KL Magazine April 2014

ISSN 2044–7965

ISSUE 43 APRIL 2014 PRICELESS

magazine

WEST NORFOLK | NORTH NORFOLK | COASTAL

A GREAT BRITISH INSTITUTION We are immensely proud of our heritage, our deep-rooted passion for Norfolk and its residents, and the principles by which we have become the county’s finest home furnishing store. We have always championed Great British furniture brands which represent our own values and which epitomise traditional British craftsmanship, quality and design. So why not come along and enjoy the very best ranges, galleries and displays, and be inspired to change your home and lifestyle.

we won’t be beaten for quality, choice and value for money, that’s guaranteed Oxborough Lane Fakenham NR21 8AF T: 0845 130 3388

Visit us online at:

Hall Road Norwich NR4 6DH T: 0845 230 3388

www.aldiss.com

Everything Your Home Desires

COVER IMAGE

Creake Abbey by Ian Ward

editorial 01553 601201

editor@klmagazine.co.uk

Eric Secker Amy Phillips Ian Ward Alex Dallas Graham Murray Michael Middleton

advertising 01553 601201 sales@klmagazine.co.uk

Laura Murray Grant Murray Nicky Secker-Bligh Lisa Tonroe

contact

18 Tuesday Market Place King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1JW 01553 601201 www.klmagazine.co.uk KL 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.

If you’d like to order prints of any photograph featured in KL magazine, contact us at the address above. Please note this applies only to images taken by our own photographers.

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reake Abbey has remained a beautifully tranquil spot, and the attractive ruins tell an evocative tale of the abbey’s varying fortunes from its origins when Sir Robert and Lady Alice de Nerford established the small chapel of St Mary of the Meadows in 1206 to the death of the abbey’s last abbot exactly three hundred years later in December 1506. What survives are the atmospheric remains that makes for a fascinating day out. You can read more about the abbey and the villages of North and South Creake on page 86 of this month’s magazine.

Indeed, it’s a great time to be getting out and about in Norfolk – whether you fancy visiting one of the area’s talented artists taking part in this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios (page 8), whether you’re interested in a spot of local history at Swaffham Museum (page 16), or hungry for a taste of the county’s finest foods (page 48). In fact, for a unique view of the county’s attractions, why not give ‘glamping’ a go and discover what all the fuss it about? Talking of unique views, take a look at the fine art photography of Marcus Scott (page 92) – his remarkable monochrome images of local landmarks are beautifully serene, and are a striking reminder of just how much natural beauty we’re surrounded by every day. Of course, April means it’s time for the East Anglian Game and Country Fair, and our thanks go to Event Director Andrew Grand for finding time to talk to us (page 20) before the start of the big event. Enjoy the magazine – and have a very Happy Easter!

KL MAGAZINE KLmagazine April 2014

Contents 7-13

WHAT’S ON This month’s diary of forthcoming events

8-10

NORFOLK & NORWICH OPEN STUDIOS 550 artists, 272 venues and a feast of art

APRIL 2014

16-18 SWAFFHAM MUSEUM A fascinating look at the history of a town 20

THE BIG INTERVIEW With EAGC Event Director Andrew Grand

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THEN & NOW The changing face of the local area

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20

28-30 KING OF THE UNDERWATER WORLD A close look at the the life of the pike 33

PETS Help and advice with local vet Alex Dallas

36-38 CARRY ON GLAMPING When ‘glamour’ meets ‘camping’ 40-42 FASHION The latest looks from the local boutiques 48-51 A NORFOLK COASTAL FOOD TOUR Enjoying the best of our local foods

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52-62 FOOD AND DRINK Recipes, reviews and recommendations 64-66 WEST NORFOLK IN BLOOM...

Local communities and green fingers 70-80 INTERIORS The design secrets of great-looking homes 86-88 EXPLORER Out and about in North and South Creake 92-94 MARCUS SCOTT Taking photography to a new level 97

MY KL The page made by KL magazine readers

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CROSS CURRENTS Canon Chris Ivory’s look at local life

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92 5

ta Gr ilo ou r-m p t ad our eh sa oli nd da ys

Discover Asia With the UK’s leading Asia specialist

Come along and speak to the experts at our Wendy Wu Open Day Contact Travel Norwich Airport now to make an appointment.

Wednesday 23rd April

A CHINA EXPERIENCE

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, INDIA

WONDERS OF CHINA

Visit the canal town of Wuzhen with its old-world charm and picturesque setting before exploring ancient Xian and bustling Beijing.

The classic tour; see bustling streets and colourful markets in Delhi, the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra and the beautiful intricate architecture of Jaipur.

Experience the variety of wonders that China has to offer from the history of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City to modern and cosmopolitan Shanghai.

10 days from only £1,780pp

9 days from only £1,950pp

16 days from only £2,600pp

Fully Inclusive from Norwich airport

Fully Inclusive from Norwich airport

Fully Inclusive from Norwich airport

For further information or to book please call 01603 428 700 or visit Travel Norwich Airport at the Airport or Castle Mall, Norwich

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April

PICTURE: Caroline Smith By Tim Wilkinson

100 YEARS AGO: On 9th April 1914, the very first feature film in colour was released in Britain.

Sadly, The World, the Flesh and the Devil is now considered to be lost.

Saturday 5th

APRIL FARMERS’ MARKET Creake Abbey, North Creake, Fakenham (9.30am-1pm) Creake Abbey’s hugely popular Farmers’ Market takes place with around 54 of the region’s very best food and drink producers. Come and discover a feast of outstanding fresh seasonal produce including meat, vegetables and fruit, cakes, tray bakes, dairy produce, artisan beer, apple juice, artisan breads, morning goods, puddings, pies, tarts (sweet and savoury), olives and prepared meals (all made with the finest local ingredients). The Café and Food Hall at Creake Abbey will be open, with bookings for lunch taken from 1.30pm. Outside the Food Hall the Café team will also be serving hot food to keep you warm. For further details, see www.creakeabbey.co.uk.

Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th EAST ANGLIAN GAME & COUNTRY FAIR 2014 Norfolk Showground, Norwich (Gates open 8am) One of the region’s most popular events returns with over 350 trade stands and two days of fantastic entertainment including formation flying geese, John Bidwell’s shooting exhibition, horseboarding, extreme biking, cookery theatre and plenty of entertainment for children. Tickets £15 (adults 17+), £5 (children 6-16) and £40 (family of 2 adults and 3 children) – under 5s are free and there’s no charge for parking either. For more details see www.ukgamefair.co.uk or save money by booking tickets early (before April 16th) on 08712 301102.

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Thursday 17th to Saturday 19th BURNHAM MARKET INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS 2014 Sussex Farm, Burnham Market, Norfolk PE31 8JY The Burnham Market International Horse Trials offer a fantastic day out for all the family – whichever of the three days you decide to attend! Riders who regularly compete at Burnham Market include Zara Phillips, Team GB Olympians William Fox-Pitt, Pippa Funnell and local girl Piggy French. Alongside all the top-class eventing competition, there’s over 40 trade stands to grab a bargain at and for the children there’s bungee trampolines, bouncy castles and a climbing wall. On Friday 18th and Saturday 19th ‘Razz and Pearl’ will be performing circus workshops and you can even put your dogs through their paces with the Dog Agility Club! A great way to spend Easter weekend. For full details, information and to save money on early ticket bookings, see www.musketeer.co.uk.

Saturday 5th

THE CANADA BOYS Guildhall Theatre, King’s Lynn Arts Centre (7.30pm) fEast Theatre presents The Canada Boys by Rob John, a funny, sad and thought-provoking play which tells the fascinating story of Jack and Eddie Craske – two brothers who’d never travelled west of Wymondham but whose lives are about to change forever. The play resonates with Norfolk voices and locations – and asks searching questions about love, labour, duty and family. fEast Theatre is a company specifically formed to develop and showcase new work by professional writers, actors and directors from Norfolk and features several local actors. Tickets £12 (£10 concessions) are available from the Corn Exchange Box Office on 01553 764864.

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NEXT RACE

MEETING

FAKENHAM

D STANDARD GOL

Easter Monday, April 21st| First Race: 1:55pm Admission: Adults from £8 17 years and under (accompanied by adults) FREE May’s Race: Tuesday 6th, first race 2:30pm Ladies Day: Sunday 1st June, first race 2pm

First race times are subject to change

Fakenham RACECOURSE

Fakenham Racecourse Ltd, The Racecourse Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 7NY T: 01328 862388 E: info@fakenhamracecourse.co.uk W: www.fakenhamracecourse.co.uk

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April

Wednesday 9th SPRING FASHION SHOW The Curlew Centre, Sutton Bridge (1.30pm) A great chance to see some fabulous new styles and meet some new friends at Cindy’s Spring Fashion Show – together with afternoon tea and a Dermalogica skincare demonstration by Janet of Time Out – at the Curlew Centre in Sutton Bridge’s Memorial Park.

Tickets £10 available from Cindy’s on Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge – which will be open before and after the show itself.

Please call 01406 350961 for more details.

Throughout April

EASTER AT OXBURGH HALL Oxburgh Hall, Oxborough There’s always plenty to see and do at Oxburgh Hall, but Easter is a particularly great time to visit.

The house, garden and estate is open every day (11am–5pm) during the Easter school holidays from April 7th–22nd.

Normal admission rates apply, and there’s also an Easterthemed trail in the Hall, plus outdoor games and activities in the grounds. Over Easter weekend (19th–21st) you can join the Easter fun with a series of special Cadbury Easter Egg Trails (£2 per trail). For full details, call 01366 328258.

Saturday 5th and Saturday 26th THE METROPOLITAN OPERA LIVE FROM NEW YORK Screen-next-the-Sea, The Granary Theatre, Wells It’s not often you get the chance to sit back and enjoy world-class opera performed by the Metropolitan Opera in New York (unless you’re patricularly fortunate), but thanks to Screen-next-the-Sea in Wells you can watch two amazing operas broadcast direct from Manhattan this month. On Saturday 5th, the Granary Theatre will be hosting Puccini’s La Boheme (with Anita Hartig and Vittorio Grigolo) starting at 5.55pm, and on Saturday 26th (again starting at 5.55pm) you can revel in Mozart’s brilliant Cosi Fan Tutte (shown above with Rodion Progossov, Danielle de Niese and Matthew Polenzani).

Tickets are only £15 and can be purchased from Londis (opposite the Granary Theatre) or by calling Ticket Line on 07900 316606. For more details, see www.wells-cinema.com. Note that La Boheme is three and a half hours long, and Cosi Fan Tutte is four hours long.

Saturday 12th

Thursday 10th THURSDAY EVENING LECTURE Marriott’s Warehouse, South Quay, King’s Lynn PE30 5DT (7pm) If you were interested in last month’s feature on the Friends of the Hardwick Road Cemetery, here’s a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a lecture by the Friends’ hugely-knowledgeable and constantlyentertaining Chairman Dr Julian Litten. Entitled Ain’t It Grand to be Bloomin’ Dead! the lecture (on the top floor of Marriott’s Warehouse) takes a look at the funeral trade in King’s Lynn during the 18th and 19th centuries. No booking is necessary, and there’s no admission charge – just a donation box. For more details and information, see www.marriottswarehousetrust.co.uk.

KLmagazine April 2014

CLASSICAL CHORAL CONCERT Norwich Cathedral (7.30pm) The Dereham-based Mid-Norfolk Singers present a performance of beautiful music in the stunning setting of Norwich Cathedral’s nave. Conducted by Duncan Barlow, the talented choir will perform Brahm’s Requiem and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria. Tickets £12–£18 (under 16s £10–£15) available from Prelude Records in Norwich, the Norwich Cathedral shop, Dereham Travel Centre and Ceres Bookshop in Swaffham. For more details, call 01603 628319 or 01603 218450. If you’re interested in joining the friendly choir or for more details on the Mid-Norfolk Singers, please see www.midnorfolksingers.org.uk.

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PICTURE: Reed Walk by Kate Lowe (30x25cm), oil and mixed media

Local Life

OPPOSITE: Local potter Joyce Davison at work in her studio – she’s been part of Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios since it started in 1994

A festival of local art as Norfolk opens its doors Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios is always a special occasion, but 2014 marks a particularly important milestone for participants and visitors alike, as the event celebrates its 20th anniversary.

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n 1994 Nelson Mandela was released from jail, the Channel Tunnel opened, the Daily Telegraph became the very first UK newspaper to launch a news website and the film Four Weddings and a Funeral (which was to become the biggest grossing British film ever) went on general release.

It was also the year that Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios opened its doors for the first time, allowing an eager art-loving public the opportunity to visit artists in their own homes and studios to view their work in informal

KLmagazine April 2014

surroundings away from the more formal confines of the gallery.

Now artists and organisers of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival are gearing up for the 20th anniversary event that takes place from late May to early June this year. For the first time sponsors Wex Photographic have come on board to help make the anniversary a very special year.

Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios has become one of the largest and most successful schemes of its kind in the UK. It’s a treasured annual celebration of the county’s vibrant visual arts scene

with artists working in a very diverse range of art forms and techniques, encompassing painted landscapes, textiles, jewellery, metal-forged sculptures and wood turning.

This year more than 550 artists in 272 venues will be welcoming visitors into their studios to see their work and discover more about their creative processes. Some of these artists are first timers, some have been exhibiting for a number of years and a select few – like local potter Joyce Davison – have been involved since the very first year.

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PICTURE: Clouds Over the Marsh by Kate Lowe (25x25cm), oil and mixed media

Local Life

ABOVE: Local painter and illustrator Kate Lowe will be sharing her mother’s studio in Burnham Norton as the two make their debut appearances at this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios, which features some 550 artists at 272 venues throughout the county

Joyce, a former secretary and teacher who’s now in her eighties, began pottery purely as a hobby in 1955 when she began taking evening classes.

“I had no skill in drawing or painting and had never handled clay,” she says, “but my husband was attending painting classes and I wanted to try something too. I survived the first year and then extended my lessons to two evenings a week.”

Soon Joyce left her full-time secretarial job to attend a full-time pottery course but still considered herself to be very much an amateur.

She returned to evening classes for many years as she raised a family and later became a teacher.

In the 1980s, after living in Hartlepool and Wisbech, Joyce and her husband Syd settled in West Norfolk. She was in her mid-fifties and took early retirement to concentrate on her pottery.

“I already had an old wheel, a small kiln, some basic materials and a workshop just outside my kitchen door,” she says, “all I needed was hard work and lots of practice!”

Since then Joyce has continued to learn and experiment with differing techniques and styles of pottery, encompassing tableware and decorated one-off items.

“Syd and I took part in Open Studios from the beginning,” says Joyce. “We

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felt it was an ideal way to reach the public in the hope of selling our work.

In the event, we gained much more, making lots of new friends as well as selling very respectable amounts. Since my husband died in 2004 I have continued to exhibit and have converted his painting studio into a display area for my work. I take part in the Castle Acre Art Trail and have seen it grow from small beginnings to one of the largest in the county.”

Meanwhile, Army wife, painter and illustrator Kate Lowe is a newcomer to Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios – as is her mother Flic, another potter.

Although this is her first Open Studios, Kate has been a professional artist for ten years. She specialises in expressive, joyous and colourful images of the North Norfolk coast but also designs cards and has illustrated cookbooks and books for children.

“I see so many colours and textures on the coast here,” says Kate. “Because I’m at my most relaxed and happy, the pictures seem to flow out of me! My husband’s in the Army, so we move frequently – to date seven times in eight years! I set up temporary studios wherever we are and meet many new artists and galleries. But Norfolk is home and we come back to recharge whenever we can – it’s where we always want to be.”

Why take part in Norfolk & Norwich

Open Studios?

“I think to see an artist’s space and buy direct from them is a fantastic opportunity for people to experience that artist’s personal space and talk about their work,” says Kate. “I’ll be sharing my mother’s studio in Burnham Norton – so anyone visiting will get to see both of us and our very varied work.”

William Galinsky, Artistic Director of Norfolk & Norwich Festival is naturally looking forward to the event.

“I’m really proud that Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios is twenty years old and equally honoured to be working with so many talented artists in a part of the world that’s long been an inspiration for artists,” he says. “The richness of delights on offer this year shows this is still very much the case.

And now with the enthusiastic support of Wex Photographic we hope to attract even more visitors.”

Perhaps the last word should go to the inspirational Joyce Davison.

“If you reach out a little to people they will reach right back to you,” she says. “Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios has given me the opportunity to do just that.”

Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios takes place all over the county from May 24th – June 8th. Full details are online at www.nnopenstudios.org.uk.

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What’s On

Girls’ night out!

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ooking for the perfect girls’ night out? Then you are spoilt for choice this summer at King’s Lynn Corn Exchange!

HOT FLUSH! Tuesday 20 May | 7.30pm The Naughtiest Musical in Town!

Starring Lesley Joseph Share in the friendships, the secrets, the laughs, the tears and the ups and downs of four ordinary women – and one man – living extraordinary lives.

Meet Myra, a successful divorce barrister whose rat of a husband has left her for a blonde bimbo. Jessica’s struggling to understand life in the midst of a midlife crisis, while Sylvia has been married to Joe since she was 20... and been bored since she was 21! Helen, a widow, is trying to take one day at a time; it’s just that sometimes, several days attack her at once.

More fun than joining a gym and cheaper than botox, Hot Flush! might even leave you feeling 34½ again! So wipe away the credit crunch blues and grab your girlfriends together for an unmissable night at the theatre and bring your man along as well, you’ll all love it.

A NIGHT OF DIRTY DANCING Friday 9 May | 7.30pm A brand-new spectacular featuring all the hits from your favourite dance movie, the ultimate tribute show.

THE DREAMBOYS FIT AND FAMOUS 2014 UK TOUR

JOE McELDERRY SET YOUR SOUL ALIVE TOUR

Friday 16 May | 7.30pm

Sunday 15 June | 7.30pm

The Dreamboys are without a shadow of a doubt the UK’s top male glamour show. It’s an action packed show from start to finish with these incredible stripping hunks! (18+)

Joe rose to fame when he won the sixth series of the ITV show The X Factor in 2009. Don’t miss this incredible singer with his band performing songs from rock and pop to classical.

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KLmagazine April 2014

For an evening of fun, dance, glamour and entertainment for the whole family look no further than:

AN EVENING WITH STARS FROM STRICTLY COME DANCING Sunday 18 May | 7:30pm Starring Pasha Kovalev and Katya Virshilas with their spectacular dance troupe in a brand new Ballroom and Latin show.

Since Katya Virshilas and Pasha Kovalev teamed up as a professional dance couple on the hit BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing in 2011, they have wowed audiences with their beautiful Ballroom routines and sexy Latin dances.

This new show is a carnival of music, dance, costume and sparkle featuring fiery Cha Cha, romantic Waltz, passionate Rumba, dramatic Paso Doble, beautiful Foxtrot and energetic Jive – all that you have seen on the TV and much more. The show will also feature the opportunity for you to get involved and dance on-stage with the stars.

orn King’s Lynn C ew summer Exchange’s n ut now! brochure is o Covering May to September and beyond.

Just some of the new season highlights include a concert from The Drifters (3 May), comedy from ies Rich Hall (28 May) and Alan Dav iday Hol mer (26 September), Sum fun for children with The Gruffalo (1-3 August), a week long run of 18 the dynamic musical Fame (13ra ope ning stun a October) and from Ellen Kent, Madama Butterfly (29 October).

Summer at King’s Lynn Corn Exchange ALIENS LOVE UNDERPANTS Tuesday 29 April | 1:30pm & 4:30pm Wednesday 30 April | 10:30am & 4:30pm This zany and hilarious tale based on the bestselling children’s book is wonderfully brought to life on stage for the very first time. With stunning effects, madcap action, original music (and lots of aliens of course!), this fantastically fresh and funny production will delight the whole family. You’ll laugh your PANTS off!

MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS Thursday 10 April | 7:30pm Martha Reeves is Motown’s ultimate soul diva and the legendary lead singer of Martha and The Vandellas. A rare opportunity to see Martha perform live.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST – AND WE’LL KEEP YOU IN THE SPOTLIGHT! Have you signed up to the Corn Exchange e-mail mailing Don’t forget list yet? We’ll keep you fully updated with all the latest to follow the news – and you can now choose your preferences so we Corn Exchange can keep you informed about the shows that most online too: interest you! For more details, visit our website at www.kingslynncornexchange.co.uk or scan the QR code able from the Box for all shows are avail s et ck Ti ok online at opposite which will take you direct to our home page.

764864 or you can bo

Office 01553 exchange.co.uk www.kingslynncorn

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PICTURES: Swaffham’s Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 (above, top), a story told to dramatic effect in The Carter Connection displays at the town’s museum. Also featured in the museum is this fabulous model of Swaffham in 1935 (left), which was built by Howard’s relative Harry Carter over a period of four years. The museum has a fascinating collection of items telling the social history of the town, including some remarkable and unusual pieces (above) from the collection of Jack Mitchell

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Local Life

ABOVE: The painting Chairing the Members (produced by an unknown artist in 1837) has some intriguing details – and some mysteries

A jewel of a museum for a jewel of a town Basketmakers, gardeners, inveterate collectors, war heroes and world-famous achaeologists – they’ve all played a part in Swaffham’s history, and you’ll find them all at the town’s museum

A

plaque on the wall tells you the building was constructed in the early 19th century as the brewery house for the Morse family (the brewery itself was located behind the house), but it’s now home to Swaffham Museum – which is everything a local museum should be.

It’s a genuine treasure trove of local colour and a fascinating window on the history of the people and the place.

With the generostiy of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Swaffham Museum began an oral history project in 2011, aiming to collect the memories of local people about the buildings, people and events that have shaped Swaffham over the years. The museum now has an evergrowing sound archive which allows KLmagazine April 2014

you to actually listen to the people and learn what life in Swaffham was really like from the 1930s onwards.

The museum is literally packed with local characters. You’ll learn about Robert Patrick, who won Best Kept Garden five times at the Swaffham Horticultural Show (his trusty spade is on display) and Oliver Meek, Swaffham’s very last basketmaker, who made his first basket aged 8 in 1904 and at one time was producing over 2,000 items a year from his shop in Station Street.

You can see the enchanting collection of wonderful figures created

by Derrick Maurice Symonds – who designed and made all the models (together with the costumes) as well as writing several childrens books.

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Local Life Another fascinating collection (charmingly displayed in the Inspect-aGadget case) comes courtesy of Jack Mitchell, whose oddities were mostly picked up at Tyrone Roberts’ open air Saturday auctions held around the Greyhound pub in the centre of the town.

“I started collecting old radios and cameras,” said Jack, “and then, to my wife’s horror, I started buying anything which I thought was interesting.”

A slightly more sombre mood comes from the display of personal items belonging to Flight Sergeant Herbert Rowe. Born in Swaffham in 1919, Herbert served in the RAFVR as an air gunner with 44 Rhodesia Squadron, based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. In 1942 his Lancaster bomber crashed in Denmark with the loss of all crew – who are buried in Esbjerg (Fourfelt) Cemetery in Denmark.

Herbert’s personal effects (he was only 23 at the time of his death) were returned to his family in Swaffham, and the museum features his Irwin flying jacket and helmet, his medals, and several poignant letters relating to his service and death.

Talking of war, although it didn’t really play much of a part in the English Civil War, Swaffham is one of the very few towns in the country to have an original 17th century suit of armour together with details of its purchase. It actually cost £2 4s 4d (around £300 today) which was a considerable amount of money at the time. The suit is in remarkably good condition, and the slight damage to the breastplate wasn’t caused by a shot fired in anger. It was the manufacturer’s way of testing the armour – by firing a musketball at it.

The armour faces a painting that’s always been a bit of a mystery. Called Chairing the Members, it was exhibited in 1887 in Swaffham Assembly Rooms in a fine art exhibition, but no artist or owner was stated in the catalogue – and they’re still unknown. It’s a shame as it is important, showing Sir William Bagge of Stradsett Hall and Mr William W Chute of Pickenham celebrating their election as MPs for West Norfolk in 1837. Some of the people in the foreground obviously weren’t that happy about it (they actually appear to be fighting!) and the brick structure to the left is part of the original Assembly Rooms which are not shown on any other known sketch or painting of the town.

The impressive wooden eagle that greets you at the entrance to the Oral History Room is actually the lectern from Hamond’s Grammar School. It

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was made by Harry Carter when he was the school’s art master (it’s said that he got every boy in the school to carve one of the eagle’s feathers) and he was also responsible for the stupendous model of the Swaffham of 1935 which dominates the room, and which took him four years to make.

Harry was also a prodigious maker of village signs, producing over 100 of them in his lifetime – and the museum has his very first sign, which was made (naturally enough) for Swaffham.

Harry was a member of the famous family of talented artists who lived in Swaffham for generations (members of the family continue to do so today).

The patriarch, Samuel Carter, was a professional artist who made the original drawings for the lions in Trafalgar Square, and several of his 11 children inherited his artistic talent. His daughter Amy was a successful painter of miniatures, his son Verney was an

engraver and another son (William) was a highly-regarded portrait painter. His youngest son Howard, however, made the biggest impact, taking his artistic talents to Egypt, becoming an archaeologist and making one of the most important historical discoveries of all time by discovering the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922.

In addition to the museum’s own brilliant displays in The Carter Collection, you can also see some ancient Egyptian treasures on loan from the British Museum.

For a deeper understanding of Swaffham and a glimpse of the people who built the town and made it famous, a visit to this jewel of a museum is very highly recommended.

SWAFFHAM MUSEUM 4 London Street, Swaffham PE37 7DG Tel: 01760 721230 Web: www.swaffhammuseum.co.uk

KLmagazine April 2014

The Big Interview

At the end of the month, the 2-day East Anglian Game and Country Fair returns to the Norfolk Showground with a full programme of exciting displays and activities. As the hugely popular event celebrates its 10th anniversary, KL magazine talks to Event Director Andrew Grand...

KL MAGAZINE: What can we look forward to at this year’s East Anglian Game and Country Fair ?

ANDREW GRAND: For starters, we’ve got Christian Moullec and his formation flying geese! Christian will be taking off in his microlight from the Showground and performing his aerial display with his geese flying alongside in a V-formation twice daily. The flying Frenchman has recently been on TV in the BBC’s Earthflight programme.

We also have Savage Skills performing extreme biking stunts (you’ll have seen them on Britain’s Got Talent) and six-times World Clay Shooting Champion John Bidwell will be performing his off-the-hip trick shooting display – a firm favourite that’s not to be missed!

KL MAGAZINE: What does your role as Event Director entail?

ANDREW GRAND: I have a whole multitude of jobs to complete to organise this ever-popular event.

Hire of equipment, advertising, ring displays and entertainment, health and safety, show layout – along with the not-so-glamorous jobs of cleaning all the equipment used in previous years! The list is quite endless.

Luckily, I have another Show Director and Event Manager – and between the three of us we organise the whole event. Directly after the event every year we spend time visiting shows and events across the UK and further afield to ensure our visitors get the best entertainment possible. We encourage all visitors to be involved at the event and we have a great number of have-a-go experiences which help keep the whole family entertained throughout the weekend.

Andrew Grand Event Director East Anglian Game and Country Fair 20

KL MAGAZINE: What’s the single biggest challenge in organising an event on this scale?

ANDREW GRAND: Organising the East Anglian Game and Country Fair is very similar to building a house, with all the various elements, equipment, staff, rules and regulations required to put the event together. The major difference in building a house is that we have a set timescale to open for business and can’t open a day late. So the biggest challenge would have to be delivering the Fair bang on time year after year.

KL MAGAZINE: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

ANDREW GRAND: Firstly it’s the positive impact the event has on the Norfolk economy – the place that I was born and grew up in. Recent years have proved hard on some local companies, and the annual event helps generate millions of pounds to the county’s economy. Secondly, it would have to be the enjoyment evident on people’s faces as I walk

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Christian Moullec Microlight & Formation Flying Geese As seen on BBC’s Earth Flight Savage Skills Extreme Biking

Over 350 Tradestands

around the show. With a wide variety of events and attractions on offer – along with a multitude of have-a-go activities and competitions, visitors have a great day out, and it’s a brilliant feeling to have contributed to that.

KL MAGAZINE: What have you learned from your work?

ANDREW GRAND: It’s all about teamwork and having the right people. Any event needs people from the ground upwards and I’ve ensured that over the years I’ve got stuck into all the jobs and tasks that are needed to put the show on. Being ‘one of the lads’ onsite at set-up time has been a key part in putting the show together, as it has enabled me to see at first hand each element of the show come together – and identify any improvements to the build for future events.

KL MAGAZINE: What do you like best about Norfolk?

ANDREW GRAND: Almost everything! I was born and brought up in the county – I especially love the people and the stunning landscapes of Norfolk. It’s a great place to live and work.

KL MAGAZINE: In your free time how do you like to relax?

ANDREW GRAND: Ideally, walking along one of North Norfolk’s wonderful beaches with the family and the dog – and then enjoying a pub lunch.

EAST ANGLIAN G A M E & C O U N T RY FA I R John Bidwell’s Shooting Exhibition

4x4 Course

Horseboarding

Cookery Theatre & Food Hall

Children’s Entertainment

Over 50 Free Arena Displays & Show Attractions to watch

KL MAGAZINE: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

ANDREW GRAND: Always have another option.

Gates open at 8am | Dogs on leads welcome | Great family fun

KL MAGAZINE: What was the last book you read? ?

ANDREW GRAND: David Beckham by David Beckham.

Despite the rather obvious title, it’s a great read!

Adult (17+) ..................................

Child ( 5 - 16 yrs) .........................

Family (2 adults & 3 children) ....

Under 5’s .....................................

Parking ........................................

KL MAGAZINE: Tell us something about yourself that would surprise people...

ANDREW GRAND: I could have been a professional footballer myself! At 21, I was playing for King’s Lynn at the Walks and one match was watched by a scout from Nottingham Forest, who were in the First Division at the time (when it really was the ‘first’ division!) Unfortunately, I broke my leg in two places during the game – and that was the end of that.

KLmagazine April 2014

In association with: On the Day

Tickets

In Advance **

£15 £5 £40 FREE FREE

£12 £4 £30 FREE FREE

Book online:

www.ukgamefair.co.uk Ticket Hotline: 08712 301 102 * * Save money by booking tickets before 16/04/14

Save up to

£10

When you book early

Free Game Fair iPhone App

26th & 27th April 2014 Norfolk Showground, Norwich, Norfolk

*A small booking fee applies. *Calls cost 10p per minute from a BT landline plus standard network charges. All details correct at time of printing.

21

From superheroes to Shakespeare!

A glittering season of stars at The Luxe in Wisbech

T

here’s never been a better time to visit The Luxe, as the stylish and luxurious cinema in Wisbech continues to screen a varied programme of mainstream movies, independent films and live events. But there’s a lot more to The Luxe than what’s currently on screen!

For starters, there’s a refreshing and exciting new look to The Luxe website at www.theluxecinema.com – it’s been completely revamped to make it easier (and more enjoyable) to navigate. Online visitors can book tickets, watch trailers, keep up to date with the latest news from the cinema and there’s a special events section for forthcoming screenings of live opera, ballet, drama and concerts.

It’s also a great time to join the Friends of the Luxe – membership (£45 single, £80 couple, and £150 Family (4 people)) offers discounted tickets, priority bookings, savings on food and drink, regular newsletters and invitations to special screenings. And don’t forget to pick up your Luxe Loyalty Card – simply have it stamped every time you see a film, and after enjoying four performances you’ll find your next movie is absolutely free!

This month, The Luxe has a brilliant lineup of family-oriented films such as Muppets Most Wanted, Captain America: The Winter

22

Soldier, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Cuban Fury and Rio 2. There’s also Robert Redford’s dazzling performance in All is Lost, the romance/drama/vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive, and the fascinating Britishmade historical drama Belle.

The Luxe is also continuing with its series of live screenings of world-class culture.

This month you can enjoy Christopher Wheeldon’s amazing new ballet of The Winter’s Tale live from the Royal Opera House on April 28th, while on May 1st you can revel in the National Theatre’s brilliant production of Shakespeare’s King Lear, which reunites Simon Russell Beale with director Sam Mendes.

The reputation of The Luxe as a premier local venue will be further enhanced next month as the cinema contributes to the Wisbech Arts Festival, showing a thoughtprovoking series of arthouse films specially selected by the Festival organisers.

For full details of all these (and more!) performances and live screenings, visit the new upgraded website, sign up for the newsletter, and remember to follow The Luxe on Twitter and Facebook. Individuals and businesses wishing to help with funding the future development of the much-loved cinema should call 01945 660500 or send an e-mail to info@theluxecinema.com.

THE LUXE Alexandra Road, Wisbech Cambridgeshire PE13 1HQ 01945 588808 www.theluxecinema.com

KLmagazine April 2014

West Norfolk: Then and Now

History

1935

2014

THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SOUTH GATE Back in August 1935, all George Plunkett had to look out for when taking a photograph of the South Gate in King’s Lynn was the odd passing cyclist. Our favourite detail is the notice on the left of the gate saying ‘Way Out’ – there’s still a notice there today, KLmagazine April 2014

but it now says ‘Keep Left’. And just look at how the area in the background has changed over the years. For more photographs of how things used to be in King’s Lynn and the surrounding area, contact Picture Norfolk – at the Norfolk Heritage Centre, Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library, The Forum,

Millennium Plain, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1AW. We’ll be bringing you another nostalgic look at West Norfolk next month.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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We would like to thank everyone at ECOnomy Windows for an exce llent job well done on our new conserva tory.

Jim and Chris were very helpful and gave good advice, the fitters Alan and Danny (and Ian the builder) were all brilli ant, working whatever the weather, and only stopping for a good (and well-des erved) mug of tea with two sugars.

We are very pleased with everythin g– thanks once again!

– Mr and Mrs G Walsoken

Thinking of a conservatory? How to make the right choice – read on...

T

oday, conservatories come in every shape, style and size – reflecting the way people use them. Some people concentrate on the benefits of bringing the outside in, creating a relaxing extension of the garden.

Others use their conservatory to create valuable extra living space for all the family to enjoy all year round.

From stunning dining areas to luxurious home offices, there’s really no limit to the way a conservatory can be designed to complement your home and your lifestyle – or the benefits it can bring.

With over 25 years’ local experience and a dedication to the highest quality products currently available, ECOnomy Windows can ensure your conservatory meets all your needs in terms of function, great looks and value for money.

Having successfully completed over 18,000 local installations to date, ECOnomy Windows approach every new project on a totally individual basis – working with you at every stage to guarantee your conservatory meets (and usually exceeds!) all your expectations.

As you can see from the selection of satisfied customers featured on these pages, ECOnomy Windows can help bring your dreams of having more space and more style and adding a new dimension to your home to life – professionally and cost-effectively.

Superb products, a commitment to professional service in every department from start to finish, and a GGF insurance-backed guarantee for total peace of mind – that’s what makes ECOnomy Windows everyone’s first choice!

ECOnomy Windows is one of the very few companies I’ve dealt with where everything has run smoothly and all work was carried out on the day it was booked to happen.

From Ian the builder to Geoff and Darren (the fitting team) I received an exce llent service. We’re thrilled with our cons ervatory and spend a lot of time in it relax ing.

ECOnomy Windows is a great com pany, and I can’t fault them at all. I would have absolutely no hesitation in reco mmending them to anybody. Thank you, ECO nomy Windows.

– Mr and Mrs B Thetford

We’re very happy with our new Conservatory from ECOnomy Windows. The whole service we received was quick and efficient, provided by extremely qualified and friendly staff. We were also pleased with the design advice given ensuring the conservatory blended in appropriately with the original house. I would recommend ECOnomy Windows to all my friends and family. Thank you ECOnomy for an excellent service and a fantastic conservatory.

– Mr and Mrs A Thorney

I am absolutely delighted with my new conservatory. It is spectacular and has totally transformed my home.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to Jim (Little Jim) for designing the conservatory of my dreams with such care and attention. ECOnomy Windows provided a service that was efficient and reliable at every stage and I would highly recommend ECOnomy Windows to everyone. I really am so pleased with my conservatory. Thank you everyone at ECOnomy Windows.

– Mrs C North Wootton

We would like to take this opportu nity to say how extremely pleased and satisfied we are with the new conservatory. It is a superb prod uct.

The fitters were very polite at all times and did an excellent job – and left everywhere very clean and tidy.

All the staff were very helpful and efficient throughout, and we wou ld thoroughly recommend ECOnom y Windows to everyone without hesitation.

A very big thank you to all.

– Mr and Mrs C Leverington

I am absolutely over the moon with my conservatory installed by ECOnomy Windows, and I now spend all my time relaxing in there! All the staff were marvellous – very courteous, helpful and polite from start to finish, and a very special thank you goes to Alan and Danny (the fitting team) for their attention to detail. The self-cleaning roof glass is absolutely fantastic as it saves my husband a job. The products are first class and I cannot fault anything. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending ECOnomy Windows to friends, family and anybody who asks. Thank you so much.

– Mrs C March

NEW CONSERVATORY SHOW SITE AND E DISTRIBUTION CENTR

You’ve read what some of our customers say – now it’s time to discover s the ECOnomy Window difference for yourself!

CONSERVATORY SHOW PARK Elm High Road, Wisbech Cambridgeshire PE14 0DG Tel: 01945 588988 / 01553 777088 Web: www.economywindows.com E-mail: mail@economy-windows.co.uk

Air conditioning – it’s never looked better!

I

Great performance, great service, and great looks with 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd... n whatever kind of property they live and however they choose to decorate, more and more people are turning to air conditioning for a cost-effective heating solution and a comfortable all-year home environment – but as demonstrated by 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd, that doesn’t have to mean they have to make any compromises on interior design.

Today’s air conditioning technology doesn’t just perform amazingly well – it’s also been designed to fit your home and your lifestyle perfectly.

They’re very discrete and they’re incredibly quiet, and 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd even offers a ‘wrapping’ service for the units themselves, meaning they can be disguised to fit seamlessly alongside any existing colour scheme and decor.

“It’s a really clever way of enjoying all the benefits of air conditioning in an unobtrusive way,” says Steve Simpson of 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd. “We’ve even wrapped an air conditioning unit with a wood-grain effect to make it look like a case of wine!”

26

The units themselves can be floormounted, wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted and are perfect for turning a conservatory into a true allyear room – especially as they’re more aesthetically appealing than radiators and include dehumidification functions.

The units constantly monitor and maintain a constant temperature, and they only use as much power as they need to do so. By insisting on supplying the highest quality products currently available, 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd ensures the systems are a truly costeffective solution (thanks to the double AA rating as standard) – and the whole system is controlled by a simple and easy-to-use infrared remote control.

“For people interested in discovering the benefits of air conditioning and just how good it can look in their home, we offer a completely free design and quotation service,” says Steve. “We also have a dedicated support and service team, but the units are so low on maintenance, you may never actually meet them!”

Possibly best of all, thanks to the professional local expertise of 4 Way Refrigeration Ltd, you can have your new air conditioning system fitted in only a day – and start enjoying the benefits immediately!

Great performance, great service and great design – air conditioning has never looked like a better idea!

Details

4 WAY REFRIGERATION LTD Unit 25, Bergen Way, North Lynn Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn PE30 2JG TEL: 01553 767878 E-MAIL: sales@4wayref.co.uk WEB: www.4wayref.co.uk

KLmagazine April 2014

Insurance Matters WITH ADRIAN FLUX

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h is winter, storms wreaked havoc across the UK with KRPHV LQ 1RUWK :DOHV QRUWKHUQ (QJODQG 6FRWODQG DQG (DVW $QJOLD IDOOLQJ YLFWLP WR p RRGLQJ

0RUH WKDQ p RRG ZDUQLQJV ZHUH LVVXHG E\ WKH (QYLURQPHQW Agency, some of which were at the highest level, involving a risk to life.

The weather may be unpredictable, but a bespoke policy from specialist insurance broker Adrian Flux is anything but – the broker’s team of expert staff can provide a bespoke policy that suits your property, and your wallet.

3. You can arrange temporary emergency repairs if they will stop the damage to your property getting worse. Make sure you inform your insurer of any such measures and keep any receipts so you can submit them with your claim.

4. ,WHPV GDPDJHG E\ p RRGZDWHU VKRXOG EH NHSW XQWLO \RXU LQVXUHU has advised you what to do – some items may be able to be repaired.

5. Remember that just because the water has subsided, the damage it has done to your property can take weeks or months to repair. Do not decorate a house that has yet to dry out properly.

What is covered on my insurance policies?

,Q DGGLWLRQ WR o QGLQJ WKH KRPH LQVXUDQFH \RX QHHG WR HQVXUH WKDW \RX DUH FRYHUHG LQ FDVH RI p RRGLQJ LW DOVR SD\V WR EH prepared – this may mean modifying your property if you live in an at-risk area and knowing how to limit the damage if your property is breached.

1. Your household buildings and contents policy will usually cover p RRG DQG VWRUP GDPDJH DQG XVXDOO\ \RXU LQVXUHU ZLOO EH DEOH WR pay for temporary accommodation for you and your family while your own home is being repaired.

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2. If your car is comprehensively insured, it will usually be covered IRU p RRG RU VWRUP GDPDJH 6RPH SROLFLHV ZLOO DOVR LQFOXGH D replacement vehicle for you to use while yours is out of action.

What you should do if your home is damaged

3. %XVLQHVV LQVXUDQFH SROLFLHV ZLOO XVXDOO\ FRYHU VWRUP DQG p RRG damage to your premises and stock. If you are working in a highrisk area, it’s worth checking that your policy includes business interruption cover or buying a separate policy. This will cover costs such as hiring a temporary base for your operation.

E\ p RRG RU VWRUP GDPDJH 1. $V VRRQ DV \RX KHDU WKHUH LV D ULVN RI p RRG PDNH VXUH \RX have your home (and car, if appropriate) insurance policies to hand in case you need to make a claim – keep them in a safe, waterproof place.

2. After the incident, contact your insurer as quickly as possible. ,I \RX DUH FDOOLQJ RXWĂŞRIĂŞKRXUV \RX ZLOO o QG PRVW ZLOO KDYH emergency helplines which will help you start the process as soon as possible.

4. Travel policies can cover you if your plans are disrupted by bad weather – check your policy to ensure that you have the peace of mind you need. $GULDQ )OX[ ,QVXUDQFH 6HUYLFHV KDV D WHDP RI H[SHUW VWDII ZKR FDQ RIIHU you bespoke policies for home, car and travel insurance. For more LQIRUPDWLRQ FDOO RU YLVLW ZZZ DGULDQp X[ FR XN

Adrian Flux is one of the leading specialist insurance brokers in the UK DQG FDQ KHOS \RX À QG WKH ULJKW FRYHU DW WKH ULJKW SULFH )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ call 01553 845845 RU YLVLW DGULDQà X[ FR XN

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KLmagazine April 2014

Nature

ABOVE: In addition to their fearsome looks, pike are known for their size and can grow to almost two metres in length

Meeting the king of the underwater world...

Prized by fishermen all over Norfolk and celebrated in a famous poem by Ted Hughes, the formidable pike is one of the oldest – and most recognisable – fish in the water

I

mmortalised in a famous 1959 poem by the late Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, the pike is a large freshwater fish common to the Norfolk Broads in addition to rivers and fishing lakes throughout Norfolk. There are five recognised species of this large predator (the American Pickerels, the Northern Pike, the Muskellunge, the Chain Pickerel and the Amur Pike) and they’re thought to be one of the world’s very oldest fish, having existed for the past 65 million years, from the same period that saw the end of the dinosaurs.

Pike are usually found in large bodies

KLmagazine April 2014

of deep, slow-moving water such as lakes, rivers and occasionally in large streams. They like to inhabit areas where there’s plenty of cover from the reeds, where they’re able to lurk until some suitable dinner swims past.

One of the pike’s most obvious features is its size, and the female pike often becomes the largest predator within their environment. Pike generally range in size from just half a meter to about 1.8m in length (it depends on the species and the area which it inhabits), although there are exceptions to the rule.

Pike weighing over 30lb have been

caught in Hickling Broad (northeast of Norwich), while the British record for a pike is currently 46lb 13oz, a fish that was caught in Llandegfedd Reservoir, Wales in 1992. Only last May a farmer in Oxfordshire found the skull of a pike that’s thought to have been over 20 years old and may have weighed as much as 50lbs.

As a rule of thumb, the heavier the pike, the more likely it is that the fish is a female – a male pike will rarely attain a weight of 10lbs or more. A large female pike can lay up 200,000 eggs at once (though the number is usually much lower) but it’s entirely dependent

29

Nature

Or move, stunned by their own grandeur, Over a bed of emerald, silhouette Of submarine delicacy and horror.

A hundred feet long in their world...

– from Pike by Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

on the size of the fish.

Female pike usually spawn around this time of year when the weather has begun to warm, meaning the pike fry (babies) have the longest time possible to develop before the colder weather of winter sets in.

The pike is probably one of the most easily-recognised fish in the world, thanks to its elongated body shape and sharply pointed head. The teeth of the pike are one of its most distinctive features as they’re pointed and very sharp (to make catching prey more efficient), while the fish’s grey-green scales give it perfect camouflage when it’s hiding amongst the reeds.

Although young pike may have the odd nibble on plants, pike generally have a purely carnivorous diet. Adult pike primarily feed on smaller fish in the water that are easily ambushed from its hiding place amongst the aquatic weeds, although they also like to hunt a number of other animals in the water including amphibians like frogs and toads and

30

invertebrates such as snails and spiders.

Due to their large size and naturallyaggressive nature, the pike tends to be the most dominant predator within its environment and adult pike therefore have very few predators in the wild.

Smaller pike, however, are prone to being preyed upon by mainly landdwelling animals from foxes to large birds of prey.

That’s not to say they're not vulnerable, though. Although still common across much of its native range, pike populations are being affected throughout Europe, mainly due to over-fishing and chemical pollutants in the water.

Happily, their current conservation status in Norfolk is ‘not threatened’ according to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

Although they’re very elusive, pike can be seen all year round. A good time to try is at dawn or dusk, which is their favourite feeding time – and on sunny days it’s often possible to see large pike lying motionless in shallow water.

Pike are a muchprized game fish and can be pursued by anglers throughout the season provided they hold a rod licence. There are no specific conservation measures

currently in place for pike apart from general laws governing pollution of rivers and bodies of water.

Although the introduction of pike to rivers and lakes for sporting purposes can have adverse ecological effects (they are at the top of their food chain, after all!) careful monitoring of the process has avoided this becoming a serious issue to date.

Despite their fearsome appearance and formidable reputation, pike remain one of the most impressive and graceful fish in the water.

KLmagazine April 2014

OPEN WEEKEND!

12th & 13th April from 9am - 4pm

• HOT TUBS starting from just £599 • NE W RANGE of games and accessories! so see you can al ir! us at the fa April th 27 & 26th

Come and see our newly stocked display centre

Relax in our NEW Jacuzzi Wet Room

Swim in our Endless pool

& try our new Endless SwimSpa

Open 7 days a week

Wensum Pools Ltd, Swaffham Rd, South Raynham, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 7HN Tel: 01328 838834 Email: info@wensumpools.co.uk

9am - 3pm (Sat) 9am - 5pm (Mon-Fri) tment only oin app by day Sun

www.wensumpools.co.uk

KLmagazine April 2014

31

Fair & Green GARDEN MAINTENANCE

Services Include: • Pruning • Hedge Cutting • Felling • Mowing • Weeding • Garden Tidying • Lawn Treatments • Ground Maintenance w for Call no ree, your f tion ig a no obl e! quot

k

74 5 95 .u 7 o 90 g.c 9 7 n TEL : 01553 840315 / 0 deni EMA ar IL: info@fairgreeng Fully Insured References Avai lable

Home and Garden Lifestyle Centre

Bring some sunshine into your

Home and Garden Foras Showroom and Gardens Inspirational displays and ideas

Foras Bliss Water Feature

Indoor Natural Stones, Tiles and Mosaics Outdoor Natural Stone Paving Stone Water Features, Birdbaths and Seating Home and Garden Giftware

t: 01366 381069 e: sales@foras.co.uk w: www.foras.co.uk

Foras Ltd, West Head Farm, Stowbridge, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 3NJ Open Monday -Friday 8.30am-5.30pm, Saturday 10.00 am- 4.00pm Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays

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Pre-Spring Sale on Garden Accessories KLmagazine April 2014

Pets

AnimalMatters Our monthly look at the issues concerning you and your pets with Alex Dallas of the London Road Veterinary Centre...

5-star pet care on a budget...

All good pet owners want to do the very best for their pets. This includes ensuring their pet has an annual vaccine to avoid preventable infectious and often fatal diseases, having at least one annual health check, undertaking regular de-fleaing to avoid itchy and uncomfortable pets, and regular worming for the health of both the animal and our families.

Of course, this care comes at a price – especially for the multi-pet household – and it all needs careful budgeting. The good news is we’re about to launch a Pet Health Scheme which will include all that essential care at a discounted price – all the wormers and flea and tick prevention your pet needs, plus two annual check-ups and the added bonus of being able to spread the cost over a year by monthly payments. Even better is that your pet’s healthplan will offer additional discounts on purchases, services and treatments from our practices.

We hope that by helping you to spread the cost, this new initiative will enable you to give your pets 5-star care on a realistic budget.

The return of the tick!

T he bad news is that ticks are back! Whilst most people listen out for the first cuckoo, we vets measure spring’s arrival by the first client bringing in their pet with one of these unpleasant little parasites firmly attached to them.

Another mild winter and this (in many ways welcome) early spring has meant that ticks have overwintered very well and now are out there in large numbers looking for a host to feed from before laying eggs and multiplying still further.

The ticks typically look like a small skin growth that has suddenly appeared, often grey, and becoming bigger and darker as the tick(s) feed.

They often attach themselves near the face and ears as curious dogs sniff in the long grass, or as cats patrol their territory.

In reality they don’t cause a lot of harm, and our local ticks are unlikely to carry any of the nasty blood-borne conditions seen in other parts of Britain and abroad for lucky passport-holding pets.

The most common problem we see

associated with these pests is the badly or rather partly removed tick, with mouth parts left in the pet, which causes infection and reaction.

It is vital to remove all of the tick properly and the very best gadget I know of is a little tick remover we stock that will very simply and effectively get rid of the entire creature.

However, by far the best approach to ticks is prevention, particularly if you’re seeing them frequently and if your favourite walking route has a tickfriendly habitat, such as woodland and fens. There are now some great products available that actively stop ticks from ever actually attaching themselves, and the staff at both our practices will be able to advise you on what you need.

Please contact us via our Facebook page and let us know where you’ve encountered ticks locally and had a problem with them. With your help, we’re planning to build up a picture of the tick ‘hot spots’ in the area – which would help everyone avoid them in the future.

Your pets Thanks to ROSE SMITH of East Winch for this lovely picture of her beautiful cat Twinkle, who’s eleven months old. She’s also named rather appropriately, as she’s certainly a star in the making! Don’t forget to keep sending me pictures of your pets to Animal Matters at KL magazine, 18 Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1JW or you can e-mail them to editor@klmagazine.co.uk

LONDON ROAD 25 London Road, King’s Lynn t: 01553 773168 e: info@lrvc.co.uk HOLLIES Paradise Road, Downham Market t: 01366 386655 e: hollies@holliesvetclinic.co.uk KLmagazine April 2014

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FLEET TIMBER SUPPLIES LTD A local company trading since 1999 offering competitively priced timber products and prompt delivery service. Based in Tilney St Lawrence.

Delivering to all of East Anglia.

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See our website for the full range

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BY APPOINTMENT TO HM QUEEN ELIZABETH II WASTE DISPOSAL CONTRACTORS

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Please visit our website for further details HARDWARE STORE NOW OPEN! www.fleettimbersupplies.co.uk sales@fleettimbersupplies.co.uk Tel: 01945 881221 Fleet House, Magdalen Rd. Tilney St Lawrence, King’s Lynn, PE34 4RE

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KLmagazine April 2014

Thaxters the Gardener’s Garden Centre COFFEE SHOP

This month’s offers!

Open Daily 9am - 4.30pm Serving homemade cakes, snacks, sandwiches, daily Specials and Sunday Roast.

• J Arthur Bowers Multi-Purpose Compost

56 Litre Only £3.99 Or 3 Bags For £10

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NOW AVAILABLE! Afternoon Tea menu why not rest your feet after looking round the garden centre?

Food 400m2 Only £19.99

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• Summer Flowering Bulbs • Individual pansies 69p each or 18 for £9.99 • 1 Litre Perennials £2.99 Each or 4 For £10

Garden Centre & Coffee Shop Thaxters Garden Centre, 49 Hunstanton Road, Dersingham, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 6NA

KLmagazine April 2014

Tel: 01485 541514 Coffee Shop: 01485 545105

Shop online: www.thaxters.co.uk

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KLmagazine April 2014

PICTURES: ANDY DAVISON PHOTOGRAPHY

Local Life

ABOVE: A visit to Deepdale Backpackers & Camping will soon show you why glamping has become (and continues to be) so popular

Enjoy Norfolk to the full and carry on glamping...

More and more people are discovering the joys of glamping in Norfolk as they realise the emphasis is firmly on luxury rather than survival skills. KL magazine discovers what the fuss is about.

I

f your idea of camping is still coloured by images of boy scouts rubbing sticks together, characters from an Enid Blyton book or the 1969 film Carry On Camping, you may find yourself surprised by just how popular – indeed fashionable – it’s become as a holiday choice. And it’s not just economic factors that are making people decide to embrace the outdoors and holiday at home.

The unrivalled attractions of Norfolk and the recent trend of ‘glamping’ has well and truly caught on and offers local outdoor enthusiasts a wonderful upgrade on rest and recreation.

Glamping is a new word for a new kind KLmagazine April 2014

of travel and comes from the fusion of ‘glamour’ and ‘camping’ – which should give you a clue as to why it’s so appealing. When you’re glamping, there’s no tent to pitch, no sleeping bag to unroll, and no fire to build. Whether you decide to stay in a tent, a yurt, hut, villa or treehouse (there’s plenty of choice), glamping is a fabulous way to experience the great outdoors without having to sacrifice any luxury.

Indeed, the growth of glamping has had a significant impact on the whole camping industry, which has seen a 14% increase in bookings and visitors over the past couple of years, and has added an estimated £6 billion to the UK economy.

Just ask Garri Rayner, who originally created the website goglamping.net to cater for a very niche market, but now has to work on it full time.

“The popularity of glamping is really quite extraordinary,” he says. “With so many options popping up all the time, and everyone being more eco-friendly, it’s a great alternative. In terms of a family holiday for children, what’s better than a secluded countryside spot with all the comforts of home? It’s very affordable, and there’s something for everyone, from every walk of life.”

For travellers who want to experience all the positive aspects of camping without the ‘uncomfortable’ negatives, glamping is perfect as it concentrates 37

Local Life

ABOVE: Carry on Camping was never like this! Glamping at Deepdale Backpackers & Camping has the emphasis firmly on the ‘glam’

PICTURES: ANDY DAVISON PHOTOGRAPHY

on a high level of service that focuses on the complete comfort of the guests.

You’ll find the amenites available at glamping destinations exceed anything recreational campers experience.

But before you venture further afield, take a look closer to home and consider glamping with (as well as under!) the stars at Burnham Deepdale.

The home of Deepdale Backpackers & Camping, it’s where the actor Rupert Everett was born, and the adjoining fields played a part (disguised as Korean rice paddies!) in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day. Gwyneth Paltrow famously walked along the nearby beach at Holkham in Shakespeare in Love, and it’s often rumoured that Johnny Depp is buying a house locally.

But it’s not just a place for the rich and famous. At Deepdale Backpackers & Camping, you’ll find a range of ways to discover glamping and enjoy this beautiful part of the county in a new and exciting way.

The site’s authentic Mongolian Yurts are what glamping is all about. There are four to choose from, and three of them sleep up to eight people – they’re luxurious and comfortable, and they’ll certainly change the way you think about camping. You’ll also find six authentic Sioux-style tipis, based on the Native American tradition of creating an

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elegant and noble living space. Spend a night (or three) in one and you’ll soon agree that life under canvas has never been so enjoyable.

Even if staying in a yurt or tipi isn’t enough to convince you to give glamping a go, why not choose one of Deepdale Backpackers’ charming and traditional English Shepherd’s Huts?

You couldn’t get more local, as they’re even made in Norfolk (by the English Shepherds Hut Company, naturally enough) – they sleep up to four people and feature full insulation, beautiful furnishings and a versatile woodburning stove.

Whether you’re looking for a short break or a longer stay, glamping at Deepdale Backpackers & Camping is perfect for couples, families and groups – and offers an exciting new way of looking at everything Norfolk has to offer.

You’ll appreciate the eco-friendly approach, you’ll love getting closer to nature, and you’ll understand why more people are now sleeping under canvas than staying at a bed & breakfast.

For more details and inspiration, see: > www.deepdalebackpackers.co.uk > www.wildluxury.co.uk > www.love-glamping.co.uk > www.our-garden.co.uk

KLmagazine April 2014

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KLmagazine April 2014

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fashion Fashion

As the weather warms up and the temperature rises, blue is one of this season’s most striking colours. From electric hues to cooler shades, our local boutiques are brimming with fresh ideas and great looks...

Royal blue dress and jacket by Zeila (£425) CINDY’S | Sutton Bridge 01406 350961 40

KLmagazine April 2014

Esher gilet in ice blue by Toggi (ÂŁ45) THE HAYLOFT at BEARTS | Stowbridge 01366 388151 KLmagazine April 2014

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Fashion

Tunic (£75) and scarf (£28) by Eden Rock Italy ALLEZ CHIC | East Rudham 01485 528457 42

Dress by Michael H / Gold Collection (£155) GODDARDS | King’s Lynn 01553 772382 KLmagazine April 2014

SIX APPLEYARD HAIR SALON at CREAKE ABBEY NORTH CREAKE, FAKENHAM NR21 9LF Tel. 01328 730912 www.sixappleyardcreake.co.uk

New and Nearly New Designer Clothing & Accessories

TURNAROUND Unit 3, Hoppers Yard Bull Street, Holt NR25 6LN

Tel: 01263 711 393

KLmagazine April 2014

Outfits and millinery for your special occasions

Cindy’s of Sutton Bridge

Sizes 10 - 26 |Opening times 9am - 5pm Closed Wednesdays and Sundays

108 Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge, Lincs PE12 9SA Tel: 01406 350961

www. cindysf as hio ns .co .uk

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Fashion

IKAT jacket by Oui (ÂŁ219), bag by Esprit and shoes by Kurt Geiger JARROLDS | Norwich 01603 660661 44

KLmagazine April 2014

E lizabethD arby SPRING / SUMMER 2014 COLLECTION

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t: 01553 770536 | www.davidaukerjewellery.com 125 Norfolk Street, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1AP KLmagazine April 2014

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Also stocking guns, ammunition and shooting accessories Heath Farm, Great Massingham, King’s Lynn, PE32 2HD www.lingscountrygoods.co.uk | www.mortonatv.com telephone: 01485 520828

Morton ATV all terrain and utility terrain vehicles

KLmagazine April 2014

The friendly way to look good – and feel great!

Welcome to the new you – at Beauty Profile in Downham Market

T

aking the time out of your busy life to treat your face and body is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity of modern living. From a simple nail treatment to a complete 360o resculpting massage, the results aren’t just good for your body – they can give you a genuine sense of well-being and relaxation and can significantly improve your self-confidence as well.

For over ten years June Morton, her professionally-trained daughter Samantha and their team of fully-qualified therapists and consultants at Beauty Profile in Downham Market have been offering a comprehensive range of treatments designed to help you look great – and feel even better!

Each relaxing treatment takes place in a beautifullydecorated and private room (there are eight of them at Beauty Profile) and the whole team is dedicated to making your visit as enjoyable as possible.

The approved Gatineau salon offers a complete programme of facials and body treatments in addition to Jessica manicures and pedicures, eyebrow/eyelash tinting and shaping, Jessica gel overlays, bleaching,

KLmagazine April 2014

waxing, St. Tropez tanning, reflexology and a selection of holistic treatments from aromatherapy to Hopi ear candles.

In a constantly-changing field, Beauty Profile always keeps up with the latest developments in products and treatments, and ensures that all staff are fully trained in the very latest techniques. It is, in fact, the only salon in the area that offers the popular Ionithermie slimming treatment and one of the few to offer electrolysis (thanks in part to having two therapists specially trained in the procedure).

One of most exciting new treatments currently on offer is Integral Contouring – a complete anticellulite, firming and resculpting massage that uses highly innovative manual techniques.

Slimming has never been so pleasurable thanks to this 360o massage that results in smoother and firmer skin, a lighter and toned body and a delicious sense of relaxation. If you’d like to discover the treatment for yourself, see right for a special offer exclusive to readers of KL magazine.

“In addition to being totally professional, we always try to be really pleasant and friendly,” says June. “We want people to end

their treatment by saying ‘that was wonderful!’ and it’s lovely to see them leave the salon with a smile on their face and a spring in their step.”

For a friendlier way to look good and feel great, call Beauty Profile now to make an appointment – or just call in. You’ll be guaranteed a warm welcome and you’ll discover just how easy it is to discover the new you!

£10 of f !

Discover the perfect balance between efficiency and wellbeing with an anti-cellulite, firming and resculpting massage – and save £10 in the process! Just remember to quote KL magazine when you book your appointment!

information

Beauty Profile 21 Paradise Road, Downham Market, Norfolk PE38 9HS Tel: 01366 385917 Web: www.thebeautyprofile.co.uk

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Local Life

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The great Norfolk coastal food tour 1

The Ancient Mariner Inn is located in Hunstanton, the only village on the east coast to face west. It has spectacular views of the sea and beach in Norfolk, looking out across the Wash.

Bar snacks are served throughout the day and a more formal lunch and dinner menu is served in the Sunset Restaurant with farreaching sea views. Food is available every day from noon until 9pm. The menu features local favourites in addition to a wide selection of traditional meals. You can dine in the Galley and Family Restaurants, the Sunset Room and nooks and crannies throughout the pub.

Name: The Ancient Mariner Inn Address: Golf Course Road, Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6JJ Tel: 01485 534411 48

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A stone’s throw from the beach at Old Hunstanton The Neptune Restaurant with rooms is set in a charming 18th century former coaching inn, refurbished to provide an intimate restaurant and accommodation. The fine dining restaurant serves modern British food, excellently cooked by husband and wife team Kevin and Jacki Mangeolles.

The restaurant has been awarded 3 AA rosettes and has retained a Michelin star since 2009. Kevin uses the best seasonal produce that Norfolk has to offer, including locally landed fish, organic pork and fruit from Drove Orchards.

Family run Caley Hall Hotel offers an abundance of character and country charm. The converted barns of the 17th century manor house provide 38 tastefully decorated chalet style rooms. The rosette awarded restaurant serves a range of locally sourced seasonal dishes in the intimate surroundings of the old stables. Food is served all day offering a separate lunch and dinner menu plus daily specials and a delicious roast dinner is served from 12-2.30pm on Sundays.

Caley Hall prides itself on its relaxed friendly atmosphere, whilst maintaining attentive service and attention to detail.

The Village Deli in Thornham is situated on the main road in the coastal village of Thornham, showcasing the very best of local produce and homemade treats in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The store stocks an array of locally sourced and artisan produce to give a great selection including beers and provisions such as vegetables, bread, pastries and items from the delicatessen. The Cafe is a champion for the food available in the Deli, with menus designed to provide tasty breakfasts and lunches.

The Cafe has a south facing sun dining area and children’s play area.

Name: The Neptune Address: 85 Old Hunstanton Road, Old Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6HZ Tel: 01485 532122

Name: Caley Hall Hotel Address: Old Hunstanton Road, Old Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6HH Tel: 01485 533486

Name: The Village Deli Thornham Address: Main Road Thornham, Norfolk PE36 6LX Tel: 01485 512194 KLmagazine April 2014

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Dotted around the coast of north Norfolk are some of the best destinations for lovers of good food in the entire county – especially as they’re dedicated to supporting local growers, producers and brewers. Here’s a mouthwatering tour of just a few of our favourites...

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Titchwell Manor is a stunning 27-bedroom country retreat on the North Norfolk coast offering award-winning dining. The former Victorian farmhouse has been transformed into an elegant hotel offering luxury accommodation and spectacular views. Rising culinary star Eric Snaith is behind the stoves with his talented brigade. His flair and flavours have earned him a reputation for innovative, modern European food using the finest local ingredients, winning the hotel three AA Rosettes, in addition to a host of local awards.

The Ship Hotel is situated at the end of Beach Road in the traditional coastal fishing village of Brancaster.

At the hub of The Ship Hotel is a warm and inviting bar area with a roaring woodburner for people to relax by. The restaurant specialises in preparing fresh, locally caught seafood to the highest standard as well as meat and vegetarian dishes from local produce.

In the summer, the garden provides an idyllic setting for al-fresco dining.

The Ship Hotel also features 9 beautifully designed, fully equipped en-suite bedrooms.

The Jolly Sailors is an 18th century freehouse pub in the hub of village life in picturesque Brancaster Staithe, north Norfolk. Real ale, value for money home cooked pub food with a difference, local seafood and stone baked oven for that authentic pizza. All day dining in spring and summer, and late night takeaway on Fridays. A great family pub with enclosed garden and children’s play area. Coasthopper stops outside and you can get 10% off pizzas when producing a valid ‘that day’ bus ticket.

Don’t miss the 5th Norfolk Ale & Music Festival from the 20th, to the 22nd June.

Name: Titchwell Manor Address: Titchwell, Brancaster, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8BB Tel: 01485 210221

Name: The Ship Hotel Address: Main Road, Brancaster, Norfolk PE31 8AP Tel: 01485 210333

Name: The Jolly Sailors Address: Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk PE31 8BJ Tel: 01485 210314

KLmagazine April 2014

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The essence of north Norfolk eating, drinking and living captured in a stylish family run Inn. Local and seasonal menu served in the conservatory restaurant designed to complement its unique location brings the outdoors in. It has an adjoining elevated deck terrace with panoramic views across the tidal marsh.

A great place to view spectacular sunsets whilst enjoying a ‘sundowner and Norfolk tapas’ in the early evening. The fishermen neighbours deliver their catch of the day direct to the kitchen door. All day bar menu and its own Brancaster Brewery ales served in the bar.

Name: The White Horse Address: Main Road, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk PE31 8BY Tel: 01485 210262 49

Local Life

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The Duck Inn is a traditional family-run village pub and restaurant offering delicious food and a great bar serving local beers. The restaurant proves to be hugely popular with locals and visitors providing a daily changing ‘Duck Specials’ menu full of seasonal Norfolk produce.

Alongside this are the 'Bar Bites' which bridge the gap between a full blown meal and pub snacks. The now famous 'Mr H' scotch egg along with lager & lime whitebait are regular features. In addition to the indoor bar and charming garden party room, there is also a wonderful garden.

Based at Creake Abbey, home to the ruins of an Augustinian Abbey founded in 1206, Creake Abbey Café & Food Hall is celebrating its first birthday this April. With an ever changing menu using the best local seasonal produce, created by a passionate local foodie team, the Café is open daily serving great breakfasts, seriously good coffee, lunches and afternoon teas with delicious homemade cakes. They are also open for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. Enjoy the bright, airy space with stunning views across the water meadows or dine alfresco!

The Lord Nelson was built in 1637 as an Ale House in the beautiful village of Burnham Thorpe, birthplace of Britain’s greatest naval hero, Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. With a range of real ales to choose from, straight from the cask, you can sit and enjoy the atmosphere that has changed little over the past 370 years. The kitchen staff use fresh local produce from the North Norfolk coast and aim to give delicious tasteful food at affordable prices. With a great selection of traditional pub classics such as Fish and Chips and Pork Belly, you’ll be sure to enjoy a hearty meal in a wholesome Country pub.

The Victoria is an independent English inn, owned and managed by the Holkham Estate and located just a few minutes walk from the wide golden sands of Holkham beach and national nature reserve. The bar and dining area offer a relaxed blend of style and comfort and the menu uses delicious, locally sourced food with a bold emphasis on freshness, simplicity and quality. Many ingredients are grown and raised on the estate, with beef from the farm, wild game from the family shoot, venison from the herd of Fallow Deer and vegetables from the walled gardens.

Name: The Duck Inn Address: Burnham Road Stanhoe, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8QD Tel: 01485 518330

Name: Creake Abbey Café & Food Hall Address: North Creake, Norfolk NR21 9LF Tel: 01328 730399

Name: The Lord Nelson Address: Walsingham Road, Burnham Thorpe, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8HN Tel: 01328 738241

Name: The Victoria Address: Park Road, Holkham, Wells-next-theSea, Norfolk NR23 1RG Tel: 01328 711008

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KLmagazine April 2014

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A former coaching inn, the Crown is tucked away on the edge of a tranquil tree-lined green in Wells-next-the-Sea. Refurbished to enhance its existing historic features, whilst still retaining a warm and welcoming ambience, The Crown has 12 luxury ensuite bedrooms. Diners can select from a sumptuous and varied menu which makes superb use of the finest and freshest seasonal produce, in either the relaxing bar area, new refurbished front restaurant or Orangery.

Whether you are looking for locally brewed ale, modern British food or a glass of carefully selected wine, the Crown has it all.

Morston Hall is an intimate country house hotel with its origin in the 17th century.

Run by Tracey and Galton Blackiston, it is located two miles from Blakeney on the North Norfolk coast. Winning great praises from regional and national press, it holds three red rosettes and a Michelin Star. The Restaurant has a set dinner menu, which changes daily, to guarantee that all food is prepared from the best local and freshest ingredients. With guests coming to experience the delights of Morston Hall from all over the world and high admiration from the country’s most respected critics, it is sure to impress and offer a truly exclusive dining experience.

Following an extensive renovation in 2007, The King's Head near Holt offers a homely mix of original features and modern-day comfort in its bar and restaurant. The food served at The King’s Head is of the highest quality is prepared to order using only the freshest ingredients all sourced locally from farmers, fishermen and traders. The enormous garden has its own bar (which is open during the summer holidays) and is the perfect place for children. So whether it is a relaxing drink in the bar, with a great selection of Norfolk ales, or an early morning coffee, The King’s Head at Letheringsett has it all.

The Folly Tearoom in Holt is the perfect place to enjoy a truly unique teashop experience. With its charming décor, beautiful array of vintage china, and intriguing variety of 17 speciality teas, you’re sure to feel spoilt. The menu is quirky and original with breakfasts offering local cheeses and cured meats and croissants and the everchanging lunch menu providing delights such as homemade pork pies and crab salads. The afternoon teas are not to be missed serving homemade cakes and on Fridays and Saturdays they also offer an early evening bites tapas menu.

Name: The King’s Head Address: Holt Road, Letheringsett, Norfolk NR25 7AR Tel: 01263 712691

Name: The Folly Tearoom Address: Hoppers Yard, Bull Street, Holt, Norfolk NR25 6LN Tel: 01263 713569

Name: The Crown Hotel Address: The Buttlands, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR23 1EX Tel: 01328 710209 KLmagazine April 2014

Name: Morston Hall Address: Morston Holt, Norfolk NR25 7AA Tel: 01263 741041

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Grow local, eat local, and love local...

We have two great farm shops and two lovely restaurants where you can enjoy the very best food Norfolk has to offer. Our philosophy is simple. We ensure that everything we make, serve and sell is local whenever possible – while ensuring that all our lovingly grown, produced and prepared food is the best quality and represents truly excellent value for money. Visit us to discover just how good the fresh, local food of Norfolk can be.

www.walsinghamfarmsshop.co.uk

Our Farm Shop in Walsingham | Tel: 01328 821877 The Norfolk Riddle Restaurant in Walsingham | Tel: 01328 821903 Our Farm Shop in Heacham | Tel: 01485 570002 The Lavender Kitchen Restaurant in Heacham | Tel: 01485 571965

Join us on Easter Sunday for a 3 course lunch for only £14.95 A mouthwatering selection of locally sourced produce, freshly prepared to create a truly delicious menu Food served Tuesday-Sunday 12noon onwards

À LA CARTE

Come in and try our chef’s cuisine using the finest fresh, local ingredients cooked into delicious dishes

FRESH FISH FRIDAYS

Try crevettes in garlic and white wine, salmon in wild mushrooms sauce, baked plaice with lemon and caper butter - whatever the catch

SUNDAY LUNCHES

One course £10.95 - choice of rare roast Norfolk Sirloin or Pork

SNACKS & LIGHT LUNCHES Available daily - two courses £10.95

Under new Management!

Ling Common Road, North Wootton, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 3RE. Tel: 01553 631323

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This outstanding 18th Century coaching inn stands at the head of the village green and prides itself on being the hub of the village.

Delicious seasonal food is freshly prepared from locally sourced farmers and fishermen.

A carefully chosen wine list, a fine selection of real ales and charming bedroom suites make this an ideal location for an overnight stay or longer break.

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing drink, celebration venue or weekend away, The Crown Inn is a perfect destination.

Call us today to make a restaurant or hotel booking.

01485 528530 | www.crowninnnorfolk.co.uk The Crown Inn, The Green, East Rudham, Norfolk, PE31 8RD

KLmagazine April 2014

We’re full of Surprises

Easter

this

Now selling chocolate eggs and other gifts perfect for the Spring season

Pick up our new catalogue in store today

By appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales

NORFOLK LAVENDER

Caley Mill, Heacham, King’s Lynn PE31 7JE tel: 01485 570384 web: www.norfolk-lavender.co.uk

Food & Drink

A touch of the hot stuff... ne of the most widely used spices in the world, chilli is particularly popular in the cuisines of India, Mexico, South America, southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Africa and southern Italy – especially Sardinia and Sicily. The official ‘heat scale’ for chillies is known as the Scoville – a sweet pepper scores 0 on the scale, jalapeño chillies score anything between 2,500-10,000 and habañero (Scotch bonnet) can score up to 300,000 and more. Now that’s hot!

O

CHOOSING...

As a general rule with fresh chillies, the plumper the chilli, the milder the taste.

But chillies aren’t only about heat – each variety (and there are hundreds to choose from) has its own unique flavour. Fresh chillies should be firm and glossy. For mild heat, try the large sweet-tasting green Anaheim or greeny-yellow banana chilli, for medium heat the torpedo-shaped jalapeño, and for firey heat the fruity

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habanero (Scotch bonnet) or the tiny Thai bird’s-eye. Dried and crushed chillies are made from whole chillies (including the seeds), and have a concentrated taste that gets more intense with cooking. Add them early on for the hottest heat or sprinkle over at the end for a milder effect. Chilli powder is a diluted blend of chilli peppers with spices, oregano and salt (whereas cayenne should be pure chilli) that’s available hot or mild.

STORING...

Fresh chillies will happily keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to two weeks. Dried chillies will keep for ages in an airtight container, but powder really needs to be used within six months as it loses strength over time.

PREPARING...

It’s the inside bits of the chilli (the ribs and the seeds) that hold the heat, so remove them if you want to cool things down. These parts can actually burn

sensitive skin, so deal with them carefully. Halve the chilli lengthways, then lift and scrape out the central rib and the seeds with a sharp knife. Slice or chop the chilli, then wash your hands – and be very careful of putting your hands near your face or eyes.

COOKING...

Start timidly by adding small amounts of chilli and get braver as you discover how much heat you enjoy. To add flavour rather than heat, drop whole chillies into your cooking at the start and then lift them out at the end.

A QUICK TIP...

If your mouth does burn from your having used a bit too much chilli in a dish, water or beer won’t cool you down, depsite what you may have heard. Instead, reach for something dairy such as a glass of milk or some yoghurt. Similarly, if the dish itself is too hot to eat, mellow the flavour with a spoonful or two of yoghurt or cream.

KLmagazine April 2014

The Ancient Mariner Inn ‘The pub by the sea’ The all day venue – Open for meals and snacks 12pm to 9pm daily A traditional pub with terrace and lawns sweeping down to the sand dunes and beach. Family rooms and children’s play area, a selection of cask ales, lagers and wines by the bottle and the glass.

Real food, Real ales, Real pub BEST WESTERN Le Strange Arms Hotel Golf Course Road, Hunstanton PE36 6JJ email: reception@lestrangearms.co.uk. tel: 01485 534411

For special offers, news and travel directions visit www.traditionalinns.co.uk

Treat yourself to the

Legacy Dukes Head Hotel Lounge Open daily from 10:00am Serving tea, coffee, sandwiches, afternoon tea, homemade cakes, light bites and more -with a fully licensed bar

Are you looking for a venue that can be tailored to suit your individual requirements? Abacus Marquees provides both high quality frame marquees and traditional pole marquees, and have a wide range of furniture and accessories – including black Starcloth linings and Moroccan linings. If this sounds like your ideal solution for your prestigious event, then Abacus Marquees with their excellent service and competitive prices, can make it happen to help you create the perfect occasion.

thelegacydukesheadhotel

Transform your garden into a fabulous venue Call today on 01328 701331 | www.abacusmarquees.co.uk

DUKES HEAD

Chalk Farm, Druids Lane, Litcham, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE32 2YA

HOTEL

KLmagazine April 2014

Tel. 08444 119 484 | reception@dukesheadhotel.com

5-6 Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn Norfolk, PE30 1JS www.legacy-hotels.co.uk/legacy-dukeshead

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Food & Drink

Rechiepe of t Month INGREDIENTS Preparation: 10 min Cooking: 20 min Serves: 12 Wine Match: Chenin Blanc

Asparagus and Prosciutto bites with reduced balsamic

3 bunches asparagus, not too thick 12 slices prosciutto 200mls quality balsamic vinegar

Recipe by Paul Hegeman | Photography by Jason Hamilton

A lovely recipe to try at this time of year, this is a perfect starter – espcially as it looks so good on the plate! The crisp asparagus is sure to please the lovers of all things green, while the salty prosciutto will make the meat lovers smile. The reduced balsamic will satisfy the sweet teeth amongst your guests and the ease of preparation is most definitely going to please you, the host – and that’s really all that matters isn’t it? Enjoy your dinner party!

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METHOD 1 Place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and place over low heat.

2 Leave the saucepan over the low heat until it has been reduced by two thirds, remove and allow it to cool.

3 Trim the woody bases off the asparagus spears.

4 Cut the remaining spears into 3 pieces, leaving the flower end slightly longer than the other two.

5 Fill a pot or a large bowl with ice cubes and top with water.

6 In a pot of salted boiling water, blanche the asparagus bits until vibrant and green – this will take less than 1 minute.

7 Strain and immediately plunge the asparagus into ice water, allow to cool.

8 Cut the slices of prosciutto in half down the length – or the equivalent width of a belt around the asparagus bits.

9 Arrange one flowery bit of asparagus and two stem pieces on a slice of prosciutto and roll until it has gone around one or two times and then cut of the excess.

10 Repeat this rolling process until all the asparagus bits have been used.

11 Arrange all the asparagus bundles on a serving platter and gently spoon a little of the reduced balsamic on each one immediately before serving.

KLmagazine April 2014

Get the BBQs ready!

Eat, drink and stay...

en on Order now! We’re op pm Good Friday 7am-1

Packed with fresh ideas for a very happy Easter!

Brancaster Oysters Dressed crab and lobsters Local frozen game Local shellfish Fresh and smoked fish Hand-carved ham on the bone Free range eggs

Plus!

THE

BERNEY ARMS

Extensive delicatessen counter with top quality cheeses and olives from home and abroad!

DONALDSONS A fresh taste of the sea

A traditional village inn offering luxury accommodation and fantastic meals – all freshly cooked using the very best local produce!

Austin Fields, King’s Lynn | Tel: 01553 772241

www.theberneyarms.co.uk

OPEN: Tues/Wed 7am-4pm, Thurs/Fri 7am-5pm, Sat 7am-3pm

Church Road, Barton Bendish, Norfolk PE33 9GF | Tel: 01366 347995

Proud & local supplier to the Housewife!

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H.V. Graves, 24 Gladstone Place, Briston Tel 01263 860333 Mobile 07774990846 Email info@hvgraves.co.uk visit our new website: www.hvgraves.co.uk

KLmagazine April 2014

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Food & Drink

RestaurantReview

KL magazine visits Marriot’s Warehouse on the South Quay in King’s Lynn

W

hilst strolling along the South Quay recently in King’s Lynn on a beautiful sunny Sunday, we decided to have a spot of lunch and Marriot’s Warehouse was an obvious choice, with the restaurant recently having a change of ownership and personnel. Situated right on the water’s edge it really is a lovely setting, and people obviously agree as the restaurant was very busy when we arrived. We were asked if we didn’t mind waiting for about 15 to 20 minutes for a table, so we decided to have a drink and sit outside and take in the sunshine and peaceful views of the riverbank.

Marriot’s Warehouse is very informal yet it gives off an air of expectancy, bedecked with some lovely artwork (there’s a gallery upstairs) and reception area. The building itself dates back to approximately 1500, when it was used to store the cargo of the many ships which frequented the port at that time.

We both chose the Roast Butternut Squash soup as a starter, which had a lovely refreshing taste to it.

I followed this with Roast Pork, which was served with a wonderful apricot stuffing, chipolato sausage, roast potatoes and seasonal locally-grown vegetables. Presented on a large platter with its very own gravy boat, it was a mightily impressive meal, and the vegetables were cooked just long

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enough to keep their crisp texture yet which was topped with a brown sugar still release all their flavours. Just how crunch and was really creamy and they should be! sweet. It was a delightful way to end a Meanwhile, my partner chose the lovely Sunday lunch on a glorious Roast Pork Belly – which was served sunny day. with sauté potatoes, imaginative raisin We both tried the restaurant’s and walnut stuffed mushrooms, and a Cabernet Sauvignon from the extensive portion of apple compote (which wine list, and it was the perfect choice looked just as sweet and delicious at it to accompany both our main courses. tasted). This meal was also generously If you haven’t tried Marriot’s sized, and both main courses were Warehouse yet, I can assure you that freshly prepared and piping hot. you won’t be disappointed – especially They were certainly well worth the when you have the added bonus of very little time we’d originally had to somewhere attractive to stroll after wait. your meal!

For dessert, I chose the White Chocolate Cheesecake, which was very freshly made (a fact apparent from the very first mouthful) – it had a beautifully smooth texture and taste, and received top marks from me. Especially as I do like my cheesecake with pouring cream, and the waitress gave me a small pot of cream even though it wasn’t on the FOOD SERVICE VALUE menu. It was a very nice surprise, but then the service throughout was excellent. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble to ensure we enjoyed our MARRIOT’S WAREHOUSE meals.

South Quay, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 5DT For dessert, my partner Tel: 01553 818500 chose the Baileys Brulee, Web: www.marriottswarehouse.co.uk

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KLmagazine April 2014

KITCHENS

CaféReview

50O% FF

SELECTED KITCHENS from our SHERATON & OMEGA ranges.

BEDROOMS

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ith its lovingly-created and vintage-themed interior, the Folly Tearoom is tucked away in Holt’s charming Hoppers Yard and is a beautiful gem just waiting to be discovered. A very nice surprise is that there’s a well-tended garden outside the tearoom – and a stunning new conservatory – for sunny days.

What distinguishes the Folly is its large and unique selection of teas that are specially blended for the tearoom.

The ‘menu’ of blends is a joy to read, and genuine tea lovers are well and truly spoilt for choice.

There’s a wonderful choice of breakfasts (where the continent meets Norfolk), light lunches, excellent homemade cakes and (after 4pm) a scrummy-sounding range of ‘dainty dishes.’

For lunch, I chose the Chicken Liver Paté, which comprised a large portion of quite exceptional paté, with plenty of freshly-made toast cut into delicate triangles together with a colourful and varied large side salad.

My friend decided to enjoy (which she did, thoroughly!) the Chocolate Layer Cake, which had a marvellous white chocolate topping and was beautifully served on delicate china (as was everything, actually), dusted in icing sugar and topped with a fresh flower. It looked delightful, and was described in glowing terms for the rest of the afternoon.

Of course, the Folly is all about the tea, and while I took the easy route of having a traditional Breakfast Tea (even though it was a truly wonderful cuppa!) my more-adventurous friend tried the Banoffee Tea. It had a lovely and rich caramel aroma, an invitingly deep orange colour, and (she said) a lovely roasted banana taste.

A tranquil and peaceful environment, a lovingly-prepared lunch, and some of the best teas in Norfolk – what more could you want?

Eventually, of course, we had to drag ourselves away from all the vintage charm of the Folly – well, at least until the next time that is!

FOLLY TEAROOM Hoppers Yard, Bull Street, Holt NR25 6LN Telephone: 01263 713569 Web: www.follytearoom.co.uk Open: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm | Sunday 10am-4pm

KLmagazine April 2014

BATHROOMS

Full design & installation (or supply only) Appliances & Tiles available Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm, Saturday 9am - 4.30pm

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Food & Drink

A different cuppa There are few things better than a refreshing cup of tea when you need it most, but with a little care and imagination a cuppa can be a whole new experience. Thanks to the Folly Tearoom in Holt, here are our four favourite brews at the moment. Polly, you know what to do...

GOLDEN MONKEY KING This beautiful and unusual Chinese black tea gets its name from its fine, golden leaves. The liquor is rich and malty and provides an indulgent alternative to classic black tea at any time of day.

STRAWBERRY AND PEPPER Oddly enough, pepper is the perfect partner for strawberries, really bringing out their full flavour and sweetness. This colourful, fruity blend is English summertime in a cup.

SILVER ROSE A delicate, silver needle white tea, known for being high in anti-oxidants, blended with pink rosebuds for a touch of romance. A luxurious yet refreshing blend, perfect for special occasions – the perfect match for sweet cakes and sponges.

PAI MU DAN Pai Mu Dan is translated as ‘white peony’. This beautiful Chinese white tea contains only the youngest two leaves and the bud of the tea bush, carefully hand-picked and dried. A fuller flavoured, luxurious white tea with a refreshing mellow taste and delicate floral aroma.

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KLmagazine April 2014

Beautiful Bespoke

on display.

at an excellent price.

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The pub with no bar – great ales straight from the cask! Quality food at superb value!

Sunday lunches are available: Sirloin roast beef, leg of lamb or pork with crackling, homemade Yorkshire puddings, seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and gravy.

Have you tried our famous Nelson's Blood?

Opening times: 11.45am to 3pm & 6pm to 10pm. Lunch meals 12pm to 2.30pm, evening meals 6pm to 9pm, Bank Holidays open all day.

Walsingham Road, Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, PE31 8HN Tel: 01328 738241 www.nelsonslocal.co.uk

KLmagazine April 2014

NELSON’S LOCAL

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Food & Drink

INGREDIENTS Preparation: 40 min Cooking: 12 min Serves: 4 Wine Match: Chenin Blanc For the Cous Cous: 1½ cups cous cous 1½ cups fresh orange juice ½ orange, peeled and chopped ½ lemon, peeled and chopped ¼ cup raisins 1 handful mint leaves, chopped 1 handful coriander leaves, chopped extra virgin olive oil sea salt and black pepper For the Fish: 4 boneless fish fillets, a nice fleshy variety 2tsp caraway seeds 2tsp coriander seeds 1tsp fresh thyme leaves 1tsp dried cumin 1tsp dried cinnamon 1tsp dried chilli powder sea salt and black pepper

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Spiced Fish with Citrus & Mint Cous Cous Recipe by Paul Hegeman | Photography by Jason Hamilton METHOD 1 Preheat oven to 180o, and place all the spices for the fish into a mortar (or food processor), add a few good pinches of sea salt, and a few rounds of pepper, and crush all the ingredients into a powder.

2 Pat the fish fillets dry and rub liberal amounts of the powder on both sides of the fish.

3 In a mixing bowl, combine the cold orange juice with the cous cous and allow to stand 10-15 minutes.

extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat (approximately two minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish).

5 Transfer the fish to the oven for approximately 8 minutes.

6 Fluff the cous cous with a fork, add the citrus fruit, raisins, chopped herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and season to taste.

7 Remove the fish from the oven and serve with the cous cous.

4 Meanwhile, sear the fish in some

KLmagazine April 2014

Open daily Extensive menu Children’s play area Lovely location Plenty of parking

E.. H H.. Prior & Sons E Est. 1930

Local food for local people Since 1930 we have been proud to trade on the highest quality meats, striving to source local produce from small independent local farms giving you the fullest, richest flavours.

Traditional hung meat and cut to your requirements.

We also sell Congham Rosé and Congham Phoenix wine.

Plus! Don’t forget our bakery, award-winning deli.

Unit 5, St Nicholas Court, Dersingham Tel: 01485 542589 Also at Knights Hill Farm Shop Tel: 01553 670697

Please mention KL Magazine to get 10% off!

Telephone: (01485) 512194 www.villagedelithornham.com Email: villagedelithornham@gmail.com

www.ehpriorandsons.co.uk

A TRADITIONAL PUB WITH TRADITIONAL FOOD

Great deals on great food!

THE ANGEL CARVERY Thursdays 12noon–2pm & Sundays 12noon–3pm Booking advisable STEAK NIGHT Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays PIE NIGHT Monday nights only £7 and includes a drink

The Angel WHAT’S ON Poker Nights

Every Wednesday at 8pm

Outside catering for weddings, business functions, etc Function room available Large car park Childrens play area Food served 7 days a week (excluding Monday lunch)

CURRY NIGHT Thursday nights only £7 and includes a drink SENIOR CITIZENS LUNCHES Carvery on Thursdays only £9.00 Rest of the week only £8.50 LUNCHTIME SPECIAL On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Soup, sandwich or a wrap only £6 and includes a drink

CATERING FOR ALL TASTES

With top quality ingredients and a home cooking style, we have the perfect menu for you.

NEW RESTAURANT MENU CHILDREN'S MENU SPECIALS MENU VEGETARIAN MENU WINE MENU

We’re open for Easter Sunday Carvery!

Also open Bank Holiday Monday for lunch & evening meals booking essential

Find us on Facebook 41 School Road, Watlington, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE33 0HA

tel: 01 55 3 8 1 1 3 2 6 | we b : w w w. t h ea n g el p u b. we b s. com KLmagazine April 2014

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KLmagazine April 2014

Local Life

Local communities add colour to West Norfolk The Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom is Europe’s largest community gardening campaign, and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2014. KL magazine looks at the event at a local level

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here’s a lot more to the ‘In Bloom’ campaign than a few pretty flower beds and hanging baskets. It shows that those who enter care passionately about their community and the local environment. The moment a community takes the decision to enter, it can look forward to an exciting and rewarding year full of activities aimed at improving the local environment for everyone.

Fully supported by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk and other partners, the local campaign helps bring together all members of the community and previous campaigns have successfully brightened up and improved many areas of the borough’s towns.

KLmagazine April 2014

The In Bloom judges look for examples of horticultural excellence, sustainability, environmental improvements and community involvement – and each entry is supported by a published portfolio of the year’s achievements and initiatives.

In this area, the results have continued to improve over the years (west Norfolk is part of the larger Anglia in Bloom campaign) and resulted in four Gold Awards last year, including King’s Lynn (for Large Town with 12,001-35,000 residents), South Wootton (for Small Town with 2,5016,000 residents) and Heacham (for Coastal Resort up to 35,000 residents).

In addition, nominations were received for 12 amazing projects, including Searles Leisure Resort in

Hunstanton for the Best Conservation Project, Heacham for the Environmental Quality Award, and St Katherine’s Court in King’s Lynn for the Best Garden for Special Needs.

Last year also saw Hunstanton selected from more than 1,000 entrants to take part in this year’s Britain in Bloom UK Finals, as the RHS celebrates the event’s 50th anniversary. This was after impressing judges with the level of community involvement in a wide range of engaging projects, horticultural excellence and a commitment to sustainable gardening.

For instance, Hunstanton’s Community Orchard was planted in 2012. Over 100 fruit trees were planted in land adjoining Hunstanton Community Centre, and volunteers are

65

Local Life welcome to help in the fruit harvesting and general gardening works. To get involved contact the e-mail address at the bottom of this page.

Another great way of doing your bit for the community (and having some fun at the same time!) is by adopting a flower bed. It’s free to adopt a bed and all that’s needed is a commitment to adopt it for at least a year, taking on the responsibility for maintenance, which is usually little more than a case of weeding and litter picking.

Businesses wishing to join the In Bloom campaign can apply for hanging baskets. All they need do is contact the borough council and install brackets capable of sustaining a 28kg weight. For £46.83 per basket, the council supply and water the baskets replacing plants as and when necessary, making business frontages much more attractive and inviting to customers over the summer season.

Meanwhile, the Reffley Wood Volunteer Group (RWVG) was started some five years ago when the Woodland Trust (which owns Reffley Wood) obtained a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to fund capital works and community engagement.

To this end they appointed local artist Nicola Marray-Woods, as their Community Contractor. Setting up a programme of monthly maintenance and family events, Nicola invited people to enjoy and contribute to the overall well-being of the woodland. The maintenance group works on coppicing, rhododendron removal and other tasks as requested by the Woodland Trust.

There are usually between 5–10 people at each session which are scheduled according to the availability of the volunteers and may be held during the week or at weekends.

Sessions usually last around three hours (in all weathers!) with a welcome break for tea and biscuits at half-time. New volunteers are always welcome to join this friendly group, and you’ll find the latest schedule and full contact details posted on their website at www.reffleywood.co.uk.

The family events take place once a month at the weekend or during school holidays and have included Easter Egg Hunts, Bear Hunts and even Gruffalo

66

Hunts. Creative activities using woodland materials also take place, including den building, and every year the group takes part in the national celebration of creating ‘The Big Draw’.

One of their most popular and bestremembered projects came in 2011, when a dragon was built out of a fallen tree, that incorporated a belly that could actually be crawled inside and giant outstretched wings. Numbers at each event vary from around 20–90 people depending on the weather and the activity, and the group is always looking for new volunteers to help organise events.

Of course, one of the most exciting parts of the whole In Bloom campaign is when it all starts getting competitive, and all those local green fingers will soon get to work as both the Allotment Competition and Front Garden Competition for King’s Lynn are launched at this year’s Plant and Craft Fair (see below) on May 10th in The Walks. Both competitions are fully supported by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk and sponsored by Hayes + Storr Solicitors in King’s Lynn.

From new starters to old hands, the dedicated allotment holders of King’s Lynn will be putting forward their plots

for judging in the hope of winning a range of prizes and cups for their chosen category. Entry forms will be available at all main council offices and from each of the allotment sites from May. The Front Garden Competition (and don’t forget there’s a Window Box Competition too!) has been running for the past six years and is always a great success. The main entry requirement is simple – the front garden just needs to be able to be viewed from the road.

There are so many stunningly planted and maintained gardens across the towns of King’s Lynn and Hunstanton, that this year’s competition should be one of the most exciting (and colourful) ever.

It’s important to stress that entrants needn’t be highly-qualified gardeners, or those with a huge amount of experience.

Gardens that are clearly cared for and enjoyed by those that use and maintain them should always be entered, as they stand an equal and realistic chance of being a winner.

It’s always worth remembering that the most simplistic garden arrangement can be something of true beauty.

THE LAUNCH OF IN BLOOM 2014 Don’t miss this year’s Plant and Craft Fair, which takes place on the 10th May in the Walks at King’s Lynn and offers a fun and relaxed afternoon out. A wide range of local producers, growers and crafters will be there to sell their wares, all based on a garden and gardening theme. Ranging from stone-cutting to garden plants to craft stalls, over 30 stalls have been invited, including some community groups such as King’s Lynn Community Allotment, Friends of the Walks, and the King’s Lynn Horticultural Society who are celebrating their 125th anniversary in 2014.

For more information on this year’s local In Bloom campaign and details of how you can take part, see the website at www.west-norfolk.gov.uk, call 01553 782076 or send an e-mail to westnorfolkinbloom@westnorfolk .gov.uk

KLmagazine April 2014

Tamar Nurseries Plant Centre & Cash and Carry Quality stock, all at wholesale prices

Senior Citizen Day

10% DISCOUNT - THURSDAYS

The General public are more than welcome to take advantage of our wholesale prices – savings you wouldn’t want to miss! We also supply garden designers, landscapers, nurseries and market traders – and run a loyalty card discount scheme for all our wholesale trade customers.

What makes us different?

“We are not a Garden Centre; we are a nursery, with a Cash and Carry outlet”

Opening Hours Monday - Friday 8.00am - 4.00pm Saturdays (March – October) 9.00am – 4.00pm Good Friday & Easter Monday 10.00am – 4.00pm May & August Bank Holidays 10.00am – 4.00pm E S TA B L I S H E D S I N C E 1 9 7 9

See us at The Walks, King’s Lynn on the 10th May Celebrating 50 years of Britain in Bloom

NOW OPEN

ON SATURDAYS

School Road, West Walton, Wisbech PE14 7DS Tel: 01945 464383 ext 2 E-mail: cashandcarry@tamarnurseries.co.uk Web: www.tamarnurseries.co.uk

Celebrating 30 YEARS service to the local community.

5 Station Road, Heacham, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE31 7HG. 01485 571789 | arcoworkshop@posmail.co.uk | www.arcotoolhire.co.uk KLmagazine April 2014

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Property

Property of the Month: The Old Bakehouse, Snettisham

A delightful family home full of light and charm...

Beautifully restored with gorgeous interiors, The Old Bakehouse is where the villagers of Snettisham once queued for bread.

Today it’s a wonderful family home packed with period features

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ocated in the pretty village of Snettisham, close to the North Norfolk coast, this lovely property is a true delight. With parts dating back to around 1640, it’s thought to be one of the oldest houses in the village, and is now a beautifully-restored and tastefully-refurbished family home, offering a wonderful quality of life within a welcoming and friendly rural community.

There’s a definite charm and warmth to The Old Bakehouse that’s evident the moment you step inside, and it’s clear the current owners have dedicated a great deal of time and effort to making this such a fabulous family home.

The restoration has been done to a very high standard, painted throughout in calming and neutral Farrow & Ball tones that enhance the natural light, and in every room quality fabrics and furnishings complement the wealth of period features. Here you’ll find exposed beams, vaulted ceilings,

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wonderful open fireplaces, and in the dining room even one of the bakery’s original oven doors set within the exposed brickwork.

The oldest part of the house is at the front, with an extension that was added around 1800 that actually doubled the size of the living space. The rooms all lead round in a circle, giving the house an easy and inviting flow. Off the entrance hall are two main reception rooms, both with open fireplaces inset with wood-burning stoves, and large Georgian windows that flood the rooms with light.

Tucked off the charming dining room is a study, and a boot room leads from the kitchen. Of the five bedrooms (all of which have been tastefully decorated), two have lovely high vaulted ceilings with exposed beams, and splashes of colour have been added by the clever use of pretty wallpaper on a feature wall. The master bedroom has a small velux roof light, ideally positioned so you can see the stars at night, and enjoy

views across the village and the surrounding countryside during the day.

To the rear of the house the old grain store has been converted into a selfcontained two-bedroom cottage. This is a great space, ideal for when guests come to stay or (as the current owner has done) to rent out as a holiday cottage. It’s been afforded the same care and attention as the main house, decorated throughout in clean fresh tones and pretty prints. The large walled garden at the back is sheltered and peaceful, offering plenty of opportunities for impromptu picnics, a quiet glass of wine or a BBQ with friends.

The Old Bakehouse is currently on the market with Fine & Country. To arrange a viewing or for further details of this wonderful property, contact Fine & Country at 27/28 Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn, telephone 01553 769100 or visit the website at www.fineandcountry.com

KLmagazine April 2014

A different view of property at Fine & Country...

Neil MacLennan, Director of Sales for Fine & Country North and West Norfolk, explains a fresh approach to property

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recent survey by the industry market research company Vizzihome found that Fine & Country Norfolk sells twice as many properties over £300,000 as our nearest competitor. It’s an impressive statistic, and it’s one of the reasons why Fine & Country is the fastest-growing and most dynamic estate agent specialising in the sale of prestigious residential property.

Over the years, we’ve gained a reputation for offering a unique blend of intelligent and creative marketing, together with a highly professional approach to the sale of country property.

I think one of the main reasons for that success is that we care passionately about the properties we sell. We’re not just selling bricks and mortar – we’re selling lifestyles. If you like, it’s the difference between selling a ‘house’ and a ‘home.’

The property may well be beautiful to look at, but for us it’s essential to also get across a feeling of what it’s like to actually live there, to give a sense of the home’s character and history, and highlight the benefits of the location.

It’s a particularly important point when you consider the fact that some 50% of purchasers come from outside Norfolk.

That’s why so much time and care goes into producing our property details. We use journalists to interview the vendors about the history, the background and the daily experience of

life in the home. We always use professional photographers to visually capture the property in a creative and engaging way, which is vitally important when you realise over 90% of property searches are now conducted online. That’s why we ABOVE: (from left to right) Director of Sales for North and West Norfolk Neil MacLennan, Sales Negotiator Charlotte George, also create and Director Cameron Black and Senior Negotiator Natasha Bates upload filmed of the Fine & Country North Norfolk Office in King’s Lynn ‘videoettes’ that take you on a tour of the needed. That ranges from the regional property, guided by an actor’s head office in Norwich to the highlyvoiceover. successful office in London’s Park It may sound like a lot of time and Lane – and comprises some 275 effort to go to, but the results – both in worldwide locations in total. terms of the quality of the details and They all share the Fine & Country the successful sales – speak for approach to property, and if you themselves. needed any further convincing that it’s We also produce a regular free an approach that works then you’ll be magazine that’s posted out to some pleased to learn that at the 2013 15,000 addresses and distributed International Property Awards, Fine & through key partner outlets. If you Country received the Best UK Estate haven’t seen a copy of Norfolk & North Agency Marketing Award – for the 5th Suffolk Lifestyles yet, I’d highly year running! recommend visiting the office and Whether you’re buying or selling, I’m picking up a copy – it will give you a sure you’ll find the approach we take at great idea of what Fine & Country is all Fine & Country makes the most of your about and you’ll be treated to a wealth property and that it offers you the very of fabulous properties as well! best route to success. After all, that’s It’s also good to know that we’re part what we’re here for! of a much wider group, having a considerable amount of expertise and resources to call on as and when NEIL MACLENNAN Director of Sales (North and West Norfolk) neil.maclennan@fineandcountry.com

27/28 Tuesday Market Place King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1JJ Tel: 01553 769100 Web: www.fineandcountry.com

KLmagazine April 2014

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Revival living room by House of Fraser | www.houseoraser.co.uk

A SPECIAL 12-PAGE FEATURE FOR SPRING 2014

interiors Inspirational ideas for your home KLmagazine April 2014

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Indigo Bazaar Corner Sofa by Dunelm | See www.dunelm-mill.com for local stockists

Interiors

Fabulous interiors are easier than you think!

From floor to ceiling and from wall to wall, there’s a world of interior design ideas out there – but deciding what works best can be a real challenge. KL magazine talks to the experts...

T

here’s a reason why some people make a career out of interior design. Professional designers have the ability to perfectly mix, infuse, interpret and answer every decorating need you have – and often they’ll throw in a little clever surprise that captivates and excites you. It’s not magic – it’s a case of understanding the finer points of colour and contrasts, looking at space and function in a creative way and pushing the visual envelope.

Often, all it takes to transform a room (or an entire home) are a few simple changes to breathe life into familiar spaces. One of the most popular trends a the moment is creating dramatic

72

impact from simplicity – because the stunning looks are simultaneously bolder and more accessible than ever before.

Although nothing can match the eye of a professional, we’ve talked to some of the most talented and successful local interior designers and collected together some of their very best tips. If you’re looking to give your home a facelift and need some inspiration, look no further.

Set of three Britannia Cushions (in Hot Pink, Yellow, and Oatmeal)

by Swanky Maison. Contact www.swankymaison.com for details of local stockists

KLmagazine April 2014

Be Different

•

Be Amazed

•

Be Unique

Tottenhill – Design Studio – 01553 811436 Castle Rising | Heacham | Hunstanton Email the code KLMAG04 to uniquegifts@btconnect.com to receive your free, unique 15% off promotional voucher.

www.uniquegiftsandinteriors.co.uk KLmagazine April 2014

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Interiors Saturated colors...

Leave the greys and the beiges behind in favour of deeply-saturated hues like navy and plum. In fact, navy is considered a new ‘neutral’ for its ability to blend with other colours and styles.

If a darker shade on the wall seems too scary for you, start with a richlycoloured piece of furniture (like a sofa) and work from there.

Rich fabrics...

Instead of simple cottons and linens, try embracing luxurious velvet, earthy suede or even textured corduroy. These fabrics are highly sophisticated (and they’re particularly durable) and they really hold up against the darker colour schemes that are so popular at the moment.

Modern takes, classic patterns...

Floral patterns are in and they always will be — just not in the traditional sense. Take a bold approach and mix patterns to modernize the overall look – it really can work wonders. You’ll find many stores offering modern interpretations on classic chintz and toile to keep things fresh.

High style, low prices...

Haute (or ‘high level’) design trends have never been more affordable, thanks to retail innovations such as collaborations with famous designers.

You’ll find many stores now carry a range of affordable design trends that are still ‘cutting edge’ – thanks to the fact that people are now much more aware of those trends.

Goodbye to matching...

Armed with more availability and knowledge these days, we all know that harmonious colours don’t have to match, and the same goes for pattern finishes. Never be afraid to bring different Never push your furniture up colours, textures and finishes into against the walls. By pulling your your spaces. seating arrangement in – even by just You’ll be surprised at just a few inches – you instantly warm up how far you can push the a space and create flow... boundaries and still create a cohesive look.

The Elizabeth Cabinet by Shop On Your Doorstep is handmade in England, and whispers ‘regal’ by contrasting the beautiful, crisp, detail of Elizabethan style with a touch of modern minimalism. Contact www.shoponyourdoorstep.com for details of local stockists.

A brilliant idea by Out There Interiors that takes the trouble out of creatively arranging a series of photographs, the Eugenia is a single picture frame that holds eight separate images. Very clever, and the distressed finish is lovely. Contact www.outthereinteriors.com for details of local stockists.

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Think outside the ‘style’ box...

The confidence to try bold trends and mix up finishes allows for a broader interpretation of design styles. There’s no longer a need to place styles in fixed categories like ‘traditional’, ‘rustic’, ‘industrial’ or ‘country’ – homes today can successfully incorporate an eclectic array of stylistic influences. Picking items that speak to you individually will

KLmagazine April 2014

Living IN PARADISE

FREE DELIVERY within 25 miles!

Three Piece Suites | Lift & Rise Chairs | Sofa Beds | Occasional Furniture | Antique Lighting | Gifts & Accessories

01366 384422 | 48 High Street, Downham Market, PE38 9HH Don’t forget about Beds of Paradise for beds & bedroom furniture...just around the corner!

KLmagazine April 2014

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Interiors

Use wallpaper in unexpected places – on the ceiling, in a panelled room, in closets, hallways and small foyers. A great pattern or a texture in a small spaces can provide a quite prodigious twist... keep you from conforming to a rigid or overdone look.

Meaningful accessories...

Less is definitely more when it comes to decorative objects around the house.

People are starting to abandon kitschy and purposeless accessories. The best results are obtained by choosing objects, artwork and photos with real personal significance. Everything goes together if done simply. Take the ordinary and make it extraordinary by using everyday items in a new way.

Make it fun, make it unexpected and make it special.

Sculptural artwork...

Make the most of your walls. Branch out beyond framed prints and you’ll really make your art collection stand out. Sculptural pieces add a huge amount of dimensionality to your walls.

Using a range of materials and textures such as felt, horn, ceramic and even macramé can create unique focal points and conversation topics.

Natural elements...

Look a bit closer, and you can’t fail to notice that natural materials are starting to be incorporated into fabrics and furnishings as well as wall art. Cowhide particularly is making a big appearance in the textile realm in a variety of colors and applications.

Light-toned wood...

For many years, dark tones like mahogany and cherry dominated the wood furniture market, but it seems as though caramel and honey tones are

Bright ideas – the charming Dancing Cow lamp by The French Bedroom Company (www.frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk), The Celemtine’s current range of assorted lanterns (www.theclementine.co.uk) and Loaf’s elegantly simple Flagon lamp (www.loaf.com). Great ideas that work well with virtually any colour scheme. Contact the individual companies for details of local stockists.

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KLmagazine April 2014

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KLmagazine April 2014

77

Interiors

taking the spotlight in 2014. The softer look blends with any design style and keeps furnishings from feeling heavy or fussy.

Mix your elements...

Combining investment pieces with economical pieces is a great way of achieving balance and overall uniformity. The juxtaposition of an inexpensive sofa with an original piece of artwork can work wonders.

Just add fire...

Although generally no longer needed for its main purpose (warmth!) the element of fire can totally transform both the look and the feel of a room.

With the range of cleverly-designed and portable fireplaces available now, it’s even possible to use one as a space divider and focal point.

Reversible draperies...

Custom-made curtains are always well worth the money. But to get even more impact, consider adding a decorative fabric where the lining would typically be. It may sound slightly odd, but this allows the curtains to make a style statement of their own – and you can turn them around for different seasons or to create different moods.

Size matters...

The simplest way of successfully approaching scale and proportion is to always go big – or go home. This is a variation on the theme of doing more

78

Top: Souk wool rug by West Elm (www.westelm.com). Left (clockwise): Parquet Cowhide Rug by Made (www.made.com), English Country Garden wool rug by Iapetus (www.iapetus.co.uk), Mondrian rug by Frith Rugs (www.frithrugs.co.uk) and Kodari Daydream Rug (Peach) by Kelaty (www.kelaty.com). Contact the individual companies for details of local stockists.

One of the very first rules about decorating and interior design is that you can break almost all the other rules...

KLmagazine April 2014

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KLmagazine April 2014

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Interiors

Pinches of color are a fantastic way of keeping a room feeling youthful and engaging. And don’t forget that accessories are where you make a personal statement.

They really are the soul of a room.... with less. Get rid of all the clutter and the knickknacks, and concentrate on a few choice pieces on a larger scale.

This can actually give the illusion of there being more space than there actually is.

Walls and ceilings...

People always seem to forget about the decorative potential of walls and ceilings: throw some paint on it and it’s finished. You can create a brilliant effect by adding details and interest with nailheads. This technique not only provides a visual stopping point to relieve the eyes, but adds visual interest with the details, especially in an area not generally thought of as particularly important.

A beautiful selection of coordinating customised velvet interior products by The Velvet Lab, demonstrating just what’s possible with strong colours. Contact www.thevelvetlab.com for details of local stockists.

Everything in store...

Get creative with your storage. Book shelves and furniture aren’t always the answer. Use some fabric to create a wall pocket and your walls become a great place to store magazines, drawings, and anything else the kids can throw in there!

On the mantlepiece...

Making mantlepieces larger than life is a marvellous way of making a statement.

Making them wider than usual or extending them past their ‘expected’ areas creates a striking visual balance, a sense of intrigue, and a great area for display.

Whether you’ve lived in your house for two months or 20 years, we hope these helpful tips have given you food for thought – and inspired you to take a fresh look at the place you call home.

As with any creative endeavour, some of the most important factors in successful interior design are trial and error, thoughtfulness, experience and a little bit of common sense.

Above all, don’t be intimidated – just go for it!

80

Brighten up a dull sofa or bed with this luxurious Tropical Bird cushion by Alison at Home (www.alisonathome.com) – it’s printed on a 100% cotton cover, and the filler is 100% duck feather.

Perfect for decorating a nautical-themed room, this wooden lighthouse by Coastal Home (www.coastalhome.co.uk) is hand-painted in soft grey/blue and white stripes with seagrass detail around the top.

Contact the individual companies for details of local stockists.

KLmagazine April 2014

ROLL END TOP END

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KLmagazine April 2014

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KLmagazine April 2014

Local Life

ABOVE: The Terrington Community Fund’s successful Highland Fling Rally of 2010 – this year’s event starts at the end of this month

The community spirit of Terrington St Clement...

Five years after a group of friends decided to stage a pantomime, the Terrington Community Fund has managed to distribute over £50,000 to local causes – and help bring the villagers together

B

ack in January 2009, on a cold night in the local pub, a few friends in the village of Terrington St. Clement got together to discuss the merits of staging a pantomime for the local community. They decided to form a committee, started planning (and rehearsing!) and performed Snow White in the village hall over three evenings and one afternoon in December in front of 500 people.

It was a huge success, inspiring the original members of the ‘Panto Committee’ to raise more funds in as many ways as they could think of to

KLmagazine April 2014

help the local community. Changing their name to the Terrington Community Fund, they drew up a constitution, received the blessing of the Parish Council, registered with the Charity Commission and the Fundraising Standards Board, and embarked on a quite remarkable local initiative. Thanks to the support of local people and the tireless dedication of its members, the Terrington Community Fund has distributed an astonishing £51,636 to date – and there’s no sign of the enthusiasm (or the donations) stopping anytime soon.

Not that the Fund have forgotten

their roots – the Fund has staged two further pantomimes in front of sell-out crowds in recent years (Aladdin in 2011 and Jack and the Beanstalk in 2013), and will perform Cinderella in early December this year.

The Terrington Community Fund holds quarterly meetings to discuss and prioritise applications, which are invited from individuals or groups residing within the parish. Its aim is to help the local community in whatever way they can – whether it be through monetary help or using their own skills (with other members of the community) to make things happen.

83

Local Life

ABOVE: In addition to undertaking remarkable fundraising efforts, members of the Terrington Community Fund also find themselves taking part in some rather unusual adventures. They’re shortly about to embark on a tour of 21 Hanseatic towns across Europe!

“Thanks to the funds we raise throughout the year, we’re able to help and support the individuals, social groups and clubs in our village that need it most,” says committee member Andrew Hornigold. “We’ve found that through being creative with our funding, we’ve actually inspired applicants to raise their own funds and their own profiles through thinking outside the box.”

The projects the Fund helps are wide-ranging but all have clear and strong links with the local community.

Recently, it has raised funds to send a young lady (with her sister and carer) to Canada to attend a summer camp for disabled children, installed a special Sensory Unit at the village’s Sure Start Centre, purchased a wooden recreational area on the Memorial Field (in addition to providing a new bench, entry gates and wooden planters), and repainted the Terrington St. Clement War Memorial.

Every month, the Fund holds a pub quiz in the Wildfowler pub and organises a wealth of social events. To date, that’s included cheese and wine evenings, a mini Beer and Cider Festival, a Jubilee Jazz Luncheon, two Halloween Extravaganzas, cream teas for the village’s two elderly people’s homes, and no less than three clay pigeon shoots.

84

Some of the Fund’s most amazing fundraising adventures have revolved around two successful car rallies (in cars costing less than £200!) that have seen them tour around the coast of Scotland and England.

The Fund’s third charity car rally, however, is going to be a very special event. Called The Hanseatic Rally, it will start at Marriott’s Warehouse on the riverfront in King’s Lynn, an original Hanseatic warehouse used in the middle ages when King’s Lynn was an important port and a member of the original Hanseatic trading route throughout Europe.

At 7pm on Wednesday, 30th April all 10 competing cars will assemble for a briefing session in front of the Warehouse before a Le Mans type start along the South Quay. The following day, the competitors will catch a ferry at Dover before starting on a 1,476-mile journey visiting no less than 21 Hanseatic towns across Europe – all in German cars costing less than £350!

After an overnight stay in Emmerich am Rhein (King’s Lynn’s twin town) on Saturday, the competitors will return to Terrington St. Clement on Sunday. The Hanseatic Rally is planned to raise approximately £10,000 – which will go towards the construction of a multigames facility for the youth of the village on the Memorial Field. Hardly

stopping for breath, the members of the Fund will then start preparing for a weekend Beer Festival from July 11th12th (to be held at the Wildfowler pub) and a clay pigeon shoot on Sunday 14th September.

It’s a quite remarkable local effort by (and for) local people, and wouldn’t be possible without a huge amount of local support and the dedication and sheer enthusiasm of the Fund’s members. A shining example to us all.

For more details of the work of the Terrington Community Fund, to keep up with forthcoming events and to offer your support to this successful local initiative, please contact either Chairman Mark Wilson or Andrew Hornigold via the Fund’s website at www.terringtoncommunityfund.com

KLmagazine April 2014

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80

KLmagazine March 2014

Explorer

A visit to North and South Creake They’re two of the most beautiful villages in Norfolk, and though they’re both steeped in history, they’re both looking to the future with confidence. KL magazine visits North and South Creake...

P

eople have probably been living at South Creake since the Iron Age, and as far back as the Norman Conquest the settlement was impressive enough to support a watermill at North Creake. With the subsequent development of the local wool trade in the Middle Ages, the resulting wealth (and there was a lot of it) gave local barons the opportunity to build imposing new stone churches.

Indeed, the Church of Our Lady Saint Mary at South Creake has often been praised as people’s favourite village church in all of Norfolk, and it’s not too hard to see why. It’s suitably big and impressive, and is usually full of flowers.

KLmagazine April 2014

There are also plenty of fascinating statues (the one of King Charles the Martyr is particularly striking), while overhead is the famous angel roof, which dates from around 1450 – and although the wings are all modern (from a 1950s restoration), many of the angels are still the 15th century originals.

Interestingly enough, when the angels were repaired they were found to contain shot from 17th century muskets, evidence of the attempts to get rid of the jackdaws that infested the church at the time (there’s a record that some 120 of them were killed in 1680).

The economy of the villages was probably at its height during the period

from the 19th century to the outbreak of the First World War. During these years, virtually everything the population needed could be sourced within the village and it had as many as seven inns and beerhouses!

That’s probably because whilst agriculture was the main employer in the area, brewing came a close second, with the brewery and adjoining ‘Chequers’ owned by the Oliver family from 1835-1892. It continued as Pinchen’s Brewery until the early 1900s, and in 1925 part of the premises was purchased by GT Money, and became the Ace Razor Blade Works, which subsequently also manufactured the breakfast cereal ‘Myflakes’ after the

87

Explorer Alley Brothers left the village in 1923.

They’d previously begun the manufacture of ‘Farmers’ Glory’ wheatflakes at Bluestone Farm – which under their guidance became the very first fully-mechanised farm in the country.

The years since 1945 have probably seen the greatest changes to both South and North Creake – not least in the number of people living there. In 1883, the population of South Creake alone was 976, but by the 2001 Census, the population of both villages combined was only 950.

Although the surrounding farms now employ very little labour and most of the great barns have been converted to desirable residences (along with the brewery, the school, the Methodist Chapel and Oddfellows Hall), the villages have a lovely character all of their own.

And on your visit, don’t forget to see the memorial plaque in North Creake that honours the crew of the bomber that crashed in the village centre on April 27th, 1944 while on a night training exercise (it was unveiled on the 60th anniversary of the crash in 2004).

North Creake’s most notable building is undoubtedly Creake Abbey, the origins of which date back to the foundation of a hospital for the elderly and infirm during the reign of Henry II (1157-1189).

By 1221 it had become a priory, and 10 years after that Henry III approved its transformation into an abbey. In 1484, a disastrous fire ruined a great part of the monastery and it was in real danger of falling into desolation, but Richard III (a man not often treated kindly by history) gave the abbey the not-inconsiderable sum of £40 to help with the rebuilding.

The abbey never fully recovered, however. When disease carried off the Abbot Giles in 1506, there was no convent left to elect a successor, and following the great religious upheavals of Henry VIII’s reign the abbey buildings were used as a quarry, the church was adapted as a farm, and the east range of the cloister was converted to a house – and what survives today are the remains of the abbey church.

Today, the site (which is in the care of English Heritage) is freely accessible to the public and is the home of an award-winning Farmers Market, together with some fantastic shops and studios. The Farmers Market is held on the first Saturday of each month and features over 50 stall holders with a wide range of fresh local produce.

For more details, see the website at www.creakeabbey.co.uk.

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KLmagazine April 2014

A fantastic setting for a fabulous range of country clothing...

Time to discover Christopher William Country

J

ust outside Burnham Market in the idyllic setting of Creake Abbey, Christopher William Country takes a refreshing new look at style, offering a complete range of traditional and contemporary fashions for the great outdoors.

Thanks to Tricia and Chris Betts, together with a little help from Guinness the dog, the family-run business (which opened in the autumn of 2011) offers an exciting choice of high quality products at competitive prices – all in a very relaxed and welcoming environment.

The service couldn’t be friendlier – indeed, the only pressure you’ll be under is deciding just what to choose from all the choice available!

In the perfectly-proportioned store you’ll find a comprehensive selection of mens and ladies clothing, wellingtons, boots and other footwear, shooting and countrywear,

childrens’ clothing and a selection of lifestyle gifts and accessories.

“The idea of Christopher William Country is very simple,” says Tricia. “We aim to offer something for everyone, something for every season, and something for every budget.”

Together with the new season collections and special offers, Christopher William Country stocks a very wide range of famous-name, high quality brands such as Alan Paine, Aigle, Dubarry, Le Chameau, Toggi, Gurteen, Laksen and Magee. New names are being added all the time, and there’s an even more extensive choice on the website – which can be ordered information online.

Discover Christopher William Country and you’ll be rewarded with Creake Abbey, North Creake, Fakenham NR21 9LF great style, great choice, great Tel: 01328 738983 value – and a level of service that Web: www.christopherwilliamcountry.co.uk always puts you first!

Christopher William Country

Enjoy a feast of local tastes...

A

visit to Creake Abbey Food Hall offers lovers of truly great food a mouth-watering opportunity to discover some of the finest tastes Norfolk (and further afield) has to offer. The Food Hall – which celebrates its first anniversary this month – is committed to supporting small-scale artisan producers who use responsibly-sourced and fully traceable products.

In addition to the fine deli counter with cheese and charcuterie, Creake Abbey Food Hall also offers a tempting selection of wines and beers and a delicious range of antipasti, olive oils and vinegars.

The wonderful butchery offers rare breed meats, frozen readymeals from the kitchen, and fantastic bacon together with stout and treacle sweet-cured hams from the Food Hall’s very own new smokehouse! If that’s whetted your appetite, the Creake Abbey Café (adjoining the Food Hall) is where you’ll certainly want to enjoy some of the best local ingredients currently in season. The café is open daily from 8.30am-5pm and serves great breakfasts, excellent coffee, seriously good lunches and afternoon teas with homemade cakes.

It’s also open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays until 10pm and holds a series of special events – including one of the most popular quiz nights in the area!

information

Creake Abbey Café & Food Hall Creake Abbey, North Creake, Fakenham NR21 9LF Tel: 01328 730399 Web: www.creakeabbeycafe.com

KLmagazine April 2014

89

Local Life

ABOVE: The Hill House Pub at Happisburgh, from which The Adventure of the Dancing Men originated, and the grand setting of Oxburgh Hall – which has been used in at least two film productions of Sherlock Holmes’ adventures

Norfolk? It’s elementary my dear Watson...

If it hadn’t been for a trip to Norfolk, Sherlock Holmes may never have taken up his career as the world’s most famous detective

T

he creation of Scottish physician and writer Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), Sherlock Holmes featured in four novels and 56 short stories, but there’s no doubt about which is the most famous – and no doubt that it was born in Norfolk.

Cromer to be exact.

In 1901, whilst on a golfing holiday in Norfolk, Conan Doyle had dinner with Benjamin Bond Cabbell at Cromer Hall.

Cabbell told the writer about his ancestor Richard Cabbell, who had been killed by a devilish dog after murdering his wife.

If all that sounds a bit familiar, you’d be right. Benjamin Cabbell’s murderous ancestor became the model for the evil Hugo Baskerville in Conan Doyle’s classic tale of The Hound of the Baskervilles (and the description of Baskerville Hall sounds remarkably like its Norfolk inspiration).

Sherlock Holmes’ Norfolk connections don’t end there, however.

In 1903, Doyle visited the Hill House pub in Happisburgh, where the landlord’s son Gilbert Cubitt showed him a coded signature he’d developed using stick men.

This, it seems, was the inspiration for

90

the Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Dancing Men. Doyle was actually very proud of the story, and rated it third in his list of all-time favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. In the story, Holmes and Watson are called to Norfolk by a local squire called Hilton Cubitt to investigate a mystery – and Holmes eventually solves the case by cracking a code which consists of little dancing figures.

The place where Cubitt lives – Ridling Thorpe – offers another local link in that its name is almost certainly taken from the nearby villages of Ridlington and Edingthorpe.

The story itself may have been written in the Green Room of the Old Boarding House (which overlooked the bowling green) and the villain of the piece – an American called Abe Slaney – lives in a farmhouse at nearby East Ruston.

Today, the Hill House has two plaques on the wall commemorating Conan Doyle’s stay – and if you do visit, take a look behind the pub. There’s an interesting building which was originally a signal box for a railway line that was never built.

Even more important for local fans of Sherlock Homes is recently-published

research that suggests Norfolk provided the young Sherlock Holmes with the inspiration to pursue a career as a detective in the first place.

In 1984, the late Bernard Davies of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London was researching the short story called The Gloria Scott. His research suggested that the fictional Norfolk village of Donnithorpe was actually based on Rollesby, northeast of Great Yarmouth.

Why’s that so important? Well, in The Gloria Scott (first published in 1893) the young Sherlock Homes became involved in his very first case at the Norfolk home of a university friend.

The work of Bernard Davies involved looking at the relationship between the Norfolk Broads and the railway system, the speed of horses and coaches, the times of the sunset and the descriptions of ‘Donnithorpe’ with its view over the Broads – and led him to the inescapable conclusion that Sherlock Holmes was at Rollesby in Norfolk when he decided to become a detective.

Who’d have thought that Norfolk had such a part to play in the life (and creation) of the world’s most famous detective?

KLmagazine April 2014

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KLmagazine April 2014

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KLmagazine April 2014

ALL IMAGES: Marcus Scott/Darkplanet Fine Art Photography

Local Arts

ABOVE: A few examples of the striking work of Marcus Scott, including this ruined church at Beachamwell (entitled The End of St. John), a long exposure shot of the boulder bed at Old Hunstanton (opposite) and a self portrait called Analogue Selfie

Marcus Scott and the fine art of a dark planet Taking the viewer to a world outside the everyday, the striking monochrome world of Norfolk photographer Marcus Scott is one where the most common objects become things of rare beauty...

N

orfolk photographer Marcus Scott is no stranger to the visual arts.

In the past he’s been a CAD operator, designer of motorsport livery, a freelance website designer and a technical illustrator. For the past 10 years, however, he’s taken his creative eye behind the camera lens and has taken photography to the level of fine art. Here, he talks to KL magazine about his work.

Why did you choose photography?

I wanted to fulfil my creative urges without having to sit in front of a computer all weekend. Someone in the next village to me was offering an old Olympus 35mm camera with a lens and KLmagazine April 2014

loads of extra kit. I bought it, but after a few days realised I had no idea what I was doing! Rather than give up, I enrolled on a City & Guilds course (which was harder than any evening class should be) but I managed to pass with distinctions and was hooked.

What’s the thinking behind your work?

It depends on the subject. Arboria, for instance, is a project I’ve continually returned to over the years. It speaks to my inner child, the one that remembers the thrill of being scared by the monsters in the closet and the creature under the bed. It’s a reminder that to be adult doesn’t mean to bury imagination.

With my seascapes I’m trying to convey a feeling of serenity – even in 93

Local Arts

ABOVE: The Necromancer’s Lair is a wonderfully atmospheric image of the plantation at Bylaugh on a foggy morning. Marcus’ work also includes still life – such as Time to Get Closer (right, top) which features a dandelion shot with a ‘lensbaby’ – a type of toy lens for digital cameras, and Memento Mori (right, below) better known as the northern gannet

Why only work in black and white?

I love how everything is reduced to light and shade. For me, the loss of colour removes a great distraction and reveals a different kind of beauty in even the most unexpected places.

What do you think turns a photograph into a work of art?

Fine art photography is hugely subjective, but for me an image must elicit an emotional response. It might trigger a memory or provoke a reaction (either positive or negative) in the viewer. It might generate debate or just offer a momentary pause for thought.

Practically, as it’s ‘fine’ art and will be hanging on a wall, it should be produced using archive quality media, whether wet-printed or Giclee and professionally mounted.

94

Do you have a favourite place locally to photograph?

A lot of the images from my Arboria project are taken at Bawdeswell Heath and the common at North Tuddenham – mainly because they’re a two minute drive from home! I also love the coast and tend to roam everywhere from Happisburgh to Hunstanton.

If you could photograph anywhere, where would it be?

Angkor Wat is the obvious contender but it’s been photographed well so many times I think it would be almost impossible to get an original shot I was happy with. Keelung City in Taiwan, large areas of Detroit and Nara Dreamland in Japan are also contenders. Anywhere where man has tried – and failed – to establish a foothold and nature is moving back in.

ALL IMAGES: Marcus Scott/Darkplanet Fine Art Photography

images taken in less-than-calm conditions. Whatever the weather, we find the coast a very peaceful place – it’s a boundary between what we can control and what we can’t. One theme that does run through most of my work is time. I’m exploring the passing of time, either literally by using long exposure techniques or symbolically by focusing on its effect on the man-made and the natural.

More details of Marcus’ work and his fine art prints can be found on his website at www.darkplanet.co.uk.

Marcus is also a member of Breckland Artists (www.brecklandartists.com) and the group is exhibiting at the King’s Lynn Arts Centre for the first time this year from 7th–21st June.

KLmagazine April 2014

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KLmagazine April 2014

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CHILDREN’S CLASSES & OPEN DAY FOR THE EASTER HOLIDAYS! Open Day Monday 31st March with a range of taster sessions running throughout the day

Children’s classes on offer over the Easter holidays (7th – 22nd April)

Fully s up 3 hour ervised ses for on sions ly

SOLICITORS

Staveley Johnson & Procter Formerly Hawkins of Hunstanton and Beloe & Staveley

FT PAPERCRA KING SWEET MA MAKING COSTUME G ECORATIN CUPCAKE D AKING PUPPET M E MAKING FELT BADG ORE... & MANY M ADULT SESSIONS AL SO AVAILABLE Contact us Staveley, Johnson & Procter Solicitors Waverley House, 37 Greevegate, Hunstanton, PE36 6AB Telephone: 01485 532662 Fax: 01485 534802 DX: 95250 Hunstanton

01553 768299 Call

for more info

info@sjpsolicitors.co.uk Solicitors acting in the North Norfolk area, including King’s Lynn and Norwich

47 Bergen Way, North Lynn Ind Estate, King’s Lynn PE30 2JG

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www.engagenorfolk.co.uk

www.sjpsolicitors.co.uk

KLmagazine April 2014

The page made by KL magazine readers

PICTURE: IAN WARD

My KL

DEAR KL MAGAZINE...

In the March issue of KL magazine, Chris Ivory spoke about the opening of the Mart on February 14th. It was a great read, and an equally great occasion, with lots of people awaiting the procession down the High Street. I didn’t think many people would attend as by 11.30am it was raining, but many did – and umbrellas were the order of the day!

The bell was rung, speeches were given, and prayers were said before the Proclamation and National Anthem made the opening of the Mart official.

All those who wish to see the Mart moved outside the town need to think again and join the fun. It came and went so quickly, and hopefully all those showmen who work so hard putting it all together (and dismantling it) safely had a very successful stay. It’s always a lovely touch when they open early to give those special schoolchildren a time to remember.

A friend and I were in the High Street as they all came by, happy and laughing.

We need more moments like that!

Long live the Mart – it’s a wonderful tradition we should all make efforts to keep and support for the future.

WENDY TWITE Leziate

KLmagazine April 2014

DEAR KL MAGAZINE...

Please could I take this opportunity to let your readers know about my new initiative that offers drama and imaginative play classes in Great Massingham and Swaffham for babies, toddlers and children up to seven years old. Called Pyjama Drama, the classes are packed full of fun, drama, games, music, movement and there’s lots of roleplay and pretending too.

Using their imagination is what children do naturally at these ages and this is a great way to benefit their development, such as building their confidence and developing communication and co-operation skills.

The classes are directly linked to the National Curriculum, and Pyjama Drama is a national organization that’s growing every day.

Weekly classes are now running in Great Massingham Village Hall on Tuesday afternoons for Raindrops and Rainbows (ages about 19 months to 5 years) and also in Swaffham Church Rooms on Wednesday afternoons. More sessions are currently being planned for (among many others) Dereham, Holt and Burnham Market, and as all sessions are tailored to the National Curriculum, they’re perfect for nurseries and occasional ‘pop-up’ sessions. They also offer an exciting alternative when looking to book a party. If any readers would like any further details or information, please contact me using the details below.

ALEX NADEL alex@pyjamadrama.com 01485 558333

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The Last Word

CrossCurren s

with Canon Chris Ivory, King’s Lynn Minster

S

tories are very powerful. I’m not thinking about fiction, but the hidden stories of real life – sometimes of joy, often of suffering, frequently of guilt, and many times of hidden heroism.

Sometimes, people need to know that they are forgiven and released from their guilt. Sometimes, they need a sounding board to help make sense of their experience. Sometimes they just want to share the burden. It’s a real privilege for a priest to hear the stories that people want to share with God, but with the assurance that the stories – and the secrets – will be kept.

Once, an elderly man, knowing he was getting to the end of his life, gave me an envelope that contained a substantial donation for the church and a letter explaining that he had stolen five shillings from the church when he was a teenager.

After I’d read the letter, he was able to tell me about the sense of guilt he’d carried throughout his life. He wanted to repay the debt, but mostly he wanted to be forgiven.

Another time, a young man told me enough for me to understand he was terminally ill, but he didn’t want to tell his wife – he didn’t know how to face it himself and therefore how to face her with it. Although I tried to encourage him to tell her, he wanted his secret kept.

Not long after that, his wife told me of her fear that he was being unfaithful.

He had been away from home a couple of times explaining he would be staying with friends and she discovered he had lied to her. I knew he was having treatment in hospital, but I could only assure his wife that I was confident she could trust him.

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After he died, she didn’t forgive me for not telling her what I had known.

I have been told stories that are wisely kept secret. I have been told of things that, had they been shared, could have brought much relief and even joy to other people.

The person who has no secret stories is very rare, but some stories are buried so deeply that they’re not consciously remembered.

Recovering those stories, perhaps through psychoanalysis, can liberate us from their power. Equally, private confession to a priest can liberate us from the power of the stories that burden us with guilt. Stories, our stories, are very powerful.

I once met a conceptual artist who had washed a Bible in a washing machine, let it dry out and then displayed it as a piece of art. The idea was that regardless of what is done to a Bible, it remains a Bible.

It was an idea that made me uncomfortable, not simply because a holy object had been desecrated, but because the artist had made it her story, rather than God’s story.

I’m probably a Philistine about art, but it seems to me that good art reveals something beyond itself, whereas boring art is self-regarding – it points only to the artist.

The Bible is not an object – it’s a story. The pages and the binding are only the medium to convey its treasure, which is the story of God’s dealing with people through thousands of years of history and of developing a true understanding and knowledge of God. The heart of it for Christians is the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, but it also offers reflection on human history from creation to the

end of time and on every aspect of human experience. It’s not primarily a book of moral instruction, nor a textbook of history. Those things have their place, but it is primarily a story – a developing story, mixed up and apparently contradictory at times – but the story of the people of God. Therefore, it’s the story that connects our individual stories with God’s story. It is the story in which we can find the meaning of the story of our own lives.

Ancient church buildings, like the Minster, convey in their fabric a long and complicated story of the human life that people have tried to live connected to God. It has a kind of transcendence that modern buildings haven’t earned. It reveals many tragedies as well as glories and the fact that there has never been enough money to perfect it in any particular concept of what it should be, which gives it the authentic roughness of human history. I find something reassuring in this building that records a story with as many rough edges and inconsistencies as there are in my life.

KLmagazine April 2014

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