Norfolk Broads “Ghosts”

My recent overhaul of the Then and Now section of the Broadland Memories website reminded me of another project in a similar vein which I’ve been undertaking over the last few years.

I mentioned Nick Stone’s Norwich Blitz Ghosts on here back in 2011, a project in which Nick rephotographed the scenes of some of the haunting images of the devastation which resulted from the infamous Baedecker air raids on the city during the Second World War. The two images were then digitally edited together to produce some incredibly, thought provoking photographs that provide a poignant reminder of the horror which the city endured and how it rebuilt itself.

Inspired by his efforts, I decided to have a go at creating some Norfolk Broads ghosts. I’ve been uploading the results to my Flickr account but I don’t think I’ve put any on the blog before. Whilst they don’t have the historical impact of the Blitz Ghosts, they are actually quite fun to do and are an interesting take on the Then & Now theme, illustrating how Broadland has changed over the years.

broadsghost_horning01Lower Street in Horning, looking up towards the Swan Inn – the original postcard dates from the 1920s. The row of cottages in the foreground on the right have long gone and Tidings newsagents now stands in it’s place. Further back on the right is what was Gillard’s Stores which later became the Horning branch of Roy’s – it’s now home to the Bure River Cottage Restaurant. The LX registration on the old car was issued in London.

broadsghost_wroxham01Roys of Wroxham in the 1930s and 2013. Hampered somewhat by a rather awkwardly placed lamp post, it’s a scene which hasn’t really altered that much. The fashions and cars have changed and I don’t think I’d want to wander around on the road in front of the store so casually these days!

broadsghost_coltishall01The Street in Coltishall c1910 and 1913. The shop on the right is now Coltishall Pharmacy but in 1910 it was the general store which had been opened by Alfred and Arnold Roy in 1895. The brothers opened a second store in Hoveton four years later and the famous “Roys’ of Wroxham” came into being, but it all started here.

broadsghost_stalham01Stalham High Street c1920 & 2013. I thought this one worked quite well – a nice touch that the shaving salon sign on the right is in almost the same position as the modern lottery sign on what is now a newsagents.

broadsghost_stalham03Another view of Stalham High Street with the junction to Upper Staithe Road on the right, c1915 and 2013.

broadsghost_norwich03Moving on to the southern rivers, this shows the River Wensum and Foundry Bridge in Norwich c1890s and 2011. On the left is the old Great Eastern Hotel which was built c1850 and survived until it’s demolition in 1963. The Hotel Nelson was built in its place. The large chimney seen belonged to the foundry which gave it’s name to the bridge.

broadsghost_norwich02Norwich Riverside and Bishops Bridge c1910 and 2013. It’s incredible to think that the area of Riverside leading from the yacht station up to Bishops Bridge was still such a hive of industry back in 1910. Today there are no signs of the ramshackle buildings which stood on the spot and wherries are rare visitors indeed!

broadsghost_norwich01Heading back out of Norwich, having just passed beneath Trowse rail bridge this was Norwich Power Station, photographed in the 1970s by John Chesney and by me in 2011. The power station was opened in 1926 after the original station in Duke Street had reached its full capacity. The coal which was needed to power it was transported by large coasters which were once a regular site on the Yare and Wensum. I haven’t been able to find out exactly when it was demolished, but believe it to have been sometime in the 1980s.

broadsghost_stalham02Loddon High Street c1920s and May 2013. The name on the shop may have changed, but this is another example of how little Loddon High Street has actually changed over the years, it really is a lovely village. In the 1920s, Leman’s Universal Stores was a drapery and grocery shop which apparently sold everything from bacon to best hats! The Leman family were well established in Loddon, at one time owning quite a large portfolio of land and property throughout the village. The shop is now divided into two units occupied, in 2013, by an estate agent and a video rental company.

broadsghost_beccles01 copyExchange Square in Beccles showing the old post office which dominated the corner of Sheepgate and Smallgate c1910. The brick building to the left of it is the King’s Head and in 1948 the Youngs, Crawshay and Youngs brewery gifted a parcel of 90 square yards of land adjacent to the pub to the town to be used as an open space for the public – an area which now houses the bus shelter. Presumably the post office had been demolished prior to 1948 and the land purchased by the brewery. On the left is the Corn Exchange building which is now the Lloyds TSB bank.

broadsghost_geldeston01The last ghost is of the interior of the Locks Inn at Geldeston and is probably one of my favourites – conversations across time. That’s the infamous Susan Ellis standing with her notepad and pen, taking down the drinks orders, photographed in 1957 by Ron Harrison. She apparently couldn’t so the maths though and, at the end of the night, would hand the notepad to the customers to total up their own bills. A wonderful place with so much atmosphere.

I hope to do some more of these in the future but, in the meantime, if you haven’t seen the Norwich Blitz Ghosts collection do go and give them a look and follow on Facebook too for more of the same.

 

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