Archives

Coasting: Sidestrand – the moving edge

There are a few places where you can really see the dynamism of the erosion of the soft coastline. It is obvious along nearly the whole length of Norfolk and well into Suffolk, our soft glacial memory is easily eroded. Shifts can be seen in the surfaces, the revealed...

Blitz in Colour: The British Gas Light Company, Dereham Road

Colourising, The Blitz

Post-April 27th 1942, this was the scene at the corner of Heigham Road and Dereham Road in Norwich during some kind of clear up work, probably to do with the gas supply. The whole crossroads here was badly damaged, the pub to the rear of the picture made of sturdy...

Blitz in Colour: Dereham Road Baptist Church 1942

Colourising, The Blitz

Opened in 1904. Closed temporarily in 1942 during the Baedeker Raids. Sources point at this being a result of the first raid on the Monday night; the 27th of April; this would fit the pattern of most of the bombing being of the north and north-western sectors of the...

Great War: Verdun in postcards

Postcards, The Great War

Fort Vaux – Artillery observation post. A century on from events. These are in fact a post-war set of tourist cards I bought as part of an album at a flea market in France. These are basically Verdun through a lens from some time after everything had been...

Blitz in Colour: Curls Store 30th April 1942

Colourising, The Blitz

Outside Curls store, Rampant Horse Street corner with Brigg Street, 30th April 1942. They’re standing in the wreckage caused by the incendiary bombs that fell on Norwich on the second night of the Baedeker Raids on Norwich. So this is the 30th of April 1942. The...

Blitz Ghosts: Church of St Julian Norwich

Rephotography, The Blitz

One of the best known Blitz victims in Norwich, because of it’s famous St Julian thing. Hit head on by a 250kg, it was all but obliterated as you can see. Beautifully rebuilt, and a fabulous little church, even if you don’t do the whole religion thing...

Blitz Ghosts: St Michael at Thorn

Rephotography, The Blitz

St Michael at Thorn, or it was, just behind the Archant building, sort of opposite or adjacent to the shops that survived the flame-grilling of Bonds in April 1942, this is 11 years before the bombs fell in 1931. So I’m standing roughly, within a foot or so of...

Blitz Ghosts: St Benedicts Church

Rephotography, The Blitz

Quite hidden away, a poor little thing. The tower is still there, preserved like like a thick flint chimney, or a Cloigtheach except no bells ring here, It reminds me of Messines in Flanders too. It’s set in some grass just off St Benedicts Street, behind a new...

Blitz in Colour: Rampant Horse Street 30 April 1942

Colourising, The Blitz

Rampant Horse Street in the aftermath of the second night of the Baedeker raids on Norwich, The Luftwaffe bombed across the centre of Norwich using incendiaries. There were too many individual fires for the wardens to put them all out the fire spread from building to...

Blitz Ghosts: Aylsham Road

Rephotography, The Blitz

Aylsham Road, Norwich, April 1942 and nearly now. There are two pictures of the area. Both I believe taken by George Swain. The top Blitz Ghost is the first one I ever did, and the bottom one is the last. A 500kg landed here, it blew the front out of all the houses in...