Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Norfolk

  • Wymondham – Wymondham Abbey (Thomas Betts)

    Wymondham – Wymondham Abbey (Thomas Betts)

    This gravestone caught my eye as it probably doesn’t have long left, the back is heavily eroded and there’s now a hole at the top.

    Surprisingly, the front of the gravestone is still partly readable. I think it’s the Thomas Betts who died on 28 June 1861 and was buried here on 4 July 1861. The probate records suggest that he didn’t die a wealthy man, with only minimal assets. Assuming this is the correct Thomas Betts, which I think is, he lived on Damgate Street with his family and so he would have looked out onto Wymondham Abbey.

    The 1861 census was taken a few months before he died, when he lived with his wife Mary Ann and his children, Thomas, Sarah Ann, Harriet and Rosa. He worked as a carrier in the town, as did his son of the same name. Betts sadly died at the age of 43. At least, for the moment, his gravestone remains readable and in the churchyard of the beautiful Wymondham Abbey.

  • Wymondham – Wymondham Abbey

    Wymondham – Wymondham Abbey

    Wymondham Abbey sits almost a little adrift in the local landscape, a former Benedictine monastery which is still in use as a church. It’s imposing and impressive with its two towers and a more recent modernisation is the latest part of the building’s evolution. Work started on the building at the beginning of the twelfth century and the first main section of the monastery was completed by 1130.

    There are interpretation boards around the site that are sensibly placed and have plenty of useful information on them.

    This is the west tower which stands 42 metres high, although it was initially intended to be even higher before the money ran out. It was also where William Kett, brother of Robert who led a rebellion in 1549, was hanged from.

    The west window was added in the 1450s and this turned out to be a bit of a mistake as the tower was at risk of falling down. So, they put a new central pillar through the middle of the window to help to support the structure. Not the most elegant perhaps, but it works.

    This is what is left of the Monks’ Tower, or the east tower, which was built in 1380 to replace the earlier Norman tower that was falling down. Although this is now the end of the church, it previously went back further and this central area is where the choir stalls were once located. The monastery had been used by the town and the monks, so when the Dissolution of the Monasteries came it was decided to take down the monks’ church and leave the rest of the main building. The structure started to fall into some disrepair after this, but Queen Elizabeth I came by in 1573 and she pledged money to help fix the problems.

    This is the entrance to the chapter house of the monastery and the cloisters would have sat behind this. The complex was large, and although it has been re-landscaped the area hasn’t been built on. The church’s interior isn’t currently open given the national situation, but hopefully it’ll be back to its normal opening hours again soon.

  • Wymondham – White Hart

    Wymondham – White Hart

    I’ve never been to the White Hart in Wymondham before, but it has a grand frontage and was once the town’s main coaching inn.

    Within the building, the heritage of its time as a coaching inn is evident, I hadn’t expected such impressive interiors. The building was constructed in the early seventeenth century, likely after the fire which devastated much of the town in 1616. Originally, the above wall was the back of the wooden structure, but it was expanded backwards in the eighteenth century and that’s when the frontage was redone.

    The White Hart has been a licensed premises for four centuries or so, but for reasons that must have made sense to someone, it was renamed to the Heart of Wymondham for a few years. Irrelevant as my view is, that’s an awful name for such a historic pub and bizarre to make it sound like a cross between a nightclub and a radio station. Fortunately, the pub has been renamed back to the White Hart and normality has resumed.

    There were people in this room, so I didn’t take a photo inside, but this is the pub’s Masonic Hall from when there was a lodge held here. That’s another impressive interior though, this is a quite glorious pub in terms of its history. But, going back a little to my visit. I noted other reviews of how good the pub’s one-way system was, although I was entirely confused where I was supposed to go to order. It seems the answer is that you hover near the bar, but I suspect there’s table service when it’s busier. It only occurred to me after leaving that the pub isn’t operating track and trace, or at least, I wasn’t asked. Sometimes systems have to be idiot-proof as otherwise I get confused by them.

    The staff member was friendly and helpful though, there was a welcoming atmosphere about the pub. It has new owners and from what I heard from others there’s a focus on the food which is being served here, and they certainly have a delightful environment for diners. The beer selection wasn’t marvellous, just Doom Bar and I don’t think any craft beer, but it was well-kept and these are challenging times in terms of customer numbers. The food menu does that strange thing of offering a separate option for senior citizens without mentioning whether it’s also available for those just with smaller appetites. Not that having a smaller appetite much impacts on me, but I’ve heard so many people over the years want to order from such menus but not feeling they’d be allowed to.

    Another interior as I sat inside, primarily as I wasn’t entirely sure if they had any seats outside and I didn’t want to get caught up in the pub’s one-way system. Although I like indoors to be fair, there are fewer wasps and bees. Looking back at historic newspapers, there have been hundreds of different meetings held here over the centuries, this was once a pub that was very much at the centre of the community and the new owners seem keen to restore that ethos. The pub’s web-site makes nearly nothing of the building’s history, which is a moderate shame, although I wonder whether that’s a limitation of EI’s (Enterprise Inns) technology.

    Anyway, it’s marvellous that this pub is still trading, so much heritage packed into this building and a relaxed, friendly and calm environment. If the number of real ales or craft beers were increased with some more exotic options, this would very likely be a pub that should be listed in the Good Beer Guide.

  • Great Yarmouth – Docwra’s Chip Stall

    Great Yarmouth – Docwra’s Chip Stall

    I’m not sure what the best strategy is in terms of choosing between the various chip stalls at Great Yarmouth market. I decided on the practical solution of going under the covered section of the market to try and avoid any seagull related attacks. The owner of this stall, Norma Docwra, said in the local press a couple of years ago that the seagulls were becoming an increasing problem and she’s not wrong. There was one seagull who hopped along at one stage, but I followed that advice of staring at it, and it merrily hopped off. Rarely do wild animals or birds do what I expect, so this pleased me. Anyway, I digress.

    There’s a plethora of chip coverings at the stall, including curry sauce, chicken gravy, onion gravy, cheese, BBQ sauce, beans, mayo, burger sauce, spicy chilli sauce, sweet chilli sauce and chilli con care. Or, if those don’t appeal, there are sachets of tomato ketchup and brown sauce for 10p each.

    I went for topless chips, just adulterated in a positive way (I’m not sure that’s a thing) with salt and vinegar. I’m not one for large portions of chips, so went for the £1.20 option which proved to be entirely sufficient. Ignoring the toppings options, I like stalls where there’s just one product for sale, it makes things much easier.

    The chips were fine, not greasy, sufficiently plentiful for the money, hot and at the appropriate hot temperature. I’m not really a chip expert, so I don’t know what they were cooked in. There were two staff members, the younger one was happy and bubbly (the other one was the owner and she was serving another customer, so she might have been just as happy and bubbly but I wasn’t paying attention) so there was a friendly feel to the whole arrangement.

    All rather lovely and excellent value at £1.20. Based on this, and for comparison purposes, I might start a little research survey of other Great Yarmouth food options at the market.

  • Great Yarmouth – Tombstone Saloon

    Great Yarmouth – Tombstone Saloon

    Tucked away a little, although within a short walk of the main market-place is this Good Beer Guide listed pub in Great Yarmouth. Calling itself a saloon, not least because of its American west theme, it’s the bar section of the Tombstone Brewery. It’s an under-stated location from the exterior and until about ten years ago, this was the home of the restaurant Cafe Nova. Indeed, some of the decoration from that period as a tapas restaurant remains today as the bar area.

    A decent selection of real ale, particularly given the trading limitations that all pubs currently have. The pub was also busy, with someone at nearly every table, and there was a relaxed atmosphere in the pub. There were numerous tempting options visible at the bar, not least the scampi fries, with a range of different beer types.

    I opted for the Tindall Stout, which was reasonably priced at £3.30. There are a couple of stouts produced by the Tindall Brewery, a small–scale local producer from nearby, in Seething, but the board didn’t name which one it was. I’m guessing though that it was the caramel stout and I came to that conclusion because I thought it tasted of caramel…. It seemed a little weak in body at first, but the aftertaste was rich and moreish, so a decent beer.

    The wild west theme hasn’t been taken too far, but it adds character and atmosphere to the surroundings. The service was polite and the pub staff were following the current guidelines in terms of taking customer details. A fair few pubs aren’t doing this very well at the moment, and although I can’t say it overly bothers me, it does show a level of professionalism. It’s not the largest of pubs either, so I can imagine that it gets relatively busy during a warm balmy day in summer. Well, I like to think that tourists come here in a reasonable number anyway.

    There wasn’t really anything exceptional about my visit that I can add, although that doesn’t mean there was any particular problem. But the customer service didn’t engage beyond the minimum, so there’s not much more I can add about that. I would say though that it felt like the kind of pub where you’d soon be known after visiting a few times, it had that sort of character to it. The selection of beers and ciders, as well as spirits, is also well above the average and so I can see why it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide.

  • Honing – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Roll of Honour)

    Honing – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Roll of Honour)

    The roll of honour, or the list of people who fought in the First World War, in the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Honing. It’s notable just how members of the Flaxman families went to fight in the conflict and there were 54 men in total who served. Sadly, 11 of those died and more about these in some future posts….

    The 11 who died are:

    Donald Beck

    E. Randell Cubitt

    Victor M Cubitt

    Eustace H Cubitt

    Archibald Flaxman

    Charles Flaxman

    Herbert Flaxman

    William Hannant

    Robert Jarvis

    John Meek

    Reginald Riches

  • Honing – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Tomb of Andrew Chamber)

    Honing – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Tomb of Andrew Chamber)

    The tomb of Andrew Chamber is located in the aisle of St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Honing.

    Andrew Chamber was born in Walcott on 24 July 1690 and he died on 24 December 1743 and was buried just two days later. The Latin on this tombstone reads ‘The noble human remains, son of Andrew and Susannah Chamber of Walcott. He left three children, Bevill, Andrew and John. Died on 24 December at the age of 53, AD 1743’. I don’t know how Bevill translates, I can’t imagine that’s the correct name I’ve translated there.

    It’s evident that as Andrew has this tomb in the centre of the church that he had some money or influence. And indeed, his son who was also known as Andrew, built Honing Hall in 1748 and he had made his money from Worstead weaving. I’m not entirely sure, but I’d imagine the Andrew Chamber buried here would have also been a weaver (and Honing church is near to Worstead), who had managed to build up some wealth.

  • Honing – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Interior)

    Honing – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Interior)

    Pleasingly, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Honing was open when we visited on a Sunday early evening.

    It’s a bright and airy church, although the boxed pews that might have added some extra charm were replaced in the early part of the twentieth century. I accept some people don’t think boxed pews do add character, but there’s something about these almost secretive looking boxes that I find historically attractive.

    The chancel was shortened in 1795 when the church was reconstructed, so there is now very little left of it.

    Looking back towards the west end of the church. The wooden roof is from 1795, although there was a ceiling underneath it originally, which has since been removed.

    I like the flooring, which adds some character, with the tower section closed off with a wooden partition. There was a substantial restoration recently and this does allow members of the public access to the top of the tower, albeit only as part of a pre-arranged guided tour.

    The top section of the font is made from Purbeck marble and dates from the thirteenth century, with the lower section dating to the fifteenth century. It’s thought that there has been a church here since the thirteenth century, with the bulk of it being reconstructed during the fifteenth century. That would fit with the dates of the font, so the older part is likely contemporary to the original church that was here and the rest is from the rebuilding.

    These are some of the narrowest aisles that I’ve seen in a church and I can’t imagine that this was the original construction plan. It’s likely another one of the changes that were made in the 1795 reconstruction and it does feel out of proportion. There are two possibilities, one is that the walls were rebuilt and pushed inwards and the other is that the arcade has been moved outwards towards the wall.

  • Honing – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

    Honing – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

    St. Peter and St. Paul is a fifteenth-century church which was substantially changed in 1795, something highly evident both internally and externally. It’s a peaceful location and there’s a long churchyard, which was extended in the early twentieth century. There has though been a church here since at least the thirteenth century, and a few elements of this have been incorporated into the nave.

    The most obvious external change to the church is the chancel, which has been almost ludicrously cut short. There is an area with iron railings around it and this marks the consecrated area of where the chancel once stood. It’s not known what caused this rebuilding, but one historian has suggested that the church caught fire and this was the best repair that could affordably be made.

    The new chancel end.

    The nicely proportioned tower is contemporary in age to the rest of the church. There was a relatively large-scale restoration of the building completed recently, coupled with the hope of encouraging more people to visit the church. The tower is also now climbable, although only as part of a pre-arranged guided tour.

    This is the west doorway on the tower, with the original door having been closed off during the 1795 restoration and a window added. The large window half-way up the tower is from the late fifteenth century, so may have been added after the church was originally constructed, but was likely part of the original design.

    We were able to have a look inside the church, so more about that in another post.

  • Dereham – Church of St. Nicholas (George Dunn)

    Dereham – Church of St. Nicholas (George Dunn)

    There was no particular reason that I photographed this gravestone at the Church of St. Nicholas in Dereham, but it’s of George Dunn, who died on 12 December 1861 at the age of 50.

    The probate record remains for George, which noted:

    “Effects worth under £450. The will of George Dunn, late of East Dereham, in the County of Norfolk. Shoemaker, deceased who died on 12 December 1861 at East Dereham, aforesaid was proved at Norwich by the oath of George Jackson of East Dereham, aforesaid carpenter and sole executor”.

    The effects value were in bands, of which £450 wasn’t the lowest, and very roughly (and relying on the National Archives currency calculator), it was probably around £25,000 in today’s money. George wasn’t likely a poor man, although that’s relative in this period, during his life as he was a registered elector due to being a freeholder property owner.

    George was born in April 1811, the son of John Dunn, and he was baptised at the Church of St. Nicholas. He married Susan Clarke on 30 October 1844, again at the same church. The 1851 census gives a picture of what life was like for George, when he was living on Norwich Road in Dereham. He was aged 40, working as a shoemaker, married to Susan Dunn (born in Thetford), who was aged 37, as well as living with his children William R (aged 5) and Anna J (aged 4). He was also living with his father, John Dunn, who had been born in 1782 and worked as a tailor, by this time aged 69 and widowed.

    By the 1861 census, they lived in the same property as in 1851, with John and Susan still living with William and Anna. William was by this time working as a watchmaker and Anna was still at school. Still teenagers, it must have been a difficult life for the family when George died a few months after the census was taken.

    It was evident just how common theft was in Victorian Britain, with George being a victim of crime when in July 1855 a pair of wellington boots was stolen from his shop. Maria Barlow, an eighteen-year old bootmaker, was found guilty of the crime and sent to prison for six months.

    The church in Dereham clearly played a great part in George’s life. From when he was baptised with his family present, excited about the future, to when he got married to what I assume was more excitement and then to his funeral service and burial.