Ghosts: Swaffham history part 1

Ghosts: Swaffham history part 1

 Plowright’s Ironmongery Shop 1962. Part of the touring exhibition – Tradition and Innovation: The Story of Market Towns. From the press release: The exhibition will be touring to museums in Sheringham, Diss, Swaffham and Wymondham from November 2013 to July...
Lost in a Landscape: Walsingham and the wolves

Lost in a Landscape: Walsingham and the wolves

I have amongst my detritus a book on Norfolk abbeys and friaries, it’s a junk shop find from years ago. It dates from the 1950s and is extraordinarily complete for a slim tome, just enough background on everything to get you started without too much confusing...
Sheringham Graffiti

Sheringham Graffiti

August has whirled by, hardly a breath between the blowing rain and the dry panic of the harvest. Combine harvesters throw their cones of dust over the fields pulling in the barley and wheat, sucking out what remains of the stored sun. We’ve been busy, fitting...
Lost in a Landscape: Heigham Holmes

Lost in a Landscape: Heigham Holmes

We went out on Sunday, for a saunter. The weather window suddenly being kind, blue skies and a bit of a breeze and the flat lands of Norfolk. It’s easy really when you live here to forget how lucky we are, the cliche of our vast skies gets lost as we all head...
Forgotten outposts: The Bure line at Oxnead

Forgotten outposts: The Bure line at Oxnead

You will, as you drive around north and east Norfolk, pass these all over the place. In fact you’ll find them all over the county as you will tank blocks and mortar spigots, even the odd trench line still exists all still protecting us from a long dead, now...
Found photos: The lost boys of Cromer

Found photos: The lost boys of Cromer

I go through people’s leftovers, their old clothes, the maps of lines on their faces, sit in their seats and eat from their plates; strangers’ stuff. They are people I can’t know nor ever will in the vast majority of cases, nearly all of them are...
Ghosts: Norwich Cathedral 1919

Ghosts: Norwich Cathedral 1919

Two ghosts from the Norfolk Regimental Museum which reopened last year in its new home in Norwich Castle. The original is from 1919, Part of Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service’s fine collection. Photographic print (b/w); the memorial service and parade...
Coasting: Trimingham – On the beach

Coasting: Trimingham – On the beach

I wrote a bit about Trimingham a few weeks ago, it was canvas really, the backdrop, the beach is the deep history. Being what it is and how quiet it can be we went back. There was a bitter driving Northerly, ice bearing, even the hardy fishermen had all packed up and...
Forgotten outposts: Brandiston type 22

Forgotten outposts: Brandiston type 22

There are hundreds of these scattered across Norfolk, it’s not a modern phenomenon either. Defence starts at the gate to your house, there’s ramparts and forts, dating from the late Neolithic to fairly recent lumps of Cold War concrete dotted about on...