[This is from August 2018, but I’ve reposted it to fix the broken image link for the photo that amused me at the time….]
This isn’t particularly amusing, but this is certainly my sort of superstore 🙂
Category: Norfolk
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Fakenham – St Peter and St Paul’s Church
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
Fakenham’s parish church is centrally located in the town and there has been a religious building here since Saxon times. The main structure of the church dates to the fourteenth century, with the tower having been added in the fifteenth century.
The doorway.
The bright and open nave. The local newspaper in November 1863 wrote about the church’s extensive restoration and commented that the two aisles were formerly two chapels, the one on the south was dedicated to St. Mary and the one on the north was dedicated to St. Thomas.
The paper added that “the church has a noble appearance externally and it is to be deeply regretted that such a fine edifice well situated on high ground should be hidden by high buildings which stand between it and the public market place, from which it would be so noble a spectacle.
The grand wooden roof which dates from the Victorian restoration.
One of the sculptures within the wooden roof.
The fourteenth century chancel.
The font dates to the fifteenth century, although one of its panels has been removed and it’s thought that this happened at the time of the Reformation.
Some rather colourful kneelers on the Victorian pews.
A memorial to Private William Daniel Blomfield, a local resident who died on active service. He died of illness at Bloemfontein in South Africa during the Boer Wars.
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Fakenham – Edward VII Coronation Lamp-post
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
This lamp-post, which was funded by public subscription, was erected in 1902 to mark the coronation of King Edward VII as the country’s new Monarch.
The coronation date for the King was originally set to be held on 26 June 1902, but King Edward got an abscess and it had to be delayed. I can imagine the irritation that this caused to the people of Fakenham, who then had to go and buy a second plaque. All was well though for the second date, and the Coronation went ahead on 9 August 1902.
This panel notes the creation of the Royal Manor of Fakenham, linking the town to the Royal Family.
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Fakenham – War Memorial
[I originally posted this in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]
The town’s war memorial was unveiled in August 1921 to mark those who had died during the First World War.
There are 96 names of those who died during the First World War, 27 names for the Second World War, 2 names of those who died during the Korean War and 1 name from the Iraq War in 1954. There’s a full list of those who died at http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Fakenham.html with five names having been added later (two from World War Two and those who died during the Korean and Iraq conflicts). Details of these five men are listed at http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/the-heroic-tales-behind-the-new-names-on-fakenham-war-memorial-1-2963865.
It’s a nicely presented war memorial and it’s centrally located in Fakenham.
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Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 26 and Ruby’s
This is week 27 of eating at every food stall at Norwich Market and the randomly drawn location this time was Ruby’s, which Nathan and I visited in 2023. I had a burger back then which I thought was decent, with Nathan having the BLT, so I had high expectations for this repeat visit.
The menu boards and there have been price rises of around £1 on everything since we visited in 2023, which is a larger percentage increase but these prices are still towards the lower end of the market pricing. I have to note that the prices for hot drinks are very low, just 70p for a tea and 80p for a coffee.
Not the fault of the stallholders, but there are bloody pigeons everywhere. Could be worse, there could be more seagulls. Note the signage on the left for quality, delicious beef burgers.
The burger which was nicely presented in a fresh roll and with salad which added taste and texture. I’m afraid to note that the burger itself was, if I’m being honest, sub-optimal, devoid of taste, seasoning and flavour. The burger was hot, properly cooked and all of that, just completely lacking in taste. By the end I was thinking they could have just ditched the burger and instead doubled the salad, which is a somewhat extraordinary thing for me to say given my life-long resistance to lettuce.
James had the cheeseburger and was also disappointed, replacing an experience he had at Reggies a few weeks ago.
Overall, the service here was friendly, the roll was fresh, the prices were reasonable and so that was all positive, although this wasn’t the burger taste sensation that I had hoped for. Either the burger quality has gone down, or perhaps I’ve been so surprised and delighted at the quality of the food stalls at the market that my expectations have increased.
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Norwich – Gentleman’s Walk and No Trams (Old Image)
This photo of Gentleman’s Walk is from 1938 and it doesn’t look far different today, just with fewer cars as the area by the market has effectively been pedestrianised. The saddest element of this is that the trams have gone, a decision made in 1933 following the purchase of Norwich Electric Tramways by Eastern Counties Omnibus. All the trams departed from Orford Place and this route would have been Haymarket, Gentleman’s Walk, the Market Place, St. Giles Street and then down Earlham Road. I also wonder how many of those market stalls sold food, I suspect not very many of them. James and I might have found it quicker to do our eating at every market stall thing back then.
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Norwich – London Street / Guildhall Hill (Old Image 1919 and New Image 2019)
I’m not generally one of those people who looks at old photos and comes to an immediate conclusion that things were once better, but I have some sympathy with that argument with this above photo from 1919. The sweeping tram-line and the grand buildings give it something of a European feel. What is now the Leeds was once Dean & Palmer tailors and that was still going into the 1970s.
The removal of the tram-lines was a dreadful mistake and it’s likely now too expensive the fix that decision. The buildings remain grand as they’re the same ones, but it feels a little less charming without the decorative shop displays. Here’s a 1939 colour photo of those shops (one of very few he took) taken by the great George Plunkett shortly before war was to break out.
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Norwich – Ferry Road (Old Image)
I’ve never seen this image before, but it’s Riverside Road in front with Pull’s Ferry at the rear. The road that the photo is taken from is Ferry Road.
And here’s what that looks like today. I hadn’t noticed, but that wall on the left does look pretty old.
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Gorleston – Dr. Kenneth Hamilton-Deane
[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image link]
Gorleston is one of those towns which seems to be quite enthusiastic about the number of blue plaques which it puts up. That seems a marvellous idea to me, it’s far better to have too much history than not enough. Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society are the organisation responsible for these plaques, and there are many others located around Gorleston and Great Yarmouth. He lived at 225 High Street, Gorleston, which was also known as Surbiton Lodge but it’s been demolished and replaced by flats now. He died in 1993 and is buried at Gorleston Cemetery and Crematorium. The plaque indicates that Hamilton-Deane practised medicine here from 1923 until 1985, which makes him one of the longest serving GPs in the country.
There’s more about him and his life at http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/exceptional-gorleston-doctor-william-hamilton-deane-honoured-with-plaque-1-1068846.
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Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 25 and Bodega
This week’s visit, in between James signing autographs as we walked to the market, of eating at every food stall at Norwich Market was to Bodega, which was the ‘winner’ of when we did this in 2023. We’re struggling to fit lunch in now at all with James needing to stop to talk to all these middle-class people we pass, it’s gotten so bad I’ve had to start wearing a shirt with a collar to blend in with this whole world of wealth that I hadn’t known about. Anyway, I digress. This seems to be one of the most talked about food stalls on the market and the standards have remained high for years, so we were looking forwards to this visit.
The menu and there are many tempting options. I’m aware that I should have tried something different, but pastrami and pickles are one of my favourite things, so I went for the same again and was pleased that James showed a little more culinary bravery. As a price comparison, the Bring Back the Katz is now £9 and was £7.50 a couple of years ago, so it’s not an enormous price increase. The service was polite, efficient and welcoming, so this continued to feel like an inviting place to visit. I also liked that they had stickers, it suits my inner child and that’s going on the laptop later alongside the selection of craft beer stickers. They accept card and cash and there’s a small seating area located opposite the stall.
This looks, and indeed was, delicious. There was a large quantity of the ingredients, the pastrami was tender, the pickles added texture, the sauce was light with a slight punchiness and the bread was soft and fresh. To be honest, half a sandwich was plenty, although being greedy I wasn’t displeased to have to eat another half. All very nice and although it’s a little expensive for a sandwich, there’s a lot going on here for the money.
James went for the Coq Joke and was suitably impressed by the quality of the chicken and the size of the portion, although I think he found it just a little sickly with the sweet sauce. But, there’s still value for money there, with the ingredients being decent. James also took a Good Girls sticker, I’m not sure where he’s planning to stick it.
Once again, I couldn’t really fault this visit. The service was friendly, the ordering process was well managed, the quality was high and the portion size was generous. This is definitely one of the market’s consistently excellent stalls and long may it continue…. Only a handful of visits left now and we’ve started to discuss who the winner will be, my two loyal blog readers must be beyond themselves with excitement.
