KL Magazine 100 Reasons to Celebrate Norfolk

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COVER IMAGE

meet the team

Bawsey Ruin by Ian Ward

MANAGING DIRECTOR Laura Dunn

CONTENT MANAGER

Sarah Woonton

EDITOR

Eric Secker

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Amy Phillips Lisa Barrett

ADVERTISING Jessica Smith

ADMINISTRATION Nicola Back

DISTRIBUTION

PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Ward

contact

CONTRIBUTORS

18 Tuesday Market Place King’s Lynn PE30 1JW

Alison Gifford

01553 601201 info@klmagazine.co.uk

Pete Tonroe

KL magazine is published monthly by KL Publications Ltd. The magazine cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and KL magazine takes no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

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t doesn’t matter if you’re celebrating your birthday or playing cricket, reaching the magic number of 100 is always worth commemorating. So when we recently published the 100th edition of KL magazine, we decided to produce a special edition to mark the event, and thought there was no better way to mark the milestone than by doing what we’ve always done best - promoting the very best that west and north Norfolk has to offer.

Choosing 100 reasons to celebrate Norfolk was never going to be an easy task, and although the following pages contain everything from historic buildings and natural wonders to famous people and incredible food, it’s a list that's inevitably incomplete. It’s also a list that’s in no particular order at all. It’s certainly not ‘best to worst’ and it’s definitely not alphabetical - it’s simply a showcase of 100 reasons why we love the area.

Every advertisement you see in this edition features the businesses who’ve supported us the most through our first 100 editions, and they’ll be telling you what they love most about Norfolk as well. Without their support, we couldn’t have produced KL magazine. They’re all local and independent businesses run by people living in Norfolk, so next time you need a product or service please support them - it will help Norfolk’s economy continue to thrive, but it will also help us produce another 100 editions of KL magazine.

If you live and work here, I hope this special edition reminds you of just how fortunate we are to be in west and north Norfolk and I hope it reaffirms your love for it - and inspires you to enjoy a little more of it. If you’re visiting the county then I have to admit to being a little envious because you’re in for a real treat. There are few more beautiful places to visit, and there are certainly no better places to come home to.

And in the likely event we’ve missed out your favourite location, your most-loved building or your personal mustvisit attraction, then I can only offer my apologies - and recommend you start looking forward to May 2027 when we’ll be celebrating the 200th edition of KL magazine and will have more room to include it!

Eric Secker, Editor KLmagazine 100

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King’s Lynn Medieval Old Town

rom the Saturday Market Place in the imposing shadow of King’s Lynn Minster (the former church of St. Margaret’s) you can follow a roughly circular route around the streets surrounding this magnificent building – along St. Margaret’s Plain to

the junction of Priory Lane and Nelson Street, and then finally coming full circle via Church Street.

It’s a relatively short stroll, but this medieval layout of narrow twisting lanes is lined with a hugely important collection of almost continuously listed buildings – a collection that represents

one of the higest concentrations in England. Within a few minutes you’ll walk past no less than seven Grade I listed buildings and almost twice the number at Grade II* status.

There are few places in Norfolk that offer a more authentic walk through history. The delightful curves of Queen

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Street and Nelson Street follow the line of the early river edge, and the area is packed with warehouses and prestigious merchants’ houses dating from the 14th century onwards.

The narrow alleys and partlyconcealed courtyards which can be glimpsed from the pavement only add to the very special character and atmosphere of the historic heart of King’s Lynn.

The area is a clear reminder of the town’s 14th century standing as one of England’s most important ports.

Here you can find the only surviving Hanseatic building in England – the one that allowed European traders to establish a trading depot in Lynn for the

first time and founded an international business alliance that would last for the next few centuries. The Georgian splendour of the town house now fronting it – officially known as St. Margaret’s House, but more commonly known as Hanse House – is only one of the highlights of these picturesque streets.

The largest and most prestigious houses lie on the west side of Nelson Street (numbers 2 to 4 are the best preserved), but Priory Lane contains the only surviving buildings from the town’s priory - currently numbered from 12 to 20, they date back to the mid-15th century.

One of the most beautiful buildings in

the area is Hampton Court, a stunning courtyard that features four distinct building periods.

Named after a local baker of the 17th century, it was partly restored by a local benefactor in the 1950s before being completed by the King's Lynn Preservation Trust in 1960. At various times serving as a warehouse, shop, bakery and brewery, it’s a story in stone of the changing commercial life of King’s Lynn.

Many towns in England have a street or two with a few heritage buildings, but this area of King’s Lynn is quite exceptional – a genuine treasure trove of architectural wonder and historical importance.

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Holkham Beach

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seemingly infinite stretch of golden sands running down to the blue-green waters of the North Sea, backed by huge horizons... at Holkham, the sensation of space is totally liberating, and you can’t help feeling as if you could walk forever.

Of course, with a coastline that runs from west to east for almost 100 miles, Norfolk has plenty of beaches – but none are quite as special as Holkham.

Stretching for around four miles, it's one of Norfolk’s most spectacular natural features, and it gained worldwide fame in 1998 when the iconic final scenes of the seven-time Oscar winning film “Shakespeare in Love” featuring Gwyneth Paltrow were filmed there.

That was over 20 years ago, but Holkham hasn’t spent the last two

decades resting on its laurels.

More recently, this awe-inspiring beach was judged ‘Beach of the Year’ by a nationwide BBC poll – and acclaimed as the best beach in the whole of the UK by a panel of international travel writers just a few weeks later.

The beach at Holkham is atmospheric enough over winter, but visit the beach during summer and you may be lucky enough to catch the incredible sight of the Queen’s Household Cavalry Regiment riding their horses along the beach. They've chosen this beach for over 25 years for their annual two-week ‘holiday’ for rural training.

And don't miss The Lookout, a brand new visitor centre just behind the beach itself which highlights the diversity of the nearby Holkham estate’s nationallyimportant nature reserve.

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D O N A LD S O N S Full of f resh ideas for over 150 years

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Samphire For centuries, locals on the north Norfolk coast have foraged the salt marshes for the delicacy called Salicornia Europaea but better known as samphire - and have spent almost as long trying to get people to pronounce it properly. For those still unsure, it's "sam-fer" rather than the phonetic "sam-fire."

You can now find this delicious natural treat in exclusive London restaurants and you'll occasionally find it in supermarkets (usually flown in from Israel or Mexico), but there's nothing better or more authentic than heading to Norfolk's coastline - which produces Britain's very best samphire. Originally, the appeal of "poor man's asparagus" was in its medicinal and chemical properties. A trusted preventative against scurvy and a rich source of sodium for soap and glass manufacture (it's sometimes called 'glasswort'), samphire was burned in huge quantities before people discovered the pleasures of eating it. And few things are simpler to cook. Wash well in water, simmer for 10 minutes, and serve with melted butter and some black pepper. It's one of Norfolk's most distinctive tastes. Enjoy!

Cromer Crab

Crabs come in all shapes and sizes and you can eat them in any number of ways, but the undoubted king of the crustaceans comes from Cromer - bringing with it a host of celebrity endorsements from Delia Smith, Stephen Fry and Galton Blackiston.

Their sweet delicate flavour and high proportion of white meat are unparalleled (in fact, the "finest perfection" according to an 1800 guidebook), but on the face of it there's no reason why our local crabs should be so exceptional; they're

the very same type of Cancer pagurus found all over the UK – and its Cornish brothers and sisters are substantially bigger.

But that may be part of the Cromer crab's secret; it grows slowly, allowing more time for the flavour to develop. And the other vital ingredient is Norfolk's environment.

Cromer's crabs are lucky enough to live on a chalky and flinty offshore reef that contains less mud than most other coastal locations in the UK - and this purer, nutrient-rich water helps give our local crabs their unique taste.

And the best way to enjoy them? Get them the same day they're caught and add some black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Extraordinary.

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Houghton Hall

oughton Hall is one of the grandest, most beautiful country houses you're ever likely to visit - and its history is no less

captivating.

Commissioned by Britain's first Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole in 1722, it's a key building in the history of Palladian architecture in England, although the costs and timescale of its construction are unknown - Walpole himself burned all the receipts, although he admitted it had cost over £200,000.

The redesign of the park surrounding the house even involved the demolition and relocation of the village of Houghton, which explains why the medieval parish church now sits alone in the grounds of the house.

Walpole was something of an extravagant host - royal visits were common and hunting parties would last for weeks - and an inveterate collector of art. From the beginning, Houghton Hall was intended to be the permanent home for more than 400 of his Old Master paintings, including worldfamous works by Van Dyck, Poussin, Rubens, Rembrandt and Velázquez.

Although Walpole's grandson sold most of the masterpieces to Catherine the Great in 1779, art has remained a central part of life at Houghton - thanks to the efforts of David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, who continues to live in the house.

In the early 1990s, a painting by Hans

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Holbein was sold to the National Gallery for £17 million to help maintain the house and grounds, and a major £23 million sale of artwork and furniture at Christie's in 1994 established an endowment fund to help the future preservation of the building.

It hasn't all been one-way traffic, however. The fabulous grounds and gardens (which were judged Garden of the Year by the Historic Houses Association in 2007) contains a growing collection of important modern sculptures by a number of significant contemporary artists.

And don't forget to visit the stable block, which contains the

Cholmondeley Collection of Model Soldiers. Started in 1928 by the 6th Marquess, it's the largest private collection of model soldiers in the world and contains over 20,000 individual figures in a variety of highlydetailed and historically accurate scenarios.

Houghton Hall even has a place in the Guinness World Records, thanks to its builder's father. Colonel Robert Walpole borrowed a book from the Sidney Sussex College library in 1668, and it was discovered at Houghton in the mid-1950s - setting a world record on its return (288 years late) as the most overdue library book in history.

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I don't think there's a bettter place to ex xperience Mother Nature at her absolute finest, and no one can fail to be inspired by west Norffolk's grreateest natural reesources. In fact, the county's famous big skiees are probably the main reason

our customers find themselves at an advantag a e when it comes to solar power.

At the botttom of my gard den there's a perffect example of the area's natural

wonders. We have our very own tid idal wave on the River Great Ouse. It appears as the tid ide rushes in frrom The Wash. It's 10 milles inland and occurs doz ozens of times a year, and it's very rare - there aren't many places in the worlld where you can see such a thing. And it's rig ight here in the Wigg Wiggenhallls!

I think we're trruly blessed to live here.

- Kevivin Holland Holland, Founde under

Help make Norffo olk a ‘greener’ place to live with SOLAR POWER Make every day a Sun Day with solar energy at affordable prices.

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Big Skies

earing so many people extol the virtues of the sky may seem slightly eccentric, but in Norfolk the sheer scale and beauty of the sky is hard to appreciate until you're actually standing under it.

It's been celebrated by painters for hundreds of years, and even contemporary artists such as Rebecca Lloyd and Nial Adams are winning awards for work which features almost exclusively - the breathtaking splendour of these enormous and infinitely fascinating skies.

Even the development of photography as an art form couldn't escape the allure of Norfolk's seemingly endless skies - it's almost certainly the county's most photographed feature.

While most people are happy to enjoy the vast expanses of blue, the incredible drama of huge storm clouds, and some of the best sunsets in the whole country, Norfolk's skies can be even more amazing at night.

Head to north Norfolk and you'll find yourself in one of the few places in the UK where you can see the Northern lights - thanks to some of the country's darkest skies.

With hardly any artificial light and little industrial activity, the clarity of the night sky is extraordinary - and two locations have been given Dark Sky Discovery Site status by the UK Dark Sky Discovery Partnership.

Both Wiveton Downs and Kelling Heath have the organisation's highest accolade of Two Star status, which

means you can see all seven stars of Orion and the Milky Way with the naked eye. Go anywhere else in the country and you'll need to take your binoculars and telescopes with you. In fact, visit Kelling Heath in September and you can join what's thought to be the largest 'star party' in Europe.

If you're looking around Norfolk trying to decide on its most amazing feature, you may be looking in the wrong direction - all you need to do is raise your head and look upwards to see what so many people have been raving about for so long.

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There re's 's virtu tuall lly nowhere re els lse in No Norf rfolk lk where re you can enj njoy such sp specta tacula lar sunsets ts as you cca an fr from Hu Hunsta tanto ton, n which wh hich is is th the only ly wes estt-fa facing ciing ng re resort on th the east coast off Bri rita tain. Pe Peop ople le have been admiri d ring ng th them fr from our hote tel fo for over 30

years rs, and we're re re reall lly fo fortu tunate te to to work rk in such a fa fabulo lous lo loca cati tion. I never tire ti re off watc tching ng th the sun go go do down over th the sea, and neith ther do do our gu guests ts!

- Be Berna nard Du Ducker, Ge General Ma Manager Old Hunstanton, Norffo olk PE36 6JJ T: 01485 534411 E: reception@lestrangearms.co.uk W: w ww ww.lestrangearms.co.uk

Myy ffa M atth her attteend deed H Ha amond''ss Gra Gr ammar Scch hooll,, S Sw waffham in tth he 1940 0ss. Hiiss art tteeacch her H Ha arr rryy C Ca artteer was res resp sponsiib bllee ffo or man nyy of tth he wood deen villag illlla aggee siggn ns in N No orffo ollk k and H Ha arrryy’’ss cousin was Egy Eggyyp ptto ologi lo oggiisst H Hoowarrd dC Ca artteerr..

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Dad’s Army

It may be over 40 years since the last episode of Dad's Army was broadcast, but it's still one of the most popular television shows of all time, regularly repeated around the world and attracting new generations of fans. And apart from studio shots, it was filmed in Norfolk, mostly in and around Thetford. The Breckland market town is home to the internationally-famous Dad's Army Museum, and a statue of central character Captain Mainwaring can be found by the town's bridge opposite the Bell Inn. Also making an appearance in the series are the Norfolk Broads, Weybourne, Wacton, and even Oxburgh Hall - which featured in the 1968 episode 'Museum Piece.'

It's a landmark piece of television history, and it's one that featured Norfolk in a starring role.

Village Signs

Norfolk has more village signs than any other English county, which is only natural as the first ones went up at the start of the 20th century when the future Edward VII suggested they might help motorists navigate the Sandringham Estate.

By the 1920s, Norfolk’s villages were going mad for signs – Swaffham’s Harry Carter, a local art and woodwork master, would carve over 200 town and village signs before his death in 1983. In 2017, historian Andrew Tullett set out on a quest to photograph every village and town sign in Norfolk – believing there to be around 520. “Nobody knows for sure how many there are,” he said. “The only thing everyone agrees on is we have more village signs than any other county.”

Henry Le Strange It’s simple – without him there would be no Hunstanton. This thriving seaside town is the work of one man, Henry Styleman Le Strange.

He saw how the new railways would change travel and since he owned most of the land between Holme and Wolferton, encouraged investment in a railway from King’s Lynn to his new town – anticipating (correctly) that visitors

would come to the seaside. His first building was the Golden Lion Hotel which stood forlornly without customers and was known as “Le Strange’s Folly,” but when the railway arrived he was proved right – and people flocked to the new town. The station opened in 1862 but he didn’t live to see the fruits of his foresight, dying from a heart attack aged 47 shortly afterwards.

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PROVIDING CLEAR AND STRAIGHTFOWARD LEGAL ADVICE WITH 7 OFFICES SPANNING NORTH AND WEST NORFOLK

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The best thing about Norffolk is rigght outsid de our windows. To the left we can see King's Lynn liibrary, opened by phil ilanthroopist Andrew Carnegie ie, who, at the end of the Victoriian era callled on the rich to use their wealth to improve society.

Op O pposite osite we we can can see see Gre Greyfr ffri riar's To Tower wer – known known as as th the Leaning Leaning ng To Tower wer of of No Norf rfolk lk, one of only ly th thre hree surv rviving ng Fr Francis iscan n monaste tery ry to towers rs in En England and a Gra ra ade de I li de liste ted buil b iillding ng. We We're re actu acttuall lly work work kiing ng in i a li litt ttle bit off his isto tory ry ours o rsselv elv lves, ess, in th the old ld Co County u ty Co Court buil ilding ng, whiich is is over 15 150 years rs old ld. Documents ts re record rding ng our ori riginal re registr trati tion as a la law fir firm da date te back to to 1775 75 and many ny of th the business sses es we’ve work rked with th th thro roug ughout th the years rs als lso op opera rate te fr from lo lovely ly old ld his isto toric building ngs. That's 's what makes es our lo loca cal ecconomy my so sp specia ial. l. Pa Past valu lues combined with th mode dern r te techn nolo logy ensure re hig igh le levels ls of serv rvice in an ever ch chang nging ng an nd comp mpeti titi tive worl rld.

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Greyfriars Tower

ing’s Lynn has this very unusual survival, one of only three Franciscan towers remaining in England and the most complete and attractive. One indicator of the importance of a town before the Reformation is how many different orders of Friaries lived and worked in the community, and by the 13th century Lynn had no less than four; the Franciscans (‘grey’ friars), the Carmelites (‘white’ friars), the Dominicans or (‘black’ friars) and the Augustinians (‘Austin’ friars). The names were based on the colour of the robes the friars wore and are perpetuated to this day in our street and road names.

The skyline of Bishops’ Lynn before the dissolution of religious houses by Henry VIII and the storm of 1741 must have been toweringly impressive.

St Margaret’s church had a huge spire

on the southern tower and a lantern to rival Ely Cathedral’s, All Saints’ at South Lynn had a tower, and St Nicholas’ Chapel had a tall and elegant spire.

Added to these were the towers of the four friaries.

The dissolution of the monasteries in the late 1530s was one of the most revolutionary events in English history.

There were nearly 900 religious houses in England, and around 12,000 people were put out onto the streets. Their assets went to the crown – either from selling the treasures, salvaging the lead, glass, brick and stone or from selling the land and buildings at a knock-down price to royal lackeys. So how did the tower of the ‘grey’ friars remain standing when all around it were pulled down?

Partly because the tower had been an important seamark for hundreds of years.

Captains of ships entering the Wash would see with relief the seamarks that guided them into the haven of Lynn.

Firstly the impressive spire of St Mary’s Church at Snettisham, and then the spire of St Nicholas’ chapel at Lynn – before the the tower of the Greyfriars and St Margaret’s spire. If these latter three landmarks were lined up correctly, the ship came safely through the dangerous sandbanks in deeper water into port. The importance of trade and the necessity of safe navigation was paramount – this rare medieval tower survived. With the benefit of Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage funding, extensive restoration and enhancement of the tower and gardens was completed in 2006.

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R OVeE of a rs 30 ypertise ex

Aut uttoo Repair epppaaiirrss

King’s Ki ’ L Ly ynn & H Hunstanton t t We may be biased because it's our home and where we started our business ss, but for us the best part of Norffolk is Hunstanton. It's a beautiful town and the cliffs are some of

the most amazing you'll see anywhere - as long as the tide is out! Moreover, as a

purpose-built tourist destination it's always had a built-in tradition of being welcoming and friendlly - and that's ex xactlly what our businesss is based on. On a more personal level, I'd like to higghligght the fantastic restaurants we have in Norffolk. Keith and I are big fans of eating out, and we've never had to travel far to enjooy some of our best-ever meals. There's a reason why so many reestaurants in Norffolk have won so many award ds!

-TTamsi msin Brown wn, Co-founde founder

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Unit B, Simon Scotland Road

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Happisburgh Lighthouse

sk someone to draw a lighthouse, and they'll almost certainly draw the iconic shape and distinctive red bands of the lighthouse at Happisburgh - but this beautiful landmark on the Norfolk coastline is anything but typical. It is, in fact, unique.

Today it's the only independently-run and fully-operational lighthouse in the whole of the UK, although it doesn't have a lighthouse keeper - the building's independence from Trinity House means Happisburgh's lighthouse has an "attendant."

Despite over 220 years of continuous operation, Happisburgh is also one of the most accessible lighthouses in the country - although reaching the top does require a climb of 112 steps.

The story of Happisburgh lighthouse began in 1789, with a severe winter storm that saw 70 sailing ships and 600 men lost off the coast of Norfolk. With no warning signals along the 22 miles of coastline between Cromer and Winterton, two lighthouses were built at Happisburgh – a ‘low’ light on the clifftops and a ‘high’ light some 400 yards inland.

The twin lighthouses guided ships safely along the coast for almost a century until 1883, when the threat of coastal erosion saw the ‘low’ light withdrawn from service and demolished. Its sister lighthouse enjoyed a brighter future - although it's now only 185 yards from the cliff edge.

The lighthouse was never a stranger to technological change - the introduction of electricty in 1947 gave the lighthouse its sixth different power source - but almost fell a victim to innovation towards the end of the 20th century.

The development of innovative and sophisticated navigational aids led to Trinity House reducing the number of the UK’s lighthouses, with Happisburgh being one of five declared redundant in 1987 – scheduled to be closed and decommissioned the following year.

In stepped local resident and marine geophysicist Kay Swan, who organised a petition opposing the closure. She helped found the Friends of Happisburgh Lighthouse as a way of saving it although thanks to a 94-year-old law it required a new Act of Parliament, which finally received Royal Assent in the spring of 1990.

Today, Happisburgh lighthouse's 500watt bulb still safely guides fishing boats and inshore craft travelling between King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth - and remains a shining beacon of tradition and community spirit.

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The bes est th thing ng about No Norf rfolk lk is is its ts sen nse of community ty.

At Ga Gayto ton Road d He Health th Ce Centr tre we'v 've beeen lo looking ng aft fter th the health th of lo local peop p ople le fo for ge genera rati tions, s, and a th that tr tradi diti tional appro ap roach ch to to medi m dica cal care re is is invalu luable le when it comes to to sensiti tive are reas such ch as cosmeti tic tr treatm tments ts. Wh When our do docto tors rs opened Derm op rma Vi Vida th they ey were re alr lready dy tr truste ted and re respecte ted loca lo call lly. There re are re fe few pla lace ces in th the countr try li like th this is - where re your cli lients ts and custo tomers rs are re als lso your fr friends ds.

Dr Lee L ena De Le Deol - Dr

(MBBS, DRCOG, DCH, FRCGP, DIPDERM RM)

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Book a consultation at our Doctor-run clinic on 01553 696886

Gayton Road Health & Surgical Centre, King’s L Ly ynn inffoo@dermaav vida.co.uk www.dermavida.co.uk 22

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Innovations

Norfolk has a tradition of 'firsts' and innovations that stretches back almost a million years – when the first humans known to have stepped (literally!) outside Africa left their footprints at Happisburgh. Since that point, Norfolk has led the way in a large number of amazing ways that continue to affect our lives today.

The county can be proud of producing the country's very first provincial newspaper, the first book in English to be written by a woman, and the first British-made carpets - although they'd have to wait 300 years before someone else invented the vacuum cleaner. In 1958, Norfolk had the first council to use a computer, and followed that a year later by being the first county in England to start using postcodes. In virtually every field from science to the arts, you'll find that Norfolk has a claim to fame - including the invention of the bowler hat (thanks to Edward Coke of Holkham Hall), the foundation of the Round Table, and the earliest mention of a barber in Britain. His name was John Belton, by the way.

Thursford Towards the end of 1977, John Cushing was wondering how to attract winter visitors to the museum of steam engines, organs and fairground attractions founded by his father in the tiny village of Thursford. With no formal musical or theatrical training, he decided to hold a carol concert in an old farm shed - and managed to attract a small group of singers from King’s College in Cambridge. An audience of 500 turned up, and although they KLmagazine 100

enjoyed it, John thought he could have done a lot better. So over the following four decades that's exactly what he's done. Today, the Thursford Christmas Spectacular is the biggest Christmas show in the whole country (if not Europe), featuring up to 100 people at any one time on a 135ft stage accompanied by a 32-piece live orchestra in a three-hour festive feast of dance, music, singing, humour and variety. It's a truly remarkable

achievement, especially when you consider that around 75% of the 200,000-strong audience comes from all corners of the UK, bringing an estimated £10 million with them to the local economy. And if you need any further persuading as to why we should be celebrating this amazing local tradition, consider whether you'd be prepared to travel over 400 miles to see a Christmas show.

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-Jame Jaammeess TTha haxxttterer, Owne haxt Ownneerr Ow

49 Hunstanton Road, Dersingham, King’s Lynn PE31 6NA Tel: 01485 541514 | Web: thaxters.co.uk | Open: Mon-Sun 8am-6pm

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Myy ffa M amillyy has been d dooin ngg businessss in Der erssinggh ham since tth he 19tth h cceenttu urryy, and ffo or me tth he best tth hin ngg about Noorffo N ollk k iiss tth hat it''ss such a plleeasurra abllee plla ace tto o worrk k. I drive arro ound tth he countrryysid idee now ((II stta artteed on a biik ke!!)) but I''v ve never cceeased tto o be amaz azeed at tth he coastlliine - es esp peciia alllyy when I'm sailliin ngg allo ong ng itt!! H Hoow can you not enj njo njo oyy your worrk k when you'rree surrro ound deed b byy such beauttyy?

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Birdwatching

Y

ou’ll stand amazed if you catch a murmuration at Titchwell or Snettisham when thousands of birds take flight in tight dancing formation as evening falls. From late summer onwards, tens of thousands of wading birds flock into the sky as the incoming tide pushes them off the vast mudflats.

It is a uniquely impressive display as birds take off in their hundreds or thousands, bunched together in a close knit group and then land in a carpet of feathers on the mudflats near the coastline – or onto one of the numerous lagoons nestling behind the beach.

It’s one of nature’s great mysteries and never fails to astonish and delight the thousands of people who visit

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Norfolk’s reserves throughout the year.

Carefully pick your tide time and season and you’ll be bowled over by the enormity of this spectacle. Both bird reserves are owned by the RSPB – and the one at Snettisham is pictured above from an appropriately bird’s-eye perspective.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was founded in 1889 and works to promote conservation and protection of birds through public awareness campaigns, petitions and the operation of nature reserves. The RSPB has over 1,300 employees, 18,000 volunteers and more than a million members – it’s the largest wildlife conservation charity in Europe. It looks after over 200 reserves throughout the United Kingdom, covering a wide range

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of habitats, from estuaries and mudflats to forests and urban habitats.

Locally there are hides and guided walks at both Snettisham and Titchwell where there are disabled toilets in the car park and designated parking bays with disabled access to the visitor centre. Snettisham village, beach and the reserve also have a particular story to tell. A distinctive landmark on the shoreline are the ruins of a wooden jetty, which was used to load shingle on to boats to be transported across the Wash – but it may also have been used by smugglers to avoid landing cargo at nearby King’s Lynn port. Both sites are an absolute haven for bird watchers.

Expert or not, it really doesn’t matter when it comes to simply enjoying nature at its best.

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We n fo e town trransformed. As master glazi laziers we have the privileg le e of working on many historic build dings in the town. The blend of heritag a e and contemporary develoopments makes King’s Lynn a fascinating place to live, and we look forward to being part of the future of the town for generations to come

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- Geoff Geoffrey Park ar ker, Managin Managing Diirecctor

Call 01553 763164 for a free quotation

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Holt

ne of the best things about living in Norfolk is undoubtedly being able to go to Holt and meet people visiting from outside the county - who are simply amazed by the town. In a world where homogenized high streets make it virtually impossible to tell whether you're in Cornwall or Cumbria, Holt is a breath of fresh and proudly independent air. It's one of the best preserved Georgian towns in the whole country, and it's hard to believe it was almost totally destroyed in less than three hours by a devastating fire in 1708.

The townsfolk joined forces in determinedly rebuilding their town, and maybe that's the origins of Holt's

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fiercely independent spirit. It's certainly early proof of just how strong a community this is.

Holt's Christmas lights are generally regarded as the very best in Norfolk, and are a perfect example of how successful it can be when local people and businesses work together for a common cause.

Much the same can be said of the week-long Holt Festival, which started in 2009 and is now one of the most highly-respected arts festivals in the whole of East Anglia. All the independent shops, businesses, tearooms and cafes are captivating (if you're looking for a chain store you've come to the wrong place) and they're a joy to wander around, but for a more

formal introduction to the town you'll need to follow the Holt Owl Trail.

Named after a typically distinctive local legend and introduced at the end of 2017, the trail follows 24 informative plaques on the history of each building, monument, sign, street and clock you pass by. Virtually every time you turn a corner in Holt and virtually every time you visit you'll fall in love with the town - you never know what you're likely to discover. On 26th June 2006, for example, no less than 10,000 people arrived in the town to watch an army of Daleks march (or wheel) their way through the town centre to celebrate the BBC's long-running programme Dr Who. Yes, Holt is quite unique.

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- C E L E B R AT I N G 5 5 Y E A R S I N B U S I N E S S Aerial shot of RAF Downham Market - March 1945

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Maarrkk Eve M Mar Evveess, Mannaagggiinngg Diirrect Ma Managin ecctttoror Bexw we ell Kitchens Sttu unnin ngg kitcch hens & bedrroooms

Goods Lings Country

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Bexwell Aerodrome , Downham Mar ket PE38 9LLT T Teel: 01366 382064 Open: Mon-Saatt 9-5 Sun 2-4 T Email: bexwellkitchens@aol.com | W Weeb: www.bexwellkitchens.co.uk

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The best thin i g about Norfolk is our trraditional way of lif i e. We opened Lings Countrry Goods 20 years ago, and have since add ded a Hond n a Quad bike dealership, pet food business and farm shop. Mother was the local butccher's daughter and father the local farmer, so it was natural to sell our produce on the farm. We've always had familly and grreat staff working tog o ether toward ds something I'm very proud of.

- Johohn Mor Morton t n, Diirecctot r Heath Farm, L Ly ynn Lane, Great Massingham PE32 2HJ www.lingscountrygoods.co.uk 01485 520828

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Muckleburgh Collection Weybourne is one of the most picturesque spots on the entire Norfolk coastline, but its beauty disguises the fact that it's been protecting England from foreign invaders since Roman times.

Appropriate then, that it's home to the biggest privately-owned military museum in the country. The Muckleburgh Collection comprises over 150 tanks and vehicles (many of them in working order) in addition to an extensive display of light weapons, ammunition and other military exhibits. Every exhibit tells a story, and the museum has a wealth of local memorabilia. Even better, you can actually drive in one of the tracked vehicles during the summer!

Margery Kempe This amazing woman was born in Lynn and went on to write the first autobiography in English, which describes not only her religious thoughts but also tells us of the day-to-day routine of a wealthy Norfolk housewife in the 15th century. The Book of Margery Kempe stands in a class of its own, and there’s nothing about the book which

isn’t sensational, starting with the book’s discovery – which astounded the academic world. She was born around 1373, married aged 20, and eventually had 14 children. She also went on many pilgrimages. In 1413 she travelled from Great Yarmouth to Rome and the Holy Land, and aged 60 went by boat to Danzig in modern-day Poland – and walked back to Lynn, a distance of about 2,000 miles!

North Norfolk Food & Drink Festival A relative newcomer to Norfolk's social calendar, the two-day North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival (celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2019) has grown into a hugely successful celebration of Norfolk's outstanding food offering that regularly attracts over 50 stall holders and around 12,000 visitors. Held in the

spectacular setting of Holkham Hall's walled garden in the middle of summer, the festival is a true celebration of everything local - all the exhibitors' products must be grown, reared, caught, produced, brewed or sold in north Norfolk.

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Sandringham

oday, Sandringham is one of the most famous royal residences in the world, and it's hard to imagine that when Queen Victoria bought it as a wedding present for her son and his future wife in 1862 it was in a pretty ruinous and financially precarious state.

The future Edward VII and Princess Alexandra of Denmark loved this beautiful part of west Norfolk, however, and it was soon transformed into a country home fit for - well, a king, naturally. The house was completely rebuilt in a style described by architectural scholar Nikolaus Pevsner as "frenetic Jacobean" and the estate became one of the finest shoots in England.

In fact, shooting played such a part in the life of Sandringham that until 1936 it was 30 minutes ahead of GMT to maximise the hours of daylight during the season.

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For the royal family, Sandringham became a much-loved personal home rather than a formal royal venue such as Windsor Castle.

George V described it as "the place I love better than anywhere else in the world" and his son was no less enthusiastic.

George VI was as devoted to the house as his father, writing to his mother Queen Mary, "I have always been so happy here, and I love the place."

With both her grandfather and father dying at the house, it's hardly surprising Sandringham has always been held in special regard by Queen Elizabeth II and it's become firmly embedded in the nation's consciousness. The very first Christmas broadcast was made from the house in 1932, and the Queen made the first televised Christmas message from Sandringham in 1957.

First opened to the public in 1977 for

the Queen's Silver Jubilee, the house and 20,000 acre estate (which includes seven villages) attracts visitors from around the world throughout the year.

It's hard to believe that plans were drawn up in the 1960s to demolish Sandringham and replace it with a modern building.

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Thanks to Sandrringham, Norffolk has a long and proud rooyal trradition, and we're honoured to have pla ayed a part in that. For over 100 yearss, we've been manufacturing natural gut and bass wire harp strrings in King's Lynn - and actuallly produced the strrings for the £150 50,000 gold leaf Royal Harp prreesented to Prince Charle les in 2006.

The prince had revived the tradition of the Royal Harpist in 2000 0 as a way of encourag a ing young musical talent, and it's such an honour to know that the skill ills and workmanship of our team are represented at presttig igious rooyal events. Norfolk is a wonderful, beautif i ul place to live and to work - and as far as I'm concerned that's music to anyone's ears!

- Caro arolyyn Cl Clarar keke, M Mana anaggining Direc irectot r

”

Anne Denholm, The current Royal Harpist (Photograph: Julian Dodd )

Bow Brand a p 32

Highgate, King’s Lynn PE30 1PT sales@bowbrand.co.uk www.bowbrand.co.uk Tel: 01553 772943

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Custom House

hink King’s Lynn, think the Custom House. This iconic building was revolutionary.

Nothing like it had been seen before with its classical Doric, Corinthian and Ionic columns, pilasters, pediments, cupola and arches. The Custom House is described by renowned building historian, Nikolaus Pevsner, as "one of the most perfect buildings ever built".

It was shockingly modern at the time, sending a message that Lynn was ”open for international business” – state of the art, refined and European. John Turner chose local man Henry Bell to design the new Exchange which opened in 1685 where deals were done on wine, coal, wool, timber and corn. Customs occupied only the top floor. The arches were then open on the north and east sides. When a bell in the tower was

rung, trading started. Nevertheless, the latter were not happy at being distanced from the Common Staithe where deeper water moorings were and by 1717, the Custom Service occupied the entire building bricking up the open arcading to make windows. A huge shock occurred in 1741 when a hurricane blew the original cupola off.

This was then H.M. Customs headquarters for almost the next 300 years.

Henry Bell (1647–1711) was regarded as “an ingenious gentilhomme” capable of putting his mind to any skill. He was the son of a wealthy Lynn merchant family and after a university education at Cambridge he went on the obligatory European tour where he saw classical

buildings in Italy. He designed many buildings in west Norfolk, but the Custom House in King's Lynn is best known. When the listing of historic buildings was introduced the Custom House was given as the example of the standard needed to attain grade I status!

In 1989 the government of the day decided to strip the state of ownership of many buildings and sell them. A private buyer acquired this unique building by sealed tender and there followed 10 years of increasing neglect until the Borough Council negotiated a 50 year lease. In 1999 the Custom House was restored with the help of a Lottery Fund grant and a maritime museum opened on the first floor with the Tourist Information Centre on the ground floor.

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Our new Hunstanton oďŹƒce

Managing property in Norfolk for nearly 30 years King’s Lynn is more than just a place of work to us here at Rounce & Evans.

It is in our roots. I was born and raised in and around King’s Lynn and have familly connections in various local businessses going back many decadees. We love King’s Lynn and west Norffolk and all it has to offer. Our new Hunstanton offic o ce showcases our wonderfful Hunstanton cliff li s with a full wall mural and our new King’s Lynn office is rig ight next door to, what in our opinion, is one of King’s Lynn’s more priized build ldingss, King’s Lynn Minster. We have grrown alongsid de KL magaz a ine and have been lucky enough to support them frrom the beginning. We wish them all the best for the next 100 editions and beyond.

ades, Direcctot r -Lukke Load

KING’S L LY Y N N : 1 6 C H U R C H S T R E E T, K I N G ’ S L LY YNN, PE30 5EB TEL: 01553 401582 H U N S TA N T O N : 3 6 W E S TG AT E , H U N S T TA A N TO N , P E 3 6 5 A L T E L : 0 1 4 8 5 5 3 3 6 3 3

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King’s Lynn Minster

ing's Lynn Minster is one of the largest town churches in England but it was bigger and taller before disaster struck in September 1741. A great storm lashed the town and the crowning glory of the church – a tall spire on the southern tower – crashed into the church destroying its fine nave and lantern.

The original building 600 years before had more modest beginnings. “At your request", wrote Herbert de Losinga, first Bishop of Norwich, to the men of Lynn in 1101, "I have begun to build a church at Lynn" and St Margaret's entered the town's history, standing in the Saturday Market Place at the heart of the oldest part of the town. A small Benedictine priory was attached to this church where four monks were sent (whether they liked it or not) from Norwich.

The original Norman church only survives in the internal arches of the west towers and at the base of the southern one outside – the remains of the priory buildings have been converted for housing.

With each succeeding generation, the church was enlarged and embellished by wealthy merchants and members of the Trinity Guild, whose hall (the current KLmagazine 100

Town Hall) stands opposite across the Saturday Market Place. Luckily, the bell tower survived the storm of 1741, with 10 bells, the oldest dating back to 1657.

Etchings of the church after its restoration shows a Georgian interior with galleries along the walls. This is the church that Charles Burney knew when he was organist there from 1752-61 – and the extraordinary Snetzler organ he ordered is still being played to this day.

Under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott, the Victorian restoration of 1874 cleared out the galleries and opened the church from end to end, leaving it much as it appears now. A programme of installing stained glass in the aisle windows (instead of the plain glass of the 18th century) brought a rainbow of colours back to the nave.

In December 2011, St Margaret‘s was dedicated as King's Lynn Minster – and a Restoration and Development Appeal was recently launched to develop the Minster as a resource for visitors, schools and the community. The target of £873,000 was reached in 2018, and with improved facilities the Minster will continue to offer a breathtakingly beautiful and spritually uplifting welcome to pilgrims and visitors, much as it has done for over 900 years.

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Bespoke curr tains and blinds for o all your soft fu ur nishing needs Foor us, the h very b best part off Noorfolk f lk is the he Saturday d Ma arket Place in King’s K s Lyynn, which is right ght on our doorstep. We’r e e sso lucky to work here. e It was w the original heart off the town and still looks beautiful b froom every anglee. Every corner is packed d with history, and the recent e regener e ation work a k in the areea means it’ i s got a very bright future. e There’ e s nowhere quite like it.

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rt of Norffolk is the marshes around Burnham Deepdale - whicch were turned into a landsca ape of North Korean padd dy field ds for 'Die Another Day' in 2002.

Norffolk has been the location for many

other films too. It’s a beautif i ul part of the countrry at any time, but when you see it on one of our cinema screens surrrounded

by immersive sound, viewed frrom a luxurious reclined cinema seat it's simply ama mazing!

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Film Locations

If you thought Norfolk was an Oscarwinning environment you'd be right, as the county has played a supporting role in a huge number of films for over 70 years, from low budget independent movies to Hollywood blockbusters.

During the Second World War, King's Lynn doubled for Holland in One of Our Aircraft is Missing, while the windmill at Cley provided a fitting setting for the romance between a 40-year-old Robert Taylor and a 16-year old Elizabeth Taylor in 1945's Conspirator.

Parts of The Dambusters were filmed at Langham airfield in 1954, Castle Acre made an appearance in Roger Corman's 1964 horror film The Tomb of Ligeia, and Castle Rising was turned into Denmark (?!) for Out of Africa, which won seven Oscars in 1985. The

transformation of King's Lynn into 18th century New York the same year didn't stop Revolution being a spectacular box office failure, however.

Three years later, Gwyneth Paltrow walked along the beach at Holkham for 1988's Shakespeare in Love, and Burnham Deepdale became North Korea for the 20th James Bond film Die Another Day in 2002. Holkham Hall (and Keira Knightley, right) featured in the 2008 film The Duchess – and King’s Lynn will be playing a part in Armando Iannucci’s new version of David Copperfield.

Lights... cameras...

Norfolk!

West Runton Mammoth It may seem strange to include a few random bones on display in the museums of Norwich, Gressenhall and Cromer, but the remains of the West Runton mammoth are a unique archaeological find that Norfolk can be truly proud of claiming.

Partially discovered almost by accident at the base of the cliffs at West Runton after two winter storms in 1990 and 1992, the skeleton was only fully revealed after an excavation by

Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service in 1995, who were astonished at what they'd revealed.

The relatively young male Steppe Mammoth (that had lain in a five-foot layer of organic-rich mud for a few thousand years) was the largest elephant skeleton ever found, and the oldest ever found in the UK. Until then, two partial skeletons were known in Germany and Russia, but while they were less than 15% complete, the West Runton mammoth was around 85% complete.

Due to the weight and size of the remains (the animal was one of the largest-ever land animals apart from the very biggest dinosaurs) only a few selected bones are currently on display.

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floors designed for life

What I love about Norffolk is the open space c s, frreedom and fre resh air, but above all the people.

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Red Mount Chapel

uilt to an octagonal plan and standing three storeys high, this striking chapel is one of the most peculiar late medieval Gothic structures in England. It is, in fact, totally unique.

During the medieval period, the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was the second-most popular destination for pilgrims in England after Canterbury.

People from across Europe flocked to visit the small Norfolk village of Little Walsingham, and the pilgrims' route often brought them to the port of King's Lynn – where they’d call into this chapel on their way to Walsingham.

What attracted them we no longer know, but assume there was a very rare relic they came to venerate. We do know a large press of people was

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expected and catered for by the two staircases which run counter-wise to each other, so that visitors went through the chapel in an early one-way system, never having to cross on a stairway.

It was built in 1483 and leased to the Prior of St Margaret’s Church – who was able to pay off the Church debts with the money given by the pilgrims at this chapel. The upper chapel has a remarkably fine ceiling added in 1506, possibly by Simon Clerk and John Wastel, the masons responsible for King's College Chapel in Cambridge.

But when the reformation of Henry VIII destroyed the monasteries and banned pilgrimages, the relic (whatever it was) was taken out and lost to the mists of time. The building was robbed of its

roof tiles for other building projects, and it gradually fell into disrepair – although it was revived for various uses as a gunpowder store during the Civil War, during an outbreak of plague in 1665 (as a charnel house for old bones when new graves were dug), and after use as a stable in 1780 it became an astronomical observatory. The chapel narrowly survived a bombing raid in 1942 and was finally restored in 2007 with the help of the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and a £4m National Lottery grant.

Although it formed part of the popular pilgrim's route to one of the most sacred sites in Europe, the Red Mount Chapel only ever served as a religious building for about 70 years of its 500year history.

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Pau Pa auull Seeaararlee,, Managin Maannaaggiinngg Di Dirrect ecctttoror

%$ %!& % ! %& %!" &"#& %& " " & "$! & %! %& %& " $#&!%$! %& " #&" & #! $# "#& ## & ## & & !&$#&$ $ & ## # & & " $ & %!" & " & $ %!&$# & " %!& $ & $!& %%#& % " # & " $ $ % !&$# & %$ # & $ #%!!& " &$ &$ %!& " &" % & & %$ !

To find out more or to book your next holiday visit www.searles.co.uk or call us on 01485 534211 • South Beach, Hunstanton PE36 5BB

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Hunstanton Cliffs

A

lthough its local nickname of ‘Sunny Hunny’ suggests a sun-drenched climate, Hunstanton was even sunnier at one time. In fact, it was positively hot. At least, that’s what the iconic striped cliffs tell us.

Virtually as old as time itself, this impressive and near-vertical cliff has been cut into the underlying geology of the land by the action of the waves through millennia. During the Cretaceous period (which started an eye-watering 135 million years ago) the cliff was under the sea, and was partly formed from dead sea-creatures which fell to the seabed, their shells consolidating to make the chalky layer of the cliff.

Along the coast of west Norfolk most beaches are flat and covered with shingle or beautiful fine sand, but Hunstanton is the exception – it’s only

here, along a stunning 1.3 mile stretch, that the white and red stone outcrop that forms the cliff (part of a narrow geological layer that stretches across East Anglia all the way from Essex) finally falls into the Wash. In fact, the almost symmetrical arrangment of moss-covered boulders on the beach are the remains of ancient cliff falls.

Hundreds of metres have eroded away over time, a natural process that also keeps the contrasting colours of the cliff face bright and free from grass and shrubs. Clearly seen are three main geological layers, with carrstone (the oldest) at the bottom. This stone has been quarried for over a thousand years at nearby Snettisham to build the area’s distinctive cottages. The next few million years laid down the thin red chalk formation – which is finally topped with white chalk, a feature that can only have been created when

Hunstanton was basking in tropical sunshine.

Keep an eye out for the historic buildings perched on the cliff top. The ruins are the remnants of St Edmund's Chapel, which was built in 1272 in memory of the saint who landed at Hunstanton in 855 to be crowned King of East Anglia. Edmund led an army against Viking invaders but was defeated, captured and martyred – becoming the first patron saint of England. Nearby is the Coastguard lookout tower which was used for gathering military intelligence from wireless signals through the two world wars. You cannot miss the imposing lighthouse either, which was built in 1840 and became a private residence atfer its closure in 1922.

It’s no wonder Hunstanton’s cliffs are a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.

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IIn nssp pirin ngg and diissttiincttiive Outdoor ffu urniture and accessories

“

For me, e, No Norf rfolk lk offe ffers rs th the best of both th worl rlds. It It's 's a lo lovely ly pla lace ce to to li live, e, and it's 's an ide deal pla lace fr from which to to do do busines ess on a nati tional - and even in nte ternati r tional - scale le.

It was perh It rhaps aps natu tura ral th that a lo local No Norf rfolk lk business would ld fo focus on o enj njoying ng th the outtdoors rs, but when you're re sourc rcing ng and de develo loping ng pro rodu ducts ts aro round th the worl rld every rywhere re from Eu fr Euro rope to to th the Fa Far Ea East and th then sell lling ng th them in virtu tuall lly eveery ry county ty in th the UK UK, it's 's a wonde derf rful pla lace to to come home to to. It It's 's als lso fu full ll of great ta tale lentt, t, re real enth thusia iasm and consta tant op opti timis ism. The best th thing ng about No Norf rfolk lk is is th that it all llows you y to to th think big ig and do gr great th thing ngs whil ile re remaining ng based in a beauti tiful enviro ronmentt. t.

- De Deb bie W Waauddbby by, Di Dirececttoorr

”

Vi s i t o u r s h ow r o o m o p e n 7 d ays a we e k 1 0 a m - 4 p m Norfolk Leisure, Garage Lane, Setchey, King’s Lynn PE33 0AX Te T el 01553 811717 | Email sales@norfolkleisure.co.uk | Web www.norfolkleisure.com

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Tulips

You've probably never heard of Frederick Culpin, but until he returned from Europe in 1907 with 100 bulbs of six different varieties, no one in England was growing tulips. Within 40 years, hundreds of thousands of people were taking special sightseeing trips to see the best of the blooms - and there were

more than 3,000 acres of tulip fields in Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Today, a mere four fields at East Winch represent Britain's last remaining bulbfields - growing over 30 different varieties and supplying supermarkets around the country with more than 25 million stems every year.

PICTURE: CameraPress/Spen/AL

Princess Diana

Princess Diana was an international superstar. Diana Spencer, who became the Princess of Wales, was born at Park House on the Sandringham Estate in 1961 and her wedding to the Prince of Wales on 29th July 1981 made her one of the best known – and most photographed – faces in the world.

On 31st August 1997, the world was

profoundly shocked when Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. Mourning and grief from ordinary people was unprecedented. But the most profound and lasting difference she made was with her philanthropic work. Diana’s true humanitarian spirit saw her meeting AIDS patients and her walk through a cleared minefield gave publicity to the appalling injuries and amputations people suffered even after war.

North Norfolk Music Festival

Founded by opera-lover Barry Cheeseman and musician/composer Simon Rowland-Jones back in 2005, the North Norfolk Music Festival consistently manages to bring award-winning performers from the world of classical music to a quiet corner of Norfolk. From the beautiful 13th century church of St. Mary in the village of South Creake, just a few miles from the north Norfolk coast, the NNMF regularly features a full and varied programme of concerts, talks and films - and has grown to become one of the most distinguished chamber music festivals in the whole country.

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t. s E

09 9 1

Over 100 Y Yeears

OF MOTORING HISTOR O Y IN NORFOLK

Professor Albert Einstein during his refuge in Norfolk, under the safe protection of an armed guard (EDP 16th April A 1998)

“

MP Oliver Lockerr--L Lampson

Mr John Delmar Morgan aboard his motor yacht, Mansura, which he designed and built in 1912. The first HYBRID and nearly 100-years befo fore its time

Norf rfolk lk is is fu full ll of fa fascinati ting ng his isto torical fa facts ts you were re never aware re of - and it never ce ceases es to to amaze ze me how much we're re sti till a part of th that his isto tory ry. Fo For insta tance, e, every ryone's 's heard rd of Alb lbert Ei Einste tein, but not many ny peop ople le know th that whil ile he was esca caping ng fr from th the Na Nazi zis in 1933 he sp spent a month th in a woode den hut in Roug ughto ton. That was th thanks to to lo loca cal a MP MP Oli liver Locker-Lamp mpson, who was one of th the th thre ree peop ople le who'd 'd sta tarte ted a lo local c moto tori ring ng comp mpany ny call lled Duff Mo Morg rgan 24 years rs earl rlier! r! In In th the moto tor indu dustr try ry our th thoug ughts ts are re now tu turn rning ng to to

alte ternati r tive fu fuels ls and a how to to power th the cars rs of th the fu futu ture re, but one of our oth ther fo founde ders rs (t (the 'M 'Morg rgan' part of Duff Mo Morg rgan) n) was an eng ngineer re reall lly ahead of his is ti time - he actu tuall lly desig de igned and buiil ilt a 'h 'hybri rid' vehicle le as earl rly as 1912 12. Our past is is re reall lly inte tere eresti ting ng. Our fu futu ture re is is re reall lly ex exciti ting ng.

-Ma Marttiinn Seal, General Sa Sales Ma Manager Commi t t ed To Exceeding E xp x p ect aat i ons E st .1909

King’s L Ly y n n C i t ro ë n , S E A AT T & Cupra: 49 Bergen Way, King’s L Ly ynn PE30 2JG | 01553 770144 | www.duffmorgan.com Citroën: Whiffler Road, Norwich NR3 2AZ | SEA AT T: Jupiter Road, Mile Cross Lane, Norwich NR6 6SU

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The North Norfolk Railway

escribed by The Daily Telegraph as one of the five greatest heritage railways in the UK, the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) offers a spectacularly scenic and steam-driven ride from Sheringham along the coast to Weybourne and through the heathland to Holt.

Popularly known as the 'Poppy Line,' the NNR is only five miles long, and once formed part of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway. Work on rebuilding the railway started within a year of its closure in 1964, and on 4th June 1967 two steam locomotives were delivered to the newly-formed North Norfolk Railway plc.

The NNR has always proved a

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hugely-popular tourist attraction, and its commitment to authenticity saw it used as the location for the filming of The Royal Train episode of Dad's Army in May 1973 - the railway also won the Independent Railway of the Year award in 2006.

The amazing thing about this railway is that from the start it's been restored, cared for and run almost entirely by a team of enthusiastic and incredibly friendly volunteers - many of whom have 'real-world' experience of working on steam trains.

By far the best way to enjoy the NNR is to buy a 'roving' ticket which allows you to get on and off the train all day long wherever you like. It gives you plenty of opportunity to explore this

lovely area, and when you do arrive at the beautifully-kept station at Holt, pop into the restored M&CN Goods Shed. It houses the William Marriot Museum, celebrating the life and times of the youngest engineer working on a public railway at the time - Marriott built the future NNR in 1887 (he was only 30 at the time) and ran it until 1924. And while you're there, take a moment to look at Holt's station building - originally built at Stalham in 1883 it was moved brick by brick to Holt in 2002.

With a full calendar of events throughout the year, the North Norfolk Railway offers a unique - and wonderfully nostalgic - way to enjoy the wonders of one of the best coastlines in the whole country.

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ROOMS • FINE DINING • WEDDINGS • MEETINGS & EVENTS 1935

Our hotel has been a landmark in the heart of King's Lynn for over 300 yearss, and it pla ays an important role in the lif i e of the town toda ay - for both locals and visitors. It was built in 168 83 for local MP John Turner by the architect Henry Bell (who also built the town's famous Custom House) and has host sted rooyalty, politicians and celebritie ties - and continues to offer a firrst-cllass service toda ay!

LLau aura Daraskevice Daraskevice, Manag anager

“

The Dukes Head Hotel, 5-6 Tue ues esday Market Place, King’s Lynn PE30 1JS 01553 774 996 reception@dukesheadhotel.com ww ww.dukesheadhotel.com

I’m proud to be part of Norffolk’s strrong heritag a e. Our local roots go back 175 yearss, and since we arrrived in King's Lynn in the 1970 0s Fr Fraser Dawbarns have been located in some of the town’s most impressive and important build ldinggs liike Shakespeare House and Listergate House.

Our current officce was built in 176 68 and was the location of the town’s very firrst bank.

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I

Tuesday Market Place

mpressive enough today, this fantastic stage for a calendar of town events in the centre of King’s Lynn (such as the annual Classic Car Day pictured above) was once even larger. The Tuesday Market is also one of very few marketplaces in the country specifically designed to be a connection between water and road.

The import trade of Lynn mostly arrived by sea and river – but it was essential that road and waterborne traffic interconnected so goods could be dispersed into the countryside.

The south side of the market place then was Norfolk Street (known as Damgate) but gradually booths and later permanent buildings encroached and reduced the area by about one third.

It was no less imposing, however. The

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Tuesday Market Place in King’s Lynn is regarded as one of the most splendid spaces in provincial England. In the 12th century the western side (where the Corn Exchange is today) was lapped twice each day by the river so goods could be landed and stored nearby.

These were heady days for traders – the Domesday Book of 1086 lists 50 markets in England, but less than 300 years later there were over 2,000.

In Anglo-Saxon times, local farmers and their families brought surplus produce to informal markets held on Sundays in the grounds of their church – where nearby residents would gather together. By the 13th century, however, a movement against Sunday markets gathered momentum, and local trade gradually moved to a site in town

centres and was held on a weekday.

Lynn’s original market place (the Saturday Market Place) traded every day except on Tuesdays – which became a hugely popular day for farmers and merchants from outside Lynn wishing to trade in a specially-designed and built commercial space.

Important to all market towns was the charter to hold fairs. Lynn received an early grant of this privilege by Bishop de Grey of Norwich who granted rights to two annual fairs of fifteen days each.

One was held during the feast of St. Margaret in July on the Saturday Market Place and the other was on the feast of St. Nicholas in August in Damgate and the Tuesday Market Place. Changed to February, the latter still continues today in the town’s popular annual Mart.

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Family Farm Fun – Open Daily • Friendly Farm Animals • Indoor Play Area Tractor & Trailer Rides • Homemade Cakes & Lunches • Pedal Tractor Trail Norffolk is such a wonderfful place to bring up childr ld en. When familie lies and school grroups visit Churcch Farm, it’s always a pleasure to see the jooy on their faces when they realiise they can climb in the pigl glet pen and get up close with all the animals.

Our beautif i ul countrrysid de and farm animals are something to be trreasured and shared with future generations.

- Willia illiam & Elizabet beth Esse sse, Foun under ders

Tel: 01366 382162 www.churchfarmstowbardolph.co.uk • PE34 3HT

“

BEDDING • FEED • TOOLS • SUPPLEMENTS

er re w anythin else a the excitem t o the atmo p e e, crow s a e few t in s re th th th

Gara y Luck uck, Owne wner

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TTe el: 01328 851351 | Clipbush Business Park, F Fa akenham NR21 8SX

www.g gjjlanimalfeeds.co.uk | info@g gjjlanimalfeeds.co.uk | OPEN: Mon-Fri 8:30am - 5pm, Saturday 8:30am - 12:30pm 48

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Pensthorpe

You may not have heard of Bill Makins, but in the 1980s he designed a truly sustainable gravel extraction process that enabled him to create one of the most biodiverse nature reserves in England just a mile or so from Fakenham - following the extraction of over a million tonnes of gravel.

Pensthorpe Natural Park was purchased by Bill and Deb Jordan in 2003, and is now recognised internationally as an EU Special Area of Conservation - in addition to having four designations as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

With one of the largest wildflower meadows remaining in Norfolk, 80

different species of grasses and an incredible variety of wildlife (it's not unusual for 60 different species of bird to be spotted on any given day), Pensthorpe is pioneering a new vision for conservation, experiential nature and wellbeing.

The future for Norfolk's wildlife looks even more promising thanks to the work of the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust (PCT), which is committed to habitat and species conservation and on long-term projects to conserve and reintroduce key species such as cranes and red squirrels.

Let's face it, where else in Norfolk can you enjoy a fabulous day out and see 49 resident flamingos?

Paston Letters

It's hard to underestimate the importance of the Paston Letters, but there's simply nothing else like this uniquely personal chronicle of the lives of a medieval Norfolk family - which include everyday accounts of running an estate, shopping lists, insights into local political matters, and occasional melodramas usually involving secret marriages.

The story of the Pastons is a fascinating and compelling tale of an opportunist family rising from peasantry to aristocracy within two generations of the Black Death.

They were sued, threatened and bullied over the years by rivals who wanted their lands and property, and the survival of the letters between various family members is almost accidental - they were only preserved as possible evidence for a number of pending family lawsuits.

They eventually found their way to John Fenn of Dereham, and when his two volumes of selected (and edited) letters were published in 1787, the first edition sold out within a week.

The Paston Letters offer an invaluable look into a longvanished way of life - and the 1477 letter from Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston is actually the oldest documented love letter in English.

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“ DOWNHA HAM AM PR RE EP PA ARA AT TOR RY Y SCHOOL & MONTESSOR RII NUR RS SER RY Y PUPILS 0-11. FR RO OM SEPTEMBER 2019 PUPILS 0-13 YEARS THE OLD R RE ECTORY Y,, STOW BAR RD DOLPH, NOR RF FOLK PE34 3HT | Tel: 01366 388066 ww w ww w..downhamprep p..co.uk

I ma ayy be slig liiggh htllyy biia ased d,, but byy ffa b ar tth he best tth hin ngg about N No orffo ollk k iiss tth hat it''ss succh h a perffeect plla ace ffo or cch hildr illd drreen tto o gr gro ow u up p in. W Wiitth hin wallk kin ngg diisstta ance of tth he school we'rree blleessssed witth h beautif tiiffu ul oop pen countrryysid dee, hiisstto orriical trreeasurrees and rra arree brreeed animallss.

Therree''ss rro oom tto o grro ow and rro oom ttoo ex xp pllo orree. Thiiss iiss such an enrriichin ngg envirro onment ffo or a chilld d''ss lleearnin ngg and develo de lop pment and it''ss sometth hin ngg tth hat''ss trru ue of tth he whollee counttyy.

”

Elliziizzabet El abbeetthh LLaf affeaty afffffeeaataty ttyy harrppee,, Princ -S Shhar ha Priinncciiippaall Pr

“

Ho op peffu ulllyy you'llll fo forggiive me ffo or bein ngg a lliitt ttl tllee selff-ind du ulggeent and choosin ngg O Ox xburggh hH Ha allll as one of tth he beesst plla aceess in N Noorffo ollk k, altth houggh h

I can easillyy jju ustif tiiffyy th the d deeciission. Apart frro om ittss arcch hitteecttu urra al beauttyy and gllo orriious setttiingg,, tth he build illd diin ngg ittssellff iiss a lla asttiin ngg rreecorrd d of tth he sociall,, polittiicca al and rreelig liiggiious hiisstto orryy of tth he arreea. IItt''ss surrv vived op pp prreessssion, d deevastta attiion, near d deerreelliicttiion and tth hrreeatteened d deemolliittiion - and it''ss one of tth he tr tru ue jjeewellss in tth he crro own of tth he N Na attiional T Trrustt.. A trru ullyy inssp pirriin ngg plla accee tto o worrk k!

”

Maannaagggeeerr Geenneerraall Mana Gene Clleemmeennttt, G usssseellll Clemen Russel Ru

When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the National Trust, your support helps us to look afftter special places such as Oxburgh Hall for everr,, for everyone.

01366 328258 | Oxburgh Hall, King's LLyynn PE33 9PS | www w..nationaltrust.org.uk/oxburgh-hall | Top Right Photo © National Trust Images. The National Trust is an independent registered charityy,, number 205846 To

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Oxburgh Hall

t may have been built during the Wars of the Roses, protected by a moat and given some imposing crenellated towers, but Oxburgh Hall has always been a family home rather than a fortress.

Built around 1482 by Sir Edmund Bedingfeld it's one of the most romantic family homes you'll ever visit, and it's almost impossible to believe it only attracted one purchaser when put up for sale in 1950. The family duly bought it back for ÂŁ5,000 and presented it to the National Trust, who've cared for it ever since.

The Bedingfeld's Catholic faith can be seen in the seven secret doors and well-known 'priest hole' (one of the very few in the country open to visitors) and is also home to the world-famous Oxburgh Hangings, which were made by the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots

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and Bess of Hardwick in the 16th century. Comprising over 100 panels, the exquisite needlework includes some cleverly-disguised views on the contemporary political situation.

Technically part of the Victoria and Albert Museum, they're on permanent long-term loan at Oxburgh Hall.

Apart from the fascinating history and breathtaking architecture, the hall's 70acre estate includes a number of formal gardens and woodland walks which are equally outstanding. Some of the oak trees in the beautiful Home Covert, for example, are almost 400 years old - and their ages were already being remarked upon in the 18th century. Centuries of careful management has also had a positive impact on local wildlife.

Recently a tree at Oxburgh was discovered to be the only home in Norfolk for a very rare species of click

beetle called Procraerus tibialis.

For a literal taste of Oxburgh's heritage, don't pass up the opportunity to visit the hall's tearoom and choose something that contains salad vegetables, beetroot, potatoes, celeriac or rhubarb. They're all grown in Oxburgh Hall's working gardens, which are almost 300 years old and have provided food for its residents (and now visitors) for generations.

Admire the magnificent Tudor building, enjoy the beautifully natural surroundings, revel in the part its played in English history, or simply take in the stunning panoramic views from the tower - there's no doubt that Oxburgh Hall is a true jewel in the National Trust's crown and one of Norfolk's most incredible settings.

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“

At least 25% of the people living around the Norffolk coast are over 65 5, which is a lot more than the national averag a e - and there's a very good reason for that. I can't think of a more beautif i ul place to retire to. People are happier here - and I like to think that over the last 30 years or so we've pla ayed our own part in making all those smilles a littl tle brig ighter!

Paul Johnson Pau ohnson, Own wner

”

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www.schoolhousedentureclinic.co.uk KLmagazine 100

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South Gate

uckily the South Gate of King’s Lynn was designed to be so impressive it can take an X1 double decker bus and still stands proudly to welcome visitors to our ancient town!

It’s good to enter an old town through a gate. Kings of England stopped here and refreshed themselves in the fine upper room with a fire, food and other important necessities after a long ride.

They were then met by the Mayor to be welcomed into the town.

Lynn had three gates, the South Gate, the East Gate and St Ann’s Gate. We only know of St Ann’s Gate from a drawing on a very early map of the town, but the East Gate stood where Dodman’s Bridge is on the road to Gaywood and is well documented and illustrated. It eventually started impeding traffic and was demolished in 1800.

Gates and walls could be used for fortification, but that wasn’t their primary role – in fact, England wasn’t in danger of invasion or civil unrest until the Civil War in 1643. The main functions of the gates was to raise money through taxes and tolls, control who was entering the town, prevent KLmagazine 100

disease, and (in the case of the overlygrand South Gate) to show the status and civic pride of the town about to be entered.

The South Gate was built in the 15th century on older original foundations.

The structure is built of brick, with stone surrounds to the apertures, and ashlar or thin slabs of hewn stone on the front face. In the 19th century, on either side of the main entry, the pedestrian passageways were driven through.

The road leading into King's Lynn is now called London Road (built in 1801 as Lynn’s first bypass) but the route used to lay closer to the River Great Ouse and generally followed the course of the river to the Millfleet. However, in 1899 London Road was widened to help improve traffic flow, so the South Gate now only straddles half the road. In 1982, at a cost of £80,000, restoration of the South Gate was carried out, and more recent refurbishment has improved the interior for visitors through new lighting and interpretation.

The structure is unique and its importance is reflected in its status as a Scheduled Ancient Monument/Grade I listed building.

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Wells -next - the - Sea

W

ith its immediately recognisable and distinctive landmark of a massive red brick granary and overhanging gantry on the quay, Wellsnext-the Sea is much more than a little seaside town. It is, in fact, one of the most attractive towns on the north Norfolk coast.

From the long sweeping beach bordered by pine woodland, along the gentle harbour with small fishing boats and children fishing for crabs, past the shops on Staithe Street (with not a chain store in sight), to the tree-lined park with its fine Georgian houses, quiet pubs and restaurants - Wellsnext-the-Sea is a secret waiting to be told. Even its name is a delight.

Mentioned in Domesday Book, the name derives from the many clear spring wells in the town (over 180 of them at one time) and the fact that it’s

obviously right next to the sea.

Early on, the town was a fishing port, sending its small ships as far as Iceland and supplying corn to London as long ago as the 1300s. By the 16th century, Wells-next-the-Sea was a significant port with 19 seagoing ships operating out of its harbour. Lots of sailors require lots of pubs, and the town once had a remarkable number. Even Horatio Nelson used to pop over from Burnham Thorpe to drink at the Wells Club.

Even today, for a town with a population of only 2,500, there are plenty of good pubs to be found.

The northern end of the town used to be notable for parallel "yards"; narrow rows of cottages which could be relics of Viking occupation. A few remain, but were largely lost in the terrible flood damage of 1953 and the subsequent slum clearance.

The sea is always unpredictable, and the lifeboat at Wells-next-the-Sea has a

heroic history of lifesaving from wrecked ships – but the original lifeboat station on the quay was superseded by a new one nearer the open sea in 1897.

A charming little steam railway runs from Wells-next-the-Sea to Walsingham – the longest 10¼”-gauge railway in the world but the way – making a perfect family attraction for a day out. Fish and chips eaten on the quay or lunch on board the 1899 wherry Albatros are a couple of choices that are a must for any visitor. And don’t forget to visit the church to see the burial place of Wells-born John Fryer, the sailing master of the ill-fated HMAV Bounty.

Wells has pulled off a clever trick – a seaside town with amusement arcades, ice-cream parlours and souvenir shops while remaining a year round town full of history, interest and natural wonders.

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“

In my opinion, you only have to look up for Norfolk's best feat a uree, which is those

massive wide-open skiees. Living in the shadow of the Wash protects us frrom the worst the UK's weather can throw at us, and I oftten think our roofin ng systems were deesigned with Norfolk's wonderfful climate in mind. There's nothing bettter than relaxing in a conservatory watching the skies and the seasons

change through the year. The huge skiees of Norffolk

can make trraditional conservatori ries and sunrooms too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter but we've got the perffect solution. It means you can relax, sta ay comfortable, and enjo oy some

of the most amazing sunsets you'll see anywhere.

- Daavivid Mayna aynard, Owwne ner

”

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Shrimps For generations, fishing the Wash (a 15-milesquare bay of shifting sand and mud banks) has yielded cockles, mussels and shrimp harvested by about 60 boats mostly from King’s Lynn and Boston.

The humble brown shrimp has provided an income for local fishermen for hundreds of years - and the area

accounts for 90% of the entire catch from Britain's coastline. Currently being assessed in terms of sustainability for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accreditation, the local industry is one of our tastiest exports.

As with all the best natural foods, our brown shrimp are best enjoyed as simply and freshly as possible. Simmer them for three minutes in boiling water (add some cider if you're feeling adventurous) and make some wholemeal toast. Nothing could be easier - and few foods are so delicious.

The Father of Democracy or traitor?

This controversy has raged since the American War of Independence.

Thomas Paine was born in Thetford in 1737, and trained with his father to make rope stays for ships. Never able to settle, he had a mixed career but was always interested in radical ideas. He emigrated to America and arrived in Philadelphia in 1774 to become editor of the

Pennsylvania Magazine – and found himself free to write against the British Monarchy and express revolutionary ideas. His pamphlets, especially Common Sense, urged American independence and sold 500,000 copies.

He is best remembered for The Rights of Man which defended the French Revolution. He died – celebrated and reviled – in New York in 1809.

Thomas Paine

Cromer Pier There's been a pier (or jetty) at Cromer for over 600 years, but it hasn't had the easiest of times. It's been washed away twice, damaged by storms on at least six occasions, and was virtually cut in two when a 100-ton rig crashed into it in 1993.

Despite that, the 151m Grade II listed structure is a true wonder on the Norfolk coastline. Winner of the 'Pier of the Year' award in 2015, it's one of only five seaside piers in the UK with a working theatre - and hosts the only end-of-pier show of its kind in the whole world, which has been running for over 40 years.

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OPEN WEEKDAY YS YS 8am - 4pm OPEN SATURD AY YS YS (March--JJune) 9am - 3pm

“

I ma ayy be biia ased d,, but ffo or me N No orffo ollk k's beesst feattu fe urree iiss ittss nattu ura ral beauttyy. Thank kss tto o ou ggeeolog lo oggyy of youn ngg rro ock kss we have d deeeep p ffeerttiillee soils ilss,, and ggeenerra alllyy have llo ower rra ainffa allll and higgh her tteem mp perra attu urrees tth han tth he reesst of tth he countrryy. IItt's a wond deerffu ul climattee, home to over 11,,000 ssp peciiees of willd dfl flo owerin ngg plla anttss and morree tth han 160 Sittees of S Sp peciia al S Scciieentiifi fic IIn ntteereesstt.. IItt's perffeect ffo or tth he pla pl lanttss and fl flo owerrss tth hat grro ow herree, and it's perffeect ffo or tth he peoop pllee who live herree.

”

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Viisit our website for more information ww.fandabbydaisy s .florist Being Norffolk born and bred, it's easy to take your surroundings for granted. However, as you get old der you come to appreciate the quaintness and beauty of a small town like Downham Market - with its ffri rriiend dlly atmosphere, unique littl tle shops and busy market days. The 'higgh strreet' is chan anging these days, so it's reallly important that we preserve and nurture our smal a l towns and their unique character.

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orner

01553 774544| Norfolk St, King’s Lynn PE30 1AG KLmagazine 100

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Cley Marsh

verlooked by one of the most picturesque windmills in Norfolk, the breathtaking 430-acres of marshes at Cley is the oldest and bestknown of all nature reserves in the care of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT).

The area was originally purchased for £5,100 by local birdwatcher Dr Sydney Long in 1926 to be held "in perpetuity as a bird breeding sanctuary" - a vision Long helped preserve by founding the NWT shortly afterwards.

The marshes at Cley provided a blueprint for nature conservation which has now been replicated across the UK - water levels in the pools and reedbeds are regulated to ensure the ideal conditions for resident birds, and the reeds are harvested every year to keep the reedbeds in optimum condition.

The shingle beach and saline lagoons, along with the grazing marsh and reedbeds support vast numbers of wintering and migrating wildfowl and waders, as well as bittern, marsh harrier and bearded tit.

With the growing interest in conservation and environmental issues, a new visitor centre opened on the marshes in 2007 containing a café, shop and dedicated viewing areas.

It's since been complemented by the Simon Aspinall Wildlife Education

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Centre - named for the Cley resident and inspirational naturalist who died (tragically early) in 2011 after making a significant contribution to ornithology and nature conservation in the UK and around the world.

Here you can pick up a free audio trail that offers a fascinating insight into the history of the reserve, together with its wildlife - and its management and plans for the future.

There's no better way of seeing this incredible part of Norfolk in a new light and understanding why it's famous around the world for its incredible wildlife.

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PROVI DI NG NORFOLK WI TH EXPERT ADVICE

for over 100 years

Norffolk is oftten characteriised as a peacef c ul and laid-back count n y, but I think that undereestimatees the strrengtth and vibrancy of our local business community.

Whille the economy overall has faced many challlenges es, Norffolk’s economy has remained remarkably reesili lient, and the county remains a grreat place to bring up a family, work or start a businesss. Norffolk’s landscape has always shaped its commerce, reesultting in a wonderfful deepth and diversity of skill lls: frrom fisheriees and farming, to arc rchitecturee, engineering and constrruction, health and leisure and our famous tourism sector.

Over our 100 years in businesss we have been proud to be based in the county, enabling us to help many local businesses grrow and develop Norffolk is a grreat place to place to do businesss.

- Veeroniqu nique Smi Smith AC ACA KING’S L LY YNN 01553 774104 FAKENHAM 01328 863318

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Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors

DOWNHAM MARKET 01366 384121 WISBECH 01945 463383

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St George’s Guildhall

T

he Guildhall is the largest of its kind in England and listed Grade I. St George’s Guildhall and its associated buildings in King Street are a medieval and later-built complex of national importance. The Guildhall was built around 1430. It is two storeys in brick, with the undercroft on the ground floor and the hall above. It is lit by tracery windows in the north and south walls as well as the big window in the eastern gable. For over 600 years it has been adapted and developed to meet the needs of the town.

The exceptional hall of St George’s Guild has been used as a theatre (with intermissions) from the 1440s and no building in England can claim a longer association with drama. The first known theatrical production was of a nativity play performed before a feast in 1442.

Evidence that William Shakespeare played here with the Earl of Pembroke’s men in 1592 is compelling. In 1766 a Georgian style playhouse was built inside the hall for £450 before this “Comedia House” closed in 1814.

During the 19th century the guildhall became a wool and grain warehouse KLmagazine 100

with the undercroft still used for storing wine. Between the two World Wars (1918-1939) it was the headquarters of the scenic artists, G.M. Bridges and Son, who won international fame for their work. The scenes or “flats” were sent out, often by train, to bazaars, fairgrounds, theatres and exhibitions as well as Sandringham House for their Christmas theatrical entertainments.

In 1945 St George’s Guildhall was derelict and in danger of being demolished for a garage, until Alexander Penrose of the Wisbech-based Peckover family purchased it – within days of the whole historic complex being pulled down. Public grants and an appeal fund led to the restoration of this remarkable medieval property, with Lord and Lady Fermoy playing forward roles. Her friendship with The Queen (later the Queen Mother) ensured considerable financial support for conversion to a theatre.

The Art Centre Galleries in the complex were opened in 1963 and were home to the King’s Lynn Arts Centre Trust until 2015. The offices of the King’s Lynn Festival are now based in the guildhall – fittingly enough as the

hugely-popular event originated here in 1951 – and it has recently received international attention, thanks to renewed interest in its strong claim to being the only existing stage in the world on which Shakespeare may have performed.

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CARS & VANS FO R SAL E

D NOW W ITH OVER 500 USE 19 76 - 2 019

“ '

f

especte and successf ssful car

supermarkets in the whole countrry, but we could dn't have reached that point without the support of the local community. Norf rfolk is worth celeebrating for any number of reasons - but it's the people who make it extrra special.

Annthon A thoony Skerry Skerry, Managin anagingg Diirecctot r

”

Hamlin Way, Hardwick Narrows, King’s Lynn PE30 4NG 01553 661661 | www.stebbings.co.uk

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PICTURE: PAUL NAYLOR / MARINEPHOTO.COM

Festival T00

It's 20 miles long, some 100 million years old, and it's a world record holder.

Created when the only tourists to the area were dinosaurs, the Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds (more poetically known as Britain’s Great Barrier Reef) is the longest in the world – and so close to the shore you could skim a stone out to it. Only 25ft below the sea's surface and discovered little more than ten years KLmagazine 100

Festival Too is one of the largest free music festivals in Europe, taking place in the centre of King’s Lynn annually over three weekends in late June and early July. It has grown from being the King’s Lynn Festival’s ‘noisy little sister’ with a budget of just £5,000 in 1985 to a huge event attracting up to 12,000 visitors and costing over £80,000. This money is raised by donations from local companies, private individuals, the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, and well known national names. The town’s spacious Tuesday Market Place is always packed with

music lovers, while the opening event is a wonderful fireworks show over West Lynn. Besides the great bands there’s daytime entertainment such as stilt walkers, puppet shows and outstanding local music acts. Regular crowds have seen acts such as Scouting For Girls, The Hoosiers, Blue, Atomic Kitten, Toyah Willcox, Deacon Blue, The Stranglers, Bad Manners, The Human League, and Heather Small. Every year, the amazing response to these jampacked popular music evenings is a huge accolade and tribute to everyone who volunteers to make it happen.

Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds

ago, the reef has been made a Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) by DEFRA and it's actually larger than the Norfolk Broads National Park.

Stretching all the way from west of Weybourne to Happisburgh, this unique marine environment is home to more than 350 species, three of which have never been recorded on the east coast before and a type of purple sponge that

was only discovered in 2011.

The reef's MCZ designation means that endangered sea life such as the threatened pink sea fan coral will now be protected, and it means that Norfolk will still be home to the most succulent crab and lobster you’ll find in the UK – because they have a very special habitat to feed on. Even though you’re unlikely to ever see it.

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BARRY L HA AW WKINS Independent Auctioneer and Land Agent

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RIGHT - 1950

You can't take a picture of it, but the best thing about Norffolk is trradition. My grrandad set up a successf ss ul riiding school in Heacham and used to emplooy a blacksmith who sharpened lawnmower blades when he did idn't have any horses to shoe. 100 years later, here we are in the same place - sellling and sharpening lawnmowers! That's trradition - people say that Norffolk doesn't change much, but when it does it always change ges for the bettter.

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5 Station Road, Heacham, King’s LLyynn PE31 7HG | 01485 571789 | arcoworkshop@posmail.co.uk | www.arcotoolhire.co.uk 64

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t was a typical scene in the Norfolk countryside of 1948 - a ploughman digging up a field in Snettisham, just over 10 miles from King's Lynn. Uncovering an interesting lump of metal, the ploughman took it to his foreman, who decided it was part of an old brass bedstead. And so one of the greatest treasures in Norwich Castle Museum lay by the side of a field for a week.

As more pieces of metal turned up, a local businessman took them to Norwich, where museum curator Rainbird Clark realised it was a far more significant find than a rusty old bed. It was, in fact, a gold torc (neck ring), and that was only the start of the story further finds would be made in the same field in 1950, 1964, 1968 and 1973.

By then it was assumed the field had given up all its secrets, so Squadron Leader Hodder had little trouble in getting permission to take his metal detector to the field in 1989. First, all he found were some traces of metal fragments, but then he found a couple of gold coins - and a large pile of scrap metal in a bronze container.

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The British Museum were called in, and intensive excavations revealed five further hoards which have more than doubled the number of total finds making the discoveries at Snettisham the largest deposit of gold and silver from Iron Age Europe ever found, weighing in at around 20kg of silver and 15kg of gold.

Over 150 gold torc fragments were discovered, 70 of which form complete torcs - and the majority are thought to have been buried around 70BC. In fact, the craftsmanship is of such quality that they may well have formed part of an Iceni royal treasure.

Although some of the finds are on permanent display in Norwich Castle Museum, the most famous item from the hoards - the 'Great Torc' - is now held by the British Museum, a quite beautiful item made from 1kg of gold mixed with silver.

And when the BBC produced a documentary on British archaeological finds called Our Top Ten Treasures in 2003, the incredible discoveries at Snettisham were ranked 4th.

PICTURES: THE BRITISH MUSEUM / BMIMAGES

I

Snettisham Treasure

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A Huge Range of Quality Carpets, Rugs, Vinyls, LVT and Solid Wood Flooring

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Our showrroom in Ki King ng's 's Ly Lynn is is surr rrounde ded by by imp importa tantt and d his hiisto tori ric buil ilding ngs, but if if I had to to pick only ly one I think it would th ld be b th the Ma Majesti tic Ci Cinema in n King Ki ng's 's Ly Lynn - wh hich is is ju just a fe few fe feet awa ay. ay Walk through the doors and you can stil ill see the orig iginal mosaic floor frrom the 1930s. s What sets Norffolk apart is that we look aft fter our past. If peopl p e are stil ill admiring our floors in 100 years' time I'll be very pleased indeed!

wner Barr arry Evvansns, Owne

KING’SS LYNN MOBILITY CENTRE LTD T: 01553 762878 | www T: ww ww w..econom myyflooringk gkll.co.uk | T To ower Street, King’s L Lyynn PE30 1E EJJ

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“

Neville are on Invac ed) (r Coliibrii Invacare Steve on et Pro Com (blue)

Neville Bur ur t - Nevill & Stev t ve Kirman rman, Diirecctot rs

30-38 Blackfriars Street, King’s L Lyynn PE30 1NN www.kingslynnmobility-norfolk.co.uk KLmagazine 100

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The Majestic Cinema

W

hen it opened it could seat an astonishing 1,149 people – all watching the same film!

This unique building in Tower Street in King’s Lynn is a triumph of art deco architecture and civic prestige, designed purely for entertainment. Not only were films screened here, but it had a large ballroom used by King George V for his Sandringham Hunt Balls – and despite its conversion to ‘Screen 3’, it still retains its sprung wooden floor. The cinema was officially opened on 23rd May 1928; with the year commemorated in one of the stained glass windows at the front of the building – the other windows depict musical instruments.

Every part of this building deserves attention; from the zodiac decoration to the classical Corinthian pillars and dome. It’s a riot of baroque flamboyance, with much of the interior bought from the Empire Theatre, Leicester Square, London (which was then being demolished).

The first film shown at The Picture House (as it was known then) was a silent version of Ben Hur starring Roman Navarro – a lavish and expensive epic that ran for two and a half hours. This was shown in the only cinema space at the time which was a two-tier auditorium and screen.

The independent cinema was taken over by Union Cinemas in 1934 and then became part of ABC Theatres, joining the group’s other cinema in the town in St James Street.

It was sold to an independent again in 1975 with current seating capacities 313, 301 and 123 in three screens. General Manager, Tom Cundy, said the cinema has seen their best year yet in terms of ticket sales, it sold nearly 200,000 tickets, almost four times the population of King’s Lynn. The variety of films on offer with something for everyone is the key to their success, and families flock during school holidays to see the latest Disney or super hero in action. An exciting addition to the schedule of popular films are live screenings of plays from the National Theatre Live and opera and ballet from the Royal Opera House.

Every year the Majestic takes part in King's Lynn's Heritage Day where you can explore the cinema in more detail with knowledgeable staff always willing to guide you through its history.

It narrowly avoided demolition in 2000 which prompted the King’s Lynn Civic Society to apply for listing in 2001, with a successful outcome – as much of the original interior survives and the Majestic Cinema was listed grade II.

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For us, by far the best thing about Norfolk is its incredible countryside and its proud farming tradition. This is the home of Thomas Coke of Holkham Hall, who was a pioneer of new agricultural practices - and you could say that Norfolk is the home of modern farming. Doubleday has been part of the landscape for generations, and it's a privilege to be helping strengthen the county's reputation for outstanding produce.

Thomas Coke

- Roy Pickett, Service Manager YOUR LOCAL BRANCH IS LOCATED AT: Lynn Road, Wiggenhall St Germans PE34 3EU KING’S LYNN 01553 617666 | HOLBEACH 01406 540261 | SWINESHEAD 01205 822440 | www.doubledaygroup.co.uk AN I M AL F E E D S • Q UAD B I K E S

H AY L O F T C O U N T RY C L O T H I N G

By Appointment To Her Majesty Qu ueen Elizabeth II Manufacturers Of Animal Feeds H. & C. Beart Ltd., Stowbridge

“

Harold Beart in the three-wheel Mor gan

ster, mum & brother Stephen Brighton with his si

I think Norf rfolk's best attri tribute is the way it never loses touch with its roots and maintains its trraditions. For instance, our founder Harold Beart was a grreat racing driver in the 1920s, and was the firrst person to toop 100mph in a three-wheel Morgan on the racetrrack at Brooklands. Although our new range of quad bikes aren't the same as his sports carss, I think he'd also be pleased to see that we're stil ill sellling animal feed 100 years later!

Stephe t phen Brigh r ghtot n

”

Over 80 year rs s suppl ly ying qu ua alit ty y anim ma al feed A tr ru ue f fa amil ly y business tha at t never st ta ands still

TEL: 01366 388151 | Br riighton Mill, Stow Bridge, King’s L Ly ynn, PE34 3PD | WEB: www w..bear ts.co.uk 68

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Horatio Nelson The nation’s hero is a west Norfolk man, and Norfolk has become known as Nelson’s County. Horatio Nelson was born in 1759 in the rectory at Burnham Thorpe. He went to sea aged 12, and rose to be a Vice Admiral through his extraordinary abilities and to command a fleet of the most feared

fighting ships then known. His destruction of the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 was followed by the Battle of Copenhagen – and his eventual death during the pivotal Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson was interred in St Paul’s Cathedral following an impressive state funeral, and his astonishing victory at Trafalgar meant that Britain would rule the seas for the next century.

Frederick Savage If you enjoy the Mart then it’s thanks to Frederick Savage. His is a true local rags to riches story, where a boy brought up in poverty become a world renowned industrialist and three times King’s Lynn Mayor. Frederick Savage had a poor start when his father was convicted of poaching and sent to Tasmania for 14 years. After an engineering apprenticeship Savage set

up his own business in 1850 making simple farming implements and steam driven agricultural machinery. He was asked by showmen at the annual fair in February to design a steam driven carousel, to which he added painted horses and cockerels. These popular machines were exported all over the world and King’s Lynn is regarded as the home of the fun fair.

East Anglian Game & Country Fair From farming to food and from sports to schools, the East Anglian Game & Country Fair has grown to become one of the biggest and most popular country events in the whole region.

Founded in 2004 as a vehicle for traders looking to exhibit between Easter and

the summer season, the EAGCF (held annually towards the end of April) attracts world-class events and hundreds of local attractions - and thousands of visitors.

Originally

hosted at the Norfolk Showground, the event now takes place at the more central and accessible Euston Estate near Elveden - a beautiful setting for a celebration of local life.

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B

Burnham Market

urnham Market is a handsome little north Norfolk town which has become the favourite destination of mostly affluent residents from London, and in consequence acquired a somewhat metropolitan atmosphere. Long-term local residents often refer to the village as Chelsea-onSea, after the upmarket London district.

One of the factors driving this movement is the presence of the boutique pub and restaurant the Hoste Arms, which is at the centre of village life. It’s named for Sir William Hoste (1780-1828) who was Horatio Nelson’s favourite protégé and professional heir.

Nelson took several local boys to sea as midshipmen to be trained as naval officers, and it’s said that Nelson gave young William Hoste a frigate command and sent him off on an errand away from the Battle of Trafalgar to keep him safe. Nelson would have delighted in his subsequent glittering career – which inspired the character of Horatio Hornblower made famous in the novels of C.S. Forester.

This is the largest of all the Burnham villages. Burnham Market has grown from the merger of other decayed Burnham villages such as Burnham Sutton, Burnham Westgate and Burnham Ulph and lies in a wooded KLmagazine 100

hollow, happily sheltered from the sea.

It had the most successful market of all the local villages from medieval times until 1854, which gave it the wealth and importance now reflected in the fine listed properties which flank the main street.

The distinctive green, bisected by the village street and a small brook called Goose Beck add unique charm to this popular tourist destination. It is an imposing approach to the church of St Mary, and around are gathered attractive Georgian houses, pubs, and small specialist shops. Nelson’s father was rector of these Burnham parishes, including Burnham Thorpe where the famous Admiral was born, and it’s in Burnham Market that his illegitimate daughter with Lady Hamilton came to live and love.

Horatia Nelson came to live with her uncle and married Philip Ward, the parish curate, who lived next door.

Hop on the Coastliner bus to visit the Burnham villages from King’s Lynn or Hunstanton and avoid the parking problems that plague this popular tourist spot.

Although Burnham Market has outward sophistication it is still a coastal town only a mile from the sea, sand, dunes, marshes and creeks which characterise north Norfolk.

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“

We love Norffolk’ k s history and are privileg le ed to occupy one of the olde dest build ldings in King’s Lynn. The ďŹ rrm dates back to 178 84 but part of our offices on King Strreet was built around 1180. These build ldinggs have had various uses over the yearss, and once had a small brewery atttached known as “The Lambâ€?. We are proud to open the build lding each year for King’s Lynn Heritag a e Open Day.

“

awn Colle oller, - Daw Maarkr keting Manage anager

*/124//55,55 .1)455,55 32 4 +2'12(55,55 1/ *045 4/3-*013255,55 ) -3 )42055,55 +0.1)321+-55,55 1--/5 5 .3#+04 $ 5 12(5 0.440"5 12( /5 22"5 3. 3- 5 $%5 5555&&&!)' -+&!'3!* 5555% $5 %% -/35 40 3. "5 1/#4' 5+2 5 404.#3.3*(

RICHARD C F WAITE ARCHITECTS RIBA AABC

A family-run and award winnin i g multig i enerational RIB IBA Chartered Arcchitect’s practice with 50 years’ ex xperience

34 Bridge Street, King’s Lynn PE30 5AB | 01553 772656 | architect@rcfwaite.co.uk | www.rcfwaite.co.uk

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King’s Lynn Town Hall

P

erfect for all events from weddings to conferences and concerts, this range of buildings on the Saturday Market Place more than pleases the eye – it delights. It also has tales to tell, from the criminals sent to the gallows under stern bewigged Mayors to the glorious Georgian romps and banquets in the Assembly Rooms where rich merchants hoped to marry off their daughters at the monthly balls to the old country gentry families – thereby gaining a pedigree, if not a title.

These rich heiresses could bring thousands of pounds into a marriage, so competition for their hand was often ruthless. Around the walls are portraits of famous local figures and royal subjects including King Charles I, Sir Robert Walpole, Lord George Bentinck, King George III, and Admiral Lord

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Nelson – and in a small room at the back you’ll find George Vancouver, Fanny Burney and Benjamin Keene.

The Town Hall is made up of a sequence of buildings of all different styles and ages, but they form a harmonious whole. At the heart lies the Guildhall of the Holy Trinity, built in 1422. The front is distinctive flint and stone in a chequer pattern with light stone and dark flint in alternate squares.

Low ground floor windows light the undercroft, which is now the exhibition “Stories of Lynn,” opened in 2016 to showcase the town treasures.

Above is a glorious large window which uniquely has dozens of messages etched into the glass panes by glaziers and window cleaners over the last few centuries. One rather telling one reads “Who got the girl with child poor Billy Turner the glazier?”

Behind this window is the Stone Hall, which must originally have been reached by external stairs, because in 1624 an ornate staircase and porch was added in a similar chequer pattern. The large impressive door and classical Doric columns make for a very grand entrance to a fantastic building.

Finally, in Queen Street the ‘real’ Town Hall was added in 1895, and this Victorian extension perfectly reflects the rest in its use of flint and stone chequer work. The addition was prompted by local government legislation which allowed the public to attend council meetings for the first time – so a purpose-built council chamber was needed. Still in constant use, the Town Hall has reflected the changing times of King’s Lynn and is still a much-loved building at the heart of civic and town life.

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“

IIff you want tto o know tth he beesst tth hin ngg about N Noorffo olk k,, you onllyy have ttoo come tto om myy home of Grreeat M Ma assssinggh ham. IItt''ss a beautif tiiffu ul villag illlla aggee and has a ffa antta asttiic llo ocal pub, tth he Dabblliin ngg Duck tth hat''ss everryytth hin ngg a trra adittiional Engli En ngglliissh pub shoulld d be.

IItt was ggooin ngg tto o be ttu urrn ned intto o houses in 2006 6,, but ffo our llo occa allss tteeamed u up p tto o save itt.. That''ss tth he best tth hin ngg about N Noorffo ollk k - it''ss a rreeal communittyy tth hat worrk ks tog to oggeetth her ffo or eacch h otth herr..

”

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“

Speedway in King's Lynn has been an integral part of west Norfolk since I attended my first meeting in 1966. It's a sport held

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Gas Museum

There are some fascinating little museums all over the country, and one of Norfolk’s most fascinating is the wonderful Fakenham Museum of Gas and Local History.

Yes, it's a little quirky - but as the only complete gasworks remaining in England and Wales it’s nationally important too, a priceless legacy of our industrial heritage. Built in 1846, the gasworks in Fakenham were described as "an ornament to the town" supplying gas "of an unusual purity.” Thanks to the growing popularity of electricity and the discovery of natural gas, the gasworks closed in 1965, and was scheduled under Section 1 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 20 years later as official recognition of its unique status as the only complete gasworks remaining in Britain.

The museum opened on 19th May 1987 and has been developed over the years under the management of the Fakenham Town Gasworks Museum Trust. Despite being abandoned for the best part of 50 years, the site has a stark beauty of its own, and it’s possible to trace the whole process of gas production - and gain a fascinating insight into local domestic life during the first half of the 20th century.

King’s Lynn Speedway On 7th September 1952, a speedway meeting was held in King's Lynn in aid of the Lynmouth Flood Disaster Fund to help people affected by the worst river flood experienced ever in the UK. A grass speedway circuit was marked on the inside of the town's dog track, and over 3,000 people turned up to watch. The sport took a while to take off, however although two meetings were held the following year, it wouldn't be until 1965 that the transformation of a derelict stadium into a purpose-built track put King's Lynn on the speedway map.

Despite a variety of names over the years (the Knights, the Silver Machine, and the Stars) the team has enjoyed considerable success, winning the Premier Trophy three times, the KO Cup six times, topping the Premier League twice, and producing two World Champions and one under21 World Champion.

Over the last decade, considerable investment by local businessman Buster Chapman (a former junior rider for the team) has turned the venue into one of the very best in Britain - known as the Adrian Flux Arena since 2015, it actually hosted five successive World Cup meetings from 2010.

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S n e t t i s h a m Caarraavan P C Paarrkk The perfect Norfolk holiday for over 50 years Norffolk s best feature it would be the sunsets at Snetti tisham - we never get tired of seeing them. But I would rather let our customers choose! They come here from all over the countr try and they say that as soon as they cross the bord der into Norffolk they relax and feel a sense of peace and quiet. They always tell us that once you've ex xperiienced Norfolk it's hard to leave.

- Maril arilyn & Joh John Rose oser, Owne wners

”

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“

I’’m m not orig riiggiinalllyy frro om Noorffo N ollk k, but when tth he chanccee arro ose tto o purrcchase a 16tth h centtu urryy inn in Thornham, we could dn n’t rreesiisstt.. T Too mee,, what we off ffeer at tth he Chequerrss sums u Ch up p tth he beesst of Noorffo N ollk k - a hiisstto orriic inn, a menu ffu ullll of local N No orffo ollk k prro od du uccee incllu ud diin ngg llo ocal ggiin and ales leess,, and a stto one’’ss tth hrro ow awa ayy frro om H Ho olme

”

and Brra ancastteer beacch h. The perffeect holida liid da ayy allll year rro ound d..

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Holme Beach

he beach at Holme is one of Norfolk's best-kept secrets, a beautiful stretch of coastline that manages to remain unusually quiet and tranquil even in the height of the holiday season.

It's well worth making the effort to discover, though.

A narrow lane off the A149 takes you to the edge of one of the top 100 golf courses in the UK, and a short walk over the sand dunes will lead you to the beach. With the Holme Dunes Nature Reserve behind you, turn left and you'll see the distinctive lighthouse at Hunstanton, while in the other direction you're treated to a virtually uninterrupted vista of sand and sky where you can even see the Northern Lights - although not very often.

With no restrictions, this is the perfect place for walking the dogs (all the way

to Snettisham if you're particularly energetic), and there's no better place to take your hiking boots. The beach at Holme is where Peddars Way ends its 46-mile journey from Knettishall Heath in Suffolk - and meets the equally picturesque (and even longer) Norfolk Coast Path.

But if you thought Holme was a little too quiet, you'd be surprised.

The beach made international headlines in 1998 with the discovery of the 4,000 year old timber circle christened 'Seahenge' by the media which was removed partly to preserve it and partly to protect the beach (and its adjacent nature reserve) from crowds of visitors.

This is an important and fragile natural environment for numerous species of birds and wildlife (it's also one of the best places in Norfolk to spot a barn

owl) - within a National Nature Reserve, part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the few Natura 2000 sites in England. The beach at Holme is a wonder to visit, but it also carries the responsibility to avoid disturbing nesting or wintering birds.

Another fascinating discovery at Holme (though not quite as ancient as Seahenge) was the identification of the wreck of a large wooden and metal ship, first spotted in 1985 from aerial photographs. It's moved about 100m southwards since then, and is thought to be the remains of The Vicuna, an icecarrying ship that sank in March 1883 en-route to King's Lynn.

Holme may not be one of the most visited beaches in Norfolk, but it's certainly one of the most attractive.

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Binham Priory

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B

inham Priory is all about its fantastic location. In the midst of fields, the old priory’s foundations rise majestically from the surrounding farmland – and it’s among the most complete and impressive monastic ruins in Norfolk. But this is just a tiny survivor of the huge Benedictine foundation of 1091 established by Peter des Valoines and his wife Albreda, who was related to William the Conqueror. The nave of the priory church is the only part still standing, with its splendid 13th century west front and fine tiers of

Norman arches – and former rood screen, with medieval saints overpainted with Protestant texts.

Binham Priory has a chequered and at times scandalous history. Continuous squabbles between landowner Robert Fitzwalter and the monks finally saw the priory besieged in 1210 – and when King John (never one particularly keen on landowning barons) heard about it, he sent an armed force to relieve Binham. The priory suffered from a succession of mainly unscrupulous and irresponsible priors. William de

Somerton (prior from 1317-35) sold many of the priory's valuables in order to finance his alchemical experiments, leaving the priory £600 in debt. Prior Alexander de Langley was apparently driven to insanity by excessive study, and his erratic behaviour led to him being flogged and held in solitary confinement until his eventual death – when he was buried in chains.

The community at Binham was always small, with 14 monks at its peak in 1320, and when Binham was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539 the monastic buildings were sold to Thomas Paston.

The Paston Letters relate that the sum of 13/7½d was paid to Sir Thomas in 1533 for “rubble and stone” from Binham Priory which was used to build a large house in the High Street at Wells-Next-the-Sea. Despite all this change in fortune, the impressive ruins include the gatehouse and north and south transepts.

Binham Priory now presents a tranquil and timeless scene. It brings together the ancient and modern, and besides the many religious services it hosts numerous musical concerts and recitals during the summer months.

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“

The best thing about Norfolk is that wherever you are ther e e are unique and intereesting styles of build lding everywhere you look. Listed proopertiies sit besid de old cottag ta es, and barn conversions next to one-off new build lds and they all share one thing in common - the fact that nothing is standard d. They're full of odd shaped cornerss, quirk ky alcoves and uneven wallls - and that's perffectlly suited to our besspoke furniture making skill ills. Norfolk has a unique character, and it's reallly reward ding to use trraditional furniture making skillls to suit any sizze, any style and any shape room or alcove to maintain that.

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Marriott’s Warehouse

arriott’s Warehouse in King’s Lynn is a rare survival of a Tudor warehouse, an important store for salt, beer, wine and timber. The river was once the lifeblood of the town, and from March to October it was busy with ships and bustling with sailors, porters and merchants from home and abroad.

Warehouses of the time needed to be safe and secure but also easy to access from the water. This warehouse stood on a spit of land called Pygott’s Stand so small boats could float inside at high tide to unload cargo. Virtually surrounded by water, its stone (taken from nearby demolished friaries) in the lower part of the walls protected it against the tides.

The building we see today dates from the 1580s and is Listed Grade II*. Some of the huge interior timbers may also have come from local religious buildings, as tree ring analysis has produced an early date of 1310 for some timbers and others were felled in the winter of 1498/99.

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The building’s name is taken from the Marriott brothers, who owned or leased several granaries on the town’s South Quay in the late 19th century.

In the 1950s, the door was made high enough for lorries to access the building, and the quayside was commercial well into the 1960s when the railway bridge over the Millfleet brought trucks directly from the ships.

Warehouses were demolished and shipping was confined to the docks – with the exception of the grain silos which shut in 2004.

Gradually, Marriott’s Warehouse fell into decay and was eventually purchased by Norfolk County Council and mothballed for 30 years. Suggested uses included a nightclub, but it was only in the year 1999 that enough money from the Heritage Lottery Fund was given to restore and regenerate this remarkable building as part of an ambitious Millennium Project.

It opened as The Green Quay with a mission to promote the Wash and its environmental diversity, but visitor numbers were disappointing and

economic austerity restricted public funding leading to the closure of this project in 2012.

A restaurant on the ground floor has given new life to this building, while the Marriott’s Warehouse Trust continues to offer free admission to its exhibitions, lectures and events on the top floor and to promote the maritime history of King’s Lynn.

The public artwork of fish drying on a rack outside is a tribute to the town’s long trading association with Norway.

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“

This may be a littl tle 'off the wall' but I think what makes Norfolk unique is hundreds of feet undergrround and was made mill llions of years ago. Most people don't give a second thought to stone, but it's had a big impact on the way Norffolk looks. We're stil ill quarrying carrstone toda ay, and it's characteristic of build dings all over west Norffolk and around the coast. Downham Market is even ref e erred to as the 'Gingerbread Town' because of the extensive use of carrstone. Fllint should also get an honourable mention whille we're on the subject. We have an abundance in our quarrry at Briiston and you’ll oftten see it in wallls and panels around the Norffolk coast. Amaz m inglly, the flintworks at Thetfford were probably Euroope's firrst industrial centrre!

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Round Tower Churches

ou might think there's nothing particularly special about a round tower church in Norfolk, but there's nowhere else in the world where you'll find so many in one space. Consider this; Germany is 46% bigger than the UK, but there are only 20 round tower churches in the whole country. There are around 180 in England,

KLmagazine 100

and 124 of those are in Norfolk everywhere from Acle to Yaxham - with a fair number scattered across the west and north of the county in places such as Sedgeford, Great Ryburgh, Bexwell and St. Mary at Appleton, which is pictured here.

The reason why round towers are such a common feature of churches in East Anglia isn't know for sure (detailed accounts of their construction are understandably lacking) and a number of reasons have been suggested over the years.

As they occur in an area once particularly prone to raids

by Vikings, one thought is that our legacy of round tower churches started their lives

as defensive structures - to which churches were added later. This is an unlikely scenario, however, not least because many of the churches existed before the towers were added. The towers are generally too short to have been of much use in a military situation anyway. The most likely explanation is that the rounded design was far easier to build in Norfolk than a square tower because the building materials available to hand meant relying largely on flint.

Carefully set in mortar, flint can create striking buildings and effects (just look at the facade of King's Lynn Town Hall for example) but it's not a particularly easy stone to cut, work or dress particularly for sharp corners and square angles. Hence, round towers were much easier to construct in this part of the country.

It's a unique heritage that was recognised with the formation of the Round Tower Church Society (RTCS) in 1973, which aims (under the patronage of HRH The Prince of Wales) to help preserve these special churches and explore their origins and history - and has made grants of over £150,000 to enable that to happen. Few of our historic buildings have such a fascinating record of changing architectural taste and evolving skills and technologies built into the very fabric of their structure.

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“

For me, there’s a multitude of reasons why Norffolk has so much to offer.

There’s something for everyone, frrom walks in the countrrysid de or coastlline to ex xplorin i g historic build ldings and landmarks. You can't beat paddle dleboard ding at Brancaster or windsurfin fing at Old Hunstanton. I’m proud to call Norffolk my home, and it’s a gr great place to live.

Our restaurants and pubs are fantastic too!

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One of th the bes est th thing ngs about No Norf rfolk lk is is dire rectl tly op opposite te our new pre remis ises Swaffham's Sw 's mark rket pla lace ce. No Norf rfolk lk is is fu full ll of mark rket to towns, but very ry fe few have such a vib ibra rant mark rket la lasti ting ng over 800 years rs.

The re rece cent re renovati tion and mode dernis isati tion off tth he mark rket’s ’s iconic Butt tterc rcro ross ss is is simil ilar to to our own ble lendi ding ng of th the past and fu futu ture re we'v 've been in busines ess fo for almost l 40 years rs and str trive to to mainta tain tr tradi diti tional valu lues es whil ilst inves esti ting ng in th the very ry late la test op opti tica cal equip ipment. t.

Our new premiisssees

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Robert Walpole The first Prime Minister was our local M.P, and without Robert Walpole, there’d be no 10 Downing Street. King George II gave the now-famous house to his most trusted minister, whose policy of peace and trade made the country powerful and wealthy.

Another of Walpole’s surviving legacies is the glorious Palladian hall he built at Houghton, which was intended to be

the permanent home for 400 of his Old Master paintings. An extravagant host, his hunting parties with local Norfolk gentry would last for weeks at a time.

His faults may have involved accumulating money for himself by any means, but his prudence, political astuteness and steadiness founded the political system we have today.

Howard Carter Tutankhamun – the name itself conjures up priceless treasures. The tomb of the ‘lost’ Egyptian pharaoh was revealed to an astonished world in 1922

by Howard Carter – but without his Swaffham-based childhood those “wonderful things” might still be undiscovered. His father Samuel Carter was a highly-accomplished artist, and was commissioned by the fantasticallywealthy Tyssen-Amherst family of nearby Didlington Hall. The family had

a museum of Egyptian artefacts (they were mad for Egyptian antiquities), and the young Carter spent hours in the museum amongst this extraordinary collection. His future career was set.

After working on many digs (initially as a talented artist), Carter was appointed Chief Inspector of Egyptian Antiquities in 1899 and would discover Tutankhamen’s virtually intact tomb some 20 years later.

Malting Barley If you've ever wondered why Norfolk's locally-brewed beers taste so exceptional, it's because the county's natural environment is ideally suited to producing premium varieties

of malting barley. The very best (particularly Maris Otter) thrive in light, sandy soil over chalk- and they love mild winters and summer sea mists.

For centuries Norfolk has produced superb world-renowned malt from local maltings and now has well over 50

breweries. It's actually one of the top three brewing counties in the whole country - and is blessed with a world of fantastic pubs and inns in which to enjoy their amazing brews!

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Norffolk is full of fantastic market towns n , and I've always thought that Downham Market is one of the very best. It's a perffect example of why I've always loved living and working here. We've got plenty of history - Charlles I hi hi hid in the town aftter the Battl tle of Naseby! We've

got a trradition of famous markets and horse fairs. And we've even got our own unique feature in the shape of the Victorian town cllock - it did idn't need ref e urbishing for over 100 years. Happilly, our customers

prefer a littl tle ref e urbishment more oftten than that! We've always said that Charmed Interiors is Downham's hidd dden gem - and our cafe is the id deal place to take a break frrom ex xploring the town.

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Felbrigg Hall

sked about the future of Felbrigg Hall after his death, the property's last private owner Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer often said it would be "left to a cat's home" although he had his tongue firmly in cheek. Over 20 years before he passed away in 1969, he'd already arranged for one of Norfolk's most fascinating country houses – which sits just southwest of Cromer – to pass into the care of the National Trust.

He'd also left a poignant legacy at Felbrigg in the form of two avenues of birch trees planted in a victorious V formation, serving as a celebration of the allied victory during the Second World War and as a memorial to his brother (and heir to the estate) who'd been killed in action in Crete in 1941.

The Windham/Wyndham family had lived at Felbrigg for 500 years, and the present Jacobean house was built around 1620 over an earlier medieval building when the Windham's neighbours at Blicking Hall employed KLmagazine 100

the fashionable service of architect Robert Lyminge.

Felbrigg is nothing if not eclectic. The exterior features stone, flint, brick and render - and the interiors are a fascinating mix of Jacobean, Restoration, Georgian and Victorian styles. Don't miss the drawing room's exquisitely detailed plasterwork ceiling, which features a glorious jumble of fruit and wildfowl.

The house is full of art treasures brought back to Norfolk during the 1740s, one of the remarkable being the 'Headless Lady' on the hall's Georgian staircase - it had been carved around 350BC and was originally part of a grave monument in ancient Greece.

One of Felbrigg's most colourful characters was William 'Mad' Windham, who spent a fortune on hanging handpainted Chinese wallpaper in 1752 and collected so many books that one of the hall's large bay window was blocked off to make way for more bookshelves.

He liked to dress as a London policeman and round up prostitutes,

and would often disguise himself as a train guard and cause confusion on any number of rail platforms with his whistle. He married a lady generously described as a "lady of easy virtue" who eventually ran off with an Italian opera singer.

The family fortune was lost, and never really recovered - although Felbrigg Hall stands today as testament to Norfolk's fascinating and multi-layered history.

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Thoresby College

horesby College is one of the most complete survivals of medieval King's Lynn in existence, and its creation is due almost entirely to the work of one man - the influential and wealthy merchant Thomas Thoresby, who died in 1510 before the building was finished. Mayor of the Borough on no less than three occasions, Thoresby also enabled the creation of the magnificent Hanse House - and the provisions of his will facilitated the creation of the school known today as the King Edward VII Academy.

But it's the building that now bears his name (it was actually built as Trinity College) that remains a true jewel in the historic heart of King's Lynn. Originally designed to provide accommodation for 13 priests employed by the powerful Trinity Guild of Lynn, it was adapted in post-Reformation times to make it more suitable for commercial and domestic life - and over the intervening years the building has been adapted for use as a mineral factory, a warehouse and storage facility, and a private school.

Gradually falling into disrepair, the entire complex was saved in 1963 by two anonymous benefactors, who were later revealed as Ruth, Lady Fermoy and

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her daughter Mrs Shand Kydd - the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales.

They presented the building to the King’s Lynn Preservation Trust for restoration with an understanding that the building would be used (as it continues to be) for the benefit of the whole community.

It's a beautiful place to explore; a quiet and peaceful haven in the centre of a busy modern market town. Before you pass through the Queen Street entrance, take a look at the Latin inscription on the original panelled door to the college. It used to read “Pray for the soul of Master Thomas Thoresby founder of this place” – but the first three words “pro orate anima” (pray for the soul of) were chiselled away by the Puritans in the 17th century. The door leads to an open quadrangle of conventional medieval college design with a Judas tree at its centre - which looks magnificent in early spring with its canopy of pink blooms.

Work continues on the domestic flats, while office space affords accommodation largely for the voluntary sector - the Great Hall with its undercroft provides a popular meeting place, and it's entirely fitting that Thoresby College is home to the office of the King's Lynn Preservation Trust.

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Seahenge When a frontpage headline in The Independent on 9th January 1999 announced the discovery of the 'Stonehenge of the Sea' on a quiet beach in Norfolk , it sparked an almost unprecedented national debate.

Originally discovered by special-needs worker and amateur archaeologist John Lorimer almost a year previously, the inverted tree stump and surrounding ring of 55 posts known officially as 'Holme I' was a 4,000 year old Bronze Age timber circle whose ultimate purpose has never been exactly determined.

Left to the elements, 'Seahenge' would have gradually disintegrated, but its removal was hugely controversial. Some felt it was denying Norfolk a major new tourist attraction, while others rejected on religious grounds. Archaeologists thought the timbers deserved to be studied, while local conservationists worried about the impact on the adjacent Holme Dunes Nature Reserve

- especially as 5,000 people had descended on the beach within three months of the discovery. Cleaned and freeze-dried, you can see some of the original timbers and the upturned tree stump at Lynn Museum in King's Lynn.

A similar (and older) structure was discovered about 100m east of ‘Holme I’, but given the controversy over the first find, it's not surprising that Seahenge II has been left in situ awaiting its natural fate.

Bawsey Ruins There are more than 100 ruined churches in Norfolk, but few of them are as impressive or as interesting as the remains of St. James at Bawsey. A familiar sight to motorists using the bypass to the east of King's Lynn, the 'Bawsey Ruins' are all that's left of a thriving village that had been abandoned as early as the 16th century.

A thousand years ago, Bawsey was Norfolk's equivalent of St. Michael's Mount. It was mentioned in the

Domesday Book (its name ultimately derives from the Old English for "gadfly island") and was home to a prosperous tile industry - and a church had existed on the site since the 12th century.

Thanks to receding waters and greedy landowners, the church of St. James was already disused in 1517, and all that's left today is the bisected tower and some fascinating side walls.

That's not to say the church has been totally left to the ravages of time. The Grade I listed structure still hosts an annual Harvest

Festival service, and it came to the nation's attention in March 1999 when it was visited by Channel 4's Time Team who unearthed a fascinating 14th century tile inscribed with the word SAMOHT, which lovers of crosswords will recognise as 'Thomas' spelled backwards.

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From the time I came here in the mid 1960s to study at the college, King's Lynn has permeated my soul.

50 years later I still love the old place. There aren't enough words to choose all my favourite things, but I'd put the festivals, galleries, buildings and museums at the top of my list. It's been a pleasure working here and generating a wonderful circle of customers, staff and apprentices all of whom have become friends.

celebrating the expansion of his shop on chapel street, king’s lynn in 1999

- Tim Clayton, Owner Quality jewellery, watches, silverware, limited edition bronzes, antiques & gifts

tim clayton recently preparing a commission in his workshop above the shop

Y O U R L O C A L , I N D E P E N D E N T FA M ILY F U N E R A L D I R E C T O R W H O C A R E S . f p p The rriiver banks of K Kiin ngg’’ss L Lyynn and Weesst Lyynn, wattcchin L ngg tth he fi fisshin ngg boattss ggoo out and tto o see tth hem rreettu urrn n agga ain aftteer anotth her catcch h, and the nattu th urra al beauttyy and sttu unnin ngg viieews of tth he Noorffo N ollk k coastlliinee,, incllu udin ngg tth he sunriisses and tth he beautif tiiffu ul sunsettss. Therree iiss so much hiisstto orryy in west N No orffo ollk k tth hat we arree allll so prro oud of but most of allll it’’ss tth he peoop pllee of N Noorffo ollk k tth hat make tth hiiss counttyy so ssp peciall..

Raayy TThohhoorr nall naallllley eyyy,, Diirrect ecctttoror THORNALLE EY Y FUNER RA AL SER RV VICES Austin Street, KING’S LY YN NN | 01553 771399 Lynn Road, SW Ly WA AFFH HA AM | 01760 721305 ww ww w.tffss.co.uk

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Baden Powell

f you were make a list of 100 reasons to celebrate Norfolk, a 34ft fishing boat from the 19th century might not be one of the first things to spring to your mind, but the beautiful Baden Powell - moored on the South Quay in King's Lynn is no ordinary fishing boat.

For this boat is quite unique, the only double-ended vessel of her type in existence and the oldest local fishing boat still afloat but if it hadn’t been for a dedicated group of enthusiasts, the Baden Powell may well have become little more than a footnote in a local history book.

The story of this remarkable ship starts with a boatbuilder called Walter Worfolk, who arrived in King's Lynn from Yorkshire with his young family towards the end of the 18th century (there's no other connection between Norfolk and Worfolk; the surname is ultimately German in origin.)

Remarkably, given its maritime history and heritage, King's Lynn had no boatbuilding company to service the fishing fleet at the time, so in 1900 Walter Worfolk got to work - and the first vessel out of his boatyard was a double-ended cockling boat built for Harry and William Cook which cost the brothers £50.

It was named after the recently-returned war hero (and founder of the scout movement) General Robert Baden Powell, and her new owners were delighted. In fact, the Cooks were so pleased with the workmanship they gave Walter an extra £5 and presented his wife Lily with a cruet set for the table.

For the next 80 years, the Baden Powell fished for cockles in the Wash, before ending her days sitting in the mud of the town's Fisher Fleet for over ten years, gradually falling into disrepair until she was donated to the True’s Yard Restoration Trust in the hope she could be restored to her former glory one day.

Thanks to the tireless work of the King’s Lynn Worfolk Boat Trust and a £80,000 grant Heritage Lottery Fund, the Baden Powell was gradually brought back to life and was officially launched onto the River Great Ouse in July 2017 - with the Mayor of King's Lynn on the lovingly-restored boat’s inaugural journey.

Her cockling days may be long gone, but the Baden Powell is still afloat over 100 years after she was built, treating locals and visitors to King's Lynn to pleasure trips along the river out to the Wash.

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MULTI-ROOM SYSTEMS • ANGLIA & BBC EAST (AV VAILABLE IN ALL AREAS) • FREESAT • REPAIRS & SERVICE

Castlle Rising is a perfect example of what I love most about Norf rfolk. It's one of the prettie tiest village lla es in the whole countrry, but that's only because people care so much about keeping it that way. Lord Howard's ancestors built the castlle almost 900 years ago, and preeserving that look is very important to him. Walk around Castlle Rising and it's very unliikely a satelllite dish wil ill spoil your view - because we've spent so much time disg is uising them!

- Hen enry Watt Wattss, Owne wner

01553 674 950 / 07887 923 115 | www.klearvuaerials.com | 55 Lynn Road, Terrington St Clement, King’s Lynn PE34 4JU

“

The bes est tth hin ngg about N No orffo ollk k, apart frro om tth he tteerrifi rrriifi ficc communitiiees witth hin itt,, iiss tth hat we have so much beauttyy allll arro ound uss,, witth hin eassyy rreeach. W Wee have countrryysid dee, coastt,, maggn nifi ficcceent hiissttooric build diings nggss,, arttss and entteertta ainmentt,,

intteereessttiin ngg marrk ket tto owns and so man nyy prreetttyy village illlla aggeess.

None morree so tth No han C Ca astllee Riissingg,, a perffeect Engli En ngglliissh villag illlla aggee wherree I am llu uck kyy enouggh h tto o worrk k everryy da ayy. IItt iiss tth he id deeal surrro ound diin ngg tto o show our d diiverrsse collleecttiions tto o lla adiiees frro om near and ffa arr.. Allll in siggh ht of a castllee tto oo!

IItt d dooeessn''tt ggeet much bettteer tth han tth hatt!!

“

-C Cheheeery Ch ryyyll Daubney Daauubbnneeyyy,, FFou ounde uunnddeerr

Beautiful Ladieswear that you won't find on the high street The Old School, Castle Rising, King's LLy ynn PE31 6AG w w w. a l l e z ch i c . c o. u k t: 01553 631915 Open: Mon to Sat 10am-4.30pm

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Castle Rising

his ancient village may seem to slumber in genteel old age offering oodles of history but it’s home to some thriving businesses such as Castle Rising Dental Surgery. You can visit Allez Chic for unusually sourced ladieswear and the Unique Tea Rooms for a traditional cream tea, enjoy a pub lunch at the Black Horse – or book a treatment at Contours beauty salon or Bella Bea hairdressers.

For a small village, Castle Rising has played a significant role on the national political stage. Before the sea retreated leaving its thriving port literally high and dry, Castle Rising was so important it became a ‘rotten’ borough – sending two MPs to Parliament and electing a high steward, a mayor, a recorder, 12 aldermen and 50 burgesses – even

though there were only 60 voters in the village! It was almost impossible for the men of Castle Rising not to hold office, and the great diarist Samuel Pepys was the local MP in 1673. This tradition continued until the parliamentary reforms of 1832.

The castle was originally an impressive Norman stronghold built by William d’Albini, 1st East of Arundel, but by 1330 it was really a Maison Forté, a posh fortified house of the time. It was neither strong enough to be a true castle nor in a part of the country likely to be attacked, but it was ideally suited to keep Queen Isabella of France in loose and luxurious captivity to atone for her crime of murdering her weak husband, King Edward II, and giving Geoffrey Monmouth, her lover, too much power. Her son Edward III, had to

appear to punish her but in fact she had the freedom to go on Christmas visits, hunting and visiting the Franciscan Friars at Lynn. The King and her grandson, the Black Prince, visited occasionally and had to be lavishly feasted to the dismay of the Corporation accountant in Lynn who had to pay the bills.

The Bede House, given by Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, is a pleasing almshouse built in 1614 for 12 “poore women” and their governess.

There are still ladies living here who wear red Jacobean cloaks and steepled hats to church on Founders’ Day. The church of St Lawrence has an unusual Victorian saddleback roof – and the striking front with its round arched doorway and bold zig-zag moulding is a fitting tribute to those early builders.

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k i n g ’s ly nn g ol f c l u b c e l e bra at e s i t s c e n t e n a r y i n 2 0 2 3 !

“

Having spent over 40 years in the golf industr s ry, when I firrst arrived in Norffolk I was a littl tle ap a prehensive about the flatness of the landscape.

How wrong I was! Norffolk has some of the best golf courses in the UK and we enjooy a sunny, dr d y climate. The launch of Norfolk’s Golf Coast in 2015 reallly helped put us on the countrry’s golfin fing map.

- Richa ichard Jesso essop, Genera General Manage anager

”

Lynn Road, Castle Rising, King's Lynn PE31 6BD | 01553 631654 | www ww.kingslynngolfclub.co.uk

Norfolk has a huge amount to offer, but its amazing history is what makes it so special and Castl tle Rising is certainlly one of the higghlig ights.

We work in the very heart of this id dylllic village lla e, and our surgery sits within a converted barn which is a liisted build lding . We’re so luck ky - not many people have a nationallly-important castlle on their doorsteep!

Willilliam D Willia W Dryde rydden & King nga Maci aci jewsk jewska, Part ers Partner 8 Castle Rising in 192

OFFERING A WIDE RANGE OF DENTAL SERVICES & COSMETIC TREATMENTS & THERAPIES

Contact us for more information on: 01553 631094 or email us on: info@castlerisingdentist.co.uk East Barn, Castle Rising, King’s Lynn PE31 6AG | www.c castlerisingdentist.c co.u uk

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Stiffkey Cockles Even though Stiffkey has a population of less than 300 people, it's earned an enduring place on the country's food map with the time-honoured delicacy of the Stewkey Blue a distinctively-coloured cockle with a deliciously rich shellfish flavour. Perfect in soups and pies, the very best way of eating them is the traditional way - with vinegar and pepper. Sadly, Stiffkey's blue cockles are becoming harder to find. The exceptionally cold winter of 1989 killed many of the colonies and numbers are still declining. Enjoy them while you can.

Sugar Beet

We tend to take the endless fields of sugar beet in Norfolk's fields for granted, but of the 18 factories originally operated by British Sugar only four remain - and two of those are in Norfolk. Constructed in 1912, the factory at Cantley was the first successful sugar factory in the world, while the current facility at Wissington is the largest sugar refinery in Europe. The four factories now produce the same amount of sugar (or more) than in those days of 18 factories.

Supporting almost 10,000 jobs from farmers to road hauliers and processors, the sugar industry is one of Norfolk's less glamorous but essential businesses.

Samuel Cresswell The fabled ‘Northwest Passage’ was the stuff of legend until Samuel Gurney Cresswell of King’s Lynn traversed the icebound route from east to west. In 1845 the doomed expedition of Sir John Franklin – who’d set out with two ships and 129 men to find a way through the passage – disappeared without trace. In 1850, HMS Investigator was sent to see what happened. Cresswell, who

was born in King’s Lynn in 1827, was a young second lieutenant on this voyage. When the ship was locked in ice for about 18 months from September 1851, starvation set in and Cresswell bravely volunteered to walk overland some 300 miles in the hope of meeting a ship. He arrived in England with the first news of the reality of the Northwest Passage.

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South Wootton, King’s Lynn PE30 3HQ T: 01553 675566 E: reception@knightshill.co.uk

ww www ww w..knightshill.co.uk

Wee'rree llo W occa atteed on one of tth he higgh hest pointtss in tth he arreea, and tth he viieews frro om tth he hotteel over tth he W Wa ash and tto oward dss hiisstto orriic C Ca astllee Riissin ngg arree sim mp pllyy brreeatth htta akingg,, prro ovin ngg one of tth he best tth hinggss about N Noorffo ollk k is tth is hat it''ss not fl fla att!! Our viissitto orrss and our stta aff llo ove tth he ffa act tth hat tth herree''ss so much variieettyy virttu ualllyy on our dooorrsstto d oop p - frro om incrreediib bllee siggh httss such as Sa S andring ngh ham and tth he coastlliine tto o tth hrivin ngg tto owns such as K Kiin ngg''ss L Lyynn and F Fa akenham.

Seeaarrlee, Genera Geenneerraall Ma Mannaaggeerr Manage - Niicckck Sea

A LO C A L S E RV I C E F O R T H E LO C A L M OTO R I S T To be honest, I don’t think you’ll find a bettter place in Norfolk tth han North Woott tton. I love being able to drive to work without gettting stuck in long traffic queues and feel fortunate to work in a quiieet villag lla e environment. There has been a lot of develoopment since we took over in 1994, but the villlag la e stil ill has a friendly community spirit which we’r ’ e proud to be a part of.

Davi avid Rooytho thoor nee, Owner

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Nursery Lane, North Wootton, King’s Lynn PE30 3QB | Te l : 01553 673000 sales@roythorneandson.co.uk | www.roythorneandson.co.uk 98

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Wolferton Station

his perfect rural railway station has actual crowns on it. The well-kept village of Wolferton is part of the Sandringham Royal Estate, and royal influence is everywhere.

Wolferton’s best-known building is its fine Victorian/Tudor gothic railway station. There’s a station master’s house, signal box and waiting rooms built with local carrstone. It opened in 1863, a year after Edward, Prince of Wales, bought Sandringham Hall and the accompanying estate with his income from the Duchy of Cornwall.

A couple of months later, the Prince and his new bride came to this country station to begin the Royal Family’s long association with west Norfolk.

It was pure luck the couple’s new house was only 2¼ miles from the site of the Lynn & Hunstanton Railway's

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projected Wolferton railway station, and the directors were highly delighted.

House parties and visitors to Sandringham were so numerous that the house was rebuilt, and the line became too busy for a single track.

In 1898 another line was laid with a downside station, while the rest of the station was remodelled. Between 1884 and 1911, no less than 645 royal trains steamed in and out of Wolferton, but the mainstay of the line was produce from the Sandringham farms and the sparse rural population using the train.

The buildings of the reconstruction familiar to us today cost £8,132, which was paid for by the Great Eastern Railway Company.

The royal waiting rooms on the ‘down’ platform were fitted out with oak-panelling, couches and easy-chairs.

The ‘up’ platform's buildings are similarly

impressive, and a small gas works lit the entire station. The building is still a delight, with royal touches all over – crowns surmount the lamps, the rooms are fit for a king, and the royal families of Europe passed through this station from Wilhelm II to Tsar Nicholas.

Queen Victoria visited in 1871 when the Prince of Wales was gravely ill with typhoid and again in 1889. Three royal funeral processions left from Wolferton - Queen Alexandra in 1925, George V in 1936 and George VI, who died at Sandringham on 6 February 1952.

Thousands stood by the line to pay their respects.

During the following years, fewer passengers used the line and British Rail announced that the line would close.

The last train ran on Saturday 3rd May from King's Lynn, and was packed with 250 passengers.

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Nestled in a secluded area close to the centre of the medieval market town and historic port of King’s Lynn

“

01553 772169 www.stuar thousehotel.co.uk

Over tth he 23 year arss rru unnin ngg a hotteel in west N Noorffo ollk k I’’v ve met viissito torrss frro om man nyy parttss of tth he worlld d and tth he reessound diin ngg ffeeed db bacck k when tth heeyy leave iiss - tth le heeyy’llll be bacck k becca ause tth heeyy llo ove it herree. N Noorffo follk k off ffeerrss succh h a wond deerffu ul qualliittyy of lif liiffee witth h sand dyy beachess,, salt marrsshess,, rriiverss,, fieelds fi ld dss,, ffo orreests, quaint villag illlla aggees and bustlin ngg marrk ket tto owns. N Noorffo ollk k has it alll.... wellll eex xceep pt motto orrw wa ayys! And ma ayybee,, in a quiieett,, “lla aid db bacck k” N Noorffo ollk k

sort of wa ayy tth hat’’ss a ggoood tth hin ngg tto oo!

”

- Davi Daavviidd Arme Arrmeess, Owne Owwnneerr

35 GOODWINS ROAD, KING’S LYNN PE30 5QX

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Ms Low , Owne wner

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All Saints Church

ll Saints church in King’s Lynn takes some finding, hidden as it is behind the 1967-built flats of Hillington Square, but those who seek it out are richly rewarded, because this beautiful small church is the oldest in King’s Lynn.

Although none of the original Saxon church exists above ground, traces of the Norman Church of 1095 can be seen. Much of the church we see today dates from about 1400.

All Saints has its own large parish of South Lynn – which stretches from the Millfleet to West Winch – and uniquely has a surviving anchorhold, a room which housed a succession of men and women known as anchorites and anchoresses who lived apart from the world and devoted themselves to a solitary life of prayer.

Mention of those at All Saints is made

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in wills and writings of the 13th-15th centuries, and some were wealthy individuals who were particularly generous to the parish – the anchoresses Isabella and Katherine are recorded as donating rich sets of vestments to the church. It’s likely that Margery Kempe, the medieval Lynn mystic, visited the anchoress here, and the remains of a domestic building for the anchorite’s servant can still be seen.

Like the other churches of Lynn, All Saints was larger than it is today, endowed by the rich merchants of the parish who were trading in wool, wine, timber, salt, coal and fish.

After the Reformation the church declined, and the interior was divided in half – with the chancel used as a school – and this neglect led to the collapse of the tower, which destroyed the west nave in 1763.

The fortunes of the church revived in Victorian times when it was restored significantly from 1841-3. As the housing of the parish extended towards the south, the South Lynn estate was built with employment at the “muck works of the West Norfolk Fertiliser Company and Cooper Roller Bearings.

A sister church dedicated to St Michael and All Angels was built in 1901 in Saddlebow Road, but this closed in 1972 and was partly demolished. The remains were incorporated into St Michael’s School and is now a community centre.

Men lost from the parish in WWI are commemorated on a panel here – and in a fine memorial window in All Saints.

After all these years, All Saints is still a busy church packed with events, but music is central to its life – enjoyed with unusually good acoustics in beautifully peaceful surroundings.

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Blakeney Point

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National Nature Reserve situated near to the villages of Blakeney, Morston and Cley, Blakeney Point is simply wildlife heaven. Up to 500 seals may gather at the end of the spit, and its sand and shingle hold a number of specialised invertebrates and plants, including the local edible favourite, samphire.

Many visitors who come to birdwatch, sail or take part in other outdoor recreations are important to the local economy, but it’s difficult to balance the land-based activities with the welfare of nesting birds and fragile habitats – especially among the dunes.

Blakeney Point’s main feature is a four-mile long spit of shingle and sand dunes, but the reserve also includes salt marshes, tidal mudflats and reclaimed farmland. It has been managed by the National Trust since 1912, and lies within the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest in addition to

being an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – and it’s a World Biosphere Reserve as well.

Blakeney Point has been studied for more than a century, following pioneering ecological studies by the botanist Francis Wall Oliver and a landmark bird-ringing programme initiated by ornithologist Emma Turner.

The spit sheltered the Glaven ports of Blakeney, Cley and Wiveton, which were important harbours in medieval times. Blakeney actually sent ships to help Edward I's war efforts in 1301, and between the 14th and 16th centuries it was the only Norfolk port between King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth to have customs officials.

Blakeney Church has a second tower at its east end, which is an unusual feature for a rural parish church. It’s been suggested that it originally acted as a beacon for mariners – perhaps by aligning it with the taller west tower to guide ships into the navigable channel

between the inlet's sandbanks.

Obviously, it wasn’t always successful – as demonstrated by the number of wrecks in the area, which include a carvel-built wooden ship.

Land reclamation schemes from the 17th century resulted in the silting up of the river channels, and the harbours became too shallow and remote from the sea to thrive.

That was probably a blessing in disguise. Today the reserve is important for breeding birds, and its location makes it a major site for migrating birds in autumn.

In the winter the marshes are home to golden plovers, common shelduck, wigeon, brent geese and common teal.

And if you do want to get up close and personal with the seals, the best way is to meet up with some of the long-established family businesses and travel by boat from either Morston or Blakeney.

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Your friendly, local bed specialist

“

We deliver all over Norfolk, and it's amazing how lovely and how different the county is. We've got beautiful buildings, lovely windmills and charming lighthouses.

We often go to the coast as a family and we’re lucky to have so many incredible beaches on our doorstep. The pace of life and the friendly people make living in Norfolk a pleasure all year round. Our children love going crabbing and our father - who owns the business - regularly walks the dogs on the beaches of Norfolk and always pops into a local dog-friendly pub for lunch. He's always said he wouldn't want to live anywhere else, and we tend to agree with him!

It may be an obvious thing to say considering our business, but Norfolk is the place that dreams are made of!

”

Kelly Tinsley & Vicki Richardson, Directors KING’S LYNN Horsley’s Fields, Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn PE30 5DD Tel: 01553 780227

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isitors to Norfolk are always amazed at the number of windmills in the county, and although their commercial importance may have diminished, they play a vital role in our local tourism industry.

At the time of Domesday Book there were some 580 recorded watermills in Norfolk, but no windmills. The earliest known windmill in Norfolk was recorded at Rackheath in 1268 and they gradually took precedence - by the start of the 17th century there were less than 100 watermills in Norfolk but well over 400 windmills.

Changing technologies and commercial demands may have taken their toll on our population of windmills, but Norfolk can still make a very strong claim to be the windmill capital of the UK. The Norfolk Windmills Trust was formed in 1963 and today cares for over 20 buildings across Norfolk - while Windmill World confidently lists over 190 surviving mills (or remains) across the county.

And before you think that once you've seen one you've seen them all, think again. Many of Norfolk's windmills are unique in their own ways.

If you want to see the tallest surviving windmill in the UK (even after a few fires and lightning strikes) head to Sutton Mill near Hickling, and you'll find one of the best-preserved and only working mill open to the public at Bircham.

At Herringfleet you'll find the last full-size working windmill in the whole country with four

common sails and a tailpole - while a trip to the mill at Repps with Bastwick will reward you with the Wind Energy Museum, a small museum dedicated to drainage mills which contains the only collection of its kind in the UK. If you're looking for the only mill in the county to have its waterwheel uncovered on the outside of the building you'll need to visit Heacham (Caley Mill) and windmillspotters shouldn't miss the mill at Thurne - it's the only white windmill on the whole of the Norfolk Broads. And the most beautiful of them all may be the iconic windmill at Cley, pictured here.

Windmills

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Trrading for over 2 0 Y E ARS It may ay be only ly a to town, o but Ki King ng's 's Ly Lynn has 13 Gra Grade de I li liste ted buil ilding ngs, which ch is is more re th than moost citi ties. The ro route te fr from th the South th Ga Gate te to to St Ni Nichola c las’ Chap Ch apel has one of th the hig ighes est conce centr trati tions of li liste ted buil ild lding ngs in tth he countrryy! W Wee''v ve had tto o ada ap pt our business essss,, intrro od du uce ce new prro odu ducttss and lleearn new tteecch hniqueess tto o accommod da attee tth heesse build illd diinggss and we'rree rreealllyy prro oud of our part in maintta ainin ngg tth he herriitta agee of tth ag he tto own.

- Goorrdoonn Caarrson soonn,, Own Owwnneeerr

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QUALITY USED VEHICLES SINCE 1975 We are so lucky to have such a beautiful coastline on our doorstep. Now I am semi-retired, I love spending the winter season shooting and enjoying the surrounding landscape.

We constantly receive compliments from new visitors to the area and even local people about how refreshing it is to come to such a unique location for a car supermarket, rather than the typical city or industrial estate location.

”

- John Sandle, Founder

Call us: 01553 630052 | Visit us: Leziate Drove, Pott Row, King’s Lynn PE32 1DD Web: www.sandles.co.uk | Email us: sales@sandles.co.uk | Like & follow us @SandlesCars

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True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum

his museum in King’s Lynn is dedicated to a disappeared community, virtually all that remains of the town’s old fishing community of the North End. Once, hundreds of families lived within a stone’s throw of the beautiful medieval chapel of St. Nicholas – it had its own boatbuilders, chandlers, sailmakers, pubs, bakehouses and even its own school.

At the heart of the museum are two brick cottages built about 1790 on the site of earlier buildings. Opposite them against the south wall stood a further four cottages, but these were demolished in 1937. In 1802, the cottages were owned by whitesmith William True, who eventually gave his name to the Museum.

There was no running water, no electricity and no drainage, yet families thrived in these conditions and the cottages are now furnished as they would have been for visitors to experience. The museum also has the last surviving smokehouse in the North KLmagazine 100

End; herring were smoked here from the 1880s.

The main museum collection is housed in the former blacksmith’s workshop, and the adjoining library and research centre are wonderful resources for family and local history.

True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum is independent and receives a vital grant from the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk. The rest of the income is derived from fundraising and museum visits, and volunteers are essential to its survival – from staffing the café to helping visitors in the research centre.

The museum was actually founded by a resident of the North End, teacher Patricia Midgely, after her discovery of a black and white photo of a fisherman sparked her interest in local history. The photograph showed an old man in his traditional woollen ‘gansey’ or jumper.

Knitting was a passion with Pat, and her interest in the pattern was the key which unlocked a lost world in this corner of King's Lynn. She knew there

was a whole story to be uncovered about this lost fishing community, and realised that opposite her house were two fishermen's cottages which were perfectly preserved - even the wallpaper was intact.

And so, 25 years ago, a campaign to create what became the True's Yard Museum began. Officially opened by Prince Charles in 1993, it keeps alive a world of traditions and memories for new generations of visitors.

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S T R A

S T R A TF FORDS

Geoeeororge Wiillilliam Stratftfoord

th Africa A successful businessman in Sou George , y r u t n e c h t 0 2 e h t f o t r a at the st Lynn in Stratford opened a store in King’s eople 1918 to meet the needs of local p

F O R D S

STR ATFORDS Tel 01553 772043 Safety & Personal Protection Equipment

Audrey Stra t atftfoord

George’s daughter Aud rey ran her father’s business for several dec ades and founded a charitable trust to pre serve the social and commercial history of King’s Lynn

The best thing about Norfolk is that it has a trradition of truly ins n pirational people.

We've been in businesss for over 100 years and we're a part of that history - which continues to inspire us to this da ay. Despite warss, floods and polit i ical unreest, the people of Norfolk have always fought back and set a shining example to others - in every walk of lif i e. You would dn't want to live anywhere else!

ughton t n, CE EO - Juudidith Brough www.stratfords.com | inffo o@stratfords.com | 17-19 Hamburg Way, North Lynn Industrial Estate, King’s LLyynn PE30 2ND

Bsujdiplf STYLISH, CASUAL CLOTHING

What I love most about Norffolk is its centurie ies-old trradition of producing truly remarkable and inspirational women, and that's a trradition that continues to this da ay. It reminds me of Coco Chanel's famous quote that if you dres ress shabbilly people willl remember the dres ess - but that if you dres ess impeccably they'll remember the woman. Norffolk's women have always been memorable, and it's a pleasure for us to help the ladiees of toda ay look fabulous.

Sara S arah Simonds imonds, Owne wner

Swaffffham 41 Mar ket Place 01760 724948 Ely 7a High Street Passage 01353 665472 www.ar tichokecollection.co.uk 108

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Pocahontas

Did Princess Pocahontas visit Heacham and plant their famous mulberry tree? It’s a 400 year old question. There is no local story more romantic and also tragic than that of Princess Pocahontas.

She was born in about 1596 in Virginia. In a well-known historical anecdote, she saved the life of a captive, the Englishman John Smith, by placing her head upon his own when her father raised his war club to execute him. At the age of 17, she married tobacco planter John Rolfe of Heacham. In 1616, the Rolfes travelled to London where Pocahontas was presented to English society.

Did they have time to visit Rolfe’s Norfolk estate? In 1617 Pocahontas died at Gravesend about to sail for America. She was only 21 years old.

Norfolk Black Turkey A proper Christmas dinner has to include a particular breed of bird, cooked to perfection and served with plenty of cheer - and there's nothing better than the Norfolk Black, the oldest turkey breed in the UK. Brought to Europe from South America by the explorer Pedro Niño around 1500, these black-feathered birds were mostly farmed in Norfolk (hence their name), and when Henry VIII added them to his dining table, the trend for turkey was born.

Almost wiped out by three outbreaks of bird flu in the 1950s, the deliciously rich Norfolk Black has enjoyed something of a renaissance recently.

The Burneys Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, we all know the books but did you know these phrases are by King’s Lynn’s own Fanny Burney who was a considerable influence on Jane Austen? All the members of the Burney family were bright achievers. Fanny published her best seller “Evelina” in 1778 which is widely regarded as the first ever novel written by a woman. Her father, Charles Burney took the job as organist at St Margaret’s Church and brought his young family to Lynn in 1752 where Fanny was born a few months later. Fanny’s diaries as a young woman in Lynn and her later trails, tribulations and triumphs are well worth reading.

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ABACUS MARQUEES

your ssppecial event iiss our ssppecial eventt....

For us, by far the best thing about Norfolk is its nat a ural beauty and the fact that there's so much of it! The climate is id deal as well - which means people have plenty of opportunity to enjo joy it all year round. We trravel all over the county settting up marquees for all sort of occasions and we never tire of the spectacular setttings and the amazzing views.

t ons Mana anage ger - Sara arah Marg a greee, Operaration

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www.abacusmarquees.co.uk | Chalk Farm, Druids Lane, Litcham, King’s Lynn PE32 2Y YA A

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reake Abbey is one of those locations that perfectly demonstrate how the historic and modern faces of Norfolk happily coexist side by side - with a magnificent medieval ruin adjacent to a thriving retail and food offering.

The story of the site goes all the way back to 1206, when Sir Robert de Nerford and his wife Alice built a small chapel dedicated to St Mary of the Meadows in the heart of Norfolk and founded a hospital there ten years later.

The small community grew rapidly, soon becoming a priory and finally (following a fairly intensive programme of various extensions) an abbey in 1225.

The abbey flourished for 250 years until a disastrous fire swept through the church and several of the other buildings in 1483 - leaving the abbot of the time to ask the king for some

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Creake Abbey financial aid.

Despite his fearsome reputation, Richard III provided the not inconsiderable sum of £46 (though admittedly he got the lords of Fakenham to pay for it) but it wasn't enough to save the abbey - the nave and parts of the transepts were demolished, reducing the building to its former status as a relatively modest church.

As if the abbey hadn't suffered enough, the plague arrived in the early 16th century and decimated the inhabitants. When the abbot died alone on 12th December 1506, the abbey reverted to the Crown.

Today, only a few sections of the church walls remain standing although they're very attractive and there are some fascinating carved details in the window arches and doorways.

One of the most interesting features can be seen in the remains of the north transept, where you can clearly see where a new doorway was forced into a spiral staircase from an adjoining chapel.

Creake Abbey isn't just a remnant of our medieval past, though. Today it sits next to a development of boutique shops, studios and a fantastic food hall and café.

It also regularly hosts a popular farmers' market (currently the largest in Norfolk) which attracts over 50 local food producers and won the 'Best Farmers' Market' category at the 2010 Norfolk Food Awards.

Norfolk's historical heritage is incredible and its food offering is outstanding - and one of the best things about Creake Abbey is that it allows you to enjoy both in the same place at the same time.

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tra i t a s o d h is m s lo f u ss o u i h e e l c re w c i PB h ll ti l o . e s h o folk o a a ' l o e e re s h s i p h , le pe ae h e e e is - rie ly e!

”

- Jo Jamieso amieson, Owne wner O L D H U N S TA N T O N | N O R T H N O R F O L K

Old Hunstanton Road PE36 6HH | TTe el: 01485 533486 | www.caleyhallhotel.co.uk

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Norfolk Coast Path

he Norfolk Coast Path is a long-distance footpath that runs for just over 62 miles miles all the way from Hunstanton to Sea Palling, and takes in some of the most stunning areas along the county's famous coastline – including the north Norfolk coast’s Area of Outstanding Natural

Beauty. From the iconic cliffs at Hunstanton, this fabulous route includes everything from seaside towns and villages to tidal marshes teeming with wildlife and wide sandy beaches.

It also includes proof that Norfolk isn’t quite as flat as most people think as it crosses over the 207ft ‘Beeston Bump’ – which offers incredible views

of nearby Sheringham.

Officially opened in 1986, the Norfolk Coast Path links with the equally famous Peddars Way at Holme-next-the-Sea, forming one of only 15 national trails in England and Wales – and is as popular with locals as it is with tourists.

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Jameess Leeee

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Christ hrriisstttininnnaa Lee Lee - Ch

Hanse House, South Quayy, King’s Lyynn PE30 5GN | 01553 775678 | info@hansehouse.co.uk | www ww.hansehouse.co.uk

“

Norfolk is a great place to bring up children and for us the fantastic walks and bike rides make this area reallly special.

With our pub being situated between two rivers we are lucky enough to be in the perfect spot to enjooy the beautif i ul countryside. We never tire of enjooying a cris isp gllass of Pinot by the river and watcching the boats go by on the Ouse.

TTrac ac y & Stuart tuar El Elflett l tt OOwn wnersrs

”

Tracey & Stuart welcome you to their newly refurbished pub beautifully set between two rivers T R A D I T I O N A L H O M E - C O O K E D F O O D • G I N S H E L F • A F T E R N O O N T E A S • B & B • T O U R I N G C A R AV VA A N PA R K

01366 384040 | www.theheronstowbridge.com | The Heron Stowbridge, The Causewayy,, Stowbridge PE34 3PP

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Hanse Festival

King's Lynn was the first English town to join the New Hanseatic League in 2005, reaffirming its historic role in the development of European trade. Every year, members of the new league (established in the Dutch city of Zwolle in 1980) come together at a Hansetag (Hanse Day) cultivating different traditions through commerce, music and art - and all members celebrate in early May with their very own Hanseatic Festival.

King's Lynn is well known for offering a packed programme of events and

activities to celebrate International Hanse Day, organised by a local committee of business people – with support from the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Appropriately, most activities take place on the town's riverside, which was the lifeblood of the town for hundreds of years.

King's Staithe Square becomes a hugely popular hub for music, and many family activities take place in the town's Town Hall, Hanse House and Custom House.

At a time when our relationship with Europe is somewhat uncertain, the Hanse Festival is a reaffirmation of a common past and a confident future.

Hanse House

The imposing facade of Hanse House on St. Margaret's Place in King's Lynn literally hides its importance in the trading life of the town. Behind this grand Georgian house lays a complex of medieval warehouses that date back to around 1480, at a time when over 40 German merchants were based in King's Lynn, importing goods from various countries amongst the Baltic states.

Until 1751 the Hanseatic League leased the buildings to local tradesmen, who made significant alterations, extensions and repairs to the warehouses. They were then sold to the weathly Lynn merchant Edward Everard for the princely sum of £800 and it was he who constructed the Georgian house we're familiar with today.

More recently, Hanse House has undergone something of a renaissance, and even hosts weddings in the stunning beamed ceremony room which overlooks the courtyard and quayside. It's also home to the very popular Rathskeller Wine Bar and Bistro.

Frequented by a wide range of local clubs, societies and business groups, Hanse House is now back at the heart of life in King's Lynn - especially on special events such as Hanse Day and Heritage Open Day. KLmagazine 100

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An established and pro-active lettings and property management company operating in King’s Lynn, West Norfolk & Cambridgeshire

“

It may not be everyone’s id dea of home, but we feel that one of the best things about Norffolk is North End in King's Lynn. This network of compact terraces and small local shop ps on the edgge of both the town centr tre and the port has continuall lly served the workers of King’s Lynn for over 15 50 years. Frrom fisherfolk to factory operatives, to this da ay these humble homes situated within the pariish of St Nicholas’ Chapel continue to prove vital to the local economy for the familie lies who resid de there and the purchasers of investment proopertie ies.

”

Damie amien Simone Simone, Diirecctot r

© True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum

Edmonton Estates Ltd, Nelson House, Bergen Way, King's Lynn PE30 2DE 01553 660615 www.edmontonestates.co.uk info@edmontonestates.co.uk

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St Nicholas’ Chapel

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arge, light and airy, it’s a hymn to the glory of God in its lofty interior and at the same time a memorial to the merchants of Lynn whose wealth paid for this new church – which was first mentioned in 1419. There was already a chapel of ease (meaning it was easy to get to) here founded by Bishop Turbe of Norwich when he built the new town of Lynn from the Purfleet to the North End in 1146, but no trace of that remains.

Bigger than many parish churches, St Nicholas’ is the largest chapel in England and has never lost its ‘chapel’ status.

The first child baptised in the impressive font was Anne Raylie, who only lived for 24 days – although her memorial brass can still be seen nearby.

A tall wooden font cover (purely decorative) was copied and replaced in 1903, and some time after it was removed in 1968 it surfaced in an antique shop in London – and was brought home and reinstated in 2018.

Visitors have long been intrigued by the ‘Robinson Cruso’ gravestones in the floor of the chapel. The idea that Daniel Defoe borrowed the name for his classic 1719 tale of Robinson Crusoe is attractive, but doesn’t hold up to closer scrutiny. Defoe certainly came to Lynn, but the dates on the ledger stones are

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later than the publication of his famous book.

For over 600 years, the wonderful carved angel roof of St Nicholas’ has soared above the vast nave. Each of the 24 angels is performing a different activity, and the one holding a recorder represents the earliest portrayal of the instrument in church carvings.

Most striking are the memorials to local merchant families. Richard and Joan Clarke are realistically moulded and painted, as are Thomas and Sarah Greene – who are portrayed with their nine children all kneeling on cushions.

Also of note is the fine 1758 funeral urn for Sir Benjamin Keene, ambassador to Naples.

Although the spire blew down in the great gate of 1741 it didn’t fall into the church –but note that the present impressive spire is Victorian. St Nicholas’ Chapel reopened in 2015 after a £2.7m conservation and regeneration project. It’s currently in the hands of the Churches Conservation Trust, but remains a consecrated church – and a dedicated team of volunteers welcomes visitors to this quite beautiful building.

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Tourism is such an important part of Norfolk’s economy. Thousands of visitors flock to our beautiful coastline each year, but many of our customers who have a holiday home on one of our parks are actually local to the area! They may only live 15 miles away but spend every weekend in their own holiday home which is home from home! No travel, no hassle and they feel like they’re on holiday every weekend. That is what is so special about Norfolk.

- Mike McDonnell, Owner

OUR PARK LOCATIONS: SNETTISHAM • HEACHAM • HUNSTANTON • THORNHAM • BRANCASTER MAIN OFFICE: Lynn Road, Gayton, King's Lynn PE32 1QJ T: 01553 636243 W: www.mcdonnellcaravans.co.uk

01485 512236 Ship Lane, Thornham PE36 6LT

inffoo@liffeeboatinnthornham.com www.liffeeboatinnthornham.com

“

I firrsst viissitteed The Lif Liffeeboat IIn nn some 28 year arss aggoo and I ffeellll in llo ove witth h it tth hen. The Life iffeeb boat has ffo orreever been poop pulla ar in nortth hN Noorffo ollk k and has allw wa ayys had a grreeat reep putta attiion ffo or being ng quintes teessssentialllyy No N orffo ollk k! M Myy firrsst viissit intrro oducceed me tto o Brra ancastteer mussssellss and a pint of W Wh herr rryy... and we stil tillll serrv ti ve tth hem now and prro obabllyy allw wa ayys will illll!!

A grreeat stta arttiin ngg point tto o ex xp pllo orree N Noorffo ollk k.

”

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Thornham Marsh

ocated on the north coast of Norfolk, between the villages of Titchwell and Thornham, you'll find one of the best places in Norfolk to see avocets - and it's rather appropriate that the bird is the emblem of the RSPB, as this is a birdwatcher's paradise. It's not too bad for lovers of natural beauty either.

The area's stunning beach, reedbeds, saltmarshes and freshwater lagoons offer some of the most picturesque views in the entire country, but they also offer a diverse range of habitats for huge numbers of birds all year round.

The population of wading birds, wildfowl and geese gathers in huge numbers from mid-autumn onwards, and with the arrival of migrating birds from Scandanavia and northern Europe, the freshwater lagoons are soon packed with a variety of resident species and visitors.

Autumn is also the perfect time to watch marsh harriers soaring low over the reedbeds as the light falls - although visit in spring and you can enjoy seeing them spiralling high overhead in an intricate courtship skydance.

The nature reserve has been under threat from the effects of coastal change, the impact of sea level rise and increasing storm events.

The Titchwell Coastal Change Project was designed to save the reserve from the effect of these coastal changes, and the project has now been successfully completed, with realigned sea defences to the north and stronger banks around parts of the reserve to the west and east. The future of the reserve and its wildlife is assured for at least the next fifty years.

This precious environment is also important for rare birds such as bittern and bearded tits - and it's also a well-established home for otters,

voles and Chinese water deer.

It's a precious place, but the marshes around Thornham are also precariously fragile. The coastline is eroding, and the damage caused by surge tides, storms and rising sea levels has taken its toll with an inevitable impact on the resident wildlife.

Happily, the recently-completed Titchwell Coastal Change Project was designed to save the reserve from the effect of these coastal changes and preserve it for future generations of animals, birds and visitors.

With realigned sea defences and stronger sea banks, the future of this beautiful reserve and its wildlife is assured for the foreseeable future.

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“

King’s Lynn is a unique and special place to live and work, with its quaint cobbled strreetss, pictureesque views and history around every corner.

Nestlled in the Tuesday Market Pllace is a beautif i ul build lding steeped in history. Now in its 22nd year The King’s Lynn Corn Exchange has gone frrom strrengtth to strrengt n th and is a reg e ular haunt for all artiistees touring the UK K. We feel lucky to have such beauty and culture rig ight on our doorsteep.

”

P hil p Bayfield Phili ayfield, Manage Manager

HOSTING A WIDE V VA ARIETY OF ENTERT TA AINMENT FOR ALL AGES

To see what’s on at King’s Lynn Corn Exchange and to book b tickets visit our website www.kin ngslynncornexchange.co.uk.

Box office: 01553 764864 | Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn PE30 1JW

“

The relaxed pace of lif i e and sense of community is by far my favourite aspect of this part of the world ld. Fashion is a very personal thing, and you need time to buil ild relationships, make friends and become a very real part of local lif i e. That's exactlly what my mother Sheilla diid when she firrst opened this shop over 40 years ago, and it's something we continue to do toda ay.

- Ellain aine TTunnard nnard, Proprie prietot r

”

Contemporary Fashions, Handbags, Shoes, Acce

13 Market Place, Long Sutton | Tel: 01406 363 433 | Closed all day We

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The Corn Exchange Constructed in 1854, the astounding facade of the Corn Exchange is one of King's Lynn's most notable landmarks.

With a statue of Ceres (the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain crops) overlooking the town's Tuesday Market Place, the original purpose of the building is clear - although behind the

grand entrance lay a rather humble brick rectangle. The Corn Exchange played a central role in the commercial life of King's Lynn for over a century, but by the 1990s was in need of major renovation. It took six years, but the transformation of the building into a multi-purpose cultural venue was truly

remarkable.

Today, the Corn Exchange has an interior just as impressive as the exterior.

Its attractive and flexible auditorium can seat over 700 and accommodate 1200 standing, allowing it to host everything from opera and concerts to stand-up comedy and antique fairs.

Henry Baines

Everyone knows the lions of Trafalgar Square. Sir Edwin Landseer, who also painted The Monarch of the Glen, taught local artist Henry Baines. For artistic talent and dexterity in depicting the busy maritime world of 19th century King’s Lynn, there is no one to compare to Henry Baines.

Baines was born in Friar Street in 1823 when the river and port were bustling

Oysters Oysters have something of a yo-yo history. In 1864, almost two million were eaten in London every single day but 10 years ago we were sending more of our native oysters to France every week than we were consuming in a whole year. Today, Norfolk's oysters are a genuine delicacy - but you need to approach them with respect. Head to

the coast for maximum freshness, and make a beeline for the former smuggler haunts of Thornham, Blakeney or Brancaster. The cold water of north Norfolk and its salty tidal marshes are ideal for producing some of the best oysters you'll ever taste.

with ships and sailors. He won a scholarship to an art school attached to The National Gallery where he met Landseer.

The scope of his work from sailors relaxing with a pipe and street dogs quarrelling, quickly drawn on scraps of paper, to majestic paintings such as The Wreck of the Glory, all prove him to be an exceptional artist.

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Driveways, Patios & Paving

© Tim Doyle Photography Ltd

Commercial & Domestic

SUR RF FACE DRESSING • RESIN BONDED • COLOUR RE ED ASPHAL LT T BLOCK P PA AV A VING • ASPHAL LT T WITH DECOR RA AT A TIVE CHIPPINGS

“We promise to provide the highest standard of wor o k at affordable prices, no matter the size of your project”

“

I've worked on Norfolk's roads and travellled to sitees around the county for over 30 years, and I love cuttting through to the towns and village lla es that are normallly bypassed, because you'll always find grreat local facil ilitiies and country pubs ready to be revisited on da ays off.

You can't beat the amazing views we enjoy as we carry out works in the area and at country estates such as Holkham, Houghton and Sandringham - and it's always nice to enhance village la es with improvements to driveways at local houses!

”

Richa ichard Moooore, Diireccttor

Call us ffo or a ffrree surffa acing consultation and quotation on 01553 811531 | www.wnsurffa acing.com

“

It migght be obvious, but for us the best thing about Norffolk is that it contains virtuallly every kind of build lding you could imagine - frrom old countrry houses to trraditional terraces and innovative modern new build lds. The diversity of the arcchitecture is amazzing, and it's one of the things that makes our work so intereesting - and challlenging. On a personal level, we love Norffolk because it's our home and we would dn't live anywhere else!

”

- Rya yan Riix & Gaary New ew, Diirectot rs Honest, professional builders, with no hidden surprises Contact Ryan or Gary to discuss ideas for your next project on: 07921 910651 / 07817 941897 E: info@rgrdevelopments.co.uk W: www.rgrdevelopments.co.uk @RGRDevelopments

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Blickling Hall

hat more could you want from a Norfolk country estate?

A beautiful house, a colourful history, a nationally-important library, stunning woodland walks, lovely gardens, a 45ft tall pyramid, a military museum and one of the best second-hand bookshops in Norfolk. And that’s just for starters.

Welcome to Blicking Hall.

Just north of Aylsham, Blickling was once in the possession of Sir John Fastolf, who fought against Joan of Arc at the Battle of Patay (on the losing side) and almost certainly gave his name to Shakespeare's famous character Falstaff, who appears in no less than three of the bard’s plays.

Blickling eventually passed into the hands of Thomas Boleyn and his wife Elizabeth, and it was there that the couple's three children were born including the ill-fated Anne.

You can still see a portrait of Henry VIII's future second wife at Blickling with the inscription 'Anna Bolena hic nata 1507' - although the exact date (and place) of her birth is hotly debated.

Regardless, Anne’s ghost is reputedly one of the estate’s most frequent visitors.

Whether she was born there or not, Anne Boleyn wouldn't recognise

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Blickling Hall today. The stunning house we enjoy now was built on the ruins of the older property by Sir Henry Hobart and the architect Robert Lyminge (of Hatfield House fame) and when the last private owner of Blicking died in 1940, the estate passed into the care of the National Trust, who began the painstaking work of restoring the house and grounds and finally opened it to the public in 1962.

As if the house and grounds weren’t grand enough, the library at Blickling contains one of the most historically significant collections of manuscripts and books in the whole of England. The most important are the ‘Blickling Homilies’ (the earliest existing example of such writing) and the 8th century ‘Lothian Psalter’ - which is now owned by the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City.

Outside, the estate covers almost 5,000 acres and is actively managed by the National Trust to provide muchneeded income to support the house, gardens, park and woods.

Whatever you do (and there’s plenty to choose from) don't miss the extraordinary mausoleum built in 1793 for the remains of John Hobart and his two wives. Made of 190,000 Portland stone blocks, it's probably the only pyramid in Norfolk!

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W e ar e he r e

For me, one of the most notable thing n s about Norffolk runs alongside our storag a e facillitie ies - the River Great Ouse. Not many people know that it used to enter the sea at Wis isbech. It was diverted to Lynn in the middl dle ages, and within 100 years the town had become Engl n land's most important port. Most of the history and heritag a e of Lynn is only here because of the river.

Kevivin Bris ristow t w, Genera eneral Manage Manager

HIGH SECURTIY SELF STORAGE

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TEL: 01553 692634 | FIND US: A47 Pullover Road, King’s Lynn PE34 3LS WEBSITE: www.dmgtimber.co.uk | EMAIL: sales@dmgtimber.co.uk

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The Wash

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nationally important intertidal wetland, the Wash is a great arc punched into the edge of Norfolk’s coast – marbled by stealthily shifting sands with ancient and evocative names such as Pandora, Thief, Blackguard Seal and Roaring Middle. The tides steal up quietly and quickly to cover the coastal salt marshes, and when uncovered skeins of honking pink-footed geese land to feast on the weeds and molluscs left behind in the wet sand.

At peak times, the Wash can hold between 450,000 waders and wildfowl, which has earned it status as a National Nature Reserve, a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area. It’s also in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part lies within the Snettisham RSBP nature reserve.

Black-tailed godwit are here in nationally important numbers. The Wash is made up of very extensive salt marshes, major intertidal banks of sand and mud, shallow waters and deep channels. Four rivers discharge fresh water into the Wash – the Great Ouse, the Nene, the Witham and the Welland – yet this quiet area of natural beauty disguises a very different past. At one time huge numbers of pirates infested the Wash waiting for rich pickings from the ships plying the Baltic trade from the time of the Hanseatic League until Elizabeth I – when they were eventually harried off by Sir Nathaniel Bacon of Stiffkey Hall. Bacon kept a keen eye on measures that would affect the future of Norfolk, including unlawful fishing in the Wash.

Fears of invasion during times of war is a recurring theme, whether from Napoleon Buonaparte, the Kaiser or

Hitler. Scares of a French invasion were nothing new to late 18th century Englishmen. There’d been at least three credible invasion threats between 1744 and 1783, and various steps to counter it had been taken.

Canon batteries were built at St Ann’s Fort at the entrance to Lynn, and the population were warned to “lock and bar your watergates” where small craft could come into riverside buildings at high tide. In the Norfolk Record Office Archives is post-WWII correspondence relating to the de-mining of the north Norfolk coast, ranging from sea mines in Hunstanton to pipe mines in Holme.

Today, the Wash has another silent invasion in the form of dozens of wind turbines slowly turning in the sea breeze while ships continue to carry goods across the Wash – much as they have done for hundreds of years.

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oo’s Jeste Festival T

The Witc h’s Hear t of King’s Lynn

r

For us, the events held in Norffolk are always special, in particular the King’s Lynn Feestival and Feestival Too. We've been part of the town's business and social lif i e for over 30 years now, and we've loved every minute of it. We've even desiggned some one-off pieces of jewelllery based on those two events featuring local landmark ks.

The town has always supported us and we liike to return that by giving something back. That's what makes Norffolk so special.

- Davi avid annd Louis uise Auke uker

125 NORFOLK STREET T,, KING’S LLY YNN | WWW.DA DAV VIDAUKER RJJEWELLERY.CO.UK | TEL: 01553 770536

“

Norfolk olk will be fo fore reverr connecte ted with th sp sports ts cars rs and auto a tomoti tive heri rita tag age - and in Ca Cais iste ter you ca can fin find th the fir first r in th the worl rld with th a fu full ll his isto tory ry - an 18 1893 Pa Panhard rd et Levass ssor. r. e're very ry pro roud to to bee conti tinuing ng th that tr tradi diti tion, oon and we we'v 've ve do done or th the la last 40 years rs. s No Noth thing ng sounds ds as perf rfe fect as a BM BMW M5 M5 king ing its ts way ay alo long ng one o of our beauti tiful coun ntr try la lanes!

auuren ence Be Bennetttt,tt Head ofof Bu Busineesss

”

FIND US: Hardwick Road, King's Lynn PE30 4NA TEL: 01553 692000 | WEB: listerskingslynnbmw.co.uk

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King’s Lynn Festival

Kathleen Ferrier, Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, Yehudi Menuhin, James Galway and Nigel Kennedy are just some of the international stars welcomed to the King’s Lynn Festival over the years. It began with a “Festival of Music and the Arts” in July 1951 to celebrate the restoration of St George’s Guildhall, thanks to the efforts of Ruth Fermoy, who’d moved to Park House, Sandringham in 1931 as the wife of Lord Fermoy.

Lady Fermoy fell in love with King’s Lynn and organised lunchtime concerts at the Town Hall to give local people the chance to hear professional music of the highest standard – she was an accomplished pianist and her contacts in the music world brought in

big names.

When the Guildhall of St George was under threat, Lady Fermoy was instrumental in its renovation as a theatre, organising an inaugural festival in 1951. The active interest of the Queen Mother and her frequent visits gave the event great prestige, and its success led to the King’s Lynn Festival becoming an annual event which has won international acclaim.

The Festival’s spiritual home remains the Guildhall, although other historic town venues are used, and the hugelypopular event continues to provide high quality performances of classical music, recitals, choral and jazz concerts, plus talks, exhibitions and films.

Happisburgh Footprints The North Sea has made an indelible mark on Norfolk's coastline, but it also propelled the county into the history books in 2013 when it exposed a layer of sediment at Happisburgh – revealing a set of footprints. Most people would have walked past (or over) them, but two academics were fortunately researching the area at the time – and managed to document the oldest known human footprints in the world ever found outside Africa.

At least 800,000 years old, the 50

footprints were left by a group of five individuals (adults and children) who'd been making their way southward at a time when the country was literally a part of Europe - and are the furthest north that evidence of early humans has ever been found.

Thanks to the tides, Happisburgh is no stranger to significant archaeological finds - from rhino and bison bones to flint tools and weapons. In fact, an axehead discovered in 2012 was selected by a panel of experts from the

British Museum as the most important item on a list of 50 archaeological discoveries made by members of the public.

Sadly (and again thanks to the tides) the footprints were washed away within two weeks of their discovery.

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“

We have been trrading for over 20 years and we feel luck ky to be part of a frriendlly community where we have strrong relationships with looyal customers. For me it’s the sense of community that makes Norfolk so special. As well as enjooying helping our customers get the correct products to make their proj ro ects run to plan, we are fortunate to supply to landmark buildings in and around the area, making me proud to be from Norfolk.

”

T imber Services is proud to have supplied timber to these significant buildings in King’s Lynn

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King John Cup

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awks flying from exquisitely dressed ladies’ wrists amid bright blue stars on a gold field while hunting dogs strain for the chase are now forever captured on the King John Cup, a priceless and unique symbol of the wealth of medieval Lynn.

This isn’t a church cup but a cup to be used in civic feasts, full to the brim with fine claret – so members of the Trinity Guild, sitting at tables groaning with fine food could toast the king who gave them partial freedom from the taxes of the hated Bishop of Norwich with the a charter of 1204.

The more money they made, the more they could keep. Drink to that? Of course they did.

King John was long dead when this beautiful cup was made. The King John Cup dates to around 1340 and is one of the most important secular standing cups of the period anywhere. The silver gilt cup is 16 inches tall and decorated with 21 enamelled panels depicting elegantly dressed figures set against a background of star-shaped flowers and hawking and hunting scenes. The base shows hounds chasing hares and a fox.

The first written record of the cup is in 1548 as the first item in a list of plate

delivered to the new Mayor for his use in drinking toasts known as “the courtesy of King John’s cup.”

Since then it has always been closely associated with the Mayors of King’s Lynn.

A unique oil painting which shows the King John Cup entitled “Still-life with the King John Cup” was painted in 1700 and depicts fruit, a watch and the cup on a table with other intriguing symbols. In 1787, a coloured drawing called “The Figures on the Lynn Cup, which was given to that Corporation by King John” was made and is now in the Castle Museum in Norwich.

The Mayors of Lynn are said to have taken this priceless cup home well into the 1970s, but it has had more official outings. In 1987 it was the centrepiece of an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts called “The Age of Chivalry” and in 2014 it was displayed as one of the treasures of East Anglia in the Sainsbury Centre. It’s now on display with other town treasures in “The Stories of Lynn” exhibition at the Old Town Hall.

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Weest N W No orffo ollk k is is tth hrivin ngg witth h indeep pend deent ffa amillyy-rru un businesssses and tth herreeffo orree K Kiin ngg’’ss L Lyynn was tth he id deeal plla accee to set u to up pK KR RF Fiire rep eplla accees. That was 2 22 2 yearrss aggoo and I’’v ve never llo ooked back. N Noot onllyy iiss tth hiiss arreea a ggoood plla ace tto od do o businessss but tth herree’’ss so much tto od do o and a llo ovellyy plla accee tto o lliive. C Co omin ngg frro om tth he plla ains of Lincolln nshiree,, I woulld d llo ove tto o rreettiirree tto o tth he “Hill “H Hiillllss” of coastta al N Noorffo ollk k.

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Castle Acre

astle Acre is one of the most interesting and attractive villages in Norfolk. It stands on the northern slope of the Nar valley in “Norfolk’s Holy Land” which abounded in religious houses before the Reformation.

The land was granted to William de Warrenne by William the Conqueror, and the family built an elaborate country house on the site which was converted in the mid-12th century into one of the grandest motte-and-bailey castles in England. Controlling the Peddar’s Way and the Nar Valley, it was a powerful statement of Norman ambition.

The whole early town was comfortably enfolded with a ditched and walled enclosure. Through the bailey gate which arches over the road today came lords, knights, soldiers, artisans, workmen and country folk.

The village’s Main Street is a diversion

of the Peddar’s Way, and Pales Green was probably the original market dating to around 1100.

The Cluniac Priory was built by William de Warrenne’s son in about 1090 and was home to 30 monks and numerous lay people – easily afforded by the wealthy monastic order which became even richer through gifts and endowment of land. But this conspicuous consumption made them (and other wealthy monasteries) progressively less popular, and in reaction Friaries were founded which renounced wealth and subsisted on charity.

The priory at Castle Acre continued to add to its buildings nevertheless, with a magnificent gateway built around 1500 which now opens onto a 36-acre sweep of lawns and a delightful Tudor house – which was the priors’ lodging.

English Heritage now care for these partly ruined survivals.

A nice little story concerns the fate of the village after the Reformation, when Lord Chief Justice Edward Coke (the ancestor of Lord Leicester, who is today the Lord of the Manor) approached Elizabeth I asking if he could buy more land.

The Queen was determined that no subject should have too much power and prevaricated until Coke said “just one more acre would satisfy him.”

The Queen agreed, and that acre was the village of Castle Acre.

Today, it’s a wonderful picturesque village with winding streets lined with lovely carrstone and flint cottages interspersed with substantial houses.

Castle Acre also boasts a 16th century coaching inn with log fires and a firm emphasis on locallysourced, free-range produce – and there are also two shops selling eats, treats and crafts.

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“ Do you want a secure financial future? e?

Alth thoug ugh I li livee in west Norf No rfolk lk, Barrnes r & Sherwood’s head offi offic ffice is is in th the centrre of Londo don. Wi With th th the direct trrain line from Ki fr King ng's 's Ly Lynn to King's Crross or Liverp rpooll Str treet I can be in our Londo don offi offic ffice c with thin two hours.

With Wi th go good tr tra rain li links and a reg e ular serv rvice, e, it makes it easy for me to adv dvis ise my my clli lients ts both in London and at homee in beeautif i ul Norfolk.

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d l r o w e h t e r o Expl from Norfolk est Norfolk Travel 132

I can't emphasise enough how lucky we are to have an international airport on our doorsteep. Wherever you are in Norffolk, Norwich Airport is only about an hour away, and frrom there the worlld reallly is your oyster!

Wherever you're going it makes all the diff i erence - going on holida iday is much les ess strressf s ul, and coming home is much more enjoyable. Aftter alll, who ould dn't want to me home to such eautif i ul place Norffolk?

”

illl Irwin win, recctot r

Tel: 01553 772910 | Web: www.westnorfolktravel.co.uk 23 Nursery Lane, South Wootton, King’s Lynn PE30 3NG

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The Railway Line Much to the initial displeasure of the port authorities who saw it as a threat to their sea-borne business, the railway arrived in King's Lynn on 27th October 1846 and transformed the life of the town and the surrounding area. That's still the case almost 200 years later, as the town's station (lovingly restored in 2013 and opened by former MP, television presenter and passionate railway enthusiast Michael Portillo) provides a 120-minute link to London around 25 times a day. It gives local business a vital link to the country's commercial capital, it’s used by Her Majesty The Queen on her Christmas visit to Sandringham, and it’s an easy way for visitors from the south to discover the wonders of west Norfolk!

Brancaster Mussels

There was a time when mussels were known as the "poor man's shellfish" due to their low cost and ample supply - but although they're still relatively cheap, plentiful and sustainable they're one of the most delicious delicacies you can enjoy on the Norfolk coast. The very best are 'farmed' at Brancaster (the famous Norfolk Blue mussels) and are delightfully succulent. Enjoy them on the coast if you can, but if you're taking them home steam them in a locally-produced white wine or cider for the ultimate taste.

George Vancouver

This local lad gave his name to one of the most attractive modern cities of the world, Vancouver in Canada. Four of the greatest maritime expeditions took place in two decades late in the 18th century and Vancouver’s Voyage of Discovery was one. George Vancouver was born in King’s Lynn on 22nd June 1757. From aged 14 he sailed with Captain Cook twice around the world. It is for his 5 year voyage of discovery to the north-west coast of Canada that he is rightly remembered. His crew endured incredible hardship thousands of miles away from home but Vancouver’s diplomatic skills asserted British rights along this coast and his charts were used until the satellite age.

He died aged only 40 and is buried at Richmond.

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I th think Bank Ho House u being ng nex ext to to th the Riveer Gr Great Ouse gi gives da dail ily insp spira rati tion by by its ts coonsta tant chang nging ng outl tlook k. We We are re lu luck cky to to have wildlife in a to town ceentr tre lo loca cati tion and unsp spoilt his isto tory ry all ll aro round us, s, which should ld nev ver be ta taken fo for gr grante ted. d.

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“

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King’s Lynn Quay

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F

irework displays during festivals attract huge crowds to the South Quay of King’s Lynn and it’s at the heart of activities during the town’s ski races, Hanse Festival and Heritage Open Day. In 2011, pontoons were opened for small craft to stay overnight but visitors rarely appreciate the long and varied history of the South Quay.

There’s a small plaque in the garden path at Thoresby College which indicates the extent of a late 13th century quay – it’s now 50 yards from the present river. Rubbish dumping and silting caused the river bank to move westwards.

Another building which shows how much the river has retreated westwards is Hampton Court, where the open arcading (once on the quay) is now stranded in the garden yards from the modern river.

In fact, King Street, Queen Street and Nelson Street were all on the river bank – and the west side of the Tuesday Market Place was full of wharfs and quays.

The Sommerfeld and Thomas building is a fine example of a Georgian brick warehouse – but there was no built-up quay as we know it.

The Wash and the river were shallow and full of shifting sandbanks, so as ships became bigger, massive engineering works were undertaken to straighten the river – making a faster tidal flow to scour the sand and provide natural dredging.

In 1821 the Eau Brink Cut changed the water flow, building up a sandbank which became solid enough to make a useable quay. With the excavation of the Estuary Cut to straighten the river to the Wash in 1853, large ships could tie up and railway lines were laid to take goods from cargo ships.

The first dock was completed in 1869 and linked by rail in 1870 – but the South Quay remained important to shipping, a fact underlined by the opening of the new quay familiar to us today in 1954. Commercial shipping along the quay gradually declined until the demolition of the grain silos in 2004, which heralded the end of large ships visiting the quay.

There are now opportunities for leisure use –a walkway was developed by the Millennium Project, and several restaurants have opened to attract visitors who admire the views into the Wash in all its changing moods and glorious sunsets in the western sky.

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The thing that's be b st about Norffolk is that it's such a friendlly place and everyone is will lling to support

everyone else - no mattter who they are and what business they are in. Since we opened our Thai restaurant in the Norffolk Countrrysid ide in 2004, we have built up such strrong relationships with local farmers and local people.

One of our diishes is named aftter our very ďŹ rst customer.

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Walsingham

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ny place that's served as a major centre of pilgrimage for western Europe for almost 1,000 years deserves a special mention in any list celebrating the local area.

The story of Walsingham traditionally begins in 1061 (yes, even before the Norman Conquest) when the Saxon noblewoman Richeldis de Faverches had a vision of the Virgin Mary in which she was instructed to build a local replica of the house of the Holy Family in Nazareth in honour of the Annunciation.

The original Holy House in Walsingham was panelled with wood and contained a wooden statue of an enthroned Virgin Mary with the infant on her lap and a phial of the Virgin's milk.

The popularity of Walsingham for the devout grew rapidly. At its height in medieval times, this tiny village rivalled Canterbury and the greatest shrines of Europe. Most kings and queens of England made their way to Norfolk, from Henry III to Henry VIII - who would eventually order the destruction of the shrine and adjacent priory in

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1538. Even today, more than 300,000 visitors flock to the village each year to experience the deep sense of peace and tranquillity.

Since Pope Leo XIII blessed a new statue for the restored ancient sanctuary of Our Lady of Walsingham in 1897, the site has played an increasingly important role in the spiritual life of the county - and country. In 1982, the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham was taken to Pope John Paul II at Wembley and given a place of honour during his mass, and at the turn of the 21st century a new Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham was approved by the church to be celebrated in England and Wales on 24th September.

There's much more to Walsingham than worship, however.

The ruins of the abbey are beautiful (exceptionally so when carpeted by snowdrops), and the village is packed with truly outstanding architecture from medieval timber-framed houses to Georgian buildings and facades.

It's also the ideal place to sample some of Norfolk's finest food and drink thanks to the success of the Walsingham Farms Shop initiative.

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Yoou sim Y mp pllyy can''tt beat a tta asttee of No N orffo ollk k.

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Brancaster Beach

he beach at Brancaster is yet another one of Norfolk’s outstanding coastal locations, with miles and miles of unspoilt golden sand as far as the eye can see. Whether you fancy a winter walk with the dogs or a summer's day building sandcastles - or even a spot of kite surfing - it's everything a beach should be.

But there's a lot more to Brancaster than natural beauty.

For starters, there's the Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, judged the 47th best golf course in the whole of the UK and Ireland. It's one of the most challenging too - the course can become an island at high tide, making parts of the layout inaccessible.

It's worth visiting Brancaster at low tide as well, as you may be able to see

the remains of a petrified forest. Parts of this wash ashore after storms and if you break apart the debris (it looks like black rubber) you can reveal the remains of plants.

The wreck visible off the harbour is all that's left of the SS Vina, which was used for target practice by the RAF before accidentally sinking in 1944.

Presenting a danger to both navigation and over-curious visitors, the wreck has often been the subject of removal plans - but these were abandoned long ago as uneconomic.

The danger remains, however - the wreck is on the far side of a fast-flowing tidal channel and is best (and safest) admired from a distance.

When you visit, don't forget to look up at that massive sky. Back in the late 1950s there was a very real possibility

that Brancaster could have become England's answer to Cape Canaveral, the secret base for experimental space flights over the USSR. Had the plans been successful, the village of Brancaster would have been demolished and the villagers rehoused but the discovery of oil in the North Sea came to Brancaster's rescue. It was felt the danger of random space debris hitting the newly-installed rigs was too great.

Even the ancient Romans loved this part of the world. Almost 2,000 years ago, a large fort and harbour known as Branodunum stood to the immediate west of today's village of Brancaster treating legionnaires to the same beautiful views and amazing skies we're still enjoying today.

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“

Wee allll know tth W hat N No orffo ollk k iiss ffu ullll of beautif tiiffu ul countrryysid dee, hiissttoorriic build illd diinggss, prreetttyy villag illlla aggees and an amazziin ngg coastlliine - and we allll enjo njjo oyy ittss ggeenuine communittyy ffeeel and ssp pirriitt.. One tth hin ngg I tth hink rreealllyy deserves cceelleebrra de attiin ngg iiss tth hat in Noorffo N ollk k rreella attiionshiip ps stil tiillll count ffo or sometth hin ngg - whicch h alllo ows indeep pend deent businesssses tto ofl flo ouriissh

and iiss at tth he corree of our businessss.

That''ss sometth hin ngg verryy ssp peciia al and possssiib bllyy unique - about N No orffo ollk k.

Our rreella attiionshiip ps ggoo ffa ar beeyyond tth he sim mp pllee custto omer//ssup pp pliieer contta actt,, and we consid deer most of our custto omerrss as ffrriieend dss. Over tth he yearrss we''v ve had quittee an infl flu uence on tth he wa ayy N No orffo ollk k llo ook kss tto oda ayy and it’’ss so rreeward diin ngg tto o be abllee tto o hellp p (lliitteerra alllyy!!)) builld d a bettteerllo ookin ngg ffu uttu urree ffo or tth he plla accee wherree we lliive and worrk k.

”

Daam D amiiaann Roac amia Rooaacchh, Brraanc ancchh Diirrect an ecctttoror

KL TEAM AWARDED

‘MKM BRANCH OF THE YEAR’

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Clifton Tower

I

t's fair to say there's nothing quite like Clifton House in the centre of King’s Lynn. Its most obvious feature may be the unique fivestorey tower, but it also contains the largest and earliest secular tiled floors in England – and its medieval cellar is the first brick structure in Norfolk.

A merchant’s house in the heart of a modern market town, Clifton House retains an amazing series of historic interiors from the Elizabethan tower to a series of rooms created by architect Henry Bell (of Custom House fame) in 1700 and is Grade I listed.

The house was started in 1250 and remodelled by every owner up to the Georgian period. But big houses have always cost money. Inland trade on the river was robbed by the railways, and after the Second World War many of

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Lynn’s ancient merchant and artisan houses were in a vulnerable condition, open to the elements, decay and random demolition. And the town lacked the resources to rescue, convert and maintain them. The collapse of a historic house in February 1950 in St Nicholas Street in a gale highlighted the problem. Economic regeneration was essential.

The answer was rehousing a London overspill and building factories to provide work – but the downside of this initiative was the destruction of much of the old town for modern shops and blocks of flats.

The town’s Queen Street and Clifton House were in danger of demolition as well – heritage buildings from the Custom House to Thoresby College were all earmarked to make way for a multi-storey car park. Elizabeth

Chesterton, a well-respected architect, was commissioned to write a report by the town council in 1964 in which she recommended the local council buy and occupy those houses in Queen Street (including Clifton House) to preserve them from developers – which is why most council departments from the rates to planning were in Queen Street until 1984.

Also out of this crisis came the King’s Lynn Preservation Trust, which restored many historic buildings in the town and undertook the preservation of the exterior of Clifton House in 2002.

Now a large family home, Clifton House is being sensitively restored by the present owners, with the tower furnished in period style including a Tudor dining room and bedroom. One room is a museum detailing the long and varied history of this special house.

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Sandringham Flower Show

20,000 visitors flock to the Sandringham Flower Show, and it’s one of Norfolk’s most prestigious horticultural events. Held annually on the last Wednesday in July, it’s an occasion to see the array of displays, trade stands, and catch a glimpse of HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. In 1862, Edward Prince of Wales bought Sandringham House as a country retreat to start his married life with Princess Alexandra, and 20 years later as Edward VII he was still buying land and improving the estate.

He had the inspired idea of introducing a flower show for the estate’s tenants as a way of encouraging them to keep their gardens tidy and to take pride in their properties.

The Queen is now the Patron of this long running tradition,

and 2019 will mark the 139th show.

A packed programme includes the traditional flower, fruit, vegetable and floral classes for people living on the estate, open amateur classes, more than 200 trade and horticultural stands, charity stalls and a craft marquee.

The show, whose enduring royal patronage was typified by the late Queen Mother, has raised £330,000 for good causes over the years and continues to attract huge crowds – come rain or shine.

The Shell Museum

Norfolk is full of fascinating and important museums, but the oldest purpose-built museum is also its most charming - and contains the largest collection of seashells in the whole country. It sits in the 'model' village of Glandford, which was built by Sir Alfred Jodrell when the former owner of nearby Bayfield Hall Estate planned a community to house local people and their families.

He also planned a permanent home for

his extensive collection of birds eggs, fossils and shells, building a delightful structure with a distinctive Flemish gabled roof.

The Shell Museum was completed in 1915, and the original displays were planned by Sir Alfred himself, offering a fascinating glimpse into a passion for collecting that lasted for over 60 years.

In addition to all the shells and fossils you'll find a walking stick carved from a shark's spine, a sugar bowl used by

Queen Elizabeth I and a piece of pottery from Pompeii.

And when you visit, don't miss the opportunity to see the fascinating tapestry Panorama of the Norfolk Coast.

It was created by local fishermanturned-artist John Craske, who covered every available surface of his cottage with intricate images of boats and coastal scenes.

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W

hen William Roscoe sat down to write a poem about his workplace towards the end of the 18th century, the librarian of Holkham Hall couldn't help using the words "graceful pride" in his very first line.

Fast forward a couple of hundred years and few people would disagree with him, for Holkham Hall is probably the finest example of Palladian architecture in the whole country, almost perfectly symmetrical (thanks to some cleverly-placed false doors) and blessed with the simply stunning entrance of the Marble Hall - although purists will undoubtedly point out it would be more accurately named the Pink Derbyshire Alabaster Hall.

This stunning jewel in Norfolk's crown was built by Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester 1st creation, who returned to England from a six-year tour of Europe in 1718 with a newly-acquired library and considerable art and sculpture collection - and needed a suitably impressive home for them.

Although the eminent William Kent is generally credited with the hall's design, the first plans were drawn up by Norfolk architect (and on-site clerk of works) Matthew Brettingham in 1726 - and it took almost nine years before the first foundations were laid.

The construction of Holkham Hall

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Holkham Hall lasted 30 years from 1734-1764 and it was definitely worth the wait.

Though it followed the fashionable building design of the day, no other house has ever come closer to realising the ideals of the 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio.

The grounds didn't fail to meet expectations either. Work began several years before the house itself was constructed, and eventually involved the planting of over a million trees and the creation of a 120ft high monument to Thomas William Coke 1st Earl of the 2nd creation. This visionary man’s innovative agricultural ideas transformed farming in Britain and managed to increase the income of the Holkham estate by 800% in less than 40 years.

But if you thought Holkham Hall was simply another (albeit magnificent) part of Norfolk's past heritage, you'd be very wrong.

In addition to being a thriving 25,000 acre agricultural estate, Holkham now includes a holiday park, several shops, a number of property and commercial developments, a nationally-important nature reserve and an internationallyacclaimed pub.

The grounds have hosted countless open-air concerts featuring everyone from Elton John to Lionel Richie, and the Marble Hall hosts a regular series of classical music events.

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Directory

Animal Care

Bearts of Stowbridge | p. 68 01366 388 151 www.bearts.co.uk GJL Animal Feeds | p. 48 01328 851 351 www.gjlanimalfeeds.co.uk London Road & Hollies Vets | p. 138 01553 773 168 www.londonroadvets.co.uk

Support our local independent businesses

Entertainment & Leisure

Architectural Services

Peter Humphrey Associates Ltd | p. 130 01945 466 966 www.peterhumphrey.co.uk Richard CF Waite Architects | p. 72 01553 772 656 www.rcfwaite.co.uk Swann Edwards Architecture | p. 136 01945 450 694 www.swannedwards.co.uk

Abacus Marquees | p. 110 01328 701 331 www.abacusmarquees.co.uk Bowbrand International Ltd | p. 32 01553 772 943 www.bowbrand.co.uk Church Farm Stow Bardolph | p. 48 01366 382 162 www.churchfarmstowbardolph.co.uk Hanse House | p. 114 01553 775 678 www.hansehouse.co.uk King’s Lynn Corn Exchange | p. 120 01553 764 864 www.kingslynncornexchange.co.uk King’s Lynn Golf Club | p. 96 01553 631 654 www.kingslynngolfclub.co.uk Oxburgh Hall | p. 50 01366 328 258 nationaltrust.org.uk/oxburgh-hall

Auctioneers

Fashion & Jewellery

Barry L Hawkins | p. 64 01366 387 180 www.barryhawkins.co.uk

Building & Property Services 4 Way Group | p. 12 01553 767 878 www.4waygroup.co.uk Frimstone Ltd | p. 82 01366 388 900 www.frimstone.co.uk Klearvu Aerials | p. 94 01553 674 950 www.klearvuaerials.com MKM Building Supplies | p. 140 01553 817 830 www.mkmbs.co.uk RGR Developments | p. 122 07921 910 651 www.rgrdevelopments.co.uk The Solar Shed | p. 14 0808 126 1289 www.solar-power.co.uk WN Surfacing | p. 122 01553 811 531 www.wnsurfacing.com

Councils

The Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk | p. 147 01553 616 200 www.west-norfolk.gov.uk

Education

Downham Preparatory School & Montessori Nursery | p. 50 01366 388 066 www.downhamprep.co.uk 144

Allez Chic | p. 94 01553 631 915 www.allezchic.co.uk Artichoke | p. 108 01760 724 948 www.artichokecollection.co.uk Bearts of Stowbridge | p. 68 01366 388 151 www.bearts.co.uk Cindy’s of Sutton Bridge | p. 128 01406 350 961 www.cindysfashions.co.uk David Auker Jewellery | p. 126 01553 770 536 www.davidaukerjewellery.co.uk Lings Country Goods | p. 28 01485 520 828 www.lingscountrygoods.co.uk Sheila Tiller | p. 120 01406 363 433 www.sheilatiller.co.uk Tim Clayton Jewellery | p. 92 01553 772 329 www.timclaytonjewellery.com

Florists

Elizabeth the Florist | p. 58 01553 774 544 www.fandabbydaisy.florist

Food & Drink

Black Shuck Ltd | p. 110 07867 817 618 www.blackshuckltd.co.uk Donaldsons | p. 10 01553 772 241

Lings Country Goods (Heath Farm Shop) | p. 28 01485 520 828 www.lingscountrygoods.co.uk

Funeral Directors

Thornalley Funeral Services | p. 92 01553 771 399 www.tfs.co.uk

Garden & Exteriors

Arco Tool Hire | p. 64 01485 571 789 www.arcotoolhire.co.uk Doubleday Group | p. 68 01553 617 666 www.doubledaygroup.co.uk Foras | p. 70 01366 381 069 www.foras.co.uk Heritage Tree Specialists Ltd | p. 22 01553 617 008 www.heritagetreespecialists.co.uk Moat Road Nursery | p. 90 01553 828 723 Mole Control & Pest Services | p. 90 01553 770 617 www.moleandpestcontrol.com Norfolk Leisure | p. 42 01553 811 717 www.norfolkleisure.com Rachael’s Plant Outlet | p. 58 01945 664 520 www.rachaelsplantoutlet.co.uk Thaxters Garden Centre & Coffee Shop | p. 24 01485 541 514 www.thaxters.co.uk Wensum Pools Ltd | p. 134 01328 838 834 www.wensumpools.co.uk

Health, Beauty & Fitness

BMI The Sandringham Hospital | p. 8 0808 101 0336 www.bmihealthcare.co.uk Castle Rising Dentist | p. 96 01553 631 094 www.castlerisingdentist.co.uk DA Seaman Optometrists | p. 84 01760 722 661 www.daseaman.org.uk Derma Vida | p. 22 01553 696 886 www.dermavida.co.uk Free Your Body Therapy | p. 52 01553 277 520 www.freeyourbodytherapy.co.uk King’s Lynn Mobility Centre Ltd | p. 66 01553 768 751 www.kingslynnmobility-norfolk.co.uk

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School House Denture Clinic & Laboratories Ltd | p. 52 01553 762 405 www.schoolhousedentureclinic.co.uk

Holidays & Travel

McDonnell Caravans | p. 118 01553 636 243 www.mcdonnellcaravans.co.uk Searles Leisure Resort | p. 40 01485 534 211 www.searles.co.uk Snettisham Caravan Park | p. 76 01485 542 499 www.snettishamcaravanpark.com West Norfolk Travel Ltd | p. 132 01553 772 910 www.westnorfolktravel.co.uk

Homes & Interiors

Aldiss | p. 2 0845 130 3388 www.aldiss.com Bedtime Bed Centre | p. 104 01553 780 227 www.bedtimebedcentre.co.uk Bespoke Pine n Oak Ltd | p. 80 01553 277 515 www.bespokepinenoakltd.com Bexwell Kitchens | p. 28 01366 382 064 www.bexwellkitchens.co.uk Carlton’s Solid Fuels Ltd | p. 74 01485 520 637 Charmed Interiors | p. 86 01366 384 126 www.charmed-interiors.co.uk Core Technology Projects Ltd | p. 36 01553 776 413 www.coretechnologyprojects.co.uk Economy Flooring | p. 66 01553 762 878 www.economyflooring.co.uk Foras | p. 70 01366 381 069 www.foraswallsandfloors.co.uk KR Fireplaces | p. 130 01553 772 564 www.krfireplaces.co.uk Metric Carpets | p. 38 01553 775 203 www.metriccarpets.co.uk Quay Centre Ltd | p. 88 01945 476 797 www.quaycentre.co.uk Sew and Sew | p. 36 01553 776 411 www.sewandsewkingslynn.co.uk Supreme Carpets | p. 24 01485 542 384 www.supreme-carpets.com Xtraclean | p. 84 01760 337 762 www.xtraclean.co.uk

Legal & Financial Services

Fraser Dawbarns LLP Solicitors | p. 46 01553 666 600 www.fraserdawbarns.com Hayes and Storr Solicitors | p. 18 01553 778 900 www.hayesandstorr.co.uk

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Katie Trendell Chartered Financial Advisor | p. 132 07739 339 663 www.ktrendell@barnsher.co.uk Metcalfe Copeman & Pettefar Solicitors | p. 72 01553 778 100 www.mcp-law.co.uk SJP Solicitors | p. 112 01485 532 662 www.sjpsolicitors.co.uk Stephenson Smart Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors | p. 60 01553 774 104 www.stephenson-smart.com

Letting Agents

Edmonton Estates Ltd | p. 116 01553 660 615 www.edmontonestates.co.uk Rounce & Evans Property Management | p. 34 01553 401 582 www.rounceandevans.co.uk

Motor Vehicle Sales & Repairs

Duff Morgan | p. 44 01553 770 144 www.duffmorgan.com K.Brown Auto Repairs Ltd | p. 20 01553 763 763 www.kbrownautoskingslynn.co.uk Listers King’s Lynn | p. 126 01553 692 000 www.listerskingslynnbmw.co.uk Paragon Motor Company Ltd | p. 74 01945 233 138 www.paragonmotorco.co.uk Roythorne and Son | p. 98 01553 673 000 www.roythorneandson.co.uk Sandles Car Supermarket | p. 106 01553 630 052 www.sandles.co.uk Stebbings Car Superstore | p. 62 01553 661 661 www.stebbings.co.uk

Restaurants & Hotels

Bank House | p. 134 01553 660 492 www.thebankhouse.co.uk Biltons | p. 10 01553 812 200 www.biltonsrestaurant.com Caley Hall Hotel | p. 112 01485 533 486 www.caleyhallhotel.co.uk Crawfish Inn Thai Restaurant & Bar | p. 136 01328 878 313 www.crawfishinn.com Dukes Head | p. 46 01553 774 996 www.dukesheadhotel.com Folly Tearoom & Garden | p. 26 01263 713 569 www.follytearoom.co.uk

Knights Hill Hotel and Spa | p. 98 01553 675 566 www.knightshill.co.uk Le Strange Arms Beachside Hotel | p. 16 01485 534 411 www.lestrangearms.co.uk Oriental Palace Chinese Restaurant | p. 100 01553 842 255 www.orientalpalacewestwinch.co.uk Strattons Hotel | p. 16 01760 723 845 www.strattonshotel.com Stuart House Hotel | p. 100 01553 772 169 www.stuarthousehotel.co.uk The Chequers Inn | p. 76 01485 512 229 www.chequersinnthornham.com The Heron | p. 114 01366 384 040 theheronstowbridge.com The Lifeboat Inn | p. 118 01485 512 236 www.lifeboatinnthornham.com Titchwell Manor | p. 138 01485 210 221 www.titchwellmanor.com

Specialist Clothing Stratfords | p. 108 01553 772 043 www.stratfords.com

Storage & Warehousing East Coast Storage | p. 124 01553 772 689 www.eastcoaststorage.co.uk

Timber Merchants

DMG Timber | p. 124 01553 692 634 www.dmgtimber.co.uk Stoke Ferry Timber | p. 38 01366 500 505 www.stokeferrytimber.com Timber Services | p. 128 01553 760 000 www.timberservicesuk.com

Window, Doors & Conservatories

Lynn Frame Ltd | p. 56 01553 602 088 www.lynnframe.co.uk Supreme Windows | p. 106 01945 880 091 www.supreme-windows.com West Norfolk Glass | p. 26 01553 763 164 www.westnorfolkglass.co.uk

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T

o be honest, this magazine could have easily continued for another few hundred pages. The more we talked about limiting our love of Norfolk to 100 reasons, the more we realised just how much there was to enjoy about this exquisite county.

It's a lovely place to live and it's a great place to work – and one reason that didn't make our list is the sheer pleasure of meeting people from outside the area.

They're amazed that we have such a wealth of natural beauty, such a long and illustrious history, and such a treasure trove of arhictectural wonders. That's enough to make anyone proud.

It’s been a genuine pleasure producing this special edition of KL magazine, and we owe a huge ‘thank you’ to the advertisers who’ve been with us on a remarkable 100-issue journey – and who’ve helped us present this showcase of the area’s most spectacular attractions.

Whether you’ve lived here all your life or are just passing through (you’ll be back sooner than you think!) we hope this publication has inspired you to visit more local places, enjoy more local food and learn more local history.

Norfolk? We love it. And you’ve just seen why.

KL magazine team

KL magazine is published monthly by KL Publications Ltd. The magazine cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and KL magazine takes no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

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