Whitwell Low Common is Ihe only pi(!(e of regislered common len in tM modem parish of Reephom. 1/ is no longer used as grazing land 001 is an important area for wild life. Finally, there was one wheelwright and then the house servants - nine of them. That is not very many compared wit h Ihe other parishes. Admi ttedly, Hackford parish is a la i bigger than Whihvell and Reepbam is about the same size. Though there were not many houses in the parish at that time who would keep servants, or keep many of them, there were nine of them living in the parish at the time. The directory shows another interesting fact about what happened when people got 100 old to carryon with their job. The only pensioners you fin d are men who've been in the armed services, and here we had two Chelsea pensioners, Henry Rudd and Jo hn Right . Henry Rudd was aged 73, born at Whitwel l and at the time of the census he was blind. John Right was aged only 45, also born at Whil>vell, and he was a pensioner of the 77th Regimen t of Foot. Then we turn to the lanners, of course, Robert Leamon and Steven Leeds, plus the number of men working for the tanneries. The two tanneri es em ployed between them 27 men and eight boys. There's one woman listed working in the tannery and she was called the 'bark cleaner' - Lydia Wilson, aged 36, and she was born in Reepham. The other group of people listed are the paupers and, in all the cases I've looked at in the census returns, those 12 p ractically none, in this particular census, were born o utside Norfolk. The other place I have mentioned is Whitwell Com mon. We thought Ihal it would be a sensible thing to make it into a local nature reserve because of local interest at the time. This then happened - with a management group made up of a number from the parish council plus myself, as a trustee under the old Pa rish Commissioners who managed the common from the beginning of this centu ry, and representatives from Nature Conservancy and from the County. Two other people, John Barkham, Environmental Scien tist, who advised us on the management of the common and Lyn Garland, who lives in Whitwell and was very enthusiastic about enrOlling groups of vol un leers to do necessary dearing work on the common, made up the numbers. This article comprises about half of the content of Tony Ivins' presentation to a meeting of the Reepham Society. The second half, which considers some different aspects of Whitwell parish, will be printed in a further Reepham Society Magazine which we hope to publish later in the year. �A Brief History of Hackford Parish through the Last Millennium Jennifer Roberts • Jennifer Roberts lives in Pettywell and has been there now for severol years. She is a qualified archaeologist. Though no longer proctising thot diScipline she has a deep interest in local history. She ;s another of our authors who has completed Q local history course under the aegis of Chris Barringer. This article is the result of the research carried out on her course and since. The view from a slightly different standpoint, that of Hackford, gives new details about the history of Reephom and its Sole/lite villages. Hackford-by- Reepham is one of the three parishes sharin g the communa l churchyard in Recpham . The parish includes most of the town of Reepham and land on either side of llle Eyn Brook. It is possible that the bou ndaries of the parish were determined by the heath and com mon on either side but this is by no means certain. It is possible that the name Hackford was derived from Iwca, a hook or Iwecc, a fl ood or sluice gate. 'Ford' is Anglo-Saxon for river crossing. The name then could either mean a 'ford at the bend of th e river', or 'the sluice gate (for catching fish) at the ford'. At the turn of the last millennium, just before the Norma n Conquest the principal lordship of f-/ack(orr/n was held by a freeman called Withe r. It is possible that Reepham was at the centre of a large AnglO-Saxon estat e. After the Norman Conquest it was given to Earl William de Warrcne, just one of the 139 manors he held. Although William de Warrene resided frequently at nearby Castle Acre, at the time of the Domesday survey the manor of Hackford was held by person ca lled Turold. There were few inhabitants, probably only 17 or 18 families lived in the area. The land was farmed , some was put down as meadow but cereals must have bee n grown as the re was a mill. Honey and wax were important products. Beeswax was used for church candles, 9 and it was the tradition for beekeepers to supply their local church. Hackford at that time had fi ve skeps of bees. It had woodland able to support 30 swine. Sheep, rounceys (horses) and cattle were also kept. There was a church supported by II acres of land. It was valued at IS marks. The manor passed through Will iam de Warrene's heirs for the next 200 years. [n 1276/7 a Saturday market il nd ann ual fa ir ch arter W':IS granted to Sir John de Vaux, who owned both the manors of Hackford and Reepham. An unofficial market had existed in the 'cemetery of Reepham' for many years before the Bishop of Non..,ich, in 1240, ordered the Sheriff of Norfolk to ensure that a new market place was found. The market was held on Saturdays, with a fair on the 'eve, day an d morrow' of the feast of 55. Peter and Paul (29th June). The present market-place lies in the parish of Hackford, but it Is not known if this was the site decided on in the thirteenth century. By the following century the de Roos family held land in Hackford, probabl y as tenants of the de Warrenes. A few years later they are mentioned as being t he holders of the knight's fees and paying return s to the Duchy of Lancaster. ,I 'I lIls Inlefrstlng to n(){e that a former name for the Cardinal's Hal In Dad: Streel wa~ Candle COurt. Some of the local inhabitants during medieval limes m ust have been fairly rich for t he church of An Sa ints had a collection of rich vest ments, communion ware and church ornaments, including silver chalices, a portable cross and a holy oil vessel. The vcstments included some made from worsted, fusteyn (fustian) and velvet and silk. Margaret and Ralph Vernon , Hackford landowners, were possibly some of the major benefactors, during the later part of the fourteenth century. During that century several of the Hackford residents stood surety, along with citizens of other parishes, to locals who were in trouble wit h the law. Brice of Hackford stood surety when Agnes Renandgo and her sister Emma were released on bail after being arrested for the m urder of Richard Brightman at Billi ngford. A Richard of Hac kford also stood surety in a m urder case, when Robert of Holden was accused of robbing and killing Henry of Cle rmont. Other fourteenth century crimes include rObbery. One night William Rilla had one quarter-a nd-a-half of barley, worth 5/-, stolen from him. A Roger Willok was charged but acqUitted fo r the offence. Some informa tion about the medieval inhabitants of neepham and Hackford parish can be gleaned from the o ld wills. For instance in 1429 Robert Baxter, a ci tizen of Norwich is mentioned as owning lands in Hackfo rd . Fifty years later Hugh atte Fc nn madc a will leaving 6/8d. towards the upkeep of the church. He also left moncy, to be obtained from the salc of hi s la nds and manors in Hackford to help scholars at C uubridge and Oxford as long as they were not wasters and haunters of alehouses. William Cubit, the Rcctor, in a will dated 1505, gave to the town and the church of Hackford a drinking house wit h two acres of land to have a yearly obituary kept in the church. He also mentioned that the guilds and 'drinkings' of aU the four parishes i.e. Iiackford, Wh itwell, Reepham and Kerdiston be kept there if they desired it. In a will dated a few years later John Godd ying gave 6/8d towards the making of a chapel in thc south p,lrt of the church if one happened to be erccted there. If not, the money was to go to the upkeep of the church. [n 1543 a fire burnt down most of All Saints, the parish church of Hackford, along with its church goods, ornamen ts and jewels. The fire also destroyed most of the tOWIl. The tower a nd parts of the west gable wefe the only parts of the church that survived. Thcy were pulled down in 1790/6. [ t is, however, possible that a part of the gable can be seen in thc tower of St. Michaels. A drawing in 1784 by E.F. Boon shows that the surviving tower had a chequer-board parapct and di,lgonal buttresses. The south wall of the tower had a square sound hole and the porch an elaborate doorway. As a resuit of the fire, Hackford parish lost its independence and was joined with Whitwell. On the 18th April 1544 an agreemen t was made between Robert Coke, owner of the fee simple of the church of Whitwell, Christoph er Lockwode, clerk, parson of Hackford and vicar of Whi twell, and Thomas Bayfield, William Brese, John Biofield parishioners of Hackford, that the chmch and rectory of Hackford was to be consolida ted with Whitwell by William, Bishop of Norwich . According to this indenture all t he parties were in agreement. However, some of the parishioners obviously intended that the church shou ld be rebuilt. One, Anthony Stlgat c, bequeathed 20 marks (1 mark 0:: 13/4d or 66.6p) towards its rebuild ing. Some of the surviving church plate was sold in 1547 for £20, probably to stop the ministers of Edward VI gelling t heir hands on it. Some of the church materials were used to 13 �repair roads in the parish and some were used to build the transept in Whitwell church. During the reign of Elizabeth I each parish had to provide a militia. The parish was involved in a muster in 1577. An in ventory was taken of 'of all Common Armor, Artelery munition and weponne and every p tecular pson shewed' It was found that t he town had 'one Corselet, o ne peke, too Curreors et Dam furnished'(!) Three people were also able to support arms. Vynse Hawude, Thomas Crotche and Roger Hase were able to furnish a few bows and arrows, pikes and helmets between them. The Bishops court had some d ealings with local drunks. Jo hn Twithney and Henry Bagrave were brought before the Bishops representative on a charge of being common drunks . Henry Hagrave who swore and resisted arrest later confessed to being drunk every day of t he week and was o rdered to do penance. Around this time the inhabitants were havi ng problems with a person ca tled Robert Kirk. [t seems he was extracting money from the people as fines and then keeping it for his own use. The parishioners paid him 6/- as payment fo r a fine for not planting hemp. A Thomas Croehe then paid h im 2/6d and then swore on 'h is book' to make a payment of 5/- yearly. Mr Berte, 'Gent,' a lso agreed to pay Kirk 5/a year fo r all yea rs to come. Nathaniel Bacon sct up an enquiry into Kir k's misdeeds bu t the outcome of this appears to be lost. Hackford gai ned some notoriety during the Commonwealth when the parish refused to bi llet a party of troops because the commanding officer referred to the parish as Reepham instead o f Hackford. At the same time the parish was paying £3.3s.1 0d per month towards the upkeep of troops and the furnishi ng of ammun ition for the Royalist cause. As in Elizabeth's time, the inhabitants were expected to attend musters. Hackford men formed a Foot Militia u nder Sir W. Doylys, which mustered at Heydon Ollands on September 24th 166 1 to be inspected. During the seventeenth century, weavers in Hackford, as in many of the local parishes supplied worsted. During 1657 Henry juby a local worsted weaver must have been having a period of prosperity. Surviving records show that he took on several apprentices; Matth ew Bale, Roger Hammo nd and john Humfrey were ind ented for seven years whilst a john Crotc h was indented for eight years. The social make-up of th e parish changed during the next h u ndred years. The worsted weavers gradually d isappeared, a result of cheap products from Yorkshire, and tan ning became important as a 10GI I industry. The tanners were wealthy enough as a group to make wills. There was also an increase in the number of shops and professionals in the p arish . Grocers, bakers, brewers, a su rgeon and an excise officer were all wealthy enough to make wills. The provision of services increased rapidly so by the middle of the next century the inhabita n ts of Reepham and Hackford were weU p rovid ed for. The town of Reepham h ad all th e services that would be expected from a local m arket town. All needs were catered for, ranging from the people supplying the local brewi ng and malting industry with barrels, to those who m ade hats and dresses for the local female population. The town was well served by bakers, butchers, grocers, confectio ners, cabinetmakers, gardeners and drapers. There was even a hairdresser. The parish was also served by a n umber of inn s and taverns, most in the town bu t at least one, the Lamb Beer HOllse, stood in the countryside. Links with Norwich, and thence the o utside world, were maintained by a coach and carrier service. Local people believed it was the purity of the water which led to the excellence of the local ales. Although there were seve ral brewers and maltsters in the parish, the Bircha nts were the major producers, so much so that when they were bought out in 1878 they had fifty associated pubs. In the parish generally though the re was very little industrial a ctivity. Like t he worsted weavers of previous centu ries, tanning also seemed to have disappeared from th e parish, although there were tanneries in the local area . At the beginning of the nineteenth century the poor c hildren of Hackford were reported to have been receiving a sufficient education. They attended a mix of Sunday schoo l, evening school and day school. [n 1837, however, the Legend _ Woodland D Ara ble § New allotment E2d Pasture [9'>9! Orchard ~ Cottage garden (,':,;.=61 Stockyard []]] Un known land use in Hackford 1846 (based on the Tithe Apportionment Mop) . 14 • • �Rev. Holley established a school in the Old Poor 1·louse consisting of a boys' school and a girls' school and a house where the schoolmasters and mistresses could live. By 1844 the rector's d augh ter had bcgun to hold a Sunday school in the school building. Thesc wcre church schools for tbe children of Hackford and Whitwel l. The children of Reepham parish had to wait until 1847 when St. Mary's School was set up. An inspecto r'S report in 1869 said the National School was conducted in a highly satisfactory manner. The Methodists had also set up a schoolroom when they built the chapel in 1817. Mr Good wi n Kilburn had run a day and boarding school in Reepham since 1836, when in 1846 he decided to sell up and emigrate. A Mrs Wool m e r a lso ran a school for girls. The pauper childrcn received an education in the workhouse. The poor Hackford ch ildren at this lime went to Buxton. Their cducation must have been a somewhat patchy o ne for there seems to have been a problem in keeping and finding suitable mistresses. A Poor House had existed in Reepham for the inhabitants of Hackford for many years, but, by the 1840s, the poor of Reepham and Hackford were sent to the Aylsham Union Workhousc, 10 which also included the old Gilbert Union workhouses at Bux ton and Oulton untillhe new workhouse was built in 1849. Hackford parish paid around £100 annually towards the cost of housing its paupers. Some of the older inhabitants were receiving outdoor relief, which allowed them to live in their own homes. This came to around 2/6d per week. There were also several charities, which provided relief by paying out money for emigration and for people who had sudden illnesses and acciden ts. Most of the charity payouts were under the control of Willia m Bircham . REEPHAM To Be Sold By Auct ion By Mr J VERDON Wed 21 Oct 1846 Neat and modern Household Furniture and other effects of M r G Kilburn who is removing to a distant cou ntry. Cata logues had on the premises and of the auctioneer, Great Witch ingham. TO SCHOOL MASTERS The hou se and premises where a profitabl e school has been In April 1846 smallpox made its appearance in Hackford and the workhouse medical officer was asked to vaccinate the inhabitants. They protested. The outbreak continued and by October it had been decided to give extra money so all in the Recpham area could bc vacci nated . Ufe m ust have been miserable for the poor of Reepham and Hackford, with the majority living in little more than hovels. However, the more able poor and the lowermiddle classes were able to emigrate to a better life in the colonies. Mr Goodwin Kilburn , the schoolmaster, is an example of this trend. He was 36, married with two small children, when he pul the above advert in the Norfolk C hronicle. He was not the o nl y local to emigrate between 1836-1842. The St. Stephen'S charilY had paid for some people in Heepham to go to America and it also paicl for a Widow 8ea les to go to Ireland. In common with the rest of Norfolk, by the nineteenth century Hackford was celebra ted for the growth of its barley. Other crops grawn included turnips, peas and beans, clover and wheat. A certain amount was kept under grass, especially by the river and stre,lItl margins. Stock kceping was also important and provided some local employment in the form of d rovers, tanners and cattle dealers. The annua l stock fair continued to take place on 29th June. In 1804 William Bircham who farmed 840 acres of the parish was the major landowner. He improved his soil by marling and liming, used a Six-year rotation but did not have any of the new threshing o r d rill machines. By 1846 the major landowners included the Rev. J. 8 edingfeld Coll yer who owned 182 acres and resided at Hackford Hall, the Rev. J. Hu m phrey who owned 144 acres and John Sewell who farmed 108 acres. Most of the land seemed to be fa rmed by sma ll tenant far mers. Hackford escaped the wholesale destruction of machinery and property, which the rest of Norfolk suffered during the Swing Riots. Maybe this was because the small tenant farme rs could only afford to farm in the traditional way. By the nineteenth cen tury around 23% of the local population were employed in agriculture on a permanent baSiS, although many more were employed doing seasonal work. Children were able to earn as much as Sd a day bird scaring, while gangs of women were employed hoeing, planting beans and thinni ng turnips. Many of the local clergymen wcrc concerned for the morality and welfare of the field-working womcn especia lly as the gang masters were 'rough bullying fellows who would bluster and swear'. A number of Hackford women, once the fieldwo rk was done, earned a few mOTe pence by weaving straw hats. In 1804 a farm labourer would earn 1/6d dai ly rising to 4/6d at harvest. During the last millennium Hackford has been an essentially rural parish dependent on the small market town of Reepham for its infrastructure. This has remained largely unchanged although recent changes in mobility have brought Norwich and the wider world into commuting distance, thereby b ringing new sources of money into the parish. carried on for the last 10 yea rs are now to be let with immediate possession. Enquire of M r Kilburn on premises. ". Union Workhouses se rved a 'union' of parishes and these larger work. hou5es replacl-d Ihe smaller parish workhouses. 15 �• An aerial view of Reepham's three churches. The lasl remnant of Hackf ord church can just be seen al the right of Ihe clump of yews. The photograph can be dated by some differences from a present·day view. For instance, York House (tap left) can be seen in the process of restoration in the background. • Hockford Hall. In 1846, at Ihe lime of the Tithe Apportionments, this was home to the Venerable John Bedingfield Collyer, Archdeacon of Norwich. 16 �Petty.vell Place now lived in by Howard and Margaret Blandford-Boker was formerly owned by the Eglington family. In 1846 it was owned by john Sewell but occupied by Margaret Rodham . • This plaque adorns the wall in lhe yard of Ihe Old Brewery. II marks the site of Ihe former Birchom's Brewery erected by William 8ircham in J 839. 17 �{ There was no piped water supply /0 Reepham until the' 9505. This well which has now been restored, also in the Old Breo.very yard, was the source of waler for the brewing of Reepham Ale until J816. The casl and audience of Celebration 2000 in 51. Mary's Of the end of the lost perlormance in January 2000. This was Reepham's Millennium Event. 18 �• This was the site of the shop formerly run by Mr and It has /lOW M~ Ron Gibbs a/ Towns End Comer. been pulled down and reploced by the new development containing the hoirdresser, DIY shop and elec/ricol shop. I I This model combine hervester was mode by Ron Gibbs and was later presemed 10 1M Reephom Society. In this photograph it was on display with other ogricullurol implements 01 our previous His/arkal Exhibition. 19 �Childhood Memories of Reepham Ann Dickinson This account of life in Reephom in the 1920s and 19305 was handed to the Chairman recently. Mrs Ann Dickinson now fives in Hunstanton but she was born in Reepham, Q member of the Gibbs family who have contributed so much to the records of the recent past of the town. Ann's parents were married in 1918 and she WQS born in '923. She looks bock on her childhood in Reephom with great affection. After receiving a copy of the ReeplwlII Society Magazille from my life-long friend Peggy Hum, J began to rened on my wealth of memories of Reepham. To begin ... the sermon to end when we cOlild hear the congregation in St. Mary'ssingi ng their last hymn. The Rev. Moore, in charge of SI. Mary's, invariably fin ished his service first! With the retirement of the Rev. Moore, and when the Rev. Geake left the parish in the early 1930s, the parishes of Reepham with Kerdiston and Whitwell with Hackford were finally united into one parish. The Rev. B.P.Lipscombe was installed and the present communicating door constructed between St. Mary's vestry and the c hancel of Sf. Michael's. Often I had to pump the organ for my mother, watching a lead weight rise and fall, paying ;I\tention so that it should not fa ll below a certain mark otherwise the orga n let out a tremendous sigh and faded out. Mother had played a church organ fro m the age of fourteen and she later took over St. Mary's from a Miss Jewel. The Rev. Lipscombe was extremely musical and could coax ability from the least able. Under his jurisdiction my mother became an excellent organ iSt. The Reephom Posl Office ond postmen in 1913. In those do}'5 it occupied what is now Meloncoulie Rose. /I is {JQ51ible to rf!C09nise the door into the cofe 01 Dione's Pantry on the lef!. At the age of th ree years, we attended Miss Bull's Kindergarten, situated at the back of the Brewery House. There was me and Peggy and her brother John, Pat Hall, Ken neth Hil ton and Joyce Wags. A year or two lilter we were attend ing dancing classes at Miss J-1olah's at Rookery Farm. The dancing school put on shows for parents and fri ends at the Town Hall. I remember dancing in Tlte Weddillg of tile l'a;lIted Doll with John Kerridge, son of the bank manager, who was JumpingJack. Sunday school was conducted by Mr Donald Chapman who, with his sister Olive, ran the Post Office ilt lana House. 11 Donald ran a flourishing and well-attended Sunday school. We had wonderful outings and prizegivings. Miss Wasey taught the senior children and, when we reached her class, she insisted that we learned the Collect for the coming Sunday off by heart and we had to recite it in turn. I remember her with greal affection and appreciation. My mother was organist at St. Michael's when Ihe Rev. Geake was the incumbent al Whitwell nectary. Botl1 churches were used for Sunday worShip then . Frequently, the congregation of St. Michael's would still be waiting for " lana House is in the Market Place and is now 'D1ane's I'amry'. The post· office was where 'Melo ncaulie Rose' now trades. 20 We had a fantastic choir under his leade rship, Si nging oratorios at special church festivals - the Messiall, Elijail, Olivet to Calvary, to mention just a few. Occasionally we incorporated the voice of Mr Broad from Heydon although Donald Chapman did very wen in solos, supported by his fe llow tenors, Fred Alford among them. Apart from church music, variOus members of the choi r founded a group to entertain during the year, putting on many Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. This group included Donald and Olive Chapman, Elsie Varley, Mabel Utting and Mr Cocking. The latter ran a boot and shoe shop which later became Gwen Ha rdesty'S fruit and vegetable shop and which is now the Bridal Shop. The Market Place was a grandstand for the Reepham Town Silver Band under the baton of Mr Ruffles fro m Fakenham. When the weather was kind, and it invariably was, they played for the town's entertainment after the evening service at church on Sundays unti l nine or ten o'clock. Reepha m also boasted a fllle Salvation Army Ba nd. They shared the Market Place as their meeti ng place on alternate weeks. I have memories, too, of carol singing with the choir and the hand-bell ringers in the snow. In those days, the seasons seemed more seasonable! In the spring we would pick primroses at Broomhill; snowdrops �• Ron Gibbs. He was 0 mon o( energy ond imogiflOlion who refused 10 give in 10 illness. Rev. Gl!Clkel with members of his choir outside lhe porch of SI. Michael's. • grew like a carpet at Catchback and the perfume from the vio lets at Reepha m Moor was unbelievable. Father, who was invalided out of the Navy with tuberclIlosis, put his talents to good effect when he settled in Rccpham. ).1y mo ther loved to tell of when motor ca rs became the 'in thing' . My father built o ne around an engine and chassis and, so anxious to try it o ut was he, that one Sunday afternoon he d rove mother and an au nt and uncle to Cromer and back. Father, being t he driver, sa t on the kitchen chair and his passengers on upturned o range boxes. The sides of the ca r consisted of chicke n wire draped with old curtains but when Ihey reached 10 mph the curtai ns flapped alarmingly and had to be removed! In between bouts of illness, Father dabbled in pho tograph y, watch and clock mendi ng, garage and battery charging and, when confined to bed, built mode ls, two of which, a ship and traction engine, drum and elevator (threshing machine) were housed with the Reepham Society. 12 Mother started a business making hats, which fl ourished and this eve ntually became a fully-fl edged d rapery, millinery, tobacco and confectionery shop. The garage, erected to service the growing car trade, was built at the rear and side of the shOp, over an old Baptist immersion pool. This site has now been rebuilt as Lesley Tooley's hairdressers and Reepham DIY. I am sure it needed very little demolishing as it was built chiefly of corrugated iron but the side facing our garden was all glass, consisting of photographic plat es of almost every photograph m y father ever look. Part of the garage was given over to the engine room where I:ather had a generator from which he produced electricity and proudly wired our house - the first .1 WI.' still have the t hreshing machine OOt (\0('5 anyone know Whal has happened 10 Ihe ship? in Reepham to have electriC light. This was in 1928 or thereabouts. He also made me a do ll's ho use and fitted that with battery-powered electriC light. Towards the end of my Fathe r's life I reme mber that the trees in o ur orchard had to be felled as they were old and barren. They had given shelter to the goats and bantams tha t we kept tbere. Mother's ambition of havi ng a tennis court built in the old orchard began to take shape. Father want ed to oversee the project and make sure the ground was quite level. This proved a problem because he was now on constant oxygen. Not to be thwarted, he asked Dick Hatley, who worked with him, to get an inner tube from a car wheel and inflate it with oxygen, added a piece of rubber tube to connect with the valve and, by slinging the tube over his shoulder with a clip to control the fl ow of oxygen, he was able to walk up the garden and inspect the new tennis court fo r himself, returning before the tube was deflated . We were now able to have tennis parties, comprising Donald and Olive Chapman, Jean Hawes, Evan Symonds, Ricky and John Lambert, Ruby Barnes, Len Wilkinson, mother and myself. My great (riend, Peggy Hum , and I had other delights in common. Her fa the r, and both of my uncles, Edward Gibbs senior and junior, were among the company which formed the 'Black Minstrel Troupe'. We look back with such affectlon to o ur childhood in our beloved neepham. End Comer. Ann Gibbs (now Dklcinson) is sealed on the righ t nexl to her mother. A lellnis party 01 Towns 21 �A Thousand Years of Salle During the Millennium Year, Salle village, church and estate celebrated the history of Salle on a beautiful June day. Morning service was attended by tnmt of the villagers, foJlowed by drinks at the hall with Sir John White before evel}'One joined in a borbeque at the Village Institute. The afternoon WQS spent in watching a eric/eel match or climbing the church tower for a glimpse of the splendid view from the top. This was a real traditional vii/age event made all the better by the blessing of good weather. To bring memories of the past into the present, Claire Buxton, Chairman of the Parish Meeting, with help from long-lime inhabitants of the village, such as Ben Stimpson, hod organised an exhibition in the church. This included archive material and a faSCinating display of metal detector finds dating back across most o( the last two millennia and collected by Richard Saunders who lives and works in Salle. This article is based on a brief history o( Salle which was available as a handout on the day. Origins Salle lies on the top of the Norfolk watershed between the Bure and Wensum rivers. It is, in very many ways, a typical Norfolk village. Its history from before the beginning of this millennium illustrates what was and is happening in many other Norfo[k villages. The name 'Salle' is usually taken to deri ve from sallows, the old name for wi llows but other suggestions have been put forward. Is it a corrupt ion of 'a ul ' the old English word for hall? One of the manors in the village was once known as Kingshall wh ich could easily lend itself to shortening as 'Sail'. Or perhaps it is related to an old northern word describing a high, windy place that appears in the Cumberland name - Black Sail Pass. Salle is high a nd wi ndy - fo r Norfolk. The land of the village has always belonged to one or other of the manors in the parish. Now, it is almost entirely part of the Salle Farms estate. Before the improvements of recent cen turies this wou ld have been regarded as poor soil Salle church from the south on a winter 'S day in January. This hUge and beautiful church dominates the skyline. 22 and used for sheep, much perhaps remaining as common land which was im portant also for the poorer villagers. In the past, those with common rights not on ly grazed their animals on the common but also collected wood and kindling and wild fruit . This left their own small plots, or 'pightles', to be cultivated to feed the family. As in the rest of the county, e nclosure started quite early in Salle to meet the changing needs of the farms. Commons and small pightJes and closes have now long been enclosed and those old open fields, themselves, have been changed to meet the needs of mode rn farm ing practices. A small landowner in the village is the church but it is the large and beautiful church itself which is the jewel in Salle's c rown and perhaps the best known building in lhis part of Norfolk. Salle church has recently figured in Ellg/om/'s TllOlisollll Best Churclies by Simon Jenkins (1999). No one s hould leave the village without making a tour of this unique church. Built on the wealth of the wool grown on t he sheep which grazed the local heaths, its presence emphasises the change from stock fa rming to arable which has taken place over the centuries as the farm ing families who built it grew wealthier. Heath, pasture and woodland have now largely given place to open arable fields. The building of Salle church by a group of leadi ng sheep farm ers in the fifteent h century and its ma intenance, since, by leading local families shows how stich famili es have always been import an t in sli pporting the life and people of a vil lage and its surroundi ngs. The families and manors of Salle Perhaps the most im portant historian of Salle is Rev. Walter Parsons who was the parson here for over 30 years. As a former scholar of Pembroke College and Dean of Selwyn College, Ca mbridge, he took great interest in researching the history of his parish. Hi s book Sa lle saves all of us much time and effort when researching the early history of the village, the manors and the church. It provides invaluable information on the history of the village and is available from Reepham Libra ry. Salle also figures in llle Pasta" Lellers. One of the Sa lle manors belonged to the Mauteby famil y, one of whose daughters ma rried into the Paston family. Although litigious and concerned about keepi ng a grip on their lands, like so many medieval Norfolk farmers and lords, the letters concerning Sa lle directly are often concerned with the promotion of a courtship betweenJolln Paston and Margery Brewes. The Pastons remained close ly associated with Salle for the next 100 years. Salle itse.lf is mentioned in Doomsday Book when it was said to have four manors. The history of the manors is well testified. Today, Salle Moor Hall and Sti nton Manor House probably represent the site of two of the manors whilst a third was probably finall y destroyed when Salle Hall was built. Parsons specula tes that the fourt h ma nOf house was sited on the Wood Oalling side of Gatehouse Farm nea f the bridge over the strea m. Sa lle Moor HalJ was a Bullen (Boleyn) possession from the fourteent h to the six teenth century. Yes, that is the famil y of Anne Boleyn! Bu t there is no evidence that she ever lived in Norfolk! More recentl y in Ihe hands of the Sti mpson fami ly, Salle Moor Hall now belongs to Mr Ardishe r Naghshineh who is farming this land organically. Ben Stimpson is now the onl y member of the Stimpson family sti ll living in Salle. Though now past his ninetieth birthda y, he remains a forceful member of the community and was, �• until very recently, still a churchwarden . His knowledge of the past and presen t of Salle village and its chu rch a nd people is unsurpassed . Stinton Manor is the mallor which was formerly a royal manor but that was before the Conquest. Dooms(/flY Hook tells us th at this 'Kings Manor' belonged to Godwin - the father of King Harold. Harold, himself, held Cawston. By the time of Doomsday, both were held by one Ralph who was made Earl of Norfolk. He rebelled, and his lands were given to the new Earl, William de Warenne, one of William's major lords who bui lt Castle Acre. Stinton House, havi ng passed through the ha nds of the Townsends of Raynham and Bulwer Longs of neighbouring Heydon, is now pa ri of the Salle estate and is, at present, the home of Panl Hovesen, the Salle Farms esta te manager who ca me here from Den mark some 13 years ago. Many other well-known Norfolk families have held land in Salle, the Briggs, Founta ines, Pastons, Townsends and Earles, to na me but a few. After Edward Hase created th e Park and built t he hall in 176S it passed to thejodrell fa mily after Richa rd Paul jodrell of Lewknor in Oxfordshire married his daughter. She had inherited the right to a baronetcy from her uncle, john Lombe, which now passed to t.he jodrells. The jodrells were squires here un til Major Timothy White, who owned the chain of chemist shops, now absorbed by Boots, bought the estate in 1890. Bot h these fa milies have done a great deal to both preserve and to develop the estate and parish of Salle. Farms and farmers of Salle One interesting point emerging from early history is a suggestion that this was an area with many 'freemen' in t he Middle Ages. Their counterparts, after the sixteenth century, were the yeomen fa rmers, tenants of the remain· ing fa rms in the village, all of which now belong in one capacity or another to the esta te. These were the successfu l men who prospered by buying up and enclosing land after the collapse of the feuda l system. A nu mber of their old farmhouses hilve been sold off ilS private houses though some remain as part of the estate. A typical exam ple of an old farmhouse is Pilrk Farm, formerly Bog Farm, standing on the edge of old wilter meadows which lie between Salle and the former royal manor of Cawston. This is now the home of Andrew and Claire Bux ton. Andrew farmed wi th his brothers in Heydon and now works for himself whilst Claire is Chai rman of Salle Parish meeting. Park Farm stood empty for some years until it was used as a film set for the television producHon of Mill 011 t/le Floss which was filmed largely on loca tion arou nd mid-Norfolk. Since then, it has been restored with a considerable degree of sym pathy to retain much of its origina l character. The date 1770 can be discerned in the brickwork on the front of the house but the house is older than th is. Like many Norfolk houses it has been refurbished or rebuilt repea ted ly over the years. Manor t-arm, which may have been closely associated with Dorothy Repps, mother-in-law of the builder of Salle Hall, remains an integral part of the estate as the fa rm office. It probably started life as a common-edge manor house in the Middle Ages. The late eighteenth century estate maps ind icate t hat the area that is now Bl uestone Wood was then com mon land as was an area ncar t he bridge on the way to Cawston. The name ' Brake Past ure' of a field next to the 1J,;1rk, also indicates common_ A 'brake' was a field cut oul of common or heath. The insertion of an older sta ircase in to Manor Farm may have been carried out because Edward Hase lived in Manor Farm after the destruction of the former manor house. The date on Pa rk Farm also seems 10 link the improvemen ts to these two farms with the creation of the park and buildi ng of the hall in t he late eighteenth cen tury. Practically nex t door to Manor Fa rm lies Cherry Tree Farm. This still belongs to the Bulwer Longs of Heydon and illustrates how closely inter-linked all the villages, manors and farms of this group of villages arc. This probably stems from the old manorial system when stri ps of land were held in a variety of open fields, not always close together or even in the same parish. Later, we find farmers owning strips belonging to different manors. This is shown particularly clearly on the 1864 Tithe Map where the few remaining strips still held by individuals show where the old open fiel ds existed . This intermix also affected the parish boundaries. Until very recently a long strip of Reepham parish cut right across Salle Park, balanced by a strip of Salle, which reached down to Reepham Moor. The parish boundary has now been changed to adjust this anomaly which had been perpetuated over time, possibly due to old land ownership Manor Farm as i/ is today when the Salle Farms es/ale office. it is in use 05 23 �boundaries, perhaps to allow a manor or tenant to have a mix of arable land and water meadow. Salle Village The viJIage itself is not large, consisting of a scatter of houses leading down past the cricket pitch from the church. It comprises cottages probably built o n the siles of the old 'tofts and crofts', formerly worked by tenants who may also have been craftsmen and whose family would have spun and woven woollen cloth in the lime between all their other tasks. Even in the past t he number of brick built o r stone houses would not have been much more than now. There would, however, have been many more residents, working the land, carrying out their trades in the village or working as serva nts on the farms. Families were also much larger, and expectations lower, until well into this century, so each house supported more people. The old school house still stands opposite the church. The school was originally a 'non·provided school', that is to say, it belonged 10 the estate and was admi nistered under a n agreemen t with the Board of Education, as a church school. As owne r, the squire was, the refore, Chairman of the Board of Managers and appointed several of them. Surviving correspondence in the White famil y archives gives interesting insights into the running of the school around the turn of the century. Education was already fairly closely controlled and inspected and the school developed over time to include examinations and scholarships as opportunities opened up. The staff consisted of a headmistress, most of whom seem to have come from southern counties and were required to have musical skills and to be able to teach physical education as well as the other more usual attributes of any teacher. The headm istress was supported by one assistant teacher and/or a 'monitress' who was a senior pupil of promise. The letters of these women, written when applying for the job, indicate that they had very little money. Shades of Ja ne Eyre! Before the First World War children would have fini shed their education by 12 years of age. In sllch a rural area, holidays were taken to allow the children to help with the harvest and these had to be specifically requested from the Education authorities. Mrs Williamson, the last teacher is buried in the churchyard. Next door is the Lynton White Inst itute, built by the White family, which provides a home for the Parish Meeting and a site for social events, not least cricket teas, as the Institute stands on the edge of a splendid cricket field. On the other side of the field is the forge, owned by the church and still a fully fitted working forge, though no longer regularly used. The rust of the houses in the village is the former 'W hite Horse' public house now converted to a dwelling hOllse since its closure in the late I 960s. The St reet continues down to Ga tehouse Fa rm between two rows of cottages, some of which are occupied by estate workers. There were more cottages around the eastern fringe of the park and a dairy farm in the park but there is very little more than a few bricks left from these buildings. More interesting are the houses in the park itself and the picturesq ue style lodge cottages at the four entrances to the park. Th ese have one unique fea ture as lodges; they are on th e opposite side of the road from the Hall. Most of t.hem ha ve now been adapted or enlarged by the estate to meet the needs of their inhabitants. TIle village is, obviously, dominated by its magnificent c hurch but nothing has been included here, as booklets on 24 the history of the church are available in the c hurch . Suffice to say that the church of St. Peter and St. Paul continues to attract visitors to view its architectural splendour and music lovers who wish to take advan tage of its excellent acoustics to perform and listen to concerts and to make recordings. Salle Park By far the largest house in the village is Salle House. Edward Hase created the park itself in the late eighteenth century before he built the house. A map, still in existence, shows h ow Edward Hase bought up smalJ closes and strips 10 make the park, processes know to historians as 'engrossment' and ' emparkmenl'. When Edward Hase died he fortunate ly, left a Memorandum Book which Sir Richard Jodrell continued to use after he succeeded in 1804 so we can date a nd follow some of the early developments in the park. Gardens and trees were plan ted, a beautiful walled garden still remains in use and there is an icehouse in the shrubbery. Work continues to maintain house and gardens in their present good order. Pat !)ennis, who has now returned to the village of his birth, keeps the gardens in order without t he army of under-gardeners and boys of forme r days. He still lives in the old gardener's house next to the walled garden. Fortunately, pleasure gardens were not fa shionable when the house was built and were never planned to be very large thoug h extended across the South Lawn as far as an ornamental ha-ha before 1846. One particularly happy aspect of the park is the number of magnificent trees it contains. Of course, creators of parks, following the ideas of Humphrey Repton (no\\l buried in Aylsham church yard) and Capability Brown, looked for a na tural effect in their new parks. Trees were oft en planted in clumps or as shelter belts but also in ' rO\\lS'. One way of achieving a rapid mature effect was to retain the trees which had formerly stood in hedgerows along field boundaries. It is possible to identify these fonner hedge lines from aerial photographs and old maps even though, in their more mature stat e, the li nes are not always obvious as trees succumb to old age or storms. Many trees have bee n felled during the ZOO years of the park's existence. However, one major oak tree, which must predate the park by some considerable time, still remains. It is now a huge and venerable veteran supporting considerable amounts of wild life. The park trees have always been well cared fo r a nd a new avenue of horse chestnut trees is now beginning to grow up along the main drive across the park. New plantings of park trees also include tu rkey, evergreen, red and English oaks Salle House Salle House was built in 1763. It is a mid·Georgian neoclassical building influenced by the emerging forces of romanticism. It consists of a two·and-a-half storey central wing of seven bays, built in red brick with a stone Ionic pediment o n both north and south elevations and a hipped roof surrounded by a balustrade. The architraves of the prinCipal doors are also of stone. A Si ngle-storey wing extends to both cast and \\lest where two courts were converted to an orangery on the east and a billiard room on the west in Major White's time. The Victorian upper storey, added over the billiard room, has since been demolished . Beyond the wings, low two-storied buildings extend on either side - to the coach house and stables on the cast. The appearance of Salle House is now almost identical 1'0 a �Solie viUage 5treet looking we5t from the church. The larger house on the left was formerly the White Hone public house. Salle Hall from the southern gorden. The pork. is 50 thickly planted with tren that there is only one sight line from which the hall can be seen drawing on an estate map of J807. This, however, is due to work carried out by Si r John White who has now restored the house both inside and ou tside whilst retaining its original character extremely well. Salle Farms Estate Salle Farms is now ent irely arabl e. Crops include large-sca le cultivation of barley, beet, beans, peas and whea t on land which, before the improvements of recent centuries, would have been rega rded as poor soil and used for sheep, The estate also remains conscious of its stewardship of the countryside. Successful modern farming is con tract farming to meet the needs of large-scale food suppliers. Output is constantly monitored by the use of satellit e technology. In addition to the 1:lrge-scale production of grain, pulses and sugar beet, a recent addition has been the appearance o f plantations of Ch ristmas trees which provide work during quieter periods of the year. Areas of set-aside supplement other conservation in novations that are now possible. Attitudes to the countryside have changed in recent years and many who formerly knew little about it are able to gel out and about and have demanded ilCcess to a countryside which they regard as a common heritage. This can be a twoedged sword . Unlimited access can be disrupti ve to wildlife habitat, to game bi.rds and to growing crops alike. However, many footpath s and green lanes marked on the as maps arc maintained to provide walks across the esta te. Some paths have been diverted found the edges of fi elds rather than cutting through the middle. Those who wish to quibble at th is should remind themselves that walking along the hedge is much more interesting as this is where the greatest variety of flora and fauna is to be seen. [n addition to lhe more conspicuous pheasants and partridges reared on the estate, and the ever-present rabbits, the re are less eviden t denizens of this land. Stoats, weasels and other small mammals are much shyer but are still in abundance where there is a large rabbit population. Though many small birds have disappeared in recent years there are a number of larger birds to be seen . Herons and kest rels are regular hunters in the area. Barn owls are becoming re-established and three are nesting on the estate. necently, a group of Ca nada geese hilve sett led nea r on e of the ponds. These birds can be a mixed blessi ng and have become a nuisance on some farms elsewhere. The more remote part of the estate is hare country and numbers of mad March hares are to be seen every spring. Yes, there are large field s but many new hedges have been planted and old hedges preserved. Other conservatio n measures are bei ng undertaken. These include the planting of broad-leaf trees along the old railway line near the Cawston boundary and maintenance of existing patches of woodland on the estate. One im portant conserva tion measure now being implemented is the scheme whereby 4-metre strips along watercourses are left as permanent sct-aside to reduce the risk of conta mination of ground water by pesticides and so forth . The watercourse, which crosses the estate from beyond Wood Dalling, winding round past C nvston to Booton, is a case in point. Anyone who walks down the rood by the side o f Wood Dalling church should note the ditch on the right-hand side which is fult of wild flowers, especially primroses and orch ids in springtime. This dit ch now has a preservation order on it. Yet , it was dug very recently, showing that modern farmin g activity is not always destructive. Much of the information in this article was obtained from the White popers and Bullen popers now held in the Norfolk Record Office. 25 �Reepham Personalities and Institutions AI the beginning of this century Reepham was a small Norfolk market town with long-established families living in a smaller community than today. Thf!y all knew each other very well, often being related by marriage, mostly working locolly in the lown or on the surrounding farms Gnd estates. Some of the older families still remain and hove contributed immensely to the records of the recent past of Reephom. As Reephom has grown and new houses Ofe constantly built, new people have increasingly moved into the lown. Mony of them will be unaware of the contributions to the community mode by former inhabitants and the origins of some Reephom institutions. Following the long gap since che publication of the last Reepham Society Magazine, this seems an appropriate lime to record 0 little about some of those who have contributed to the life of the town and who have helped to make Reepham the lively and caring community that it is. One messoge which comes over very strongly, even in these short profiles, is ;ust how much people's lives were disrupted by the effects of the two World Wors of the last century. Miss Jessie Brown MBE jessie Vera Lawford Brown died on 14th April, 1983 at the age of 95. She had a remarkable career, one achieveme nt being the foundation of the Reepham Housing Trust -clgh t bungalows fo r the elderly or disabled known as Sunbam Walk. 'My hope is that there will be accommodation of this kind in every village in the country,' said Jessie. Jessie was the only daughter among the seven children of Colonel F.D.M . Brown Vc. He r early education was directed by a series of governesses but, later, she studied history at the Oxford Home Students, now St. Anne's College. Her academic career was discarded whe n she joined her friend , Olive Sa nkey, and answered an appeal from Agnes Hunt , 13 the founder of a new hospital al Baschurch in ShropShire, 10 train as an orthopaedic nurse. After two years, Jessie went on to pass the examination for the Society of Trained Masseuses, later to become the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists. At the out break of war in 1914, Agnes Hunt and jessie went to France but were very soon frustrated with cond itions over there and returned to Baschurch which had then become a military hospita l. It soon became obvious that after-care clinics had to be established in the main market towns in Shropshire but transport was a problem. Undaunted, jessie acqUired a second-hand motor bike, learned to ride it and, by 191 7, 13 ort hopaedic dinics had been established throughout Shropshire. In 1918 Mr G.R. Girlestone askcdjessie to help set up clinics in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. He could offer no sala ry but arranged a small sum from a special Red Cross fund if a survey of all disabled people could be ca rried out - just the sort of challe nge jessie enjoyed. In 1924 Sir Robert jones, the prominent orthopaedic pioneer, received a call from Nepal. Princess Mani, the fIVe-yea r-old niece of the King of Nepal , was ill with U Agnes Brown and Sir Robert Jones, a plon~r orthopaedic su rgeon. Wtlt responsiblt for tht fou ndation of the ortoop.1edlc hospital In ~weslfy which carrit'S thtir names ~nd remains one of the lcading orthopaedic hospitals In the country. 26 poliomyclitis and it was decided to send jessie to help. Within three days she had set off by sea to Bombay, then overland to Kathmandu. There was no road from India into Nepal in those days so jessie was ca rried or rode on the back of an elephant for the three-day journey. During the next ten years jessie visited this brave little girl several times and after Mani's death in 1935 a ward was built in the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre as a gift from her gratefu l parents. Everyone who knew Jessie Brown was constantly reminded of her aims - that every patient must be instilled with the joy of life, irrespective of their handicap and that o ne must work until each diSilbled person is as independent as possible and able to contribute to their community. It became necessary for Jessie to return home to Yateley to look after her ageing mother but she soon had the outbuildings of her home converted to be a unit where physically handicapped people could learn hand-block printing. Grace Finch, a patient at the HenleyClinic, was persuaded to go to Yateley to help and, together, they soon had money raised and a training scheme fo r hand icapped girls was launched. New buildings were opened in 1952 and bungalOWS in 1956. Yateley Industries is a successful residential sheltered industry and em ploys more than 40 men and women. Jessie placed little importance on personal possessions and was able to move on without regret, always full of enthusiasm for a new ven ture. In 1952 her work was recognised by the award of an MBE. Bu t she was always far more interested in the success of her many projects. In 1968 jessie ' retired' to Reepham. It was during her retirement that she became the inspiration behind the building of the eight bungalows on Sun Barn Walk which formed the core of the Reepham Housing Trust. Today, the Trust is managed as a charity by local trustees, sharing a warden with the Wherry Housing in Ewing Close. Many in the town feel privileged that she touched our lives and hope to pass on her enthusiasm and joy of living to the full. We are grateful to Jon Henry for this piece on Jessie Brown. Ben Stimpson Ben Stimpson was born at Salle Moor Farm in 1910, a member of a well-known local fami ly here in Mid-Norfolk. He is a forceful and well-respected character in both Salle and Recpham and has given much service to the two Ben Slimpson �communities both as an active member of a number of organisations anc! as a benefactor to the communities. The Stimpson family fanned at Salle Moor for several generations as well as running the family business based in Reepham. It was Ben's grandfath er who opened the Salle Coal Company at Reepham Station, a company that continued in business as a general agricultural merchant under several names until 1980. Some of you will have read the book on 'Salle' written by the Rev. Parsons who was Vicar of Salle from the early 1920s unti l after the Second WorlC! War. [t was Rev. Parsons who married Ben and his wife Margaret in 1937. They came to live in Salle House, the house in which they still live and Ben gradually took on the management of the family business as well as his other work in the community. For many years he was chairman of the Salle Parish Meeting and succeeded his fathe r as churchwarden there, a posl which he held for over 40 years. Added to his fa ther's tenure of SO years this gives nearly a century of continuous service to Salle church by the Stimpson fami ly. To th is can be added the tireless work of Margaret who was also a member of the PCe. The role of churchwarden was not a sinecure as there have been a number of major problems, including a light ning strike, in keeping up t he fabric of Salle church one of the medieval gems of rural Norfolk - as well as th e day-to-day routine of the church . It is largely due to Ben's efrorl's that Salle church has been able to mai nta in itself so successfully in recent years. A tribut e for this work for the church was published in the November 2000 issue of TowII (ll/d COllI/try when Ben retired as churchwarden and was given a tremendous send-off by the congrega tion . Needless to say he remains a member of the PCe. Duri ng the war Ben played h is pllrt in the local Home Guard as well as helping his father with the family businesses. The activities of the Salle and Reepham platoon are weI] documented in Standing lip to Hiller'14 which tells the tale of the Home Guard in Norfolk. It was Ben Stimpson 1< 1997. A. Hoare: Sfllluli"3 up lu Hitla. The Story of the Norfolk Home Guard. l'ubllshoxl by Ceo. R. Ret-ve, Wymomlhall1 . ISBN 0 900616 50 4 . who provided the comprehensive records of the local units which now form a considerable portion of that book. Ben hac! led the local pla loon since May 1940 but by the latter part of the war the 17th Battalion Norfolk Home Guard was based in Reepham with it's HQ at 'The Bays' in Norwich Road, and led by Lt Colonel G.E. Gurney wi th Ben as his second-in-command. Duties included airfield defence, defence of bridges and liaison with other units backed up by weekly training and regular battle exercises. Stimpson's Piece Perhaps the most memorable mention of th e Stimpson name to present-day Reepham residents is in reference to Stimpson 's Piece. This piece of land was originally six acres, leased to the parish of Rcepham by the Stimpson family for use as a playing field. Following the Second World War a pavilion was built as a war memorial and in thanksgiving for victory. The pavilion has bee n rebuilt since then but the memorial plaque remains in the present pavilion built in 1995. In \987 the land was gifted to Reepham and extended by the parish council with a furth er seven acres to (orm the presen t Stimpson's Piece. Despite all he has con tributed to Reepham, Salle remains Ben 's fi rst love a nd he has become closely identified wit h that village and, as you can imagine, he knows a very great deal about Salle, its past, its present and its people. Wesley Piercey Wesley Piercy is the man we all turn to when we wa nt to find some elusive detail of the past of Reepham. Wesley was born in Reepham in 1917, in a farmhouse on Saleyard Hill. For those who arc comparitive newcomers to Reepham, this was the old road going up from Town's End Corner towards the old sale yard and curving up behind the cottages wh ich presently look down onto Station Road. tater, the famil y moved to 'Cabbage Court' - Hailway Cottages on the New Road - before moving back to the farm until 1940. After leaving the Hackford and Whitwell School, now th e site of [{eepham Primary School, Wesley first of all worked i.n Ben Stimpson leading the local Home Guard contigent 01 a parade in Reepham . 27 �Wesley has spoken to many organisations in the town over the years. He remains an active member of the Reepham Society - and still the fount of knowledge on the past of the town. Tony Ivins Wesley Piercy Cawston before going as apprentice to Reeder's, the baker in Back Street. The premises were known as 'house and baking offtce' and are now represented by the house known as The Old Bakery. Although he had moved just before the war to work in Wells, as a member of the Supplementary Reserve, Wesley was called up immediately. He had quite an interesting war! He wen t out with the British Expeditionary Force to France in 1939. In the confusion of the retreat from France, Wesley was separated from his unit when he had a brief spell in hospital. He was discharged from hospltal to lhe base depot near SI. Nazaire which was then being readied for a division of Canadian troops who were, at this stage, the only available unit still fully eqUipped to fight. However, it became necessary to evacuate all troops following the capitulation of France. Wesley then spent the next six months out in England be.fore embarking for the Middle E.lst and the West ern Desert in 1941. His unit was now with an army group later known as the Desert Rats (the Eigh th Army) which then crossed to Sicily and foug ht its way up Ital y. [n 1944 ' time expired' men were replaced by new recruits and Wesley returned to the UK. He then returned to Aldershot where he found that all the bakehouse jobs had been taken over by the women of the ATS. After the end of the war Wesley was demobbed in 1946. As you can imagine, returning to civilia n life was somewhat of a culture shock and Wesley left baking for more active jobs. He eventually found his way into the Eastern Electricity Board, for whom he worked fo r 23 years until he retired in 1982. Hi s love for hi story and the past of t he Reepham area was never lost. A number of historians and archaeologists had an interest in the local history and ran a number of WEA courses in Reepham during the 1970s. Wesley enthusiast ically joined to expand his knowledge of the past. Following his retirement in 1982 he was able to follow up his great interest in history. He started an Open University course, wherever pOSSible completing history units, to qualify for bis BA. His life also changed in another way around this time when he met his wife Olive on holiday. By th iS time the Pierceys were living in the bungalow where Wesley and Olive still live in Park Lane. As a result of his encyclopaedic knowledge of Reepham a nd its people 28 Tony Ivi ns rema ins the President of the Reepham Society to t h is day though increaSing age and frailty prevent his active involvement. I-I e was also a founder member and, with Susie his wife, a driving force in the development of the Society. Born in South London in 1915, Tony gained a diploma in animal husbandry at an agriUlltural college in the south of England. In the late 1930s, he joined the staff of the Forest School in Hampshire. The school was a progressive co-educational boarding school in the New Forest. Its ethos was to teach children how to respect the countryside and make use of natural resou rces. In 1938 the school had to move to new premises and an educational trust was set up to enable the purchase of Whitwell Hall and grounds. This is where Tony met Susie Dammen who became the Matron at the new Forest School where Tony was now the bursar. Not long after the move the Second World Wa r broke out, the school was evacuated and the army requisitioned the Hall. Tony Ivins Tony enlisted in the Air Force where he became a naVigator. His war years were spent in Africa where his squadron's role was to reinforce the British role by ferrying di plomats and heads of state around that country. From this he acquired an abiding love of Africa and has many albums of photographs from that t ime, especially aerial views. Meanwh ile, Susie joined the. Land Army and worked as a farm secretary at Sparham Hall. At the end of the war Tony and Susie were married and returned to Whitwell in 1946. Due to the financial costs involved, a decision was made not to re-open the school. Instead, Tony set up a pig farm at Whitwell Hall which brought in sufficient fin ance to enable Ton y to set up a Country Centre offering schoolchildren an opportunity to enjoy a week under canvas, or in the house, and 10 experience the country, the wildlife and the natu ral resources. Tony and Susie's children, Sally and Hugh, were born here and Hugh still lives with his family in one of the cottages which was bought from the estate. �Tony came to love WhihveJl as well as the educational trust which had always been dear to his heart. It was his interest in finding out about Whitwell and its past which stim ulated Tony's broader interest in history. With $usies drive and enthusiasm, they not onl y developed the COlin· try Centre at Whitwell but gave a great deal to the village and to Reepham. It is largely due to them and several other ea rly members of the Rcepham SOciety tha t we have been able to develop such comprehensive archives for t he SOCIety. Tony's work at Whitwell Hall enabled him to meet numerous well-known Norfolk folk. His friends included Ted Ellis, Dick Joyce and Philip Wayre of the Norfolk Wildlife Centre who shared many of his interests. Tony was also Chairman of the Norfo lk Deaf Children's SoCiety and one year he was able to show the Queen Mother round the NDCS stand at the Royal Norfolk Show. As Wardens of Whitwell Hall, Tony and Susie had lived in the 1·lall itself but when he retired they moved to Hillside Cottage on Whitwell Hill. Tony now became Chairman of the Country Centre and continued his tife·long work fo r Whitwell Hall and its 40-acre estate. Whitwe ll Hall Ed ucatio nal Trust • A great many people arc unawa re of the existence of Whit well Hall Country Centre, its unique history and unusual development. We think it is worth telling a little more about one more interesting aspect of the Reepham grou p of parishes. Whitwell Hall itself was, of course, a privat e house. The previous history of the hall, park and deserted medieval village has been described elsewhere in ea rlier Reepham Society magaZines, often relying on infor· mation from Tony Ivins himself. Forest School was started in 1928 near Godshill in the New Forest and consisted of 100 acres of woodland over· looking the Avon valley in Hampshire. It was bought by Earnest Westlake, the son of a Quaker and wealthy ind us· triatist from rordingbridge. He became a humanist and educati on;Ilist and, as a result, fou nded the order of Wood· craft Chivalry - the Woodcraft Folk - where families met together under canvas, later in huts, and learned to live in and appreciate the natural environment. Loosely built on the ideas and cul ture of t he North American Indians, its aim was to enable children to find out abou t themselves by offering opportunities for development and self.discipline rather than by imposing learning and d isci pline. Other schools, such as Darlington and Summerh ill, developed from similar roots as did organisations like the Guides and Scouts. Aft er the war, it was decided by Tony and Susie and the school secretary, who lived in Cam bridge, not to re-open as a school as such a large fi nancial investment would be required to renovate and repair the buildings. Instead, Tony set about earning an income fo r the trust by utilising his training in anima l husbandry and set up the pig farm in the ex isting outbuildings on the site. Each summer, fonn er pupils of Forest School continued the tradition of ca mping activities with their famil ies until the late 1950s when the Forest School was set up again to continue elsewhere. A young Tony /vim worlcing with older boys in Ihe /cilchen gorden. In the ea rly 1960s contacts were established wi th teachers and education authorities in Norfol k and Suffolk at a time when such bodies were keen to encourage ch ildren to spend ti me out·of-doors. From this grew a thriving Country Centre which conti nues to provide opportunities for many groups of children to spend a week or weekend camping in the grounds, or living in dormi tories, whilst undertaking cou ntry activities which are totally new for some city children. Tony Ivins, the original Warden of Whitwell Hall, was assisted by Susie as House Mother until the 1970s. By this t ime, it was necessary to take on more sta ff. Sue and Brian Evans joi ned the staff and later took over the running of the Centre which they conti nue to manage down to the present. On his retirement, Tony beca me Chairman of the trust and worked tirelessly for the Centre, a role which his son, Hugh, has now taken on after him. The Country Centre is always looking for ways to broaden its activities and a number of local groups and pupils from Heepham High School use the house and grounds fo r a variety of activities. Any group can contact Brian and Sue Evans to see if the Centre can accommodate their requirements - always bearing in mind that it is limited by its sta tus as an educational trust. Our grateful thanh to Hugh Ivins for his help in preparing this profile of his father and the outline of the development of the Whitwell Hall Countl)l Centre. 29 �Reepham Society History Exhibition Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11 th, 12th & 13th May, 2001 Friday: 10.00 am to 4 .00 pm Saturday: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm Sunday: 10.00 am to 12.00 noon local history of Reepham and the surrounding villages Members preview 7.30 pm Thursday 10th May The editor is very aware that the articles in this magazine talk about footpoths and access to the countryside in some detail. At time of publication the country is ravaged by Foot and Mouth Disease. Fortunately, this part of the country has remained free of infection. We would like to remind visitors to the area to observe footpath restrictions. Whilst this is Q largely arable forming area there numbers of animals in many places. Ofe Please only use those footpaths, like the Marriott's Way, which you are sure are open and do not venture into farmland. 30 �Hendry & Sons Funeral Directors Private Chapels of Rest RICHARD HENDRY, DIP. F. D. Members of the N.A.F.D. Station Road, Foulsbam, Derebam Norfolk Tel. Foulsham. (01562) 685249 MUCK&MAGIC Garden ServwN From one off solutions, to all-year-round maintenance Whatever your gardening needs we'll cover the ground for you. VEGGIES & GRASS HEDGES & PATHS PONDS & PATIOS CUTS & STRIMS COMPOST & MULCHES PLANTS & SEEDS TURFS & WEEDS I ! ! A FIRST· CLASS SERVICE Call JON PURDY fOl" a quote Home 01603308093 Mohile 07771926582 BramLey.., lOa New RoaiJ, Rupbam Working Bre\llery ~mof CAMRA N3Holkil A~3rd ...'inning \kNd Stout &:: R.'pill:f Polk Aloe and olher Indition.al beotn Collers Reepham Beers Dislincli~et~ Different \'Vodh Seeking Out �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Newsletters Description An account of the resource A comprehensive collection of newsletters published by the Reepham Society. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Printed and digital Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/RS/Magazines Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1983-2000 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Society Magazine Millennium Edition April 2001 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2501291035 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource A4 PDF, 32 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 2001 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Reepham Society Reepham Society https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/855d5bc8d80b7999e790dfcc4cef0cc8.pdf fcdfab32022bd7965baaa7a72f4b628a PDF Text Text o j' Winter 1987 �., If If ., ... YrJII don't have to go into your bank 10 gel ll/omy Ollt o/tlx bank. Yrill don't even have to u'ait iii/Iii il open.r. All )011 need, 10 f!,e! (aJh U'henever YU Ii /l',ml iI, ir a Barriay.r (elrh diJpmrer and all amplable (CI.rh card. l/ YOIl 'rl' tI Bard'lJr (IIJwmer YUIi ({./II 111'1' YUlir Barrltl),ballk mrd or),ollr Barda)'J COlllleel card 10 oblaill (dJh (l"j! 10 ,fj()() ,I ddY. (heck lije ba lana o/yollr tlC(fJ1i1ll alld order a ...Ialell/ml. Alld )'Ull (all do il lIighl or da)'. .rerf/! dtl)," d uuk. l/yolf 're 1101 a Barday UfJlurrm; )Oli ctln IfJl')olfr Lloydr B"nk, Bank 0/ S(f}tlalld or The Roy,,1 /3,,1Ik u/ Scotland caJh card. (Btmla )J (J(J/MlelJ (, 11/ ,tiro IIJe cm/; diJpemerr til bram ber o/lime bdllk. .. .) You ran a/JO me )'0111' Ban/aY(CIrd IlJr (CIJ/' adw/llceJ. To "pply lor a Bare/'IFJ {tub dilj'<III(} (,m/. .rimply call in at a,,) Bdrdap brallch or Ielephom ji'T tl ll tlpplicdlioll If 10lw mile. Su "h,ke a nute (jlbir t, Jdre.IJ. It muld (l)f!Ie in h,,,,J) nexi li!!lt YUII lIett! d )i' ll ' noM, ~ ~ JJARO.Al'S /JIl NK ?l.e. M/IKKI;'/' 1'1./\0'. 1\)'/..IIIIl,ll. NrJRU" /U / SRII (,/'U : If If - ., ., �DIXON'S SHOPPING CENTRE DIXON'S SHOPPING CENTRE 159 Reepham Road, Hellesdon Tel. Norwich 49186 159 Req)ham ROild, HeliesLioll Tel. Norwich 49186 GAIL KNIGHT JANET STUBBS , . David Cleall ~ Builder & Decorater @ _...... II({jI$TtIII) Approved Timber Treatment AUCTfONJ::tRS, VALUERS and ESTATE AGENTS All Classes of Sales conducted Mortgages arranged Local Branch Office for Abbey National MARKET PLACE, REEPHAM NR \0 4JJ Tel. NORWICH 870473 & Damp Proof Course Contractor Underpining also undertaken 66 Bircharn Rd Reepham Norwich 870670 M}t(j (j PE ptE/R,~1\!Y MI~CAP Dip. THP MSAPP 1. OLD 3TABLES CHURCH HILL 1U:t:I'HAM NRIO 4JL n. HICli STREET ...... Norw",," 8 70804 ToJ._UIJ.M Hyp n0 lher api st /p sych 0 lh era pis t JOHN A. HUNT (B.Sc .. F.B.C.O., Appoinlmenls Norwich (0603) 871089 61 Ollands Road Reepharn Norfolk NR10 4EL HOLT NORFOLK NRU ••N OPTOMETRIST (Ophthalmic Opdcl.,..:.n)_ _ _ _-, [OJ *""aiii- rf\y7~~;;;B--;th&Do~;c~;;,:;1 ~ ~ , . .. . * BATHROOMS * SHOWER EQUIPMENT ** ALL KITCHENS * DOORS * TILES PLUMBING ACCESSORIES ~ ~ , ~ ALL AT TRADE PRICES. OPEN 7 DAYSA WEEK . ".~"'~.r;.~ . =-:::::;.,."l ~ 'A YLSHAM (0263) 735396 BURG~:g:~cit·.::..:.-~L"S·-HAM.1 ~~...r...r~..........r....,........~~~...r~..r~........,....,.....,....,..J �. " t- BROWNS :~~~~R THE SUN HOUSE REEPHAM Te l. 871880 Beauty Salon & Nail Clinic Ftq:rietresslbbauKmt <lntrch St ReePwn Why not ~ a tan this wintH" on our fust tan SlUlbed. Slimming 1reatInnts - Ear Plerdng - Express Nails Semi-fum Eyclashes - AroIm.~ We now have in stock Lingerie by Lejoby of Paris Fre nch designed track Suits, Cosmetics, fashion Jewellery, Stockings & Tights by Aristoc and Kayser. Quality English BEEF PORK LAMB VENISON (As Available) Home Cooked Meats, 7 different Salami Our Special Sausages 9 different flavours Local SMOKED BACON Fresh CHICKENS Wide variety of Quality Cheeses WOOL AND FASHIONS Feel Free to come and Browse. Visa Welcome • • • • • • Fadallreatrnents frun £:7.75 Waxing frun £2.00 Body Treatmen ts from £5.50- Norwich 870284 ~" !N ~\ RATS DRY CLEANING SHOE REPAIRS CHILDRENS WEAR MENS WEAR FOOlWEAR HABERDASHERY ~ '&=- EASY SHOPPING AReepham P antomime fur all the fumily 'SOMETHING F OR ALL THE FAMILY' JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Full range of Christmas cards Crackers... Calendars... Candles ... Table Decor .. Toys ... Books... Games and Fancy Gifts. Thurs28th, Fri 29th, Sat 30th J anumy1988 Commencing 7.30 at ReephamHigh School )'rr-== - ============================~ E~ J. DOUGLAS General Motor Engineer Petrol and Diesel Servicing M.O.T. Preparation Norwich 870752 , ['======= = == == ===.J SJiOP £OOIL J38{t]) SflVE G.T. & S. F. JOHNSON REEPHAM POST OFFICE eet HENERY, he's a strong reliable tub vac and -if you would like him to come and live , with you, we will give a 25% discount off the list price. : ~~ ~ WHITWELL SUPPLIES If you want to know more about INDUSTRIAL FLOOR CLEANERS ring Norwich 872496 and speak: to Colin or Daphne. �RDAN HAIR FASHIONS FAST BAT HOUSE CHURCHSTREET·REEPHAM Tel: Norwich 870284 * * * Computer Perming La Maur, L'oreal, Vitality, Revlon products Open: Tuesday to Saturday 8.30 am to 5.30 pm Thursday Late Opening Proprietor: Ruth Pickard JOHN ADCOCK TEL. 8 7()615 OIL BURNER MAINTENANCE, HEATING REPAIRS & BREAKDOWNS, PLUMBING & INSTALLATION WORK UNDERTAKEN . EMERGENCY SERVICE PROVIDED "Iona", Market Place, Reepham, Norfolk General Lithographic Printers Artwork - Layout and Design Stockist of Butterfly and Stiga Table Tennis Equipment Stockist of Butterfly Squash Equipment Suppliers of Envelopes, Paper and StationeryMaterials Tel: Alan Pickard on Norwich 871102 Computer Consultants Saralle Systelns Market Place, Reepham, Tel: (0603) 870983 For independent advice on all business computer systems ,~, F. RANDELL & CO. ~ OLLANDS ROAD. REEPHAM Tel: NORWICH 870302 A88S GARAGE MOTOR ENGINEERS TELEVISIONS, AUDIOS & VIDEOS, COMPREHENSIVE VIDEO LIBRARY (V.H.S.) 24 HR. BREAKDOWN SERVICE ACCIDENT & MECHANICAL REPAIRS 1l.Il.. ~ Rentals from 50p per period NEW and SECONDHAND CAR SALES Competitive TV, audio and video sales and service., plus hardware, ironmongery .and electrical M.O.T. STATION We are pleased to be associated with REEPHAM SPORTS CLUB TELEPHONE NORWICH 870263. 871820 and AYLSIIAM 735203 I . " :..'P D~lgety Engineers J _ \ Ltd ~ • ��THE REEPHAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND TRADERS ASSOCIATION .............. .................................... Abbs Garage ~ ~ ~ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Ardan Hair Fashions 34 B J Autos 35 Barclays Bank 36 Design Windows 37 Diane's Pantry 38 Ewing's Estate Agents 39 Randalls Electrical Goods 40 Fast Bat House (Printers) 41 J A Hunt (Optician) 42 Korval Sports Shop 43 M-Tec Computer Services (UK) 44 Melancaulie Rose (Greengrocer) 45 A Stevenson (Antique Furniture) 46 M & B Marquees 47 Mr Alan Clarke (Carpets) 48 Mr M Brown (Butchers) 49 Mr B Robertson (Butchers) 50 B & N Driving School 5J Mr Butcher (Antiques) 52 Mr D Cleall (Builder) 53 Mr D Crane (Builder) 54 Mrs ffrench (Antiques) 55 Reepham Trout Farm 56 Post Office 57 Johnsons Wool & Fashions 58 Mr Henson (Grocery Stores) 59 Mr Pocklington (Stained Glass) 60 Mr J Banthorpe (Garage & Snooker)61 Mr J Stent (Accountant) 62 Mr John Adcock (Heating Engineer)63 Mr K Everitt (Signs) 64 Mr M Davey (Insurance & Investments) Mr Sheen (Spar Stores) Mr Lain (D I Y) Mr P Rogers (Lazer Tech Services) Rocky's Fish Bar Mr W F Smith (Solicitor) Chemist (Mrs Downie) Mrs E Whall (Station Stores) Mrs Hardesty (Greengrocer) Olde Brewery House (Hotel) Mrs Goff (Bed & Breakfast) Maggie Perry (Hypno/Psychotherapist) Munsters UK Ltd Nobles Estate Agents Pertwee (Grain Merchants) Purdy and Holley (Solicitors) Reepham Brewery Reepham Hair Studio The Chimes Top to Toe B Turner (prudential Assurance) Virginia's Workbox Saralle Systems B & B Electrical Whitwell Supplies E Douglas (Car Maintenance) Reepham Self Service Stores S. Brown (Gardener) Kings Arms Mr Kilney (Fishing Boxes) Randells Engineering B Gamblin (Driving School) �Micheal Davey INSlJl~ANCE I & INVESTMENT SEI~VICES . NORWICH OFFICE EQUIPMENT & STATIONARY SUPPLIES Norwich 628919 Filing Equipment. New,Used & Budget. Office Desklng, Seating ~<'()r/ndependent Financial Advice IUFE , PENSIONS IINVESTMENTS ( FIMBRA) ",,,,,,,:\ I MORTGA(a~S k;ENERALINSURANCE Towns End Corner I)ereham R"ad " Reepham Tel: (0603) 870821 '. 'W.~.SMI'TJ{ & CO SOLICI'T01\S Jl '.f'.RJ'E'1{'.DDY & P E'RS O'1{JU., .7I!P.P1\.OJlCJ-{ TO: :}{ouseSafes & Purchases (written estimates rMagistrates & County Court wor/( 'Divorce ana ~ami[y matters i(1ccic£ent anti injury c[ainlS lLanafora ana'Tenant rwi[l$ anapro[jate !Lega[.9Lic£ may [je avaifa[jfe r;..{prwicfi 872162 PROfitlliLY1HEBESr SERVICES & PRICES IN NORWICH (0603)628919 0 ffi ~ CHURCH STRElT REEPHAM l EL 871 564 GI~OCERS OFF LICENCE GREEN GROCERY VID EO HmE REEPHAM BOARDING KENNELS & CATTERY BAWDESWELL ROAD. RElPHAM. NORWICH, NORFOLK, N P.1 0 4RT S I NGE RS Christmas Concert in St Mary' Church on Wednesday, 16 December 19 7 at 7.30 with SAR A B A ,' D Reepham Primary School Child ren @ TATUNG GROOMING AND TRIMMING OP EN 8 lo 8 Daily 9 to • Sundays Gordon Dodson Piano & Organ Conducted by Bernard Frankland MODEL COTTAGE FARM HEATED KENNELS (!) SPAf~ STOI~ES 8 TILL LAIE TELEVISIO & VI D EO Sales, Repairs and Rentals PET FOODS Tel.: Bawd.swell 323 STD 036288 Props : P Budrey J. Thompson 'Clear View' Brandiston Road, Cawslon, Norwich NR10 4ET Norwich (0603) 871251 �~_ Mode eo..... Brood & H..,tII Food•. OutlicM C.tlrlng, or in Y9Ur home 'Friendly Penon.. Senlce' Ilianrs ~antr!, mlp~ ®1~ l!1lrefuer~ ~ouse ~otel Ztlt~ ~estZtUrZtltt SHOP NCH. 87107S HOME NCH. 870S33 811ARQT PLACI! REEPHA14 NORfOLK NR104.U NORWlat Market Square Reepham Norwich Norfolk (0603) 870881 THE CRAFT WORKSHOP (KENNETH EVERITT) HOUSE NAME SIGNS PICTURL fRAMING ART & DESIGN I , MERCH/\NTS YARD. STATION ROAD , REEPHAM. Telephone Norwich 871 174 REEPHAM BREWERY , COLLER'S WAY, REEPHAM INDUSTRIAL ESTATE. Mrs G M JENKINS, LCSP (Assoc) Physical Therapist and Remedial Masseur The treatment offered is suitable for many back, neck and shoulder problems; traumatic and sports injuries; specific muscle, joint and arthritic · conditions; and a wide variety of complaints related to stress and tension. For further information or to make an appointment, please telephone Norwich 860875 Brewers of Quality Real Ales TELEPHONE 36 Pint (PoIYPlns) Ted Willems available on for retail sale Norwich 871091 Callers and Enquiries Welcome \'",'\ 1 M&B 1 jMARQUEES( - - - UNDERCOVER AGENTS FOR ALL FUNC'l'JONS-- - ~~e Ollyinte9 DANCES ANTIQUES QUALITY GIFTS AND COFFEE SHOP ......:m Roepilul. Tel. 870480 GARDEN PARTIES AND FETES pu. Fmitun, Collecton' * WEDDINGS * SHOWS Soaps, Potto:ry, Prints Cards, W flI pping .Paper, Specialist' in Childreos' ~ boII(IIIl HGUM dtUUC" u.dertaken book" SA 1.1 I MOOK RITI'IIi\M NOKWICII NH II) 4SIl TEL: NUK \\'ICII (()(xU) ~7112!1 . �Carpets Free Estimates ALAN R. CLARKE Flooring Contractor 8 Stewards Close, Reepham, Norwich NR10 4JG Telephone Norwich 870585 66 ROSARY ROAD NORWICHTel: 626412 THE CROWN M.R. BARREn F.C.A Chartered Accountant for Annual Accounts, Taxation, Day-to-Day record keeping, V.A.T., P.A.Y.E., etc. 1 COMMONSIDE COTIAGES, SALLE. TEL: NCH 870588 EVENINGS Now refurbished, comfortable seating, very welcoming. hot and cold snacks always a vailable. Your host John and Sue Capiro Ollands R d Reepham Norwich 8 An Invitation t o IGds Open 1st and 3rd Wednesda -- "- =-e _ 10nth 10 a.m . to 4 p.m" We sell to you and se..;... f _ top quality secondo: -...:. Nursery Equipment, _fa..-e:-~; ear, Childrens' Ou ter Wear, ":"0, ~ chairs etc KK BED AND BREAKFAST ACCOMMODATION IN WARM & FRIENDLY GRADE II LISTED FARMHOUSE MRS GILL GOFF, ROOKERY FARM , REEPHAM TEL. NORWICH 871847 Rookery Farm, c::ffiJ:ci Street, Reepham Telephone GL: _-orwich 871847 ARDAN HAIR FASHIONS CHURCHSTREET -REEPHAM Tel: _'orwich 870284 OLLANDS TRANSPORT SERVICES Removals & Storage Local. National. International. PHONE : 871101/871095 * * * Co p t er Perming La a r, L'o real, Vitality, Re Ion produ cts Open : Tu esday to Saturday 8.30am to 5.30 pm Thursday Late Opening Propri etor : Ruth Pickard �Purdy & Holley 5;o/icilors Market P/aa Reepham ROOMS A VAILABLE FOR fiRE MEETINGS, CLASSES, PARTIES, FUND RAISING TO BOOK PHONE 870349 are pleased to undertake the following work 'THE CENTRE IN THE CENTRE' CONvtYANCING, PROBATE, WILLS, LITIGATION & MATRIMONIAL ETC. Legal I\id and fixed fee interview schemes availahle. Quot:ltinns given for Conveya ncing. RENT THIS SPACE Contact Fiona Kerridge Re('pham Magazine Age/lis /Of tne Alliance «ieicestef IJlJJJrJlilf Society TEL: NORWICH (OA03) iC'()()()6 GOOD NEWS FOR 1988 AT BENNE11S GARDEN CEN1RE We can now offer you a garden macbinery service. Please bring One ofthe most &.OoIII~""""," complete garden centres in Noifolk ........ Al.PI\H· rn"IIFfN.I PI:III:Y\HLI· SHRI'/U· TRlf.\ · A{}UATlCPH\n· I:l\H POOH· PI '.41 '" . U\HI.\ . HOI 'Sf l'IA\'1\ · 01111:1) [. .1/1" FI OIf1:IIS· GIfT mAlYI· GARlJ!:"S Fl'R,Wn IRE ·/lARBf{}{ IES . GARVn '-' . Sl.'NORI . I:J·Co.\'SfRI:4.mRln· . J/ ·SI:J ·SIf"lM,If/.W; POOH· , GAlWfN SlIfm· ff:.'IIU.'l/G· .~ . .• ;:~.;.. ~.~.~ ~~~~~ P 'fEE.SIJO COl' ___ I.!._ . - ~- - - - NG HlI\'.4101f1:R\· your fa urn mow' ~, ~, O Jl1'(' chain saws etc to us for servidng - in good time! Oftl] 10 _,.."In drive from Noru!lcb 0 .. tbe Faltenba m rulld. Ask for Mr, D. Horner �EASTON'S COACHES NEW SERVICE . REEPHAM CAWSTON - HORSFORD - NORWICH NORWICH - HORSFORD - CA WSTON - REEPHAM _ . ~ .' . .. • . ' " . f '. -- ' : ~ • \1.1V.F . 173 5 ::( ,rn'; rCH , C ITY ,:ell. L E Ci: t:(, i<\\ Ie Ii , ~; T. ~'j' L P I :;·: t<,; t; ( ll { \'I1 C iI , il L H STHi·:LT r ,o !<\~ I C I! , C AST L E Mf:.t\L1 O ;,\' 1I0 l< SF O HD !JR I CKMAK L I<:'; FEI.TH O RP£ C n os ~; RO ,-\[ lS H -:LT II O [{ PI' , ~ if, :; II 1101\1 ', l: A \~ : ;1\.) N MAHKET PL,\ CI': HI·:F i'llM.l ST AT I O N IVAU: i ( I': U'I I AM MAIlK 1·: '1' PI. AC I. NOTES . 1 '/ ,: 0 0I0 10 15 1035 j 12 I 0 12 I '> In5 12 4 3 12 45 1300 171 5 173'> 17 43 17 '1 'j 180ll 18 0'1 ! ') \ O 1M! II \~t.·d n/· s (bp; ilnd F r lt l;\ ~' ~; (C:1 llt:f "t' d .. y~; on ly ) n .l nk I !n i l ( . I y~ ' .tllt.! S\\lHLv~~ . 1) r-.1. W. F . M,) fl (by ,,-, L; t ' ll'y' (" o lle)'.L' j ) N, ) ~,t..'I\' i ,·t ' 0'1 10 09 15 0935 09 4 3 09 4 5 10 00 ]'( I II 14 10 14 I 5 105 1443 1445 15 00 15 07 17 4 5 18 05 1813 l !i 15 18.ill 18\'1 I H.](l l2 10 1215 1235 1243 12 45 130 0 1410 1415 1435 144 3 144 5 1500 15 0 7 I'd 0 17 00 17 05 172 5 1733 1735 17 5 5 18 0 2 180') o nl y . S ( ( IP ,JI . REEPHAM-A YLSHAM - WROXHAM EVERY THURSDAY Times Pi ck-up-point s REEPHAM MARKET PLACE REEPHAM STATION WALK CAW5TON MARKET PLACE AYLSHAM MARKET PLACE MARSHAM GREEN BUXTON CROWN HORSTEAD RECRUITING SERGEANT COL TISHALL CHURCH WROXHAM ROY'S STORES Pi ck-up 09 .00 09 .03 09.10 09 . 30 09 . 35 09.45 09. 55 10 .00 10. 10 Return by 13 . 10 13.07 13.00 12 .40 12. 35 12.25 12. IS 12.10 12 .00 Depart SERVIC E 29 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham, Directories and Town Guides Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Directories and Town Guides Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mixed collection of printed and photographic information Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1850 to present day Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1850 to present day Reepham Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. 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Title A name given to the resource The Yellow Pages Winter 1987 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2502212045 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PA4, 12 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987 Description An account of the resource An advertising directory of local businesses including a list of members (64) of the Reepham Chambre of Commerce & Traders Association Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Reepham Society Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available M-Tec Computer Services Reepham Reepham Chamber of Commerce & Traders Association https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/599c3837c88c403d1a005db47f67cd55.pdf 0f83abb349b40bd432ed58bfabdf82ea PDF Text Text -r I �Welcome to the long awaited 2nd edition ofthe Reepham Magazirie. Inside you will find a great assortment of information ranging from travel tips for a holiday in Turkey to events and club activities taking place locally. Plenty of hard work has been put into the production of the magazine and much help is needed for the magazine to survive! If you are interested in helping produce future editions or if you have an article of interest that you would like included in the next issue please stop in at M-TEC at Market Place (opposite Brown's Butchers) and leaveyournamc,numberand/orarticle orsend information to"THE REEPHAM MAGAZINE", c/o M-TEC, The Market Place, Reepham, Norwich, NRIO 4JJ. We hope you enjoy the magazine and would appreciate your thoughts and comments to help us to produce the kind of magazine Reepham deserves. Best Wishes from the volunteers of the Reepham Magazine. Editor Gerald Perry (Nch 87(620) Production Manager/Advertising Cherie Henery Typesetting Kathryn Dawson Treasurer Diane Turner 'I1u views and opinions pu6fished in the ~pliam :Magazine are not necessarify tliat of the 'Editor. All spelling mistakes are deliberate. Page 1 �THE BIRCHAM CENTRE At the beginning of the 20th Century the building now known as the Bircham Centre was Hackford House, the home ofMr and Mrs John Spencer. In 1911, after the death of her husband, Florence Spencer went to live in Norwich with her sister-in-law, Fanny Wellsman Speilcer~ the house having been sold by Fanny to Samuel Bircham. During the First World War Sam Bircham handed over the main building to be used as a Red Cross Hospital, the north wing being retained for use by his daughter-in-law, Agnes. After the war in 1919 the main building was renamed the Bircham Institute and conveyed by Sam Bircham as a War Memorial to be "a Reading Room and Club for the use of the inhabitants of the respective parishes of Reepham, Kerdiston, Hackford next Reepham and Whitwell and other adjoining parishes" - the management and control vested with the following trustees: Edward Verdon Perry Anthony Creake William Robert Collyer Richard Watts Austin Herbert Temple Owen John Sharpe - Medical Practitioner of Hackford Clerk in Holy Orders of Whitwell Squire of Hackford Butcher of Hackford Bank Manager of Reepham Farmer of Kerdiston In his Will written in 1922 Samuel Bircham left the rest of the building, the north wing, to the Trustees in exchange for an annuity of £1 0 to be paid to his daughter-in-law Agnes during her life or for 30 years, whichever should be the shorter. Samuel Bircham died on June 4th 1923 and probate was granted to his executors Sir Bernard Bircham, Brigadier General Charles Scudamore and Arthur Ricardo. The following year Agnes Bircham signed over the northern wing on behalf of Merrick Bircham, her son, and four years later both properties were vested with the Charity Commissioners. Since then over the years the Trustees, have of course, changed but the system of management remained the same until 1979 when a more representative scheme of management was drawn up. The building was from then, to be managed, by three members elected by the people of Reepham at the annual general meeting and ten representative members of local organisations, the Parish Council, the Parochial Church Council, the Methodist Church, Young Farmers~ Women's Institute, Oddfellows, British Legion, Red Cross, Scouts and the Reepham Society. This list has been amended recently to replace discontinued organisations. Page 2 �In 1985 a massive refurbishment plan for the Bircham was launched - the name was changed to the Bircham Centre and so far £36,000 has been spent. Sam Bircham gave Reepham a magnificent gift - does Reepham appreciate it? I wonder! Jan Henry New Committee Bircham Centre Report The Bircham Committee - some new and some longer-standing members - are continuing the work of restoration and redecorating of the building. The re-roofing turned out to be very expensive and we are glad to say that is has been completed and paid for. We are 'in the black' fmancially but we will need more funds to finish Phase I. We hope to repair and redecorate both inside and out, make some minor internal alterations and improve the heating by the end of the year. We have accomplished a lot in 2 1/2 years and we will undertake the improvements as funds become available. The committee hopes that this memorial building will continue to develop as a central meeting place for the library, social activities and information centre. With the present financial climate governing grants etc., it will take time, but the future looks good. Phase II - in whatever form it eventualy takes, has every chance of materialising. Our thanks to all the past committee members, right back to Sam Bircham, the founder in 1919. Everyone involved has, over the years, preserved or added something to the building and therefore to Reepham's heritage and identity. MeanwhileHow about starting a club next Autumn? Dominoes, chess, knitting, nattering, Trivial pursuits, gardening, or whatever? FIRST MEETING FREE for new clubs. Hiring enquiries to: Mr. Les Mynard, 1 Coles Way - 871614. Call in when passing the Bircham - More information inside - especially about our next fund-raiser. June Betts Chainnan Page 3 �REEPIIAM SUR(;ERY DEFIBRILLATOR FUND Women's British Legion M ..W. Eacot Bizzie Babies/M. Mallett/A. Eglington Aylsham Band/Reepham Singers B. Crisp/J. Overton Mr. Myhill/C. Jones Friends of Reepham Surgery D. Tuddenham Coffee Morning Celia Jones Gala Show A. Carmen - in memory £600.00 £ 200.00 £ 61.00 £ 150.50 £ 153.00 £ 17.00 £ 385.00 £ 169.22 £ 10.00 £ 200.00 £ 20.00 TOTAL £1965.72 NICKY WALLER PATIENT CARE FUND Coffee Morning at Cawston Donation from Cawston Brownies Sponsored Slim Pippa Dee Party Sale of Daffodils Coffee Morning at Bircham Centre Donation Donation from Thurs. Evening Dance Class Sponsored Walk: £ 201.50 £ 50.00 £ 100.00 £ 67.55 £ 160.00 £ 148.41 £ 5.00 £ 10.00 £1031.01 TOTAL £ 1773.47 Brian & Jeannette Overton would like to thank: each and every one who have helped them in any way to raise this fantastic amount in memory of their niece. All funds raised in this event for the Nicky Waller Patient Care Fund will go to buy Tendercare Mattresses for the Aylsham Hospital. Sponsor fonns are available from: Jeannette Overton, 32 Sunbam Road, Reepham, Norwich 870426. Page 4 �BATTLE FOR THE RHE'IO It is a tragic irony that an economic boom has been a maior factor in the decline of that strange and wonderful creature, the rhinocero~ . In the Middle East, the oil bonanza of the 70's meant thatthousands of oil-workers from North Yemen could afford the prized rhino-hom dagger handles, or jambiyya, formerly affordable only by the elite. The price of rhino-hom, which is made of a matted hair-like substance, rocketed by 2,000 per cent and buyers in the Chinese market, who use rhino-hom for medicinal purposes, had to compete with these prices so that now, even with decreasing oil revenues, a terrible precedent ha.s been set and rhinos continue to be butchered at a disastrous rate. Even though rhino-hom has been scientifically proved medically useless - it's about as beneficial as chewing your nails - African rhino-hom in Singapore fetches over £5,000 a pound. Politics, too, plays its part. During the chaotic years of the Amin regime in Uganda, terrified and hungry Ugandans shot anything they could to eat or raise cash, using the automatic weapons which flooded the country at that time. All over Africa, the story was the same, as civil war in Chad, Ethiopia, Somalia, Zaire and Angola pushed the rhino to the edge of extinction. Europeans are not blameless either - the big game hunters of the colonial era blasted away countless rhino whilst today, more and more rhino habitat is lost to commercial development and human encroachment. The African rhino comprises two species - the White and the Black. The ~oite rhino is, in fact. grey, its name probably deriving instead fwm a dii)tortiun uf the Afrikaans word for 'wide'. It has a wide lipped mouth adapted to its lifestyle as a grazer on grass. It weighs up to 2 tons and can reach a height of six feet, yet for all its gargantuan size, it is a placid, docile creature, which makes it easier prey for the poachers than its more aggressive black cousin. The Black Rhino (darker grey) is smaller and has a long, rather prehensile top lip which it uses to browse leaves from trees and bushes. There are three Asian species - the Indian, the Javan and the Sumatran. The Indian rhino has been saved from extinction thanks to a grisly Hindu rite . called the BLOOD T ARP AN which Nepalese Kings are apparently required to perfonn on accession to the throne. A rhino is killed, disembowC11ed and the worshipper climbs inside the abdominal cavity to sit in the blood, cupped handfuls of which are offered up to the gods. In January, 1981, the Nepalese King B irenda performed the rite in honour of his father. So, only an occasional rhino is sacrificed, whilst the survival of the rest ofthe royal herd of about 400 is assured by the presence of 500 armed guards. Page 5 �In another odd but indirectly beneficial custom, the urine of baby rhinos is sold as a cure for sore throats and asthma -apparently the sale of what must be the world's worsttasting placebo earned Calcutta zoo £750 in just one year! Hope for the Javan rhino is very slim - there are only about 65 left alive in the world. Similarly there are about 500 Sumatran rhino left. What a pathetic testament to the greed and ignorance of humanity who, despite all its capacity for intelligence and feeling, has seen fit, in a micro-second of geological time, to annihilate afellow creature that had wandered the world untroubled for 60 million years. However, there are some people who are not prepared to just stand by and watch. One such group of people was featured in the programme 'Black Rhino - the Last Stand', which was screened in the Autumn by Central T.V. Where the waters of the Zambezi form the frontier with Zambia and Zimbabwe, a man called Clem Coetsee has been leading a small team of Rangers from the Zimbabwe Wildlife Department, capturing and translocating as many of Zimbabwe's . 600 remaining Black Rhino as possible in an operation called Operation Stronghold. They have to work with the bare minimum of inadequate equipment in a hostile environment - temperatures of 110 in the shade and leopard are the least of their problems - the poachers are armed with automatic weapons and are not afraid of using them on humans as well as rhino. So low has this bitter dispute over the fate of an animal sunk, that the game guards have to be armed too, with orders to shoot to kill the poachers if necessary. Coetsee and his co-workers have so far managed to rescue 110 rhino - in the same time, the poachers have killed 200. Without more urgent fmancial support, Operation Stronghold will slip even further away from the lead and the African Black Rhino will be lost forever. They were given a special grant by Prime Minister Mugabe himself, but more money is needed to buy up-to-date equipment and trucks for transporting the tranquillised rhino to havens far away from the poachers who operate on the Border. The poachers are mostly Zambian peasants, stooges of middle men who make vast profits selling the raw hom to the various markets. Apparently, poaching has wiped out all the rhino in Zambia, so they must come over to Zimbabwe to carry on their nasty work. It is known that the Zambian police have been involved with poaching and that, unbelievably, the Zambian National Parks and Wildlife Department have been implicated in the trade. The cruelty and greed of these men was underlined in the programme by the discovery of the mangled corpse of an 18 month old baby female rhino. The poachers had only wounded her with the first bullet and, not bothering to waste a second bullet to finish her off, they smashed her spine with an axe. They then cut out her tiny stump of horn and left her to die. As Coetsee and his rangers stood around the body, these tough, rugged men could barely hold back tears of anger, pity and frustration. Page 6 �VJhen the seasonal flood waters begin to make the going impossible for the trucks ust:::d to transport the tranquillised rhino, Coetsee' s team has to retreat - they cannot work in those conditions. But the poachers can - all they need to carry out are the usele~s chunks of matted hair that pamper the whims of vain and ignorant people. Unless much more money and strong international support is forthcoming, the rhino rescuers will not be able to continue and their desperate efforts will have been wasted. The rhino will become just one more of our fellow creatures to be found on! y in the pages of an encyclopaedia. Two addresses for donations: (1) ZIMBABWE RHINO FUND National Westminster Bank, Berners Street Branch 112 Oxford Street, LONDON WIN OAH or (2) SAVE THE RHINO c/o Gail Amyot 9 Whitestone Way, Burnside, BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE Account No.: 12335843 £146 which was raised from the jumble sale on February 13th in the Bircham Centre has been donated to the Zimbabwe Rhino Fund. Thanks to all who participated. REEPHAM EVENING W.I. The revival has started! At the Town Hall on the third Wednesday in the month at 7.45 p.m. we offer an interesting speaker, a cup of coffee and friendly faces. Posters with details of the monthly meetings can be found in the Post Office, Doctors' Surgery and around Reepham. A regular meeting once a month is an ideal way to make new friends. THE THINGS THEY SAY A small boy was running in the playground with untied shoelaces. After helping him to tie them, he ran off without a word of thanks. I called him back and said in a prompting tone "Thank you" and to my astonishment he said "Oh, that's all right". Eileen Lawrance Page 7 �oJ' A RAMBLE WITH JOY AND CHARLES BOLDERO, THURNING Ordinance Survey Landranger Series: 1:50,000, Sheet 133. Map Reference 142182 Upgate This is an interesting two hour walk: all year round, the woodland changing its colour with each season. It is an ideal walk: for children and dogs, and along the old railway track many species of butterfly can be seen in summer and autumn. As on the Hindolveston ramble no lakes are to be found!! The walk: starts along a LOKE - a Norfolk word for a grassy lane. Park on the Common in the pretty village of Upgate, where goats are tethered and muscovy duck (so called because of their musky odour!) and hens roam freely. Just after' Double Cottage' and by a yellow fITe hydrant, turn left up a rough track, passing red brick house on right. Track becomes wide and grassy, with old engine carriages in field on left. Cross metalled road and go down wide grass lane opposite, passing notice 'No Horses' on right and bungalow with row of evergreen trees and greenhouse on left. Path continues along edge of field then up steps on to old railway line. Turn left. This track is now part of Marriotts Way which extends for several miles, named after William Marriott the Engineer of the M.&G.N. railway mentioned in the walk: in the December edition. There are good views of the countryside with Attlebridge church spotted amongst the trees. The bright yellow flower of the gorse bush was out giving a little colour on this February day. The track is lined with young trees, mostly oak, sweet chestnut and beech. During the autumn months bags of roasting chestnuts can be collected along here. Ignore first turning up steps on left, and take second turning left through five bar gate on to road. Cross main road, go along road opposite, signposted Swannington Cawston, for about 200 yards, then turn right on to wide track through Swannington Bottom Plantation. Ignore all tracks to left and right and almost where the wood ends, follow track sharp left leading to road. Heather abounds in the wood, and the changing colours of the bracken, together with the wild life that lives amongst it, keeps the walk:er alert! At by-road go diagonally left across road and take wide sandy track along the woodland path. There are mostly pine planted here, but silver birch is seen close to the edge of the path. At by-road turn right when a gentle short walk: leads into Upgate village, with its attractive whitewashed and brick cottages overlooking the Common. In spring time look out for toads crossing where the Highway Notice along here gives warning of them!! Upgate is a mile and a half from Attlebridge, and one mile from Swannington. Page 8 0 0 �Take Nothing but Photographs Leave Nothing but Footprints Kill Nothing butT'nne Page 9 -1- �.J. Lichfield, Surrey Dear Ms Davey, I have just received and avidly read the excellent Reepham Magazine sent to me by my Aunt, ·Miss Marjorie Gibbs. I was first introduced and fell in love with Reepham as an evacuee from London in 1939, staying with my Aunt and Uncle at the Ironmongers, Gibbs and Son, and subsequently served an apprenticeship there until joining the Army in 1949. The many happy memories I have of Reepham and the kindly folk who live there crune flooding back when I read your interesting magazine. Regarding your plea for information on the "Lost Film", I remember the film of Life in Reepham being made and indeed "starred" in it with my very great friend and fellow apprentice! We loaded a lorry with goods outside the shop working at break-neck speed to impresss the cameraman! The finished product was shown to all in the Band Hall (since demolished) and I recall clearly the old road sweeper (never renowned for overworking) fIlmed leaning heavily on his broom and everybody laughed. The film, together with a newspaper and other local publications of the day were put in a canister or time capsule and buried "somewhere in Reepham" by a member of the Parish Council, to be discovered in hundreds of years time. It was of course fully reported in the local papers and occurred between 1946 and 1948 as near as I can remember. I would very much like to receive these publications as they appear and would be grateful if you could advise me of the Annual Subscription. Wishing you every success in your future issues. Yours sincerely, Ron Gibbs (Ex Reephamite) Page 10 �9th February 1988 Dear Mrs. Davey, Thank you for your letter dated 20th January referring to my memories of Reepham. The name of the fellow apprentice was Terry Arthurton who cycled to and from Salle every day. I have kept in touch with him and his family over the years but I'm very sorry to say that he died suddenly on January 13th this year. I cannot remember the name of the paper reporting the film, but suggest you check the Parish Records around that time. There are still quite a few people living in Reepham who were around in the 1940's, and I feel sure that some of them will have better memories than I. How about asking myoid friend Arthur Hardiment - he only lives at 7, Moorhouse Close! A wartime memory was a tremendous explosion one afternoon when a V2 Rocket fell in a meadow at Whitwell only minutes after the cows had gone for milking, and we lads got on our bikes and pedalled furiousl y down to the field. It had left a huge crater as the ground was very soft and there were fragments of metal strewn around which we started collecting, only to have every bit confiscated by the Local Home Guard, who quickly arrived at the scene. It proved to be one of the fIrst of this kind of deadly weapon to land in England, but I'm afraid I don't remember the name of the farm- but Arthur might! I hope that this will prove to be of some interest to you for your Magazine, and if you would like any more stories let me know, but I'm afraid they will centre around my shop life, and so be of limited interest to your readers. With kind regards, Yours sincerely, . Ron Gibbs Page 11 �WHITHER REEPHAM? As the electric corridor moves inexorably out from the Horne Counties towards the Eastern prairie land of Norfolk and as the City ofN orwich jumps another three miles closer to us, it is an appropriate time to look at our town and its future. The electrification of the London rail link has already manifested itself on the house prices in East Anglia and soon, thanks to the advent of the 'Sprinter' trains, the questionable delights of Merseyside will be brought nearly an hour closer to us. With the development of Thorpe Marriott, the City starts just ten minutes down the Norwich Road and whatever is left of the Boundary Roundabout will soon mark the edge of 'the old quarter of Norwich' . But how will these advances change the character and life of Reepham? Over the past 15 yearsReepham has changed and developed considerably; new shops and businesses have sprung up, as has a considerable amount of housing and yet the town seems to have benefited from these developments. The energetic way in which newcomers have thrown themsel ves into the life of the town and our community projects is demonstrated by the increasing range of social and cultural activities available. The . original Reepham folk have accepted the newcomers and their changes with a commendable air of tolerance, reflecting both their warrn-heartedness and an appreciation that the growth of the town was no bad thing. What must concern all Reepham dwellers now is how much more the town can grow. The planners have declared that there will be no more expansion, a decision which our overstretched mains services must have greeted with a groan of relief, and yet the piecemeal development and infill of the town seems to continue unabated. Property speculators are generally associated with wasteland areas of London but the insatiable desire to cram as many humans as possible on to patches of land hitherto considered 'unsuitable' appears to have become as fashionable in sleepy old Norfolk: as in the City of London. Perhaps the improved communications with the rest of England are bringing more than tourists to our county. It is now possible to commute to London with ease, according to British Rail- perhaps they mean that the frequent breakdowns and 'teething troubles' give you the opportunity to doze in silence and catch up on the sleep you missed in getting up to catch the train. And along with the commuters corne the 'second homers'. Whilst not advocating the drastic solutions adapted by some of the inhabitants of rural Wales, nevertheless we are beginning to see the effects of the purchase of 'our little place in the country' on the prices of small cottages. No longer are they accessible to our local first time buyers, instead they stand empty most of the week, waiting forlornly for 'Ie weekend' and the city dwellers' arrival. One lonely resident of Kerdiston has even considered building a theme park Page 12 �to entertain the weekend neighbours - but presumably the planners would not approve of that. Rather like the ostrich the tendency is to bury one's head in the mud (!) and hope that .the rest of the country will go away . Maybe we ought to be frantically buying garages and potting sheds to sell as houses to homeseeking Londoners - they appear to pay a lot for this type of accommodation or should we smile nostalgically when people from Norwich enquire what it is like living in the suburbs? Not so long ago they used to say: 'Reepham?? That's out in the sticks isn't it?' The Chronicler REEPHAM GARDENING SOCIETY The other day I came across a list in the entrance to the B ircham Centre inviting anyone interested in forming a Reepham Gardening Society to put their names down. What a good idea! In the previous village where I lived there was a thriving gardening society, with occasional guest speakers adding interest to the monthly winter meetings. As well as enabling discounts on seed and fertiliser purchases, there was an annual plant sale, flower and vegetable show and the odd visit. All in all, something to interest everyone. So, if you are interested, pop your name down and let's give it a go. Roger Plummer Hammerfell House BEAT THAT Two boys were competing to see who could throw a ball the highest. After a while they began to boast about the height they had thrown a ball in the past. One said, "I once threw mine so high it went into the clouds" - the second boy said - "That's nothing, mine went right up into Heaven, and God threw it back". Pag~ 13 �TOAD IN THE ROAD Spare a thought for Mr (and Mrs) Toad as you drive past the Trout Farm next Spring. At the beginning of March, the toads emerge from their winter sleeping quarters to make the journey to the places where they were hatched, for a few days of rather frantic mating and egg-laying. In the case of Reepham toads, these are the ponds at the Trout Farm on the Reepham to Norwich Road and it involves a very hazardous crossing. Those little dark blotches on the road you thought were old leaves are, more often than not, the flattened remains of a poor old toad that didn't make it. Sometimes the road is slippery with their cOlpses. Perhaps saddest of all, is the sight of a squashed' ball of toads' , where a female toad has accumulated 3 or 4 lovers who cling to her back as she tries to cross the road. Perilously slowed down by her ardent burden, she and her mates are often killed en masse. They usually try to cross at dusk and last year, as I wandered up and down with a bucket on as many evenings as possible, giving these little travellers a safe lift, I was once stopped by a policeman who thought I was stealing trout! Obviously suspicious of my explanation, he drove off muttering "Well, my wife wouldn't touch the' orrible things." Toads have always had a bad press, being associated with witchcraft and the devil, and being blamed for everything from illness to the death of livestock. But, in fact, they are harmless little creatures who should be welcomed in every garden - they eat masses of slugs and other pests. I have bought some very distinctive Toad in the Road signs, which Broadland District Council have agreed to erect on the road by the Trout Farm. Obviously, the signs are not going to prevent all the toads being squashed, but they will heighten awareness of this annual trek and perhaps some people will help the toads across - provided, of course, it is SAFE, especially at dusk. Cars travel very fast on that stretch of road, so don't ever attempt to stop and pick up a toad unless you are absolutely sure the road is clear - better a squashed toad than a squashed human! If you do carry a toad across, do make sure you take it in the direction it wants to go some will still be going across as others are heading back to the other side. Watch the Page 14 �toad for a minute, to see the direction it is taking - if you're not sure,just leave it alone. Incidentally, when a toad is frightened, it sometimes exudes a liquid, which, although it wouldn't taste too good to an attacking predator, it won't harm your skin. METHODIST C HURCH NEWS Sunday Service: 10.30 a.m. followed by coffee. All welcome. Ladies Get-together: Last Tuesday of the month at 3.00 p.m. at the Chapel. Our Pastor, Denis Fox, is happy to see anyone about baptisms, marriages, or any other matters. Telephone Norwich 868803. Michael Price Church Secretary REEPHAM SURGERY DEFIBRILLATOR FUND A donation of £20 was handed in to M-Tec by Mrs Wright, warden of Ewing Close residents. The donation is part of a collection from the residents of Sunbarn Walk, Ewing Close and friends ofMr Alan Carman who died on Tuesday July 12th aged 63 years. Many thanks to everyone concerned. Page 15 i,.' �JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (or Jolly Junketings at the High School) Cards on the table, I've got to own up, pantomime has never been my favourite kind of theatre. Women dressed as men, men dressed as women, risque asides, self-indulgent jokes - no, it's definitely not for me. Or so I thought. January had been awful anyway, a month to be forgotten, yet there I was, promised as reviewer and out I had to go, accompanied by my nine year old son and six year old daughter (who had already tasted the delights of ALADDIN at the Theatre Royal and was not about to be easily impressed) into the foulest, wettest night imaginable. As you can appreciate, I was not in the best frame of mind for jolly junketings. But. BUT! Oh Bliss! Oh Joy! It was FUN. Within minutes of curtain-up I was transported. The outside world no longer existed and I was there in Fairy Land alongside Jack, the Giant and the Incredible Green Fleshcreep. The performances were wonderful. Steve Davey as Fleshcreep, the Giant's Henchman, was so horribly horrid that my children now hiss at him when they pass him in the street. (Sorry Steve). But they loved Silly Billy (Robert Blake). Could this be because they ended up being involved in the action - and Billy gave them both Mars Bars? I'm still waiting for mine. The Princess Melanie (Maggie Perry) and Jack (Mary Gurteen) sang divinely - eat your heart out Sarah Brightman, though I must confess to still feeling uncomfortable at the Principal-Boy-being-a-girl-tradition. Let men be men I say! Within reason, of course. The star ofthe show was without doubt, Daisy the Cow. (Jill Gofffront end, Aida Grier rear end). Well, have you ever seen synchronised dancing in a skin? Never has the Charleston seemed so clever, or so dangerous. In fact Daisy was the only character capable of upstaging the brilliance of Audrey Nunn as Dame Trot. Her 'Superwoman' was a little classic; something to be tucked away and used in darker moments to cheer oneself up. It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud, sour old bat that I am, but she had us all rolling in the aisles, as they say. King Satupon (David Joice) was hilarious and utterly believable. (That's a compliment by the way). He and Dame Trot made a glorious, if unlikely couple and I could easily imagine them being transported to some great West End production, with Daisy alongside naturally. My only slight niggle with the whole evening was that I thought the Vegetable Fairy (Geraldine Clarry) would have come off better if she'd been allowed to play the whole thing like some Gertrude Jekyll character - a right old harridan in hobnailed boots, scattering seed packets and vegetable marrows in her wake. I couldn't come to terms with the ballet shoes - in a garden? Giant Blunderbore (Nick Rossetti) was made incredibly large and frightening by some powers of magic and his wife (Pamela Brown) was if anything even more frightening, but not so large. Sergeant Spick (Stephanie Spencer) and Corporal Span (Judy Underwood) added a delicious note of Page 16 �irreverence to the King's pomp and majesty while Clarence Clanger(AndrewPerrett) made sure everyone mew what was going on. I think. The dancing was superb throughout, especially that of one golden haired youth with a delicious smile who is obviously pirouetting straight towards the Royal Ballet. And how did they get the costumes to glow in the dark? In fact everyone involved did a marvellous job, especially Fred Poynter who stage managed and Andrew Stevenson who drew the curtain with such style. (Sorry, but I have to live with him.) Special thanks to Gerry Perry for the sound effects and general morale boosting, ditto to Val Davey who managed to be everywhere at once and not forgetting Benjamin Davey for the fantastic lighting effects. Sue Holman played the piano with great panache and the Costumes and Make Up departments added that professional touch which lifts the amateur production out of the ordinary. The biggest thanks of course must go to the man who moulded the whole thing together - Barry Rix. Thanks in fact to everyone concerned. All in all it was a truly magical evening, in every way. And one special memory I shall treasure is the look of wonder on my daughter' s face when she saw Princess Melanie in her wedding dress at the end ofthe show, "Better than Aladdin" she whispered. I wandered home in a happy daze. All cares forgotten, wondering exactly why it is that I don't like pantomimes. JO STEVENSON CHARITY GALA CONCERT Owing to a dearth of writers in the audience, in fact owing to a dearth of audience in the audience, we can't have an actual review of the concert, but I couldn't let the long awaited release of the second Reepham magazine go without some mention of the show. Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket, even to those who bought a ticket but didn't actuall y come to the concert, we raised 200 pounds towards the defibrillator, and the whole evening was a resounding success, and we ended with many requests to 'do it again'. It . was a terrific night and was beautifully presented by Roger Hall who introduced it with humour and flair, as well as finding time to delight and amuse the audience with his portrayal as 'Bill', absolutely ruining my serious rendering of a lovely ballad. Pauline Lee, performing a short comedy routine to open the show and brought the house down. Her disguise was so good, as a Hilda Ogden lookalike, she was unrecognisable as the lovely lady she is. Page 17 �Pauline was immediately followed by a disco solo dance by lovely little Emma Cook, she was fantastic. Then came an appearance by one of our favourite characters, 'Parker', portrayed by David Joice. It never ceases to amaze me how many stories Parker has to tell and everyone a gem, what an interesting life he does lead. Some weeks ago I was given a phone number by a friend in Norwich, who said that the lady 'sang'. This is an understatement, the lady not only sings, but has one of the finest Country voices I've heard, not unlike my favourite of them all, Patsy Cline. What was better still, she sang two of her songs and invited me to join her in a duet. Her professional name is 'Lena', and she very kindly came to sing for us. Ending the fIrst half, little Emma Cook was joined by two other delightful talented little darlings, Jacqueline Warne and Deborah Phillips who danced to 'Uptown Girl' by Billy Joel, they were so good, and looked terrific in their glitter. They had their dance exam the following morning, so the performance was a dress rehearsal for them, which as Roger pointed out, was more than any of the rest had. To save money, the hall was hired from 6.3Opm, just before the show, but apparently even the hiccups were good, according to hearsay. Sue Holman has played piano accompaninlent for RATS in their last Pantomime, and her piano solo by Schumann (is that how it's spelt?) showed that from now on she has blown all chance of keeping a low profile, it was beautiful. A special thanks to 'Madonna', alias Phil Howard for being 'Nearly a Virgin', and looking an absolute trollop in his fishnet tights and rainbow wig, I think he did it with much too much conviction. The best sport ofthe evening was Giles who was my 'Honey Bun', a vision in a grass skirt and false in almost everything else as he vamped his way across the stage. RATS produced an extremely funny scetch, 'Pukka Sahib', performed by Steve Davey as the narrator of a well known poem about a 'little yellow idol', with David Joice and Nick Rossetti as the two hecklers, and Robert Underwood as Sabu the Indian servant, it was hilarious, and proves once again that Reepham has an extremely talented and versatile drama group (see panto review), and well deserves all the acclaim. As 1 can't give a review on myself, I can only say that I did what I always enjoy doing, singing, and my thanks again to Sue for her accompaniment, and to Lena for some terrifIc duets. A special thanks to Bill Seeger, school caretaker, for his help and co-operation, and to all those who donated raffle prizes. Maggie Perry Page 18 �TROUT FISHING For many years, trout fishing was the preserve of the very wealthy, or of those fortunate enough to live near the cold, clear streams of Northern England, Wales or Scotland. T~e tweed-clad gentleman, armed with his hand-built cane rod, silk casts and beautifully dressed flies, would wander along the lush banks of a gin-clear Hampshire chalkstream, having paid a fortune to do so (although Isaac Walton fished the same streams with a worm and for nothing!) You can still pay a King's ransom to fish the Test, or have a ghillie do the work for you on the Dee for a salmon, but times are rapidly changing. A few years ago there was a truly r~markable rise in the number of trout fishermen . The main cause was undoubtedly the opening of some of the largest areas of freshwater as trout fisheries. Rutland, Graffham, Chew and Blagdon are now household names to thousands of fishermen across the country. Their vast expanses of well-stocked waters have provided cheap and accessible angling for many more people than could previously have been imagined. The other cause of the sudden rise in the popularity of the sport (apart from its intrinsic appeal) has been the introduction of the rainbow trout. This fast-growing, hardfighting and eminently edible fish, has transformed the approach to both fishing and fish farming, producing large numbers of fish that can be caught fairly easily, as well as providing an excellent basis for producing fish to be grown on, either in the stews or "wild". They certainly grow to quite a size, the current record being a (grotesque and artificial) fish well in excess of 20 lbs. But how does this affect us in Norfolk? We are fortunate to have locally a fairly large number of well-run small fisheries, such as that at Narborough, or the Bure Valley Lakes at Itteringham. These waters and many others like them, provide the best of both worlds: an ideal place to learn the ~ of fly fishing (it is an art, not a sport!) as well as an opportunity for the more experienced angler to find any number of challenges. Rutland Water is not far either, although you do need both experience and a local guide to get round its 40,000 plus acres successfully. Still water angling for trout does not always require the finesse and expert knowledge of the chalk stream purist but it is, nevertheless, a delicate and gentle pursuit, one that I would certainly recommend anyone to consider trying. There is the challenge of finding the trout and then presenting an imitation of some aquatic insect. There is the thrill and heart-stopping excitement of the take and the fight. One. finds oneself in some of the most beautiful and tranquil scenery that this country has to offer. There is also the fact that one eats what one catches. This is not a pursuit for the faint-hearted or for the "Guardian reader" who considers all anglers to be agents of Beelzebub. Trout are reared and released to be killed, although there are several waters which now Page 19 .,. . �encourage the release of fish back to the water. The pros and c(ms of this side of angling are too lengthy to go into here, and can be more adequately dealt with in a future article. There can be few things more satisfying (or cheap!) than tying a fly from fur and feathers and then using that creation to land a good fish. My fishing days have really only just started, but they seem to have already given me a lifetime of enjoyment, excitement, challenge and fascination. I hope that this short article may encourage you to take up this art, and I would find great happiness in the knowledge that someone else was to find the fulfilment that I have found. R.J. BLAKE EXTEND Exercise Training for the Elderly and/or Disabled Extend is a charity based organisation run countrywide. It is associated with the Womens League of Health and Beauty. It is not associated with Keep Fit or Aerobics. The aims of Extend, which is basically for Senior Citizens and/or Disabled people, are as follows:To Improve Poise and Co-Ordination To Provide Gentle Exercise To Music To Encourage Correct Diet and Nutrition To Increase Mobility and Muscle Tone To Enhance the Quality of Life Reepham's Extend Group h~s been running for nearly two years now and is enjoyed by about 30 members every MONDAY MORNING in the TOWN HALL from 10-11.30 a.m. It is run by a Qualified EXTEND teacher, Mrs Gwen Blyth. Telephone Norwich 870429 if any new members are interested. Gents as well as ladies are very welcome. So come and help keep the arthritis at bay - meet new friends - and relaxwith a well earned cuppa! afterwards. Gwen Blyth Page 20 �MISS JESSIE BROWN M.B.E. "My hope is that there will be accommodation of this kind in every village in the country" MISS JESSIE BROWN M.B.E. J essie Vera Lawford Brown M.B .E. died on 14th April 1983 at the age of 95. She had a remarkable career, one achievement being the foundation of Reepham Housing Trust - eight bungalows for the elderly/disabled known as Sunbarn Walk. Jessie was the only daughter among seven children of Colonel F.D.M. Brown V.c. Her early education was directed by a series of governesses, but later she studied history at the Oxford Home Students (now St. Anne's College). Her academic career was discarded when she joined her friend Olive Sankey and answered an appeal from Agnes Hunt, the founder of a new hospital at Baschurch in Shropshire, to train in orthopaedic nursing. Mtertwo years Jessie passed the examination for the Society of Trained Masseuse (now the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy). At the outbreak of war in 1914, Agnes Hunt and Jessie went straight over to France, but were soon very frustrated with conditions over there and returned to Baschurch which became a military hospital. It became obvious that After-Care clinics had to be established in the main market towns of Shropshire, but transport was a problem. Undaunted, Jessie acquired a second-hand motor-bike, learnt to ride it and by 1917 thirteen orthopaedic clinics had been established throughout Shropshire. In 1918 Mr G.R. Girdlestone asked Jessie to help set up clinics in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. He could offer no salary, but arranged a small sum from a special Red Cross fund if a survey of all disabled people in the area was carried out - just the sort of challenge Jessie enjoyed. In 1924 Sir Robert Jones received a call for help from Nepal. Princess Mani, the fiveyear-old niece of the King of Nepal was ill with poliomyelitis and it was decided to send Jessie to help. Within three days she set off by sea to Bombay, then overland to Kathmandu. There was no road from India to Nepal in those days, so Jessie was either carried or rode on the back of an elephant for the three day journey. During the next 10 years she visited this brave little girl several times and after Mani's death in 1935 a ward was built at the N uffield Orthopaedic Centre as a gift from her grateful parents. Everyone who knew Jessie Brown was constantly reminded of her aims - that every patient must be instilled with the real joy of life irrespective of their handicap and that one must work until the disabled person is independent and can earn a living. It became necessary for Jessie to return home to Yateley to look after her ageing mother, but she soon had the out-buildings of her home converted to a unit where physicall y handicapped people could learn hand-block printing. Grace Finch, a patient at Henley Clinic, was Page 21 -{o �·r persuaded to come to Yateley to help and together they soon had money raised and a training scheme for handicapped girls was launched. New buildings were opened in 1952 and bungalows in 1956. Yateley Industries is now a most successful Residential Sheltered Industry and employs more than 40 men and women. In 1968 Jessie 'retired' to Reepham, so it was during her retirement she was the inspiration behind the building of eight bungalows for the elderly/disabled which became Reepham Housing Trust. Jessie placed little importance on personal possessions and was therefore able to move on without regret and full of enthusiasm for a new venture. In 1952 her work was recognised by the award of an M.B.E. but she appeared far more interested in the success of her many projects. Many of us feel privileged that she touched our lives and hope we can pass on some of her enthusiasm and joy of life. Jan Henry THE THREE CHURCHES OF REEPHAM "Let us build a Church on here. " "No! here." "No! here." they cried. And so they put three Churches up, Side By Side By Side June Betts A GRAIN OF TRUTH MA YBE! After a History lesson on Elizabeth I - I asked the children to write all they could remember about the lesson. One girl wrote "Queen Elizabeth had Sir Walter Raleigh for a night" omitting the vital letter k. Page 22 �HYPNOTHERAPY an Effective Alternative Hypnosis has long been associated with mystery and the controlling of one mind by another. In fact most people have their own personal anecdote, usually about either being part of an audience, or participating in a stage hypnotist act, or simply knowing someone who did. It bears little resemblance to Hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy can only succeed when both the therapist and client work together to bring about the desired goal. It has been said that all science began with 'magic', and hypnosis was no exception. However, with the in~reasing interest in some form of alternative medicine or treatment, there is evidence to show that hypnosis is now being regarded with respect, not only by the general public, but aIso by those practising orthodox medicine. Attitudes are changing, albeit slowly, and the immense value of Hypnotherapy is at last being recognised. However, generally speaking, people are not aware of just how potentially valuable hypnosis can be. A popular misconception is that it is useful only to those who want to give up some particular habit, e g. smoking/over-eating/nail biting, etc. While hypnosis is indeed effective in this, it can also play a valuable part in modem medicine, both in dealing with those suffering from emotional and psychological problems and in helping healthy people achieve a particular personal goal. If the problem is psychological, hypnosis will greatly increase your ability to deal with it with far more ease than before. Incases of physical illness, there is always a great deal of stress involved, and by removing stress, the results can only be good. Almost everyone can be hypnotised to a varying degree; one other aspect of hypnosis which is so often overlooked, are the benefits to children. It is an enjoyable experience for everyone, but more so for children; they love it and respond very well indeed; the results are usually fast and amazingly good. Usually a child must be at least 4-5 years old, capable of rational thought and a vivid imagination. Hypnotherapy is not readily available on the N.H.S. There are few GPs who, if qualified in hypnosis, could spare the necessary time required to spend with a patient, in order to gain the utmost benefit from this unique and effective therapy. Maggie Perry SHE PROBABLY DID! On another occasion a wicked witch who was filled with anger and spite, became, the witch who was filled with anger and spit! Page 23 �" PARISH COUNCIL NEWS COMMUNITY MINI BUS SCHEME The Parish Council has been approached to investigate the possibility of Reepham running its own Community Bus. To this end, investigations showed that such a scheme was being operated at Harleston and consequently their Mini Bus Committee was requested to supply information. They kindly offered the services of a Member, Brigadier Vickers, to provide the relevant facts and figures. A meeting was convened and the Parish Councils of Foulsham and Great Witchingham were invited to attend. Brigadier Vickers informed the meeting that their bus was put on the road in December, 1983, to help the elderly and housebound to attend their Day Centres, Lunch Clubs, etc. The bus has become an essential part in the social and welfare support of their Senior Citizens. When the bus is not engaged in its primary task, it is available for social use by Clubs and Societies in the area. Its fIrst outing was in December, 1983 and up to 1987 their bus record was:Miles covered Outings for elderly Outings for Clubs 9500 498 67 -Total Outings 565 -The bus had helped some 3750 elderly folk; it is run by volunteers on a no cost basis and charges are kept to a minimum. The total administrative charges in the three years 1984/87 amounted to £60.00. It was stated that the Parish Council of Harleston was not involved, but District and County Councils had both helped, initial capital had been provided by Age Concern. If any of the Reepham Clubs, Societies or Groups are interested in this project they are invited to contact the Parish Council. (Norwich 870813). The Parish Clerks of Great Witchingham and Foulsham agreed to make enquiries locally and report back during MarchiApril. Mr Easton of Eastons Coaches has pointed out that he has arranged ·a new bus service to Norwich via Reepham, Cawstori and Horsford and that Senior Citizen Bus Passes, available from the District Council at a cost of £4.50 per annum, would be accepted. Page 24 �BOTTLE BANKS A build-up of empty cartons, boxes and other rubbish around the bottle banks on Station Road Car Park has led to complaints by local residents being received by the Parish Council. If this persists, serious consideration will have to be giyen to the continuing availability of this facility. c,-r~a.-t nt2~~? c),a."ii.~ ! -- the , 1-J~hl.5h ~k~ti~ COirlLn1 -.::--- (j<jQ.fA' Ln a. ~~::::;::~~~~~~:;;:::;.. i ta(5 !tprt~ . .; t( . ;u ....'_,,·_, ·,· I .1 Calto(;lt'l. LlJ~rh a..L_K}\O,.I,JIQdcl~m~r\t5 ·to Pl)\'\ctt, J " A.r~DN . Ca-1tl.Oh DEED OF GIFT - STIMPSON'S PIECE On the 14th December, 1987 at the Town Hall, the Donors of Stimpson' s Piece, Mr G. Stimpson, Mr B. Stimpson and Mrs B. Coxeter, formally signed the Deed of Gift consigning the Sports Ground to the Town. May I take this opportunity of thanking them again for this magnanimous gesture. I was disappointed that this generous act was not considered newsworthy by the local and provincial press. Page 25 �j' SCHOOL BUS TO NORWICH Travelwide Coaches are now running a school bus to Norwich leaving from Reepham Market Place and dropping children at their various schools in Norwich. The children are picked up in the afternoon and return to Reepham Market Place by 5 o'clock. Starting in September the bus will call at Lyng, Foxley and Bawdeswell before leaving Reepham at 7.40 A.M. PRICE: £1.50 return, £1 single. For more details telephone Norwich 870310. THANKS I would like to thank the people of Reepham for re-electing me onto Broadland District Council, and to remind you that my address is Fiddlers Inn, Norwich Road, Reepham Tel: 870878. Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you require any help. Gavin Graham NORFOLK IYENGAR YOGA CENTRE The Fannhouse Booton *Beginners Course: a six week introduction to Yoga Dates: 18th July - 22nd August (Mondays) £15.00 *Special Classes: Kids' Class: to help kids retain their natural suppleness Over 60' s: an hour's gentle stretching to keep everything moving plus plenty of relaxation. Back sufferers: can benefit from carefully controlled exercises and learn how to manage their problem £1.00 £ 1.50 £2.00 For further information about joining classes and weekend courses please contact John or Ros Claxton on Norwich 870310. Page 26 �METHODISTS CELEBRATE Methodists throughout the world are celebrating this year the 250th Anniversary of John Wesley's conversion which happened on May 24th 1738 at Aldersgate in the City of London. . There will be many events taking place in village, town and city to mark this historic occasion within the life of the Church and Nation. The crowning celebration nationally will be a Special Service of Thanksgiving on May 24th in Westminster Abbey when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be present. In Norwich Cathedral on the same day in the evening there will be a great Festival of Praise. More locally (at Reepham) we shall mark the occasion on May 22nd at morning Worship, 10.30 a.m. The Christian Church looks back through the years to that 'turning point' in the life of John Wesley which had such a dynamic effect upon the nation, for it was on May 24th 1738 that Wesley, at the age of 25 years, depressed by the failure of his mission to the new colony of Georgia (USA), found his heart suddenly illumined and gave himself with renewed dedication to the Service of God. In his own oft quoted words,'I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle of Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away MY sins, even MINE, and saved ME from the law of sin and death.' It was a moment of destiny in the English Church, and indeed Christendom, for out of that experience in that humble and obscure meeting house came the Methodist Revival. John Wesley as indeed his brother Charles, the great hymn-writer, were devout, disciplined men who took very seriously their responsibilities and vows which is exampled in their methodical approach to Christianity, both in spiritual and practical matters, whilst they were at Oxford University. Indeed, it was here that the nick-name 'Methodists' were given to them and their associates. It was after his conversion experience in Aldersgate Street that he and the other leaders of the group, all of whom were ordained ministers of the Church of England, adopted the profession of itinerant preachers, travelling by horse-back from town to town, village to village, the length and breadth of the country, preaching to crowds in the open-air about repentance. Their extemporary preaching, passionate gestures and stern denunciation of the idleness of the clergy caused church pulpits to be generally denied them. Thus by degrees, circumstances compelled them to adopt the character of an independent organisation. Page 27 �In 1739 Wesley authorised the building of special chapels for Methodist services. The want of ordained preachers being so great a handicap, the services of Lay Preachers were enlisted, while the rapid growth in the number of converts compelled the society to organise itself on an'extended basis. Baffled by the refusal of Bishops to ordain his laypreachers, Wesley persuaded himself that he was justified in bestowing orders. In a very short period of years, the Methodist Revival had spread to America, West Indies, Africa and other areas of the world. Indeed Wesley proclaimed 'all the World is my parish'. By the year 1791 when he died, Wesley left behind a body whose membership numbered 71 ,000 souls in England; 48,000 in America; had 500 travelling preachers and an organisation planned by one of the greatest organisers of his time. Despite these facts Wesley wrote in his journal, 'I live and die a member of the Church of England and noone who regards my judgement will ever separate from it.' .Yet force of circumstance led inevitably to the position of Methodists as a separate religious body becoming more and more defined. Some historians claim that the Methodist Revival contributed largely to averting a revolution in England similar to that experienced in France at the time. Today, Methodism is world-wide, with some 54 million members. Societies in almost every country, in East Germany, Estonia, Portugal, China and so-on. In the U.K. it is . the larger of the Non-conformist Churches, yet it continues to offer men and women through itsrninistry the message of the 'warmed heart', which Wesley found for himself. It continues to seek to serve Godthrough its many activities and agencies, e.g. National Children's Homes, Methodist Homes for the Aged, Methodist Relief Fund etc. Methodism came early to Reepham, for the church was built in 1817. Through the years those who worshipped and came to the fellowship shared their Christian experience and so influenced many in the community. Regrettably, in this day and age when so many other demands are being made, our numbers are numerically small in comparison with times past, nevertheless we seek to recall and to restore some of the truths that have been abandoned to their rightful place within the heritage of the whole Church of Jesus Christ. In this great church 'the people called Methodists' claim and cherish their own place and witness - alongside all other Christians. By God's Grace we have things to offer and much to receive within the greater heritage with which God has blessed and enriched His people throughout all ages. So it is with joyfulness to God we celebrate, with Thankfulness to God for the life and ministry of John Wesley and for our heritage and the living experience of His Grace, we . . gIve praIse. Denis Fox Page 28 �The New Reepham Magazine? Whilst congratulations for the new 'Reepham Magazine' are still being voiced, and deservedly so, as the magazine makes excellent reading and gives a comprehensive crash course to anyone visiting the village or moving here to live, the articles denote Reepham, its lovely old church, its many interesting walks and cyde routes, as a 20th century sleepy hollow. It also gives information on local church news, societies, clubs and events, even our horoscope, compiled by two enterprising budding astrologers from the High School, talented poets and wonderful limericks. Accompanying the magazine are 'pull out' yellow pages, listing local businesses. All very enterprising, and taken full advantage of by those with something of interest to say (including myself). While joining in with the general accolade however, I couldn't help remembering a remark made by a friend on a visit from Scotland, during the Reepham Gala Day last summer. "If you see something like this happening, it 's almost certainly the newcomers doing it - people who have lived in a place all their lives don't have to." I have to say that while I didn't agree with this observation 100%, I understood what she meant by it. People who were bom and raised in a village like Reepham can't have the same frenetic need to change or improve businesses, leisure activities, etc; their roots are here, their lives are here. While those, like myself, who are comparative newcomers feel the need, first of all, to make friends and to lay some claim to our new environment, however superficial our claims may be. Returning to the Reepham Magazine, the very title may be a misnomer to some. Apart from a very clever caricature of a real Reepham character, the magazine reflected very little of the people who have lived here all their lives, through wars, means tests and depression; it might even be that for some, things haven't changed a great deal. There seem to me two possible answers to what may only be my own observations. Firstly, local people may decide after all to offer the magazine something, making the title a more accurate description of the contents, and more indicative of the name Reepham Magazine. Or the title can be updated, reflecting the New Reepham, it's growth, development and wealth of talent and skill to complement what was here already. Maggie Perry Page 29 �ONE MAN AND HIS WORLD This is a true story which shows that however good your intentions are when you start something, you can never tell how it will turn out. It is not generaHy known that Adam was on his own for quite a while before Eve was created. As he was the first human person he had a full set of faculties, and curiosity being large among them, he set out to examine what nowadays we would call his environment. There was so much to see and hear, so many things to touch and taste and smell, that every day was full of new wonders. He fust saw the grass and the flowers and the trees. He wandered at will throughout the land; there was nothing to hinder him. He found a world teeming with live creatures in countless forms, all living in a state of balance. Nowhere on the surface of the earth did he see any dotted lines. There were no boundaries save those made by sea and mountain; no buildings other than beavers' dams, ant hills, and birds' nests. One day it rained, and it was cool and sweet and refreshing; there was no acid in it. He strolled along river banks where the water bubbled over the stones, fresh and clear . and sparkling. Fish darted, strong and clean. He found a sea shore and wandered on the beach. There was no oil on the beach, no sewage floating in; the sea creatures, with the help of Nature, regulated their numbers. Adam made friends with animals to carry him on longer journeys. Wherever he went, there was no sign that he had been that way - no smoke, no fumes; no noise, no smell; and the air was just as pure after his passing as before. There were things in his world that Adam could not see. He knew of the myriad fonns of living things on the earth's surface and in the sky; but under the ground and under the sea were wonderful substances, solid and liquid and gaseous; materials which had taken thousands of years to make. IfAdam had known about them he may have wondered what they were for, but his intelligence would have told him that Nature must have had a purpose in turning decayed vegetable matter into rich minerals; and supposing hinl to have found a need for them, the very fact of their slow formation would have made him prudent in their use, for what he required in a month would take a millenium to replace. As he journeyed throughout the land he leamed more and more of the wonders of his world. Some creatures were the prey of others who, in their turn, were preyed upon; but only, as Adam saw, for their survival. Animals did not kill each other wantonly; and there was no rape. Page 30 �Every species had its own orderly way of life which all creatures observed. They did not pollute their dwelling places with toxic waste, nor did they abuse their health with anything narcotic. Some groups were more highly organized and hard-working than others, but all had a pattern of living which secured the welfare of every member of the flock, or pack, or colony. And not only their own welfare; there were many kinds of insects and mammals who played a part in helping the growth of plants and trees. Some spread pollen from plant to plant; some took away pests which were destroying young leaves; and many species fertilized the soil. Adam marvelled at all the world. The day came when Eve was created and she also rejoiced in all she saw. Eventually she and Adam became the first parents. In the fullness of time, generation succeeded generation, the ages passed, and now you are here. Why not go round the environment, like Adam and Eve did, and see what we have done to their world? Nigel Spencer BIZZIE BABIES Since starting in September, Bizzie Babies has gone from strength to strength with well over fifty Mums on its books (though not everyone turns up each week). Although it is nice to see all the regular faces I am sure there are a lot of Mums with pre-school children in Reepham that do not attend. All are welcome to come any Tuesday morning from 9:30 to 12 noon at the Town Hall. The group is not run like a concentration camp but one where we all muck in. The cost to you is only 70p per attendance per family. The Christmas Fayre wa~ a great success raising over £200. Equipment was bought such as prams, bikes, scooter, wheelbarrow, Tonka trucks, etc. We have also raised money from a fun run on gala day, fiesta party, clothes party, book party and more recentl y a spring jumble sale which, despite the poor tum out due mainly to the weather, raised over £100. Now that we have boosted our funds we have over £300 worth of equipment on order, including a fold away climbing frame, two 8 ft. play tunnels, blackboards, paints, sand, ground sheets and other small items. So after that equipment arrives there will be loads of activities to suit your child's needs. Late October we will be having another sale of children's books. It is hoped that a trip . to Banham Zoo can be arranged in the summer also. So you can see we are not a sit and do nothing group. Hope to see you in the future. Jeanette Hardiment Page 31 �" THE BEAUTY BOX Skin Care Coco Chanel once said, "Nature determines the face you have at 20. Your lifestyle determines"the face you have at 30. At 50 you have the face you deserve." Today research sites the major age indicators as wrinkles, laughter lines and loss of tone and firmness. Close examination of an older skin suggests that deterioration of collagen and elastin fibres in the underlying dermis is largely responsible for these superficial changes. So, by improving the structure of the dermis should help to hold back the clock. Supplying the skin with fragments of collagen and elastin would help protect the skins own fibres from attack of winter wind and summer sun. A good collagen based cream helps stimulate cell "renewal, a process that begins to slow down in the mid-twenties. Acting deep down in the epidermis, it encourages the swift passage of moisture-laden cells to the skin's surface which gives a fresher looking complexion. Even under close scrutiny, a well-nourished, well-cared-for skin looks good. Some of the new skin care treatments don't just work on the surface, but in the deeper epidermal layers to maintain firmness and elasticity. It is difficult not to be sceptical about preparations sold on the pretext of containing a new wonder ingredient. Rather than buying haphazardly consult someone that knows by sight and touch especially your skin type and can advise you on the best needs for your skin. By doing so, not only do you save money by buying unwanted products but you will have the right creams for you. Hand Care Hands are continually at the mercy of the elements. Overexposure of harsh weather or central heating whisks away the skin's protective hydrolipidic film, leaving cells highly susceptible to moisture loss. Dunking hands in soapy water makes matters worse, and skin may become so dehydrated that it flakes and cracks. Treatment creams, rich in oils and waxes, can make hands feel sticky. To overcome that choose a product that is lightweight with non-greasy oils, which provide a satiny protective film. For dried cuticles a good hand cream should help these by massaging the cuticle at the same time as the hands. Take note of the modem trend of shorter, rounder nails, for a look that has undertones of the well-groomed and well-bred but is also practical, avoiding the chipping of long nails which is inevitable. For the nails that are weak and constantly breaking use a good nail hardener that penetrates the nail and so giving diamond-hard nails. Any questions or queries on beauty please write into Barbara c/o Reepham Magazine. Page 32 �SOME SUPERSTITIONS REMEMBERED 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. If a knife is dropped a man is coming to the house, if it is a fork it is going to be a lady, a spoon means a fool. They will arrive at which,ever way the article is pointing. Scatter salt scatter sorrow. Throw a pinch over your left shoulder and all will be well. Never introduce your sweetheart to your best friend (this applies to a lady). Marry in Lent, live to repent. Never start a new venture on a Friday. (I would never commence knitting, or cast off on a Friday). Sing before breakfast, cry before supper. If a picture falls from the wall it means a death in the family. Never let the sun go down on your wroth. Never give slippers to your sweetheart, he might walk away in them. If a robin comes into the house it means sadness of some kind. Never stand shoes on the table or on your bed, it will mean a disappointment. If two dinner knives are crossed there will be sharp words, they must be uncrossed quickly: To cut your finger nails on a Sunday means the devil will be with you all week. Do not see the new moon through the window it ' s unlucky. Instead go outdoors curtsy to it nine times and tum your money in your pocket. If you drop scissors on the floor do not pick them up, it will be a disappointment. Instead ask someone else to pick them up, it will mean a wish for them, a surprise for you. Collected by Val Davey THE PHOTO GALLERY There are some young people who are willing to help compile a "Gallery" of photographs of anyone past and present who has lived in Reepham. With the photographs, we need the name or names (for family groups) when they lived in Reepham and where. Eventually, the "Gallery" will be in the Bircham Centre. Photographs can be copied, if there is only one remaining. If you can help, please post to June Betts, Church Hill House Uoined to the Thatched Cottage) who will pass them on to the young people concerned. Page 33 �;:' A REEPHAM PARISH MAP - MORE NEWS The idea of a Parish Map for Reepham is now taking finn root. Prompted by the success of Parish Maps and Village Appraisals in other rural communities in such widely differing areas as DOIset and Durham, the belief is that we can at least match their efforts - and can surely do even better! Reepham would be among the very IlISt Norfolk communities to produce one. 1. What is a Parish Map? It should represent life within the town ofReepham and in the surrounding farms, hamlets and villages which make up Reepham Parish. Other than that, there are no rules. The design, size and especially the contents are left entirely up to you - 'you' being old or young, long-resident or newcomer. Anyone and everyone can contribute. If you want to express in some form an appreciation of what it is that makes Reepham distinctive or beautiful, then the Map is for you. No great talent is needed. The Imished Map will perhaps put the work of skilled local artists and craftspeople alongside that of schoolchildren and those of us with no artistic skill. What matters most of all is a willingness to share with others a commitment to Reepham, its past, present and future, . its people and places. 2. How will it work in practice? An informal and ad hoc co-ordinating group will help tum theory into practice. No-one wants to impose ideas from outside which are alien to the character of the Reepham community. Some hope! Rather, the organisation of the Parish Map is being kept to a bare minimum so that everyone can participate freely: families, couples, individuals, schools, all local groups etc. There is no committee to go through and no permission or approval to obtain. Creativity is the only qualification. Indirect support and encouragement 'behind the scenes' will be welcome, and will have an important bearing on the finished map, too. Suggestions so far include Materials Textiles: : sewing, embroidery Paints : of all kinds · Photography an ideal way to capture your favourite Page 34 �place in a snapshot or professional composition - a tree, a 'den', a forgotten corner? Subjects Parish boundaries where they are, what they mean to us Local characters: no shortage of them here! Let's capture them on video and preserve them for posterity! Local history the churches, great houses and buildings of the parish; its prominent families; but also the ordinary people so often forgotten by history books. Oral history listening to older members of the community talking about Reepham as it was. 3. How can I help? Look out for details of the follow-up to the Parish Map, Working Day, held on 16 April. On that day, lots of people brought along ideas, skills and memories which they were prepared to contribute. The walk along parts of the Parish boundary, including visits to Nowhere and World's End, was especially successful. Many thanks to all who took part. So the next stage is for us all to become map-makers. The support of as many people as possible is needed to help to produce a celebration of Reepham that we can all be proud of. PUT YOURSELF ON THE MAP! Look out for details of the follow-up to the Parish Map, Working Day, held on 16 April. On that day, lots of people brought along ideas, skills and memories which they were . prepared to contribute. The walk along parts of the Parish boundary, including visits to Nowhere and World's End, was especially successful. Many thanks to all who took part. So the next stage is for us all to become map-makers. The support of as many people as possible is needed to help to produce a celebration of Reepham that we can all be proud of. Page 35 �Favourite Recipes from Diane's Pantry I would like to introduce you to a product which is a healthy alternative to chocolate. It can be purchased as a powder like cocoa or a block like chocolate. Unlike cocoa, carob contains no caffeine or theobromine. Both of these substances can be quite harmful, creating problems such as headaches, migraine, hyperactivity and depression. Carob's nutritional advantages are that it is higher in protein and rich in vitamins A, D, B, B2 & B3 and it also contains calcium, magnesium and potassium. It is much higher in fibre content and lower in fat. Below is a simple unbaked Crunchy Bite using block carob but if you have your own favourite chocolate recipes just substitute carob for cocoa and make them more healthy. CAROB MIJESLI BITES Makes IS - 18 Bites 4 oz (llSg) Block Carob 2 oz (SSg) Polyunsaturated Marg 1 Tablespoon Clear Honey 6 oz (170g) Muesli 2 oz (S5g) Chopped Almonds or favourite nuts ********************************* I.) Break carob into pieces & place in a saucepan with the margo Melt over 'very gentle' heat. 2.) Remove from heat & stir in honey; blend well and then fold in muesl i and nuts. 3.) Put teaspoons into petit four cases and set in refrigerator. TilE VOICE OF INNOCENCE Whilst taking a class of eight year olds for the B.B.C. Sex Education Series during the follow-up any questions session after the programme, one little girl remarked on the fact that I had no children of my own. The boy next to her said quite seriously, and not in the remotest way facetiousl y, "y QU ilnd M r.. Lawrance must be getting it wrong somehow". Page 36 �REEPHAM 'SAINTS' BADMINTON CLUB Reepham 'Saints' Badminton Club has been running for some years now and has built up quite a good membership. We enter mens and mixed teams in the North Norfolk Badminton League and are always looking for new talent. We hold our club night on Thursdays at Cawston College Ford Hall from 7.30 - 10.00 p.m. and would welcome new members. Shirley Dawson, Secretary REEPHAM BOWLS CL UB Membership will be £5.50 for Adults and £3.50 for Young members. Due to popularity there is a limit of 50 people for the Club, including Youth members. We hope to recruit a few new members this year, and we must emphasize that they will be only enrolled after all our "old" members have re-joined. Competition fees are now incorporated in the Annual membership. There will be a green fee of lOp. each time a member uses the green. If you have any query concerning new membership or want any help, then please phone 870486. REEPHAM CRICKET C LUB Would welcome new players for the 1988 season. Reepham. The pitch is on Stimpsons Piece, The Club plays in Olympic Removals Norfolk Cricket League Division III on Saturdays and there are friendly local games on Sunday; also mid-week cup games are played. All age groups are welcome. For further information phone Nicky Mears onBawdeswell 251. Page 37 ." �TURKEY TRAVEL ADVICE If you are the sort of person who likes to plan your summer holidays well in advance, I would advise you to consider Turkey as your next holiday destination. With interest in the country currently running very high among travel companies there may be only a few more years left for you to visit a relatively unspoiled and beautiful land blessed with a heavenly cl imate (May - September temperatures are ideal). Already there are danger signs that the Turkish coastlines will become the Costa del Sol of the 1990's. It is now two years ago since I spent six months in Istanbul teaching English a., a foreign language. During that time I had the opportunity to explore Istanbul as well as travel around the country visiting seaside resorts such as Marmaris and Fethiye, the extraordinary stone outcropping of Goreme and Urgup and the ancient Greek towns of Pergamum and Ephesus, not forgetting my 2 day trip to Troy. My aim in this article is to provide a few insights into this fascinating country and offer some useful tips to those visiting Turkey this year or hoping to do so next summer. Firstly, remember that Turkey is still in many ways a developing country and holiday and travel facilities are not up to the standards expected or demanded of Spanish and Greek resorts. Accommodation may seem very basic with cheap pensions offering few basic luxuries apart from a comfortable bed and whitewashed walls. Air conditioning in the cheaper hotels and pensions is unheard of so expect fairly humid nights. Coach travel is cheap and reliable although it can get awfully smokey and stuffy after a long, overnight trip from Istanbul to the southern resorts. As soon as you arrive at a coach station reps from travel companies surround you offering you their bargain prices. It is possible to travel up to 300 or 400 miles for as little as £5 so the discomfort of coach travel is worth putting up with! Toilet stops are also frequent on coach journeys but the poor conditions of the facilities soon encourage you not to drink too much! At least at periodic intervals during the journey bottles of water are offered to pa:\sengel'S as well as lemon scent which the Turks rub liberally on their hands to ~:rc shc::n themselves up! Page 38 �Women need to be modest in their dress outside of the main resorts if they wish to avoid leering stares from Turkish men. Topless bathing, though not illegal on many beaches, is definitely frowned upon. Europeans should respect the customs and ways of life in this Muslim country. To get the best buys never forget to haggle and bargain, particularly in the Covered Bazaar in Istanbul. You can often buy something for a quarter of the price originally asked for if you persist. I found that a few Turkish words thrown in will also encourage carpet or leather goods sellers to lower their prices. "Turist Yok", meaning "I'm not a tourist" may not be the truth in your case but it might save you a few pounds. Don 't be taken in by some of the goods for sale in the street. Despite familiar sounding names like 'Charlie' and 'Lacoste ', these goods are nothing but imitations sold at a fraction of the price. The ' Lacoste ' T-shirt which I bought for a bargain price (approx. £1) shrank drastically the first time I washed it and also faded badly. The Turks are very friendly although you need to beware of over zealous and unofficial guides who hang around most of the famous mosques and tourist attractions. I found that it was not unusual for a Turkish famiLy in a restaraunt to order a dessert for me and my teaching colleagues as a friendly gesture. It is also common to be offered tea (cay) free of charge when you go into a shop. Places to visit which I would recommend include Ephesus , Kusadasi, Fethiye, Marmarus and Cappadocia to name just a few . The country is so varied and full of interesting places to visit you will need several weeks to fully explore this vast and beautiful land. Neil Henery ,! • •~ ... i_~ ~ -, ./a".: Page 39 �CYCLING FOR ALL ENJOY THE FIRST OF OUR CIRCULAR CYCLE RIDES FROM REEPHAM From Market Place, take left exit at Cross Roads. Proceed along the Whitwell Road, taking left fork (1/2 m) to join the Mill Road. Follow the road to the Eades Mill (1m) - well worth a stop to see the fast flowing river. Kingfishers, heron and grey wagtail can be seen visiting the river bank. Continue past Mill Fann to the next road junction, tum right over old railway bridge to Blackwater. Cross the river again following road to Cross Roads (3m). Left at Cross Roads to Wild Life Park at Main Road. Tum right after 400 yards take the Lyng Road. Freewheel down the hill stopping on the bridge to see the water cascading behind the bridge. The Wensum flows fast at this point. The village pub is just beyond the bridge, if you have timed your ride for refreshment (5m). Leave Lyng, following the river on the Elsing Road at (6m) tum right over the bridge looking down river to Elsing Mill. The road now rises gradually past the Bylaugh Estate. Follow the road to main Fakenham Road (7m). Cross main road and follow Reepham Road through Bawdeswell. Leaving Bawdeswell, take signpost Hackford Hall (9m)take next left turning for Whitwell. At end oflane tum left following road under Whitwell Bridge Last issues winner for the best caption was Eileen Lawrance with :- "Them tin-tacks from the D.I.Y. done a rare good job" COMPETITION £5 PRIZE FOR BEST CAPTION .) 1--, f2r [- e H/\ ;V DtJrvl fl N Ii /J0 I _. j-- - __...... (t: ......-.... -_.......:.. .. . ....... .. . ~ .. .:.:..--:.:.::;.--.:::-.--...-..- ... -- -.~ ' .." - ,- " . ._c· ~ "-,. _._ . . ._ _ .. -, _._ . "'-'. I-/I~ ~::-' ' .~-':"-.--:. ( r-' __ Page 40 ~ '·:r . l ., ~ ' .. I ./ ' .- . " <J ..... . .. , �SO BUSY IN THE GARDEN The garden is dug, another Spring has arrived. Bring out the Sprayer, killing all grubs that survived, Before planting Broadbeans, Shallots and some Peas. Plant Potatoes, Lettuce and Sprout seed, a variety to freeze Not forgetting Onion sets, and Parsnips, they need be in. Beetroot, Broccoli and Cabbage seed, these sown very thin. Let's go into the Glasshouse, there's plants to prick out, From seeds sown earlier, and watered, with rose on the spout. Start cutting Lawns, before grass gets too long Soon Cuckoos arrive, with their short notes of song. The Blackbirds are busy, as fine seed beds are made, Pecking Worms from the soil, now exposed by the spade We will prune the Tea Roses, Gooseberry bushes as well. Shorten the Raspberry canes, tie them neat to look swell Start spraying the fruit trees, when the buds have just burst Killing Insects, and curing diseases, before they are cursed. With rubbish emerging, we must reach for the hoe. Broadbeans and small seeds are infested with foe. Peas need supporting, to keep them off the ground, If no sticks are available, some nylon net must be found. We will dibble in Brassicas, spaced just two feet wide, Plant them in straight lines, for us to gaze on with pride. We will set out the flower plants, in most colourful lots Leaving plants like Begonias, they are much better in pots. Plant Cauliflowers under Cloches, they will grow large and tight Peas now climbing tbe sticks, with their flowers shining white Broadbeans and peas need spraying, to kill aphids galore Cucumbers, Lettuce, Tomatoes for salad, Radish and Onions for sure Bloom from the potatoes is fast blowing away Let us take up some new spuds, and have them today. The strawberries are red, we will pick some for tea. Gooseberries and Redcurrants are ready to pick, when we're free. We will plant out the Leeks, where Potatoes were grown. Plant Celery in a trench, well mucked, before plants sown Prune off the dead Roses, and fertilize for next crop Plant out the Sweetwilliams, there are dead flowers to top. Time to clean the rubbish and straw, fTom the strawberry bed. Summer prune all the fruit trees, before apples tum red. Cucumbers and Tomatoes, growing large, now ripening fast Runner beans were prolific, we deep freezed some to last. Page 41 W. FROSDICK �.~ REEPHAM W.I. MARKET The market is open every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Bircham Centre. There is a wide selection of horne-made cakes, savouries and preserves along with eggs, plants, seasonal fruit, vegetables and flowers for sale. If you would Iike to sell your surplus produce or would Iike to bake for the market please call into the Bircham Centre any Wednesday morning and ask one of the members for details. It is not necessary to be a member of the Women's Institute to be a market producer. YOUNG FARMERS' CLUB Are you aged between 14 and 26 and looking for something to do? Then why not give Reepham Young Farmers' Gub a try? We meet on Monday evenings and have a varied programme of events. You certainly · don't have to be a farmer to be a 'young farmer' - our members come from all walks of life. New members very welcome. For further details please contact Sheila Davis on Norwich 871629. REEPHAM AMATEUR THEATRICAL SOCIETY Following the enormous success of"Jack and the Beanstalk", RATS are looking forward to their forthcoming productions in 1988. The next event is to be at the Kenny Theatre in the U.E.A. Village: I t is hoped to stage either a comedy or a thriller in the early Autumn and, of course, another panto this time next year. Many thanks to all those who supported us by coming to see the pantomime. If you'd like to join, whether as an actor, actress, stage hand, or whatever; do come along.to the Church Hall on Tuesdays at 8 p.m., or contact a "Rat", if necessary via the editor of this magazine. Robert Blake Page 42 �ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES IN REEPHAM Something is wrong: we have facilities to offer, we charge minimaJ fees and we are aJways open to new ideas for courses. Why then are so few people active and interested?? Ofthe eight courses currently running, only three have twelve or more members - why the disinterest?? Is the title "Adult Education" off-putting? It should not be. It covers a very broad range of activities and interests - in fact, what you want and will support. Does not Keep-Fit to Upholstery cover a wide spectntm? Having just taken up the post of Centre Head, Reepham, I therefore ask the following questions: 1. .What skills or interests would you wish to acquire or pursue? 2. Courses could be day-time or evening - which would suit you? 3. Do you have some particular knowledge that you could share with others? Could you be a class tutor? Tutor- training is offered at no cost: Tutors also earn fees. As said above, the service is struggling through lack of interest from REEPHAM PEOPLE! Ideas and enthusiasm are urgently needed. If you have either, please contact me! Ros Attridge Telephone: 870296 MAKING QUITE SURE! Each child had their own spelling book in which I would write any word they were unable to spell for their work in creative writing. One small girl needing the word "none" very carefully explained to me that she didn't need "the black and white holy lady kind, but the word we lise when we haven't got anything". At least she knew there was a difference. Page 43 �THE STARS AND YOU ARIES 21st March - 20th April Over the past few months you may have been concerned about the direction of your life. From now on, you will be pushing your own interests with detennination. 1bis new found will and detennination could mean that you will fmdyourself ~ conflict with people in authority -perhaps employers. Watch your step! T A UR US 21st A pril- 21st May Your conservative outlook on life could mean that you are holding back in certain situations where your friends seem to be racing ahead. Try to be a little more adventurous; you may fmd that you will become more popular for it. GEMINI 22nd May - 21st June As you are naturally indecisive you may fmd it necessary to consult your friends when dealing with certain matters this month, especially where fmance and money are involved,but beware! Friends are not always as helpful as they may appear. CANCER 22nd June - 22nd July Your sensitive nature, which normally hides away, will peep through now and you may find yourself being hurt. You may think: that certain relatives are asking too much of you, but grit your teeth, grin and bear it. You'll survive! LEO 23rd July - 23rd August Hyou have been feeling a little glum through the cold months of winter now's the time to cheer up, because this spring looks like it's going to be fun. You could fmd yourself in a social whirl - so many people to see, things to do! How will you fit it all in? Routine chores will fall by the wayside as you find much · more interesting things to do. VIRGO 24th August - 23rd September Virgos are typically very unselfish people and in the process of thinking of and caring about other people, you are neglecting yourself. Don't. You may fmd yourself becoming run down and tired. LIBRA 24th September - 23rd October For most of you 1988 will be a peaceful, loving and harmonious time, and as this is what you Librans thrive on, the year should be most enjoyable. Don't be afraid to let yourself go this Spring, as by doing so may even result in a new and exciting personal relationship. SCO RPIO 24th October - 22nd November Because of the active social life you have been involved in lately, these past few months have left you exhausted and lacking in energy. However, do not fear, because by the end of the month your life will not be quite so active. Take advantage of this restful period; by the look of things it will not last for long! SAGITTARIUS 23rd November - 21st December Your natural optimism could well prove to be most useful during the early part of Spring, as perhaps things aren't going as well as you had hoped they would at work. Never mind, things will almost certainly change by the middle of the month and you will become your bright and charismatic old self again. CAPRICORN 22nd December - 20th January Mter somewhat of a dull start to the new year, you will certainly be ready for some action. You will not be disappointed as there is plenty of socialising on the horizon. Beware, though, as many other people perhaps may not feel like joining in with your merry making. For some people you celta$nly will not he HavtJur of ~h:; :m onth. �AQUARIUS 21st January - 18th February Romance is definitely the theme this Spring and if going out to any special places around the end of March you may well find that personal relationship you have been looking for. Keep an open mind and try not to treat it too seriously or there may well be a clash of opinions som~where along the line. PISCES 19th February - 20th March If you are thinking of going on holiday this year then now is the time to do it. Leave the hustle and bustle of life behind and relax; you certainly deserve it. Of course this may not be possible for a lot of you, but do not take it to heart. Sit back at home and leave all those annoying little chores to your partner. This Spring is most definitely the ~ime for putting your feet up! AGAIN - THE VOICE OF INNOCENCE Many years ago whilst reading the old rhyme "The house that Jack built" a small boy came to the line "IGssed the maiden all forlorn" and of course forlorn was not a word in his vocabulary but he made a wild stab at it, and said "Kissed the maiden all - over"! ONE FROM MUM Y ears ago the School Attendance Officer also acted in the capacity of a Social Worker. If any children needed clothing he would ensure that they got them. Bearing this in mind, this is the note I received one morning:Dear Mrs Lawrance, Kevin won't be at school today because he has got diarrhoea through a hole in his shoe. Yours faithfully, I am happy to say that Kevin got a new pair of shoes! Page 45 �.A DIRECTQRY OF REEPIIAM'S SOCIAL AND LEISURE ORGANIZATIONS BIRCHAM CENTRE: A central meeting place, under development as a community centre (Bookings Jan Henry - Tel. 870438 or Ivlrs Phillips - Te1. 870503). BOWL,): May to September inclusive; 6.30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, friday. 2.30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (Sec. Harold Dean Tel. 870486). BRIDGE: Monday 6.30 p.m. at the Bircham Centre. A friendly group - newcomers welcome. (Contact Derek Henson: Riches Stores (Tel. 870205). BRITISH LEGION: Pres. Mr John Stimpson; Chmn. Cdr. Tom Maxted (Sec. Mr Alan Fry Tel. 871269). Women's Section Chairman Mrs Margery Cook (870475). BROWNIES: 7-10 year olds. Friday 3.30 R.A.Y.S. Hall (Mrs Dye, I Park Lane, Tel. 871791). CRICKET: Chmn. Mr Richard Howard (Tel. 870235). Saturday Capt. Mr Alan Arthurton (Tel. 871277). Sunday Capt. Mr Tim Briggs (Tel. 871240). CUBS: (8 - 10 year olds.) Thursdays, 7-8.30 p.m. R.A.Y.S. HaU (See also SCOUTS). CYCLING OF ALL KINDS: George Johnson, Post Office DANCING: Modem, Old Time and Sequence Dancing; 2nd Sat. in the month, 7.30 p.m. (Contact Mrs Joan Rudd, 86 Richmond Rise: Tel. 870325). DAYCENTRE: At St. Michael's; Tuesday for those with special needs (Mrs Nora Wright) Wednesday for elderly, housebound and handicapped (contact Rev. Michael Pickering Tel. 9684-275). DRAMA: Amateur Theatre (R.A.T.S.). New members welcome. (Contact Audrey Nunn Tel. 871595 or David Joice Tel. 870410). EVENING CLASSES: Area Office - North Walsham (Tel. 95-405930) FIRST-AID: Bircham Centre. Phone Mrs Hall 870654. FITNESS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS (EXTEND): Monday 10 a.m. (Contact Gwen Blyth Tel 870429) Page 46 �FOOTBALL: Sec. Joe Norris (Tel. 870634); Under 18's + several Junior Teams (870978) Graham Richards. GOOD COMPANIONS: Town Hall, Friday 2-4 p.m. Contact Mrs J. Bartlett, 5 Coles Way Tel. 870201. GUIDES: Age 10-14; Tues. 7-9p.m. R.A.Y.S. Hall. June Cook, 21 Moorhouse Close (Tel. 871825). HOCKEY: Ladies team in Radio Broadland League Division 3 (Contact Mrs Carol Fearn 9684 763). . KEEP FIT for Ladies: Bircham Centre, Wednesdays 10 a.m. JUDO: . 7 - 16 age. Mondays 6.30 - 7.30 - 8.30, High School. (Mrs Pat Lirnond Tel. 870498). KARATE (TaeKwondo): Age 10 and over. Mondays at the Old Brewery Hotel. £1 (5Op. school pupils). Mr Nigel Cottrell (Tel. 870508). LECTURES: See W.E.A., Reepham Society, Probus, etc. MOTHERS AND TODDLERS: Wednesdays 9.1 5 a.m. The Chapel, Station Road . (Janet Clark 870585). also BIZZIE8ABIES(pre-school age) Tues. 9.30-12, Town Hall (Mrs 'George'Hardiment, Ardgraft Cottage, The Moor. NETBALL: C. Philips (870503). ODD FELLOWS: A friendly society. Bircham Centre 8 p.m. 4th Tuesday. Mr and Mrs Dye (871791). PLA YGROUPS: The Chapel Playgroup, Mon., Tues. , Thurs., Fri. 9-11 .30 (Jan Morrow 870733). The Town Hall Playgroup Wed., Thurs., Fri. 9-11.30 (Joan Taylor 870625) . . PROBUS: For retired men. Sec. Mr Geoffrey Hemmings (870759) . . REEPHAM SOCIETY: Chmn. Mr A.H. Ivins. Sec. Mrs Hemmings (870759). See notices in Post Office. Page 47 �2nd Reepham. (10 - 16) at R.A.Y.S. Hall. (Mr David Cutk~f 871909). Scouts Fridays 7.15 - 9.15. Cubs (8 -10) 7 - 8.30 p.m. R.A.i:.S. Hall. TABLETENNIS: Bircham Centre Tues. and Thurs. evenings (Ian Taylor 870625 or Alan Pickard 870284). Matches Sept. - March. Summer practice Thursdays at 7.45. TENNIS: Club times Thursday 6 p.m. and Sunday afternoons (Mrs J. Digby Tel. 880983). W.E.A.: Lectures Mrs M. Reid, The Oaks, Booton (Tel. 870240). 4th Thursday 2.30-4.30 in Town Hall (Mrs Pochin, 870546); also 3rd Wednesday, evenings in Town Hall (Mrs Sheila Johnson, 870230). WRITER'S CIRCLE: Last Thursday in month 7.30, Bircham Centre. B. Kent (870621). YOGA: Friday 1-3 p.m. (MrandMrsJohnClaxton, the Farm House, Booton. Tel. 870310). YOUNG FARMERS: (Age 16-25). Meet Mondays 7.45., Brewery House (James Thomas, 880158). OUR nOOTIFUL NORFOLK LANGUAGE! Only yesterday whilst helping a seven year old, who has reading difficulties, I had to correct her for reading "what" for the word "that". I did this by gently saying 'no' after she had misread the word, whereupon she corrected it to "that". A line or so later we came to the word "know" and knowing from past experience that this is a tricky word because of the silent 'k' - I said the word "know" for her. After a second or so she looked at me and said "But I didn't say anything". I then realised she had mistaken my "know" for our Norfolk "No". PURE LOGIC! A small boy was running in the snow with his right wellington boot on his left foot, and vice versa. I said "Stuart you've got your boots on the wrong feet" - he looked down at his feet with a puzzled expression and then said, "But Mrs Lawrance these are the only feet I've got". Page 48 �A KNOTTY PROBLEM Out fora car ride, my wife and I finished up by the riverside at Horning Ferry, a favourite holiday haunt. After a snack at the nearby Pub we returned to the car to watch the holiday craft jostling on the river. A largish cruiser chugged in, its four rather boisterous occupants immediately focusing their attention on the Pub. The captain, complete with funny peaked hat, saw a vacant 'parking space' and, after much shouting and bumping, managed to nose in close enou gh to enable an agile member of the crew to leap ashore with the rope (yes, yes,) know it's called a painter in nautical circles but I don't suppose the chap knew that}, and some intriguing rope-throwing was performed while they completed the 'parking'. Even more intriguing was their rope-tYing technique. Up for ' ard (I've gone all nautical again) the captain got over the problem by winding the rope many times around the mooring-post and finishing off with half-bitches until he had no rope left. The cbap at the stem end had bad a different system - once round the post then a knot which had no resemblance to anything) could recall from my long-distant scouting days; it was more like a bow. Soon after the quartet bad made a bee-line for the bar the stem rope started slipping from the post and the lapping tide edged the boat out until it was at right angles to the quay. Sbortlyafter, a boat of similar size, berthed next to our errant boat, weighed-anchor (gone nautical again! ) and chugged away. Enter, now, the heroes - two lads in a dinghy who rowed out to grab the rope and pull the boat back to the quayside buL..they pulled it into the berth just vacated by the other boat and thus pointing in the opposite direction. It was, as it were, aft about for'ard. Things were now getting exciting and we had, in fact, to nip out to buy two icecreams in order to remain cool and calm. The crew reappeared in due course, rather more boisterous, and made straight for the end where the stem was when they left the boat - but it was now the pointed end! They looked worried, checked the name of the boat, pointed up-stream, then down-stream, then across the Pub, held a sort-of committee meeting. We could see that there was considerable disagreement regarding their orientation. They seemed dumbfounded - surely the beer wasn't that strong! At this stage we began to feel guilty. They had provided us with an entertaining slice of life enacted right in front of our car and we were probably the only people in the world who could solve their problem; and, after all, they were on holiday. I approached the discussion group to explain what had happened and volunteered the information that Wroxham was that way and Ranworth that way which seemed to put things in perspective. They unhitched, somehow managed to tum the boat round in spite of a fast-flowing tide, and chugged away probably expecting that chap Beadle to appear at any moment. George Kelt Page 49 �NOTES Page 50 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham, Directories and Town Guides Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Directories and Town Guides Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mixed collection of printed and photographic information Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1850 to present day Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1850 to present day Reepham Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Reepham Magazine 1988 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2502261020 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PA4 PDF, 51 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Reepham Society Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available M-Tec Computer Services 1988 M-Tec https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/106476a81237fab55ccbe4d53229cd1a.pdf 9858c8e2e210808f638a7676b4ba6bb4 PDF Text Text The Reepham Magazine Edition No.3 Summer 1989 �'I1ie 9\!epfiam Magazine Broadland [inancial Services Principal: Malcolm Vine Investment and Fnancial Planning Gnsultants We Are Now Established In The Local Area To Give Friendly, Experienced And Professional Advice On * SAVINGS * PENSIONS * * MORTGAGES * REMORTGAGES * * INVESTMENTS * LIFE ASSURANCE * * SCHOOL FEES PLANNING * * INHERITANCE TAX PLANNING * Together With HOUSEHOLD, COMMERCIAL & PERSONAL INSURANCES OUR AIM IS TO PROVIDE A mCH QUALITY SERVICE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY Whatever Your Requirements Please ring us on Norwich (0603) R72311 or Norwich (0603) 872331 or call in and see us at Church Lane, Caws ton �?lie ~epfiam 9vfagazine THE EDITORIAL Welcome to the long awaited 3rd edition of the Reepham Magazine. Inside you will find an assortInent of information on History, Beauty, Parish News and local clubs, to name but a few. Plenty of hard work has been put into the production of the magazine, but more volunteers need to come forward . if the magazine is to . surVIve. Anyone interested in forming a club to keep the magazine going, please call in and see us at: M-TEC COMPUTER SERVICES (UK) THE MARKET PLACE, REEPHAM. TEL: (0603) 870620 page 1 �HA VERINGLAND CARS Travelling through the somewhat desolate area in the vicinity of Haveringland church it is difficult to believe that a thriving motor car industry existed there some 40 years ago. Duncan Industries, started in North Walsham by Ian Duncan and Alan Lambum, moved to Haveringland in 1947, setting up a production line in a redundant R.A.F. hangar nearby St. Peter's church, with a workforce which quickly grew to around 140. The main objective of the business was the development of a small car called the Dragonfly, supporting work being the building of hand-beaten aluminium bodies on Healey, Alvis, Daimler and Bentley classics, together with the production of a fast sports car called the Spiv and a modified model called the Tenbosch. During a recent chat with David Rogerson, who was Work's Manager at Haveringland, he expressed the opinion that the Dragonfly was many years in advance of its time and could well have become the mini-car of the future. It embodied front-wheel drive, independent wishbone suspension, hydraulic brakes, constant velocity universal joints, 10 inch Dunlop wheels and a 500cc twin B .S.A. motor cycle engine. Many of these features reappeared 10 years later in the Austin mini designed by the late Sir Alec Issigonis. Duncan obviously foresaw a great future for the Haveringland car industry. According to a report in the E.D.P. at that time, he was looking for a further 100 employees and had plans for the development of housing and social facilities for his workers. These ambitions were, however, ruined by post-war economic troubles facing the govemment which brought about the introduction of purchase tax in 1948 and which would have put up the price of Duncan's cars by as much as 50 per cent. This led to severe financial problems and eventually Duncan was forced to dispose of his equipment, stock parts, patented designs and drawings, together with the only two Dragonfly cars which had been completed, to the Austin company for £10,000. page 2 �By June 1949, Duncan Industries had disappeared from Haveringland. A tragic ending to a brilliant entetprise, destroying any immediate prospects of resurgent village life at Haveringland. George Kett Footnote: A snippet of useful (?) information I obtained from David Rogerson is that used Rolls Royce Merlin engines from the airfield were dumped in a nearby pit. If I could think of a ready market for worn oui rusty, corroded aero engines, I might consider organising a 'dig'. Or I might not. The Spiv. a 116 m.p.h. sports car page 3 �'Ike 9\?epliam Magazine * Haverland Hall Visitors Book - 1851-79 Bother the Snow December 2nd 1874 1. 011 bother tile snow, the horrible snow, The Gentleman said as he jumped out of bed, T' was the 2 nd of December, a day we'll remember, For we shot the Great Wood at Haverland Hall. 2. There the Gallant Hussars were smoking cigars, Young Bing and Lorn Phipps, good at gunning or pips, Knocking down left & right, Quite a Beutiful sight, When they shot the Great Wood at Haverland Hall. 3. See see our cheery ... merring and cheary, And Roclifort' s "all there" - watch him tumble that hare, Ha, Ha he's tailored the rabbit - tho it isn't his habit, When smothered in snow at Haverland Hall. 4. With his hat full of feathers of Woodcocks he's shot, At the corner stands ready oW'friend fonny Mott, He 'ner misses his aim when those birds are the game, Which he finds flying thickly at Haverland Hall. page 4 �%e ~epliam Magazine 5. Colnel Shellys ahead - dropping rocketers dead, As over him high - the imbeciles fly, Finding out too late - they have met the sadfate, Of gracing the menu at Haverland Hall. 6. ...Eaton by now, by jingo I trow, That more than he dares - in. bracken or furze, He's just standing. back, to have a good crack, At some wzly old cocks at Haverland Hall. 7. Who marshalls this host? -placing each gun at his post, T'iss well to inquire - Why the Haverland Squire, Quite a ... in his way, -making even array. In that wilderness wild at Haverland Hall. 8. But bother the snow - where ever we go. It gets in.to places - falls chill on faces, Redding our noses,freezing our toeses, On that Winter day at Haverland Hall. 9. Our luncheon ale hot must not be forgot, . And ~lory offame to Paddywacks name. For t was he who invented, the stew that contented, The cold and the hungry at Haverland Hall. JO. Now the sun's gone to rest - we've all done our best. And a goodly row of victims to show, When homeward we run - after capital fun, Not withstanding the snow at Haverland Hall. 11 . . Dear Good Mrs Fellowes - has ordered the bellows And a great roaring fire - new warmth to inspire. Making every thing bright for each halffrozen wight, . In the cozy bedrooms at Haverland Hall. 12. In kindness her dau~hter - recommends us hot water. With something besldes to restore our insides. And all the fair ladies - as lovely as daisies, Sympathise with our hardships at Haverland Hall. Alas! The day will come when we must all say farewell. And pleasant times gone by alone in memory dwell, For other climes remote our valued friends depart. There sorrowing faces seen and many an aching heart, But none will .ere forget - none of that chosen band, How gay they danced - how keen they shot, At Merry Haverland. This was sent to Mr. George Kelt by Andrew Fellowes (son of ·Lord de Ramsey) * Now of course known as Haveringland Hall pageS �r1fte ~epliam !Magazine . SPRING SUNDAY Sunday at last! - a curious hush Enthralls the slumbering town Only one early-morning thrush Reveille calls with cheerful song He has no seven-day calendar All days alike he greets with praise While we take Sunday to recover From all those tedious working days! But sleeping Reepham soon awakesResolving to make holiday. Each to himself a promise makes To do "his thing", in his own way! So some will potter round the home, And some will read, or snooze all day, And some 'wait in' for friends to come ,. But we'll be cycling - far away Anon . PUB RUN/CYCLE RACE On November 6th 1988 a race was held around the past and present drinking houses of Reepharn to raise money to provide a second defibrillator for Reepharn Surgery. Despite descending mist and a relatively low number of entries the event.was a success for two reasons. Over £150 wast raised but equally iInportant it gave' a chance for the entrants to learn a little of the history of Reepharn. Most of the entrants did not know that there have been fifteen public or ale houses in and around Reepharn or indeed that . places that they know well were at one time a pub. Thanks go to the entrants and all their sponsors. A similar event will be held next year when we would hope for better weather and more entrants. page 6 �fJ1ie 9{?epliam 9vfagazine REEPIJAM METHODIST CHURCH HAS A FACE-LIFT Major renovations are being undertaken by the Church for most of you will have noticed scaffolding and debris around the premises. We have re-roofed the entire complex, fitted a new kitchen, added an additional toilet suitable for . disabled people and installed new heating. The school-hall will be an attractive room when all the work has been completed which we anticipate should be finished by Easter. It has meant some disturbance and interru.ption to the normal activities. The Playgroup has had to suspend their meetings (and we acknowledge with gratitude their help and co-operation) and also it has been necessary to move Sunday Worship to a near-by house on a temporary basis . . for two/three Sundays. We are looking ahead to having premises which will be suitable for today's needs both for ourselves and the community. We extend a very warm welcome to residents and friends in Reepham to come and share in Worship each Sunday at 10.30 a.m. We serve coffee after. the service and we can provide a creche for those parents WIth young children. Denis Fox (Pastor) NICKY WALLER PATIENT CARE FUND The fund was set up in September 1985 after Nicky's death from cancer. Just prior to her death Nicky requested that any monies given should be used to improve the care 01 patients before, during and after any treatment. Nicky felt that relatively low cost items could be provided in hospitals and for home use that would improve patient comfort. Such an example are the Tendercare mattresses and pillows which make bedridden patients more comfortable and reduce bed sores. Nicky was ·an AttIeborough girl but her Aunt, Jeanette Overton, has made people in Reepham . aware of the fund and has done sterling work. in raisingmoney for the fund. Local people have benefited from the fund as eguipment has been donated to the Cottage Hospital at Aylsfiam and, of course, over £2,000 was given towards the first defibrillator for Reepham Surgery and over £1,000 towards the second defibrillator. . . To date over £15,000 has been raised for the fund and there are a number of people in hospital or at home whose lives have been improved by donations from the fund. There are a number of events scheduled and/or plaIined which will raise more money for the fund and I hope that the people of Reepham will continue to show their generosity in continuing to support what is obviously a very worthwhile cause. page 7 �'l1ie 1\?epliam Magazine OBITUARY TO JOHN STIMPSON It is sad to report the loss, just before Christmas 1988. of Mr. John A.B.Stimpson, a prominent farmer and land owner. Mr. Stimpson of Hackford Hall, Reepham, was born at Park Farm, Bixley, where his father farmed. It was from Bixley that he joined the army. This was in September 1940, serving with the twelth Royal Lancers. In 1941-42 he served in the western desert, before becoming ADC to General Leese, Commander of the Eighth Army in Italy. During 1944, Mr. Stimpson was with General Leese, when the General was made Commander-in- Chief of A.L.F.S.E.A. in India!Burma Theatre. Mr Stimpson left the forces in April 1946, with the rank: of Major. He was mentioned in the 1947 New Years honours list, for services rendered during the Second World War, being awarded the M.B.E. From 1946-50 Mr. Stimpson managed Park Farm, Bixley, famous for its herd of Large Black Pigs, which won many prizes at the County and Smithfield Shows. In 1950 he took over the management of the firm 's transport company Stimpson & Sons, which he improved with more uptodate lorries. Mr Stimpson moved to Hackford Hall in 1952, and was married to Mrs. Rosemary Packard in March the following year. Mrs. Stimpson had a son Michael and a daughter Frances by her previous marriage. Following their marriage they had a daughter Mary and a son Hugh, now both married Mr Stimpson took great interest in the local affairs of Reepham, serving on the Parish Council, and as a Church Warden. He also served as a Magistrate at Reepham, and later at Dereham where he became Chairman. He also had a great interest in the Royal Norfolk Show, of which he was Honor~ ary Director, from 1960-66 and 1973-80, a total of fifteen years. page 8 �'l1ie ~ep/iam Magazine WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, BUT NOT A DROP TO DRINK! There have been an increasing number of reports in the press questioning the safety of British tap water. A growing number of people are worried about tlie possIble risks to health from various impurities. In 198.0, the EEC approved a directive relating to the quality of water for human consumption. This was then implemented in 1985. Critics of the <I,uality of the UK water supply found that tests carried out after this date, for instance in Norfolk, showed levels of impurities far higher than allowed in the directive. They formally complained to the EEC but as yet no legal action has been taken. Many people have stopped drinking tap water in favour of the bottled variety - all expensive alternative, but according to 'Which' magazine (February 1989) this is usually no less free of bacteria and impurities than tap water. Buying a domestic water rurifier is an option which an increasing number of consumers are taking up. Microstraining punfiers are the only water treatment devices available which can be classified as purifiers as opposed to mere filters. . The Seagull IV range is produced in the US by General Ecology and is now available in Norfolk. The unit is installed directly into the incommg water main, usually in the cupboard under the kitchen sink. . The Seagull range has been extensively tested in America and results verified by the InstitUt Pasteur in Paris, amongst others. They can remove 99.99% of contaminants, including pathogenic bacteria, pesticides, herbicides, chlorine, aluminium, lead and radioactive particles. Unlike many other water treatment devices, however, it leaves intact the beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium. Most m ~jor international airlines use Seagull units to purify their on-board drinking water, indeed British Airways have just ordered 300 units for their fleet. The Seagull IV units are constructed from surgical quality stainless steel. The two models recommended for domestic applications, the X-IF and X-2F, are compact and fit neatly under the sink with a separate tap on the sink top which delivers pure drinking water. With water as pure as this, so conveniently available, hot and cold drinks, rice, pasta, vegetables and all cooking can be done with pure water. Tlpical flow rate of the X-IF is 1 gallon per minute. When the cartridge has reached the end o Its life, the flow slows down and eventually stops. The average cartridge life is 4,000 litres which in an average household is one year. For further information please telephone 872249 page 9 �'Ilie ~epfiam Magazine A BORDER REBEL'S RESTING PLACE Where unkempt summer weeds and grasses wave Beyond the Norman church - long since disused, A lichened tomb-stone leans, time-worn, askew, Above a soldier's long-abandoned grave. By brilliant cushions of bright emerald mossed, His chiselled name was, long ago, obscured - . He'd hoped his 'rightful' king would be 'restored', But died, not knowing that his Cause was lost. (seen on a Scottish holiday) L.H.L -7-0 d. -t o"" - • • ~~~~~Y' ·· . • I ,.",. 1983 .~. : ' .. ,. LIEBFRAUMLICH RHEINHESSEN A.P. Nr 43428242184 G"y'lrn.11\~11f P-,.i~M''''j cal\. Htalth W(t-~~j: a!/qe-( 7"'W ~f(f/~ . G. Kett page 10 �%e 1?f-epliam !Magazine Standing from left: fund-raisers Daniel Alford. Jack Cooper. Dominique Rudd and Sister Brenda Price with (in wheelchair) multiple sclerosis sufferer Peter Elvin and. testing new cushions in the other wheelchair. Nicky Waller Patient Care Fund trustee Mrs. Jeanette Overton. WALKERS EARN GIFTS OF COMFORT FOR PATIENTS Nicky Waller Patient Care Fund representatives and friends met at St. Michael's Hospital, Aylsham, to hand over gifts of comfort. Eight mattresses and a wheelchair cushin!1 and back cushion for patients to use were bought with £800 raised by a variety of events. The money was earned by Mrs. Jeannette Overton and her friends, ofReepham, through a sponsored walk in which Sister Brenda Price and five nurses took part, plus a raffle and tom bola stalls at local events and an entry in the fun run on Reepham's Gala day. The mattresses were presented to Sister Price by Dominique Rudd, who raised £74.51 in the fun-run, and 83 year old Mr. Jack Cooper who walked 2 1/2 miles on four occasions and raised £68 as a "thank you" to the hospital. Also at the presentation was multiple sclerosis sufferer Mr. Peter Elvin, of Foulsham; who was presented with a comfy cover for his wheelchair by Daniel Alford The fund has so far provided Mr. Elvin with a mattress, a cushion and back cushion for his wheelchair. (Article takenfrom North Norfolk News - October 1988) page 11 �'11ie ~epliam Magazine DOCTOR PRAISES A COMMUNITY EFFORT People living in Reepham and the surrounding villages have rallied round to raise more than £4000 in six months to buy a life-saving defibrillator for use by local doctors. The mammoth fund-raising effort began spontaneously after Dr. Michael Price, of the Park Lane Surgery, used a defibrillatorto help save the life of a Stratton Straw less woman who suffered a heart attack in December. Afterwards Dr. Price said the emergency had brought home to him the value of doctors having tbeirown defibrillators. People in the area decided to raise the money for the machine. Contributions ranged from a £200 donation from Mrs. Mary Eacott, the woman who had suffered the heart attack, to two seven-mile sponsored walks along Reepham's disused railway line. On Tuesday evening the cash for the defibrillator was handed over to Dr. Price and his colle&gue, Dr. Barbara Kelly, when more than 100 people went along to the Old Brewery House, Reepham. A cheque for £2,099 was handed over by Kerry Woodhouse and Rosalind Tuddenham, of Cawston, and Sarah Crisp and Daniel Alford, of Reepham, on behalf of Mrs. Jeannette Overton, of Sun Barn Road, Reepham. Mrs. Overton had organised events as part ofthe activities of the Nicky Waller Patient Care Fund, which wac:; established three years ago following the death from cancer of her teenage niece. A furtber£2112 was handed overby Mrs. Joan Rudd, of Richmond Rise, Reepham, who had been among the many active fund-raisers for the Defibrillator Fund Dr. Price praised the community effort behind the fund-raising and said the machine, which is being bought through the Norfolk Health Care Trust, would also be capable of monitoring heart problems as well as actIng as a life-saving aid in emergencies. The defibrillator will also be used by partners Dr. Paul James and Dr. Frances Price on call from the joint practice in Aylsham. Since this article was written, the residents of Reepham have contributed to the cost of a second . de fj brillator. (Article from North Norfolk News - September 1988) page 12 �Dr. Barbara Kelly demonstrating the monitor working on the surgery's first defibrillator watched by Mrs. Jeanette Overton, right. VlLLAGERS' GIFTS TO SURGERY People of Reepham and Cawston have rallied round and raised £1800 to buy equipment for Reepham Surgery. A defibrillator was presented by Mrs. Mary Eacott of Stratton Strawless. Dr. Michael Price had saved Mrs. Eacott using a defibrillator bought with money from the Save a Life' Appeal, organised by our sister paper, the Eastern Daily Press. A sonic aid foetal monitoring machine was presented to midwife Denise Rose by Mrs. Jeannette Overton, who raised £1155.50 of the £1800. Mrs. Overton organised eventS as a thank-you to all the local people who had supported the Nicky Waller Patient Care Fund since 1985, following the death ofher.16-year old niece from cancer. She also presented trophies to Rosaline Tuddenham, of Cawston, and Sarah Crisp and Daniel Alford, of Reepham, for their fund-raising work last year. They presented Mrs. Overton with a bouquet, on behalf of the doctors and the defibrillator fund, in recognition of her efforts. page 13 �CREEPING SUBURBIA , Deve lopers' move in with shrieking saws" Their only care, the profit they will show So trees are felled, that once, entrapped the stars, And ancient oaks are soldfor timber now The maiestic elms, that stood for centuries . Along the hawthorn-scented country lane, Have vanished, with their cheerful rookeries. That our old village will not hear again. For red-brick boxes, now in neat rows stand Where once the violet and the primrose grew. Cold concrete paves the pasture-land, And covers the fare wildflowers that we knew Why should we such Suburbia make? Why turn each village to a dreary town? Let s leave some space for Nature, then to take Re-seed, renew lost beauty - as she's always done BEDRIDDEN From my bed I can see across the field the cows in their bold mapped skins. They lean over the fence to gaze at me with bovine curiosity. At dusk the rabbits feed and play and pheClsants strut to show thezr gaudy pl1!mage . to their many wives. I watch the world walk into winter and frost sugars the garden painting pictures on the window pane. Mist veils the farther hedge and passing cars. I can't be bored with so much !oing on and thanliful it's not brick wal and darkened yard. Thank God for eyes to see the year's activity. Pam Croone' Nov. 1988 (Editor's note: Pam Croone has been bedridden for three years) page 14 �fJ!ie 1\?epliam Magazine PARISHPVMP EDITED BY GAVIN GRAHAM, FIDDLERS INN, NORWICH ROAD, REEPHAM. TEL.870878 NEW VENTURE BY PARISH COUNCn.. Welcome to PARISH PUMP, the first Parish Council newsletter. It is intended to be informative and interesting, and it is also a chance for you to air your views on what is (or is not) going on in Reepham. Please send details of information you want published, and letters or articles on any subject to the editor at the address above. Reepham Parish Council - who is on it and what does it do? The Council is elected every four years (this one's term of office expires in 1992) and consists of 12 councillors. Their statutory responsibility is to ensure that the streets are lit, and the dead are buried. In our case, the P.e. does much more, predominantly in the area of providing leisure and recreational facilities. For instance, it owns and administers the Town Hall. In addition, it now owns 13 acres up at Stimpsons Piece and is looking carefully at the possibilities of extending recreational facilities in the Town. The P. C. also has to administer the market place and collect the rents from the stall-holders. It has decided to employ, on a part-time basis, an individual to help keep this part ofthe town clean. Perhaps you think this aspect of the Council's work could be extended? Please write and let me know. Your Parish Councillors are:REEPHAM PARISH COUNCIL List of Councillors as from 5th May 1988 HACKFORD WARD - 6 Councillors G.J.E. Graham D.G. Hindry M.1. Howard 1.1. McCartney K.E. Morrow L.J. Sage Fiddlers Inn, Norwich Rd, NR10 4NR New House, Chapel Wa1k 5 Silver End, NR10 4LH St. Michael's House, NRI0 4JJ The Old School, Norwich Road St. Michael's House, NR10 4JJ 870878 870385 87 1761 870666 870733 870355 REEPHAM WARD - 4 Councillors Mrs. A.E. Blunsden Mrs. M.J. Knipe R.H. Rudd D.C. Joice 4 Railway Terrace, NRIO 4LR Orford Cottage, The Moor, NR10 4NL 86 Richmond Rise, NR10 4LS The Gables, The Moor, NRI0 4NL 870891 870502 870325 870410 WHITWELL WARD - 2 Councillors e.W.A. Brooks Melbourne House, Whitwell Common, NR104RF 872540 CHAIRMAN - WHITWELL COMMON MANAGEMENT COMMlTfEE A.H.Ivim; Hillside, Whitwell 870368 An members of the public are welcome at every meeting and are entitled to speak on any subject. page 15 �rrFte ~epfiam Magazine REEPHAM PARISH GOINGS-ON We greet 1989 with the eternal optimism that seems to be so necessary these days, with air disasters, earthquakes, crime, unemployment and untold other strains that make us realise our own good fortune, and gain a fresh perspective in our daily, personal philosophy! Our rector is very active, and is nearly always available, if wanted, at the Rectory, Station Road (Tel. 870220). Do ask if you would like the monthly parish magazine, entitled 'Town and Country' - perhaps as it concerns Salle, Thuming and Wood Dalling as well as the metropolis of Reepham-cum-HackfordBooton and Whitwell. The rector has a band of about two dozen helpers in support for extra visiting or practical help too. . REEPHAM RECIPES is generally acclaimed as being an excellent book. Selling at£ 1.00, it contributes to the boring, but vital income for Church Funds, so please buy a copy. They are available at the rectory and at: The Chimes in the Market Place (Don MacDonell) and Beaver House Antiques, Norwich Road (Jane Bensford) ST. MARY'S, the parish church, has been alive with events. A lovely flower festival took place in September, which brought many visitors and much appreciation, before the more conventional form of thanksgiving of the Harvest Festival. The mid-December Carol Concert filled the church again. It featured the Reepham Singers with a fine selection of sixteen carols, the voices and recorders ofthe primary school musicians in good form, the instrumental group Saraband with 'some new, young blood and Gordon Dodson playing solo and accompanying on piano and organ. Then the High School service, a Christingle Service, midnight communion and Christmas Day all brought in cheerful faces and some fresh faces to the town's acts of worship. SUNDA Y SCHOOL, occurs at 10.30 a.m. in St. Michael's. The Pathfinders, the teen-age group, meet in the 'upper room '; the others are grouped by age, 3-6 year old<;, 6-8, 9-10 and 11-14s. Please contact Jill Goff at Rookery Farm, Back Street (Tel: 871847 ) for further information. 'CHRISTIANS IN CONTACT' - a home meeting for understanding the activities and concerns of the world-wide church. Meetings consist of hearing a "hort tape recording from a situation oversea", followed by a discussion ba<;ed on study material supplied by the Church Missionary Society, ending with prayers relevant to that situation. It is open to all who may be interested, and is held every month on a Tuesday evening (but not during Lent, in February or March). So, whatever Christian denomination you belong to - or none! - you are warmly invited to join us on Tuesdayevenings at 7.30 p.m., either in the Methodist Church or in St. Michael's, which adjoins St. Mary's. Venues and dates are displayed in the church porch. Canon G. Dodson Pastor D . Fox page 16 �'IFte ~epliam 9vfagazine THE BIRCHAM CENTRE The Bircham Centre, for those in Reepham who are not familiar with it, is the large, pale yellow house on the Market Place that houses the County Library and the W.L Market, besides much more! The building was left to the people of Reepham and surrounding parishes by Samuel Bircham in 1919 as a warmemorial - to be used as club rooms and a reading room. The part now leased to the County Council as a library broadly fulfills the bequest and several of the other rooms are used regularly as meeting rooms for small clubs. Five or six years ago, after an upsurge of "Let's provide more community amenities", the Bircham Centre became the focus of a need to improve and enlarge. Thankfully, the building was improved and renovated, especially the roofing. This cost nearly twice as much as estimated because the rapid rise in building costs unfortunately took off at this time. However, the Committee and donors managed to pay for it all by March 1988. Since then we have continued to raise ca<;h to improve the heating and decorating. Meanwhile, in 1988 another charitable family had followed Sam Bircham's lead and very kindly donated a leased field, known as" Stimpsons Piece", to the town as a gift and the Parish Council is purchasing the adjoining field. So now the idea, broadly, is to build on and use the playing field area for the larger clubs (mainly sport-based) and continue to improve the town centre and Bircham Centre area for the small indoor clubs and societies, archives and library, etc. and hopefully to establish a daygarden at the back. I say, hopefully, for needs are one thing, but with the best will in the world one cannot foresee with certainty and no-one can expect the voluntary members to take on too much. The present management of the Bircham Centre consists of voluntary members from clubs and societies in Reepham, plus other volunteers from the members of the public. This is the usual Charity Commissioners' Scheme of Management for what they call "village hall" type buildings. The present chairman feels that this particular scheme is not ideal, for membership changes very frequently - often 70% change each year - thus providing little continuity. Also with more "best will in the world" many Committee members cannot contribute as much time and energy that voluntary community halls demand. . Every Community would tell you the same story - that a few stalwart members of the community aim to provide facilities. They either hllve to provide many hours of voluntary effort to keep the cost of using the facilities within reach of the numerous small clubs and societies or increase the price of hiring to cover more professional help, whereupon several small clubs have to close. The result is stalemate and the building becomes the proverbial white elephant. This must not happen to the Bircham Centre area. We know that once the improvements have been made, management will become a lot easier and perhaps the estimated four hundred people who now go through that Market Place entrance every week will double in number. However, we do need continuing cash for some time yet. The Deeds of Covenant that were offered to us four years ago, mostly ceased last year. They had been a welcome source of income. (It means that if a tax payer kindly donates a set sum to the Centre each year for at least four years, the Bircham Centre can claim back the paid tax as well- i.e. £20 per annum for four years is £80 and, depending upon the rate of tax, it will be worth approximately £100 to the Bircham). lfyou can help in this way, please get in touch with Dr. Arthur Garrett. Meanwhile, the Management Committee will continue running the building as well as they can. If you haven't been inside the 'Bircham' recently, please do so. Inside are notices relating to clubs, etc. W.I.Market: Wednesdays 9-11; Library: Wednesdays and Fridays. On Friday, the Library remains open until 8.00 p.m. The building is a great asset. It gets no money from public rates, other than a rate rebate and unfortunately, running costs grow, as we all realise with our own homes but we will continue the improvements although it needs hard work and patience and the good will of you all. June Betts page 17 �fJfu 1\fepliam Magazine PARISH COUNCIL NEWS Leisure Land below Stimpson's Piece The Parish Council has recommended that the new land purchased for leisure use in Stoney Lane should be placed under the auspices of the Charity Commission. To tbis end, the go-ahead has been given to our solicitors for the inclusion of this area under the same protection clauses as Stimpson's Piece. The land has now been seeded and it is hoped will be in use by the summerof 1989. We shall be looking for volunteers in the Spring for the somewhat arduous task of stone-picking and we would be pleased if all the Clubs, Societies, etc. or other potential users would assist. Public Lighting AU lamp standards in the Town are numbered and it would assist if members of the public quote these when reporting faults to the Parish Clerk (Mrs. Galley) on Norwich 870813. Concern over Planning Decisions The Parish Council has become increasingly concerned over decisions reached by Broadland District Council's Planning Committee that are directly opposed to the wishes of the majority of the local population. To this end, a letter has been circulated to all the Parishes in Broadland District requesting their views and details of any matters relating to planning that they consider have received the same treatment. When we consider that all who wish to reply have done so, a dossier will be compiled and copies forwarded to the Secretary of State, Broadland District Council, the news media and any other interested parties for whatever action they may wish to take . . Management Plan for Whitwell Common A management plan for Whitwell Common has been initiated and the necessary legislation is being formulated To tbis end, Public Notices have been posted regarding any claims of ownersbip, etc. and when these, if any, have been settled the final arrangements can be completed. Volunteers for Reepham Emergency Planning Officers An Emergency Planning Officer and an Assistant are required for Reepham and any persons interested in these posts are requested to contact the Parish Clerk (Norwich 870813) or Mr. Keith Fawcus, Emergency Planning Officer, Broadland District Council, Telephone Norwich 31133 for further details. Car Park - Station Road Following complaints of noise nuisance and damage to the surface by heavy goods vehicles, the District Council has investigated the matter and suggested erection of a height- restricting barrier to prevent access by height and therefore probably the noisy, heavy lorries. Dual Use of High School The Governors are considering the matterof a joint management committee. Which clubs and societies would be interested? Please inform the Parish Clerk (Norwich 870813). page 18 �'I1ie ~epliam 9vfagazine Home Made Cakes, Bread & Health Foods. Outside Catering, or in your home. 'Friendly Personal Service' Purdy & Holley Solicitors Market Place Reepham TEL: (0603) 871075 8 MARKET PLACE REEPHAM are pleased to undertake the following work NORWICH NRlO 4JJ NORFOLK CONVEYANCING, PROBATE, WILLS, LITIGATION & MATRIMONIAL E.tc. SPAR STORES 8 TILL LATE Legal Aid and fixed fee interview schemes available. Quotations given for Conveyancing. CHURCH STREET REEPHAM TEL 871564 GROCERS OFF LICENCE GREEN GROCERY Agents for the Alliance & Leicester Building Society OPEN 8 to 8 Daily 9 to 1 Sundays VIDEO HIRE TEL: NORWICH (0603) 870606 F. RANDELL & CO. C;P) ~?14d c? OLLANDS ROAD, REEPHAM Tel: NORWICH 870302 AUCTIONEERS. VALUERS and ESTATE AGENTS All Classes of Sales conducted TELEVISIONS AUDIOS &VIDEOS, COMPREHENSIVE VIDEO LIBRARY (V.H.S.) Mortgages arranged Local B rallch Office for Abbey N a/jollal MARKET PLACE, REEPHAM NRlO 4JJ Te\:NORWICH 870473 Rentals from 50p per period - 1-· ._1 Computer Consultants Competitive TV, audio and video sales and service, plus hardware, ironmongery and electrical Saralle Systems Market Place, Reepham, Tel: (0603) 870983 For independent advice on all business computer systems '11 _Jll· '~ "j'_"; .Q_,gEttY :·EngineEtrs I~~~" rt·· , ) ,,' :~r: I " • '.. ,- ..... . . , '-. J . ' I . roc. ;.~. • .: . ' . • •• ~ .' ', ! �GET A LOAN IN 24 HOURS. STARTING FROM NOW. If you need a loan in a hurry, now's the time to apply for a Barclayloan . . You can borrow any amount between .£300 and '£10,000. And we'll make sure you receive an answer to your application within 24 hours. The application form itself is quite straightforward and takes no time at all to complete. What's more, you don't rleed to see the bank manager to get your loan. And you can have up to 3 months from the day your Barclayloan is agreed before you actually take out the loan and start repayments. There are no restrictions on how to spend your money, of course. You're free to shop around wherever and for whatever you like. Whether it's a brand new wristwatch you're after. Or an antique grandfather clock. For an application form and more details, all you have to do is fill in the coupon below. So why not do it now? It'll only take a tick. Please send me written details about Barclayloans and an application form. Name Address +++ YOU'RE BETTER OFF TALKING TO ------- ~ BARCLAYS SEND TO: BARCLAYS BANK PLC, MARKET PLACE, AYLSHAM, NORWICH NRI 6EW. TEL: (0263) 733259. �'l1ie ~epfiam Magazine ~~~~~~~~~ BRIAN ROBERTSON...... . rrfte Cliimes TRADITIONAL FAMILY BUTCHER LICENSED GAME DEALER MARKEr PLACE, REEPHAM. Markgt Pface ~epliam 5tntiques Scientifolnstmments Object tf'5lrt Qyofitygifts 1 'J./jnio{f(9{,1(J.O 4JJ 'Tef: (0603) 870480 'Tea'/(gom .................. Can offer you organic BEEF and LAMB and quality LOCAL PORK, FARM CHICKENS and PRIME CUTS of SCOTCH BEEF. Also available Good selection of PIES, P ASTRIES, PATE, COOKED MEAT, COLESLAW ETC. RICHES STORES Mr & Mrs D.L.& T.L.Hensor CHRISTMAS CLUB. Competitive prices on DEEP FREEZE ORDERS. REEPHAM'S FAMILY GROCER WITH DELICATESSEN & OFF LICENCE IT PAYS TO SHOP LOCALLY. FREE DELIVERIES TEL: 870437 TELEPHONE (0603) 870205 PATIO SLABS GARDEN ORNAMENTS ETC. We Also Stock BRADSTONE ATTLEBRIDGE CONCRETE PRODUCTS THE STATION. ATfLEBRIDG~ Tel. NORWICH 860852 '''~~ . S3 OLLANDS ROAD, REEPHAM. NORWICH • NRI04EL. . f'". ~ . ii~~~ ' _ ' '~l t~~~-'I"-"M!1 ..~ "., 4('~-'lI·~;I: . " *.,;;,y ~ < :"~'~:J1S. l .. , · ) ... ' ,'1if:~~: " ~ ·e!,;i' ON THE MARKET PL. REEPHAM * * * * * * * B.L.& M.H.DYE'S PHOTOGRAPHIC & DRUGSTORE s. "'i"<~'. it::;"" J:;j~~ ~ ..:....:'- ,,-.,t; . .) ......... .~ ,.., . FREE ESTIMATES. J. MATTHEWS Carpenter and Joiner .. I- ~ - .~ •· ,'/l~';' •> . \ PLUS YOUR BABY. COSMETIC. TOILEfRY AND HOUSEHOLD REQUIREMENTS FULLY QUALIFIED ~~ ,~ For all purposemade Joinery Free Estimates No Job Too Small Tel: 871516 �fJ1ie ~epfiam %agazine ~ FAST BAT HOUSE "Iooa", Market Place, Reepham, Norfolk General Lithographic Printers Artwork- Layout and Design Stockist of Butterny and Stiga Table Tennis Equipment Stockist of ButterOy Squash Equipment Suppliers of. Envelopes, Paper and Stationery Materials ARDAN HAIR FASHIONS CHURCH STREET, REEPHAM Tel: Norwich 870284 * * * Computer Penning La Maur, L'Oreal, Vitality, Revlon Products Open: Tuesday to Saturday 8.30am to 5.30pm Thursday Late Opening Tel: Alan Pickard on Norwich 871102 Proprietor: Ruth Pickard w.:FS%I'I:J{ & CO SOLICI'I01\S 5l 'PRJ'E'l\['DDY & PE'l\SO'l\[flL£ .9l!PPl(051CJ{ 'To: Market Square, Reepham, Norwich, Norfolk :reI: (0603) 870882 J{ouse safes & Purcliase (written estittUltes) Magistrates & County Court wor/( Iitt, ~,~,:", REEPHAM D.I.Y. CENTRE TOWNSEND CORNER ,~ ~:",', ~'.' ' Tel: Norwich 871064 A' Open 9-5 Mon-Sat .. 9-1 Tburs 10-12 Sun .~ . FUll GARDENING RANGE . DEEPCLEAN * PIT FOOD CARPEr CLEANER FOR HIRE £6.00 PER DAY * CYCLE PARTS GAil KNIGHT PAINT * TIMBER HARDWARE *TOOL5 *ELECTRICAL * SLABS * CEMENT SAND * SHINGLE LOCAL DEUVERIES 'Divorce and ~amify ttUltters 5lccident and injury daims Land£m-d and'Tenant wiffs and prohate Legaf 5lid ttUly he avai£a6Ce :J\[prwicn 872162 ROS WARD �fJFte 9?f-epfiam Magazine REEPHAM - WHEREFORE ART TIlOU? It's happened once again and I'm feeling rather blue, They descended on our town inforce - another telly crew, Completely re-arranged it, got changing this and that, You wouldn't have known the Brewery House - it wore another hat, And what about the Chimes? That had a face lift, quite, They even changed the colour - it happened overnight, And wasn't it antiques that they once used to sell? It became a Grocer's, but there's even more to tell, The ailey known as Pudding Pie, who wouid have recognized it? That was altered end to end, and the in-between bit. Then came the sudden snowfall, so early but quite fake And Reepham was transformed. Oh! For Goodness Sake. The market place was full of Beeb vans, ever such a lot, The locals gathered round to see the program shot, Not I though, much too busy to stand around and stare, But I might admit to a sideways glance occasionally here and there, Just one complaint /' d like to voice. It really isn't right, I know that when the program finally comes to light It's Reepham I'll be watching for - in disguise or not, But r II miss every scene - r II get so caught up in the plot! Gwenda Dove REEP rtAM BOWLS CLUB New members of both sexes required for a friendly club. Play commences at 2.30 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and at 6.30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. New season starts Saturday 28th April. The green is located behind the DJ.Y. shop. Pre-season enquiries to Mr. Derrick Henson, Riches Stores (870205) REEPHAM BRIDGE CLUB A club ideal for brushing up your bridge play. New members are made very welcome at the Bircham Centre where play commences at 7.30 p.m. every Monday. Enquiries to Mr. Derrick Henson, Riches Stores (870205) page 19 �rJ1ie ~epfiam Magazine 'RELATE' Relationship Counselling with 'Relate' (or as it used to be called The Marriage Guidance Council) is now available locally at the surgeries in Reepham and Aylsham (Hungate Street) as well as in NorwicQ. Counselling is for anyone having problems with a relationship; some people are in their teens and some are retired, many are married but some are engaged or living together. Relationships can encounter problems for many reasons. Actually committing themselves can make some people feel trapped, the arrival of children can impose all sorts of strains, teenagers or step children can be hard to cope with, remarriage, retirement and bereavement can all create unique problems. Relationship Counselling tries to help a couple understand themselves better. Very often understanding whatthe problem is helps to improve things. The Counsellor doesn't blame one partner or tell people what they should do. The aim is to help people 'listen to themselves' - and one another and to see how they can help themselves in a way that feels right for them. Counselling is completely confidential; some couples come together, some' come separately. Sometimes just one partner comes. Counselling may last a few weeks or longer if people feel they need help over a longer period. Although 'Relate' asks people to make a contribution to the cost of counselling, this is discussed with a Counsellor and if people can afford to pay only very little or nothing, that is all right. If you would like to know more about Counselling, telephone Norwich 625333, 10.00 a.m.-3.00 p.m . weekdays. EXTEND Anyone can get that Monday morning feeling but add to this the approach of three score years and ten and a few nasty aches in the joints and there is every excuse for staying deep down under the duvet. But this way blues soon tum to boredom and depression. Fortunately, the over 60s in Reepham have a better way to start Monday mornings. Come along to the Town Hall at 10.00 a.m . and there you'll find cheerful companionship atthe EXTEND class run by Gwen Blyth. Carefully supervised movements to music help to delay the onset of arthritis and rheumatism as stiffening joints and tired muscles are gently exercised. At 50p for an hour's session followed by coffee or tea at lOp, it 's the bargain of the week! SO COME AND JOIN US. Gwen's phone number is Norwich 870429 if you would like more details page 20 �fJ1ze ~epfiam Magazine REEPHAM EVENING W.I. 1989 PROGRAMME The meetings are held on the third Wednesday in the month at 7.45 pm in the Town Hall. New members and guests are always welcome. It is an opportunity to meet other people and listen to interesting speakers who cover a wide range of topics. January 18th June 21st HOW TO MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK Mr. A. Hales TOY MAKING DEMONSTRATION Mrs. V. Stevens February 15t.'-l July 19th HYPNOTIffiRAPY Maggie Perry SMUGGLING IN NORFOLK Mrs. Joy Lodey March 15th August TIffi HERB GARDEN Mrs. C. W. Henderson NO MEETING March 18th September 20th EASTER FAIR (9.00 am - 11.30 am) At the Bircham Centre 15th BIRTHDAY MEETING FUN WITH FRUIT Miss C. Spencer April 19th October 18th ASTROLOGY WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT J.Sunderland CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU May 9th November 15th SPECIAL EVENING 7.30 pm at the Town Hall SIMPLY FISH CHRISTMAS FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS Mrs. Barbara Harrold May 17th RESOLUTIONS ROCKY MOUNTAIN PARKS WITH SLIDES Mr. Maxwell Smith Decem ber 13th MEMBERS EVENING page 21 �fJ1ie ~epliam 9vfagazine HOME FISHING IN THE THIRTIES Our catch now sold, just thirty five fresh Crans. So off to sea again, passing close by Scroby Sands. Up with the Mizzen, helping to stabilize our boat. With only a wireless, we are a little remote We cast out our nets, with the hope of a haul. We are steering North east, a course for Smith's knoll. These are the grounds, where full herrings abound. We went there before. plenty of herrings were found. We arrive at the grounds. Drifter turns. wind at the rear. We cast nets over roller. a Buff between each pair. One. two. three hands full. then over nets go. Mate busy tying seizens. Boat rockins to andfro. With Warp at the bottom. and Buffs Jloating on top. Nets hang like a curtain. the herrings to stop. The last net is over. now ship turns about. Facing that long crooked line. the hundred Buffs we threwout. Nets now all floating. it's eat. drink and sleep. First call's at midnight. to see what we pull from the deep On inspecting our nets.jound. was not worth the haul. "Look again at four Boys". back to our bunks we all crawl. At four we inspect then. continue to haul to the end. Castoff to the Capstan. Cook to roperoom we send. Castoff unties Selzens, Capstan winds in large rope. With the sight of many herring. the crew haul and hope. Its one. two three shake. hauling nets by the crew. The herrings are flying. disappearing to wing from view. Mate goes below to divert. as one wing is filled. There are herrings galore. what if? some are spilled With last nets hauled in, it isfast back to port. It took three hours out. so time for breakfast we thought. Hawseman off to market. with a sample of our catch. Sold to the highest bidder. hoping our shot will match. Up goes the foremast. making a derrickfrom the Boom . Rope round the Capstan, to pull Baskets from Wi~ room. Two crew with theIr scutchers.fill baskets to ove ow. Fill' em up shouts the buyer, fearing baskets fille low. Stoker getting fresh water. enough to last three nights. Cook shopping from ships store,five pound joints are our rights. With our catch now cranned out. threefifty baskets in all, Crew happy with days work, but there's no time for a ball. M. Frosdick page 22 �fJJie ~epliam Magazine GARDENING FOR CHILDREN If parents are interested in gardening, so most likely, will their children be - at least until an age of rebellion. Young children enjoy helping to sow or harvest vegetat>les. lJoys as well as girls like to be able to pick flowers. Young children's help in the garden does need to be on their own terms; pothing is likely to put them off for good more than jobs that are obvious chores. The children's own terms are often best met by having their own individual plots. Children need more than an out-of-the-way corner of the garden and a handful of left~over plants to encourage an interest in gardening. However small the plot, it must be well drained and fertile to ensure the maximum chance of success. It should also be in a prominent position, for-childre,n love to show off their gardens to visitors. The ideal size of the plot should be at least 3ft sq. with access from ,both sides, and mown grass is the ideal surround. The plants selected should be undemanding, yet capable of producing worthwhile flowers or fruits and give quick results. The range of flowers to grow is wide, but an initial selection can be made from those flowers which the small child can play with. Antirrhinums can provide endless fun for' 'nipping" noses, and double daisies can be grown to provide material for daisy chains. Foxgloves make tiny gloves for dolls and nasturtium leaves make dolls' hats. Amongst other plants which appeal to children are those that change with the time of day or the type of weather. The morning glory will rapidly grow up a wall and white flowers open early in the morning and close by mid-afternoon. The Californian poppy is another example, having brilliant red or orange flowers which open and close during the day. Mesembryanthemums and daisies are plants that will not open their flowers in damp or rainy weather. Gourds are unusual plants that will appeal to children because of their quick growth; they produce a range of strangely coloured and shaped fruit that can be dried and varnished to retain their colour. Loofahs and giant sunflowers can also be quickly grown from seed. If the child takes a keen interest in their garden it is a good idea for them to cut up seed packets to make scrap books showing the things they are about to sow and grow, thus keeping a record for them to look back on during the winter months when nothing is growing. Barbara Kent page 23 �%e ~epliam Magazine IN PRAlSE OF THE NICKY WALLER FUND As someone who has helped in \l small way to raise funds for this very worthy charity and has seen how Jeanette Overton works to ..ruse money, it saddens me now to realise that it may fall victim to something which is becoming more apparent. It appe;us that whenever something is begun by people lovingly involved in the fund, as Je~ette alld her family are, it can theq unfortunately be regarded as ready for 'take over'. . The Nicky Waller fund h~ su<;ceeded primarily ~cause of the dedication involved and the memory of someone who appears to have been a v~fY brav~ young girl. Money raised has gone to buy items much needed by the sickbotb in bospital and at hom~. In fa~t wbat is refreshingly obvious is that every donor or fund raiser knows exactly whe~ the money is being spent and that very little, if any, is spent on 'administration costs'. Personally, I wOl,lld ask Je1Ulette and her family tq carry on for as long as they feel capable of doing so, i.e., working tirelessly Taising as much money in Nicky's n~e as they can, and giving it to the worthiest medical causes. It appears that the p~ople in Reepham are not only extremely generous but also astute enough to recognise something which may perhaps be of benefit to them at some point in their lives, and realise that it may well be better left to those who work so hard purely from love. That the majority of the villagers agree with th~se s~ntiments · is blindingly obvious, if it is based on past respom;es jIIld I'm sure will be equally clear from future donations and help. List of Recipients and Moniel; Donated A special wheelchair for a sevf!rely handicap~d child 8 Tendercare mattresses for St. Mi~hael's Hosp. Aylsham Equipment for patient care - ~orfo~ & Norwich Hospital Donation to Special Care Baby Unit at tbe N & N Hospital Elizabeth Fry Unit - N & N Hospital Donation to 1st Defibrillator Reepha.m Surgery Donation to 2nd Defibrillator Reepbam Surgery Mattress & wheelchair padding for Musc. Dy&. sufferer Special mattress for a quadriplegic gentleman £ 685.00 800. 00 2300. 00 600. 00 650. 00 2099.00 1155.00 180.00 88.00 Grand Total .......... ... .............. ........ ..... ,..................... ..... ... ............... .... ... ..... ...... ...... .... . 8557.00 Maggie Perry p(Jge 24 �'l1ie 1?&epliam Magazirte BEAUTY BOX· by Barbara Kent Take a good look at yourself. It is a fact that certain areas of the body require more careful attention than others. Sensible eating and regular exercise are not always enough. More important is what you use on your skin. Take your face, for example. "Moisturise your face as though it is fragile", caution skin care experts. "But watch what you use". For continued use of moisturisers, a non-comedogenic formula is clearly better for your face. "What are comedones?", you Il\ay well ask. They are the annoying bumps and eruptions that can so easily blemish your complexion. We are blessed with a climate that favours soft, smooth complexions, and it is tempting to take good skin for.granted. B~t what about those occasional bumps and eruptions? Are they just a fact of life? Maybe not. Maybe your moisturiser is getting into places where it doesn't belong. The fact is, the very moisturiser your skin depends on to stay smooth and young looking can also clog your pores, causing roughness and bumps. That is known as a "comedogenic" reaction. What a non-comedogenic moisturiser means to your face is that it will not clog your pores, cause unsightly blemishes, annoying bumps or red patches. Not even if you use it daily or over long periods of time. In an effort to avoid negative side effects, you may already be banning irritants like fragrance and colour, but that's not enough. The hidden comedogenic risk is there. The answer:Use non-comedo genic cream. Cream that is pure with no additives. Read the labels. If you are not sure wbat is in them, ask. If the sales assistant won't tell you, don't buy! Beautiful women must be silky smooth. So decrees the media. Just imagine Sue Ellen with hairy legs, or a stubbly Selina Scott - utterly unthinkable. The message is loud, clear and convincing. Even though the majority of wom~n have some degree of superfluous hair, the pressure is on to conform. British women in '89 give silkiness a high priority. And the old days of wrestling with a bar of soap and a blunt razor are past history. Waxing is today' s most popular method of depilation. Professionally performed, the whole procedure can be a quick, easy, virtually painless path to a silver screen smoothness. So ladies, why not give it a try, for a longer lasting effect page 25 �CJJie ~epliam Magazine DO YOU WANT TO SA VE SOME MONEY? If the answer is yes, then a phone call may be all you need. Ring a garage (main deal~r) to see if your car can take unleaded petro[ I was surprised to discover that my fairly ancient X registration Ac<;laim ' wa<; designed to take both leaded and unleaded. Vauxhalls can have a small alteratioQ done while you wail, AT NO CHARGE, to enable them torunon lead-free petrol. You can than save approximat~ly 5p a gallon, as well as saving the atmosphere from the toxic lead you would otberwise be pumping into it. More and more garages and service stations now supply unleaded petrol, so it is not difficult to find. So do yourself and the environment a favour, and go uOleaded'. Gavin Graham A'G~D~A'REFLECTS How different might my life have been If I had-known. at sweet sixteen, ' . the many things I know now. Had I then known the 'new techniques' of which my grand-child blithely sreaks t d not have been her 'Gran' now. 'Tween then and now long life has taught That Wisdom's only dearly bought Seldom when needed - never 'Now' One tale to write is all we've got We can't go back and change the Plot So 'Finis'. close the book now --rl+t page 26 �'The ~epfiam Magazine SPRING CYCLING NOTES The mild winter has meant that except for a few icy days it's been cycling as usual. Normally this time of the year we have sometimes had a two or three week spell off the road. Then its a bailIe to get into shape again. But as the sun each week is a little warmer the muscles work much easier. The countryside at the moment is full of colour with lots of early flowering. Since our cycling notes have been published in the Reepham Magazine, quite an interest in cycling hao; developed. Most people contact me for help at the Post Office. Anyone wanting advice to get started in cyclmg - touring or racing - full information will be given, plus cycling holiday advice. Congratulations to John and Joe Tym (Parent School Governors) who have developed a wonderful cycling club at the School. John has organised weekend trips, holidays and time trials. Many children have won awards through the English Schools Cycling Associations. Overall the school won the top prize - the Dunlop Trophy 1988. Whitwell Hall Country Centre was the base in March for an English Schools Cycling Association coaching course. Thirty two children took part and top coaches attended The course included lectures, videos and all practical advice on riding skills and lectures on hygiene, Qiet and clothing completed the course which only cost £2. It is hopoo to hold the course next year. Health and diet are foremost in people' s minds but with busy lives it is not easy to fit in exercise plans - someti~es it helps to start a pr<;>gramme by having a pa~ner to train .with. Training ride~ anq advice plus details of local clubs are aVaIlable. Remember cycling can be enjoyable - why not gIVe It a try! G. Johnson ,_: ....~,~;-~. ~~~~~~;~:;;-;;;..;,;::: ,:. o- -......:- -' Whitwell COTTUTlOn Watersport Centre page 27 �'I1ie 1\?epliam Magazine TI-lREE YEARS IN THE LIFE OF A FEMALE CALF Born on afarm, September, nineteen eighty one. I was taken from my Mum, before I could run. Metal tag in my ear, my navel sprayed blue, Saw this happen to others, in fact quite afew. Was carried into a pen, with two pails of my own, Fed pellets and milk, until I was well grown. At the age of one month, my horns had started to grow, Along came the vet, with stockman Bob, whom I know. Vet injected my hornbuds, so I should feel no pain, Then Bob stopped my horn growth, it was not in vain. I had a lovely polled head, with no horns in sight. Saw same treatment to my neighbour, a friesian black and white. I was paired with my neighbour. in a pen twice the size. We had no more milk, pellets and water our prize. . We reached our ninth week, a drench was gIven that day, With a repeat in a month. supposed to keep husk away. We were both little females, well bred, and pedigree. With our Mums in the dairy herd, we'd no chance to see. When we had grown bigger, were moved to a large pen, With four pairs of others, we now numbered ten. We were grown until Springtime, then off to a new home Mixed with twenty others, on a meadow to roam. Given meal in the mornings, in a shed by a lass. We frolicked on the meadow. soon learned to eat grass. By June we were thriving, so onto pastures new For the whole of the summer, my word how we grew. We had a shed for the Winter, littered with straw We had silage in mangers, self unloaded, why sure. Come Spring, loaded on floats, taken for a long ride . Went through a city. journeyed on, stopped by the roadside. We saw hundreds of cattle, red, brown, black and white. There were ditches to part us, and drinkfrom , day or night. We went back home in the Autumn, to graze on, ou/side. Us girls were all sorted, our Mothers milk yield applied. Now back on the pasture, with Tommy Bull as hour host, He would wander around, and love us all, was his boost. /lis name was Tom Hereford, his face was snow white, If anyone 'came near us, he would give them a fright. We grew big andfat, until August eighty four did come, When we gave birth to calves, that had white faces like Tom. M. Frosdick page 28 �'l1ie ~epfiam !Magazine BEEF A few tips from Brown's The Butchers . -..:;;~.--- 4- 3 C- - - - I 5 .... \ , , , t.:) , & ~, \ J I / / \ I / /' \ I \ \ g \ \ I? -- / -r ~ \ II \ 1. HEAD 2. NECK 3. CHUCK 4. MIDDLE RIB 5. TOP RIB 6. FORE RIB 7. SIRLOIN 8. RUMP 9. AITCHBONE 10- TOPSIDE/SILVERSlDE 11. THICK FLANK 12. THIN FLANK 13. BRISKET 14. CLOD 15. SHIN 16. LEG METHOD OF COOKING METHOD CUT COOKING TIME Roasting Sirloin Ribs Fillet Aitchbone Topside Rump 15 mins per lIb plus 15 mins over .well done Grilling or Frying Rump Fillet Sirloin 5-15 mins depending on thickness and choice Stewing or Braising Skirt or Chuck Bladebone Brisket Flank 1 1/2-3 hours Pickling or Boiling Brisket Shin or Leg Silverside Flank, Aitchbone 1 1/2-3 hours Neck, Oxtail, Shin Leg, Clod, Flank Marrowbone 1 1/2-3hours stock for soups 20 mins per lib plus 20 mins over, or 40 mins per lib in very slow oveIL The lean should be a clear bright red, and the fat firm and pale cream. The very best joints MUST have a certain amount of fat on them. page 29 �%e ~epfiam %agazine REEPHAM SINGERS Dare one say it, but last year it seemed that the REEPHAM SINGERS were too much in demand for their own good. There were so many requests for concerts and other pre form ances that it became a problem finding time to prepare for them. Events included an Easter Concert at St. Mary's Church, Reepham, a Summer Concert at the Old Brewery House, a Concert for the Reepham SocIety at Whitwelf Hall, Christmas Concerts at St. Mary's and Bawdeswell Churches and at Halsey House, Cromer, a Concert for St. Mary's Church Flower Festival, and a concert with the Aylsham Band for the Reepham defibrillator fund. We also san~ when asked at church services at which we also performed anthems. The concerts and practices leading up to them have all been most enjoyable, if quite hard work at times. The variety of music involved is considerable, as may be guessed from the above list of occasions. In addition to sacred music, special carols, extracts from oratorios, cantatas, and so on, we sing arrangements of folksongs, madrigals, modem arrangements from, for example, the Beatles and Flanders & Swan, extracts from Gilbert and Sullivan, and arrangements by our own conductor, Bernard Frankland; and this is by no means a complete list. We have over 25 members now. There has always been difficulty in getting enough men, but our bass line is stronser than ever at present with six men. The tenors, though stron~ in quality, are short in numbers, bemg never more than three. Any tenors around who would like to Join them? The sopranos and altos always seem in good supply and good voice, but new ladies would be most welcome. Many of the singers have been with us for years, and some since we started, getting on' for a decade ago now, but some excellent newcomers have joined the group over the last year or two, particularly perhaps in the bass and tenor lines where most needed - though here agam we could always do with more (particularly tenors, as already indicated). Our main plans so far for this year are a concert in SALlE CHURCH on FRIDAY, 9th JUNE, and, looking ahead, our annual Christmas Concert in St. Mary's Church, Reepham. We also hope to sing on the occasional Sunday in Reepham and Heydon. We practise at 7.45 on Wednesday evenings in St. Michael's Church Hall, Reepham, so do come along if you would like to sing, or ring our conductor on 872391. Like the RATS, we frequently have extra practices during the weeks immediately before a concert. We are fortunate in havmg Canon Gordon Dodson as our pianist (and organist) both at concerts and for a practice or two beforehand: he usually obliges with a solo at concerts; also Saraband (of whom Richard Danby is now one of our basses) who perform at our principal concerts and sometimes accompany us; and of course the Primary School Choir and Band usually join us at our Summer and Christmas Concerts. Nick Rossetti ROAD liABLE TO FWOD page 30 �rIfie ~epliam Magazine REEPHAM AMATEUR THEATRICAL SOCIETY Since our last report appeared in the first issue of this magazine, the Reepharn Amateur Theatrical Society (' 'RATS' ') has increased in strength to over 25 members, though we . could always do with a few more if anyone is interested in acting, singing, stage design and construction, and so on: please get in touch. Despite the great disappointment of having had to cancel the pantomime in January, we are still very much alive and already have our programme mapped out for this year. We were very lucky just over a year ago to secure the services of Barry Rix who comes from Norwich to our weekly rehearsals (which become more frequent as the date for a show draws near) and he now produces nearly all our plays and pantomimes. We duly put on the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk in January last year which played to full houses and was well received. We won a certificate of merit for a short play we put on at the Amdrarn Festival inApril- this was a festival in which about ten Norfolk societies took part. In September we staged three short plays under the title' 'Three for all" , although there were in fact four if you include the opening sketch. The plays were all comedies and were well received, we think. At the end of the year the 'flu bug and other unforeseen calamities took control forcing us to postpone (rather than cancel) the pantomime, Dick Whittington, planned for January. We were quite simply unable to have enough full rehearsals, and had we struggled on with the pantomime we think it would have been a disappointment to us and to the audience - it certainly would not have been up to the standard we normally achieve. However, with this set back behind us, it was all hands on deck for our next production ' No Time For Fig Leaves' which was successfully staged at the end of April. Our next project is to stage the pantomime in December this year, if the hall is available; otherwise it will be held in January, as before. This time we should have several months in which to rehearse, and hopefully DICK WHITfINGTON will be our best pantomime yet. All in all we are very pleased with the present state of our society which has acquired a new keenness and determination amongst its members. Past difficulties are behind us and we are sure that from now on we will go from strength to strength. If you would like to join us in any capacity, why not corne along to one of our rehearsals at 7.45 p.m. on Tuesdays in St. Michael's Church Hall; or ring 870410 or 870393. Nick Rossetti page 31 �%e 1\?epliam Magazine REEPHAM AND DISTRICT ROTARY During the summer of 1988, one or two members of the Reepham & District community got together with a view to forming a Rotary Club, to meet in Reepham. The original three members have now expanded to twenty-one and it is hoped that by the end of April this year, there will be a fully accredited Rotary Club meeting at The Ol.d Brewery House, Monday evenings. Rotary is short for Rotary International which is a world wide association of service clubs for professionals and businessmen. The clubs exist to provide a service to communities at local, national and international level and the membership of each club is drawn from the business and professional life of the community in which it is situated. Membership of Rotary is limited to those persons who the existing members of the club feel could contribute both towards the aims of Rotary by representing their particular trade or profession within Rotary and who are also outstanding members of their own profession who can represent the aims of Rotary within their own trade or profession. Thus being a member of Rotary is a signal honour which affects the lives of the members both in terms of their profession and in terms of their meeting with other Rotarians. The in itial obligation of all members is to attend 60% of the weekly meetings of the club and it has been decided that the Reepham and District Rotary Club will meet in the evenings since in these days of increasing competition, it is becoming harder and harder for professionals and businessmen to take off time during the day when they really need to be at work. The Rotarians as a whole are involved in service to the community by giving their time, energy and professional skill towards particular projects or enterprises. Frequently this is carried out by way of fund raising, although not always so. One way in which many Rotary clubs have been able to give service in recent years is by the provision if disaster packs. These are large cardboard containers which contain the essentials of life for protection, purification of water and preparation of food and these packs are flown out to areas where there have been major disasters. Survival packs have been taken to Mexico City and Russia during the recent earthquakes and also in the past to places such as Bangladesh after several floodings. One of the most ambitious projects undertaken to date by Rotary worldwide is the Polio Plus Campaign which is aimed at immunising all the world's children against polio, plus measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and tuberculosis by 1990, with the aim of totally eradicating these diseases. The objects of Rotary are therefore to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster: 1. the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; 2. high ethical standards in business and profession; the recognition of the worthiness of all usual occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his occupation as an opportunity to serve society; 3. the application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his personal, business and community life. 4. the advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace, through a world-fellowship of business and professional men united in the ideal of service. Rotarians are encouraged to think of the four~way test in respect of things that they think, say or do. The tests are:1. is it the truth? 2. is it fair to all concerned? 3. will it build goodwill and better friendships? 4. will it be beneficial to all concerned? It is hoped that over the coming years, the Reepham and District branch of Rotary will be able to contribute towards the local community as well as to the national and international community. If any person is interested in learning more about Rotary, they should contact Ray Osborne on Norwich 872162. page 32 �%e ~epliam Magazine A DIRECTORY OF REEPHAM'S SOCIAL ACTIVITIES BADMINTON: Cawston'College, Foro Hall, Thursday 7.30-10.00 p.m. BELL RINGERS: St. Michael's Church, Mondays at 7.30 p.m. BINGO: Town Hall, Friday nights, 7.45-9.30 p.m. BIRCHAM CENTRE: A central meeting place, under development as a community centre (Bookings: Mr. Les Mynard, I Coles Way, Station Road, Reepham, Tel:871614) BOWLS: May to September inclusive: 6.30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 2.30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (Sec. Mr. Derrick Henson Tel: 870205) BRIDGE: Monday 7.30 p. m. at the Bircham Centre. A friendly group - newcomers welcome. (Contact Derrick Henson: Riches Stores Tel. 870205) BRITISH LEGION: Chairman: Commander Tom H. Maxted (Sec. Mr. Alan Fry, TeI.871269). Meetings first Thursday of month at Bircham Centre, 7.30 p.m. Women's Cbairman:Marjorie J. Cook, Tel: 870475, meetings first Thursday of month at the Town hall at 2.30 p.m. BROWNIE;S: 7-10 year olds. Friday 3.30 RAY.S . Hall (Mrs. Dye, 1 Park Lane, Tel. 871791) CRICKET: Chairman: Mr. Richard Howard (Tel. 870235). Saturday Capt. Mr. Nicholas Mears (Tel. BawdesweIl251). Sunday Capt. Mr. Tim Briggs (Tel. 871240) CUBS: (8-10 year olds) Thursdays 7.00-8.30 p.m. R.A.Y.S. Hall (See also SCOUTS) CYCLING: George Johnson, Post Office DANCING: Modem Sequence - Town Hall, Tuesdays, 7.30-10.00 p.m., Ballroom Classes - Town Hall, Thursdays, 7.30-10.00 p.m. (Contact Mrs. Joan Rudd, 86 Richmond Rise, Tel. 870325) DAY CENTRE: At St. Michael's Centre; Tuesday for those with special needs, contact Mrs. Nora Wright, Hideaway Cottage, SI. John's Alley, Tel: 870483. Wednesday for the elderly, housebound and handicapped, contact Mrs. Brenda Morgan, Tel: 871083. page 33 �'l1ie ~epliam 9vfagazine DRAMA: Amateur Theatre (R.A.T.S.) Tuesday evenings, 8.00 p.m. at St. Michaels Church Hall. (Contact David Joice, Tel. 870410 or Sec. Paulene Syder) EVENING CLASSES: Area Office - North Walsham Tel 95 405930 FIRST AID: Every third Monday in the month at 8.00 p.m. at the Bircham Centre . FITNESS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS (EXTEND>: Mondays at 10.00 a.m. at the Town Hall. (Contact Gwen Blyth Tel. 870429) FOOTBALL: Sec. Joe Norris (Tel. 870634); Under 18's + several Junior T eams (870978) Graham Richards. GOOD COMPANIoNS: Town Hall, Friday 2.00-4.00 p.m. ( Secretary, Mrs. E. Thompson, Tel. 871943) GUIDES: Age 10-15; Tuesdays 6.45-8.45 p.m. at R.A.Y.S. Hall. (Contact Mrs. June Cook, 8 Moorhouse Close, Tel. 871825) HOCKEY: Thursday practice, Saturday league, Sunday youth and friendly at S timpsons Piece, contact Mrs. Carol Fearn, Tel:9684 763, Captain Angela Chipperfield, Tel:870978. UMPIRE NEEDED! JUDO: 7-16 age . Mondays, 6.00-7.00-8.00 p.m. High School (Mrs. Pat Limond, Tel. 870498) KARATE (Tae Kwondo):contact Mr. Nigel Cottrell, Tel: 870508 KEEP FIT FOR LADIES Bircham Centre, Wednesdays at 1O.OOam. LECTURES: See W.E.A., Reepham Society, Probus, etc LIBRARY: Wednesdays 10.00- 1.00; 2.00-5.00 Bircham Cen tre Fridays 2.00-8 .00 p.m. Bircham Centre MOTHERS AND TODDLERS: Wednesdays, 9.30-11.30 a.m., The Chapel, Station Road, (Janet Clark, Tel. 870585) also BIZZIEBABIES (preschool age) 9.30-12.00 noon, Town Hall (Mrs. 'George' Hardirnent, Ardgraft Cottage, The Moor.) ODDFELLOWS: A friendly society. Quarterly meetings at the Bircham Centre (Contact Mr. Dye Tel. 871791 for details or contact Sec. Mr. R. Felgate, Tel. Dereham 692967) page 34 �'l1ie ~epfiam Magazine PLA YGROUPS: The Chapel Playgroup, Mon., Tues., Thurs.,Fri., 9.15-11.45 a.m. Chairman: Mrs. A. Bartley. The Town HaU Playgroup, Wed., Thurs., Fri., 9.00-11.30 a.m. (Joan Taylor, Tel. 870625) PROBUS: For retired men. Sec. Mr. Geoffrey Hemmings (870759) REEPHAM SINGERS; St. Michael's Church HaU, 7.45 p .m. Wednesdays. Anyone interested tel: Mr. B. Frankland, 872391 (conductor) REEPHAM SOCIETY: Chum. .Ms. A.H. Ivins. Sec. Mrs. Hemmings (870759) See notices in the Bircham Centre. SCOUTS: 2nd Reepham (10-16) at R.A.Y.S. Hall (Mr. L. Tooley, Tel. 870701) Scouts Fridays 7.15-9.15 p.m. Cubs (8-10) 7.00-8.30 p.m. Thursdays at R.A.Y.S. Hall. TABLE TENNIS: Bircham Centre Tues. and ThUTS. evenings (Ian Taylor 870625 or Alan Pickard 870284) Matches Sept. - March. Summer practice Thursdays at 7.45 p.m. TENNIS: Club times Friday 6.00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons (Mrs. J. Digby, Tel. 880983) W .E.A.: Lectures Mrs. M. Reid, The Oaks, Booton (Tel. 870240) WHIST: Meetings on Mondays at 2.00 p.m. in the Bircham Centre W.I.: Afternoon: every 4th Thursday in month (Sec. Mrs. Pochin 870546). Evening: every 3rd Wednesday in month at 7.30 p.m. in the Town HaU (Mrs. Sheila Johnson, Tel 870230) W.I. MARKET: Bircham Centre, Wednesday mornings, 9.00-11.00 a.m. W RITERS' CIRCLE: Last Thursday in month. For further details, contact Barbara Kent, Tel. 870621 YOGA: Dail Yclasses and beginners' courses. For further details contact Ros and John Claxton, Tel. 870310 YOUNG I<'ARMERS: (AGE 14-26) Meet Mondays 7.45 p.m. Brewery House (Sec. Julie Strachan Tel. 870726) page 35 �'The !Rsepliam !Magazine ~~ ,.,;- ' -.~~~ ,(. r~;" - \ .>b:v...· li.P- v1~ BROWNS y"'" '=~ ../' -- -. .---_.' ,., The Sun House,Reepham Norwich NR10 4JJ Tel:871880 426260176 Beauty Salon & Nail Clinic Proprietress Barbara Kent Church Hill, Reepham LICENSED CAME DEALER FINEST QUAUTY LOCAL BEEF: PORK Slinuning Treatments - Ear Piercing Express Nails Semi-Penn Eyelashes - Aromatherapy We now have in stock LADIES QUALITY FASHIONS AT DISCOUNT PRICES, Track Suits, Comestics, Fashion Iewewllery. LAMB: FARMED VENISON FRESH LOCAL POULTRY SAUSACES SPECIAUST PORK, PORK & CARUC. CUMBERLAND, WEST COUNTRY, PORK & HERBS, VENISON PORK & APPLE. COUNTRY STYLE. LORNE UNCOLNSHIRE . BOREWURST, PORK &CHILLI Feel .Free to come and Browse LAMB & MINT, SCOTIlSH BEEF HOME MADE BURCERS Visa Welcome BEEF,PORK & APRICOT, BACON, VENISON Facial Treatments from £7.75 Waxing from £2.00 Body-Treatments from £5.50 CooD SELECJ10N OF ENCUSH & CON1lNENTAL Tel: Norwich (0603) 871999 CATERINC & DEEP FREEZE ORDERS WELCOME CHEESES .. lyl·,.n-J t~'\.""\." ......, J\ "RQVE:L:S I 1--_ _ _ UNDERCQ'{,ER AGENTS FOR All WNCI10NS _ _ __ G.A.EGMORE & PARTNERS Suppliers of Solid Fuels and General Haulage Telephone BAWDESWELL 270 CORNER HOUSE SPARHAM NORWICH, NR9 5AQ DANCES * WEDDINGS * SHOWS GARDEN PARTIES AND FETES SAllE MOOR REEPHAM TEL: NORWICH (0603) 871126 NORWICH NRlO4SB r-------------- ------------------, I BUDGET I 8 UY! I I I I I I I I Johnsons Wool N Fashions Plus Latest Cbildrens Fashion wear Low Budget Prices I I I I Budget Fashions I Plus you could win a £5.00 shopping voucher--- ------- I r =-~hen yo~end £2.00 or more _ _ _ _ _ II I Name: Cut out & II Address: hand in I @ shop II I TeINo: NEW IN:! LOW PRICECHIlDRENS WEAR ................. REEPHAM MAGAZINE OFFER - ()tts JohnsOii ..-f '; ., . be's got tbem " \ Indian fashions in by /''''''f~_~!'~ "..' Visit our shop, look round, see all our I;lew L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~----J----------------~ �%e ~epliam ::Magazine ARE YOU SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER? Over the last 2 years, we have been made increasingly aware of the health risks associated with drinking tap water. Many feel we have also had to consume more than enough Governmental inertia and rhetoric whilst EEe directives remain ignored. We feel we have the only serious solution for you and your family. We would like you to be aware of our research findings. There's no heavy selling, Just the plain facts in plain language. Call (0603) 872249 for more information. �'l1te ~epliam Magazine M-TYPE We Can Design And Arrange Printing Of: INVITATIONS, LETTER-HEADINGS, BUSINESS CARDS, LEAFLETS, FORMS, MAGAZINES, CV'S, ADVERTS We Also Offer WORD PROCESSING, TELEX and FAX Facilities. Let Us Type Your Letters For A Professional Finish Come In And See Us At M-TEC COMPUTER SERVICES (UK) ARKET PLACE, REEPHAM, NORWICH, NORFOLK, NRIO 4JJ Tel: (0603) 870620 Telex: 975631 M TEL Fax: (0603) 870436 . - ; ..... � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham, Directories and Town Guides Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Directories and Town Guides Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mixed collection of printed and photographic information Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1850 to present day Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1850 to present day Reepham Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Reepham Magazine 1989 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE2503261025 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource A4 PDF 44 pages Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1989 Description An account of the resource Edition No. 3 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned by Geoff Fisher Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Reepham Society Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available M-TEC Computer Services 1989 M-Tec https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/1c95a6e488b42ea5ff3899428178e606.pdf 7b04319f931319267d966464f2ef622c PDF Text Text Booton Bridge and Booton Mill To the Editor of the Magazine Previous to 1820 there was no water bridge at Booton, merely a ford for the traffic. The following are bona-fide facts. A gentleman who lived in Reepham went to Booton Hall to have dinner with his father-in-law, and coming home on horseback through the ford fell from his horse and dislocated his neck and died; this was on December the 15th 1811. Nine years after, a bridge was built over the ford. On a cast-iron tablet which is 3 feet 5 [inches] wide and 3 feet 6 [inches] high, which was built in the wall of St Michael’s church tower, in a vault beneath are deposited the remains of Mr David Williams who died December the 15th 1811 in the 58th year of his age. He was a native of Storney [?] near Bridgend, Glamorganshire, and many years a respectable surgeon in this parish. Also Charlotte his beloved wife who died November the 15th 1812 in her 44th year of her age; she was the daughter of Peter Elwin Esq. of Booton Hall by his first wife Miss [?] Paston of Bale in this county, As a small testimony of respect to the memory of such estimable parents, this tablet is put here by their two sons, Peter Elwin and Richard David Elwin. On the parapet wall of Booton Bridge, the upstream side, is the following: “This Bridge was Built by Subscriptions 1820”. Booton Mill The wind to serve the mill finished as the trees of Reepham House plantation grew tall and was removed to Booton Hill. It stood there in working order under the tenancy of Charles Stackwood until 1900. Charles Stackwood at that time thought it was not necessary as he had to two windmills at Cawston and persuaded his landlord to take down the mill with the exception of the brickwork and make same into a storage building for corn etc., the landlord paying the writer to cover in same with felt. All the beautiful old oak was bought by the writer who used it to cover in the Reepham Brewery well for the late Samuel Bircham Esq. and has the date on same 1900. The mill when at Booton was a pleasing dominant feature of the landscape. Few thought of the important part it had played in the economic life of the people or its constant battle against the wind. It was useful after the mothers and their children had gleaned the corn in the harvest field took it to the mill to be ground �into meal flour, also the neighbouring farmers who made use of the beautiful old mill to grind their second quality of corn for their pigs, cattle, etc. There was exciting times when the new sails were fitted, the apparent danger of the workmen riding the sails. The length of the sails was about 60 feet long, weighing about 1½ tons which had to be replaced. I am preparing an imaginary sketch of a windmill standing by the old miller’s house now standing at Reepham occupied by a Mr Cole and his wife. HEH Please digest the above and alter same to suit you, have enclosed a sheet of paper for the alteration if you may wish to make Mrs Cross [?]. I can give you a true story of the removal of Booton Mill which anyone could read in a church. You had better give the mill a rest till after the holidays and then send it back for a day or so. � https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/edea67ec8524470ccb6f1c8f3bd9035a.pdf 9a16ab6a856ede661ff8288f011a321b PDF Text Text ��� Text-digital Any text item for which there is no previously existing hard copy in the Archive. The text can be stored on CD, DVD, memory card, USB stick, on hard drive or 'cloud'. It may have been sent electronically to the Archive or it may be a text owned by someone else which we have scanned or photographed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Booton Bridge and Booton Mill Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2512171350 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 x A4 PDFs, 5 pages total Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1811 Description An account of the resource An account of an accident in 1811 in which a gentleman on horseback died while crossing the ford at Booton, some years before a bridge was constructed. Also an account of the removal of the windmill at Booton. Both articles from a handwritten letter by Harry Hawes (1863-1957) to the editor of an unknown magazine. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scanned, transcribed and edited by Geoff Fisher Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Copy provided by Jane Stolworthy, who was given this "many years ago" by a former head of Reepham Primary School, in response to the Digger's Diary column in the July/August 2013 edition of Reepham Life. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jane Stolworthy Booton Booton Bridge Booton Hall Booton Mill Elwin Hawes St Michael's Stackwood Williams https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/9f8c485368b9c8051fee7eecab34a6e5.jpg ebebc64bec1fa08328b149fd6c13e6e9 Artefact-physical Physical objects other than texts, photographs, maps etc. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Recipes Description An account of the resource A recipe book published to coincide with a Reepham Church Festival and Harvest Thanksgiving. 45 pages of recipes contributed by local residents. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980s (est) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1980s (est) Reepham Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/2101041547 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource St. Mary's PCC Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 150 x 220 mm booklet Stapled spine, card cover 2 copies Churches & Chapels [File 4, Archive Box 104] 1980s Dodson recipes https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/132c505b61836a0a38671500f75e8f2e.jpg 5b113797a6ee31c299f234992e2706dc Map-drawn This will always be an original because a photocopy of a drawn map, for example, would be categorised as 'printed'. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/1602201513 Title A name given to the resource Parish of Whitwell Tithe Map 1844 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Stanley Hickson Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Hand drawn coloured copy mounted on card. 945 x 660mm Local Villages/Whitwell/Ivins [File 12, Archive Box 112] Large photo Box Item 22 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1844 Whitwell Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society Description An account of the resource Copy of the Whitwell Tithe Map dated 1844, with field names and plot numbers showing arable and common land together with pastures, meadows, woods and plantations. 1840s Hickson tithes Whitwell https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/cdce7678e2f6bc51729b27fb997f33eb.jpg 7f5c9aed07baa521ed2cd576e028e38b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Band Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Groups/Reepham Band Photograph-printed Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/1601262133 Title A name given to the resource 1945 Royal Visit Queen Mary with E T Ruffles Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Studios Greenhoe, Walsingham, Norfolk Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 30 August 1945 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource B&W mounted photograph 189mm x 260mm Groups/Reepham Band [File 7, Archive Box 107] Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1945 Reepham Band Hall Description An account of the resource Edited from a group photograph of the band<br /><br />On the back of the mount is written in pencil 'Ruffles 15/6', equal to 75 pence in modern coinage. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society RS Database 142 1945 Band Hall Queen Mary Reepham Band Ruffles https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/fcf910b2ecfbe50d94aa5089e19d5505.pdf 22d9db774b3f7996a64cc270ac2772b9 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Band Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Groups/Reepham Band Photograph-printed Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/1603022236 Title A name given to the resource 1945 Royal Visit : Reepham Junior Band Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Studios Greenhoe, Walsingham, Norfolk Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 30 August 1945 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource B&W photograph 220mm x 155mm Groups/Reepham Band [File + Archive Box] Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1945 Reepham Band Hall Description An account of the resource Back row L to R : Reg Seales , George Cocking, Tony Ling, John Hall, Kenneth Adcock, Paul Stearman, J Secker, Bernie Barsted, George Harrison, ?, Ernie Moy Front row L to R : Pamela Barsted, Godfrey Barsted, Ted Barnet, Norman Tuddenham, Pamela Reeder, Daphne Barrow, Terry Arthurton, Leslie Moy, Hazel Freestone, Nancy Woods, John Derry, Derek Woods Relation A related resource GB/REE/1602181955 Collected lists of band members Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reepham Society RS Database 172 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Eastern Daily Press 1945 Adcock Arthurton band Band Hall Barnet Barrow Barsted Cocking Denny Freestone Hall Harrison Ling Moy Queen Mary Reeder Seals Secker Stearman Tuddenham Woods https://reephamarchive.co.uk/omeka/files/original/3814bae7be4ab80c24e2d0d232cd6119.pdf 9be9af865fe2e76679095b903535cdbd PDF Text Text GB/REE/1607300947 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reepham Band Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/Groups/Reepham Band Photograph-printed Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 1945 Royal Visit : Reepham Junior Band Description An account of the resource Group photograph with band members listed on the back. Queen Mary, E T Ruffles & Gordon Frankland at centre front. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 30 August 1945 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1945 Reepham Band Hall Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GB/REE/1607300947 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource B&W (proof) photograph 215mm x 165mm Groups/Reepham Band [File 7, Atchive Box 107 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Studios Greenhoe, Walsingham, Norfolk Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Eastern Daily Press