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Designed & Maintained By Carol Gingell

The Norfolk Broads - Then & Now

The River Bure at Stokesby, pictured on the left in a postcard from the 1960s, and on the right in May 2008. Little appears to have changed in this scene, although the toilet block extension on the Ferry Inn pub has become larger and now has a pitched roof whilst the moorings are more formal, with wooden quay heading having been installed.

Stokesby

Stalham

This view of Kingfisher Quay at Richardsons boatyard in Stalham remains largely unchanged over the last 25 years. The photograph on the left dates from 1985 and the one on the right was taken in October 2009.

Hunsett Mill on the River Ant near Stalham is probably one of the most photographed buildings on the Norfolk Broads, having appeared in countless postcards, jigsaws and publications due to it’s chocolate box appearance and picturesque setting. Work began in 2008 to restore the Grade 2 listed mill which had fallen into disrepair and, at the same time, the old mill cottage  had it’s extensions removed and underwent what has since become a very controversial redevelopment. As can be seen in the photograph on the right, taken in October 2009, its appearance has changed dramatically! A large, timber clad extension has been added to the rear on the left hand side, and modern, glass panel windows and doors have been fitted to the original cottage.

Thorpe St. Andrew

The postcard of Thorpe gardens and the railway bridge at Thorpe St. Andrew probably dates from c1910, when the landlord of the time was William Ward. You can see a fine array of rowing boats which were available to hire. The rail bridge was part of the then Great Eastern Railway owned Norwich to Great Yarmouth line which had opened in 1844. The current bridge, as seen in the photograph on the right which was taken in May 2010, was erected by the London & North Eastern Railway Company at some point after the rail companies merged in 1923. The pub itself has a long association with boat building - in 1878 the then licensee, John Hart, took over a boatbuilding business next door which was owned by Stephen Field. He began to hire out boats from here, later moving the business across the river onto what became known as Hart’s island. Thorpe St. Andrew had gained the reputation of being the “Richmond” of Norfolk due to it’s picturesque setting  and was an extremely popular destination for picnics and day trips from Norwich. The pub itself was renamed The Boat & Bottle in the late 1960s, changing to The Rushcutters in 1985.

Another postcard of Thorpe St. Andrew, this time dating from c1960,  which was taken from the River Green looking across to the boatsheds of Hearts Cruisers. This was the yard which had been established by John Hart in 1878, later taken over by his son George and, subsequently George’s son Geoffrey. By the time this photograph was taken, the yard was under the ownership of Commander Ron Ashby and had been renamed Hearts cruisers. Commander Ashby bought a major shareholding in the yard in 1948 and he and his family lived aboard the ex-admiralty vessel “Morning Flight” which was moored on the island opposite the green. The yard was later purchased by the Richardson Group who continued to operate a hire fleet from here until 2002. The photograph on the right was taken in May 2010 and shows that, although those boatsheds still stand, the river is a much quieter place without the bustle of hire boats and eager holidaymakers.

Another Then & Now of the old Hearts Cruisers boatyard at Thorpe St. Andrew. The photograph on the left was taken by John Chesney in the 1970s, at which time the yard was under the ownership of the Ladbrokes Group. In the background is what is now the Rushcutters public house, although in the 1970s it was still known as The Boat & Bottle. The comparison photograph on the right was taken in May 2011.

Heading upstream towards the eastern rail bridge, the photograph on the left was also taken by John Chesney in the 1970s and shows the Foundry House Hotel which was operated in conjunction with the Santa Lucia Hotel next door. On the other side is the River Garden public house. Early 20th century photos of Santa Lucia reveal why this later addition was given its name - a foundry once stood on the site, run by the Sabberton family up until the outbreak of the First World War. Hart’s 1850 trade directory lists Thomas Sabberton as being a machine maker and coal merchant here, whilst Kelly’s 1883 directory lists Charles Sabberton as being an engineer and (strangely!) an assessor of taxes! The photograph on the right was taken in May 2011 and shows that the Foundry House is now private housing. Both it, and Santa Lucia were converted into private dwellings in the late 1990s.

Continuing upstream from the previous photo you reach what is now the Town House Hotel, seen just right of centre in the old postcard on the left which dates from the 1920s/30s. On the far left of the photograph is Walpole House which was and 18th century addition to the earlier Manor House was the home of the then lord of the manor, Thomas Vere. He apparently felt that Thorpe Hall had become outdated for his needs and status and so moved into the newly built Manor House. The Town House, Manor House and Walpole House are now listed buildings - the latter even having a listed summerhouse by the water’s edge. The photograph on the right was taken in May 2011 and shows that most of the buildings are now obscured by trees when viewed from a similar position, and modern housing has been built beyond the hotel.

The photograph on the left was taken by Keith Gingell in 1966, looking upstream towards the bridge with Powles yard on the right.  The photo on the right was taken in July 2008, The Hotel Wroxham now occupies the space where Powles boat sheds once stood and a large development of modern housing can be seen on the left hand side of the bridge.

Wroxham

Wroxham and Hoveton are two of the villages in Broadland which have undergone some of the most dramatic changes over the years. The next four photos really show how the area has been developed since the birth of the hire industry up to the present day and all show the same view, looking downstream on the River Bure from the road bridge. The picture on the left dates from around 1900 and shows a pleasure wherry being quanted away from the Norfolk Broads Yachting Company yard, the boatsheds of which can just be seen on the left. A steamer makes it’s way down the Bure up ahead and, just beyond the bend on the right, is the boatyard of Robert Collins & Sons. We move on to the 1930s in the picture on the right and can see that the riverside has now been heavily developed as the tourist industry started to boom, bringing more and more visitors to the area. Robert Collins sons had, by now, set up their own boatyards with the large sheds of Alfred Collins on the left and Ernest on the original  Collins site at the end of Staitheway Road on the right.  

We move forward another 30 years with the postcard on the left which was produced in the 1960s. Ernest Collins yard has survived but Jack Powles name now adorns the boatsheds once owned by Alfred along with the large, white sheds on the left in the foreground. Motor cruisers now significantly outnumber the sailing cruisers which were predominant in the earlier images. The photograph on the right was taken in June 2008, the Hotel Wroxham which was built in the 1970s is just out of view to the left, the blue building in the background is “The Sail Loft” which is part of the Barnes Brinkcraft yard and residential housing and holiday homes have been built on the right hand bank.

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