PAST - PRESENT I FUTURE
METHWOLD PARISH APPRAISAL L994 CONIEI.ITS
PageNo
Preface 1 ,) Acknowledgements Introduction 3 A PottedEarly History 4 Land 13 Population T4 Housing 1.6 Employment 20 Retail 23 Transport 25 Services 29 Health 29 SocialServices 30 VoluntaryServices 31 Telephone 31 Electricity 32 Water 32 Sewerage 33 Refuse 33 Postal 34 Police 34 Fire 35 Education 37 SocialActivites N Environment 46 Religion 47 Information 50 I-ocd Govemment 51 Youth 54 AmericanResidents 55 Future 56 C-onclusionsand Recommendations 58 PRENACB
Towardsthe end of.1993,after consultationwith the Norfolk Rural CommunityCouncil, ParishCouncil held an openmeeting to discussthe feasibility of a ParishAppraisal. Althougbthcc wereno major or divisive issuesconfronting the Parish,it was thoughtthat the Parishwould bencfr from anAppraisal.
In January1994 a SteeringGroup, completely independent of the ParishCouncil, was setup with tb taskto conducttheAppraisal and write a Report.This SteeringGroup comprised 5 born - and- brod Methwoldiansand 4 newcomers,bringing together traditional and outside backgrounds and establisb- ing an early confidencein theAppraisal within thelocal community.
At its secondmeeting the SteeringGroup proposed its timetable:a Questionnaireto be finalisedbt earlyMay, distribution of QuestionnaireinJune, collection of Questionnaireby theend of June,analysb of returns by the end of August and then two to three months to draft, publish, and circulatethc Report. It is a credit to everyoneconcerned that this tight timetableslipped only slightly.
For anAppraisalto be representativeof theviews of the Parishit is essentialthat answeredQuestion- nairesbe returnedby the majority of Households.Our Questionnairewas framedto be completely confidentialand free from embarrassments,but inviting commentson all issues. Questionswhich might possiblyidentify the family who hadfilled in a returnand questionswhich relatedto money, eitherproperty values or personalfinances, were rejected. Furthermore it wasdecided that each indi- vidual distributorof the Questionnaireshould deal with no morethan L0 houses,which wasachieved with 50 volunteers.A subsequentreturn of just below 907ojustified thesemeasures.
The smoothrunning of thisAppraisalhas been due to the goodhumour, dedication and persistence of the distributors,the enthusiasmof manylocal peopleto sharetheir knowledgeof the Parishpast and present,the willing cooperationof all organisationsand firms, andthe supportfrom thosestaff con- tactedat King's Lynn andWest Norfolk BoroughCouncil.
Only time will tell whetheror not the hardwork put into this Appraisalhas been worthwhile. The mereexercise of carryingit out hasbeen highly rewarding,llinging togethermany people in a com- moncause and offering a rareopportunity to all to let off steam.Hopefully this Appraisal Report will increaseawareness of this particularrural community,stimulate debate and discussion,and lead to sometangible actions.
To everyone who hasparticipated in thisAppraisal,especially the peopleof theParish for answering the Questionnaire,sincere and grateful thanks.
GeoffHancock Chairmanof the SteeringGroup
January1995 ACITNOWLEDGEMENTS
SteeringGroup:
I-esleyBrown (Secretary) Judith Griffin David Hunt Brian Fulcher Irs Fuller RosLakey Brian Merrick David Thomas
QuestionnaireD istributors :
Judith Bennett SusieBick DerekBloomfield David Brown ElaineBunnett Nicola Carter DeniseCharlesworth-Smith JudithClements PeterClements ElizabethDarby FrancisDarby CeliaDarby JamesDouglas Anthony Edwards LiesbethFulcher PaulineGooch BetsyGould Hazel Gray Dawn Guyer Nick Guyer Ellen Hancock Mo Hobbs PatHodgson Ethel Hanison JeanLansdown Ken I-ansdown Carol Hunt Linda Malster Nigel Malster Les Lawrence Thora Mclachlan Abe Merrick John Manning Beryl Neville Edith Newton JuneMerrick ClaudineRiches MargaretSayer Vi Palmer TeresaThomas WalterVincent Bob Spinks Madge Watts Jo Wilkinson PamWatts DoreenWortley VeraWortley PeterWilkinson Ken Young JohnYounge Rita Wilson
Borough Council:
Philip Cousins PeterJermany ChrisNelson Ray Sheam Carl Suckling DaveThomason
Norfolk Rural Community C ouncil : Geoffrey I-eigh
Sourceof Information:
PatsieAllen VemonBarrett Anne Brown SueBunten AmandaCox MonicaDance Anthony Darby FrancisDarby RichardEhlers Ken Earle GordonFuller FredaLakey Ian Nisbet Ruth Masters Brian Rayner Malcolm Rayner Adrian Russell Vi Samwell Tony Stone
To JanetMcClean for all sketches. To Andrew Lane for permissionto reproduceextracts from his C-ourseNotes on local History. To krks PressDereham for permissionto publish the ParishMap from 'FadensMap of Norfon< (L997),ed. J C Barringer'. To The Norfolk RuralCommunity Council, the King's Lynnand West Norfolk BoroughCouncil and the Methwold ParishCouncil for funding thisAppraisal. INTRODUCTION
This Reportis written for, and on behalf of, the The aim has been to presentan peopleof MethwoldParish. It servesthree aims: documentwhichis readableand informativg to inform the peopleof the Parishabout the whichwill alsoserve as a usefulreference. historyof the Parishand aboutthe factors a brief historyof Methwold, eachaspect of lil which determineand governthe life of the in theParish is thendealt wittr in turn wherelocJ Parishat the presenttime. opinionis interwovenwith relevantbackgrod information,and commented on by the Stecri43 to provide platform a for theopinions of the Group. Becauseof the needto publish rtri peopleof the Parishon the currentstate of Appraisal Report as quickly as possible tb the Parishand their suggestionsfor future backgroundinformation may be incomplete,d developments. somedetails may be incorrect. to stimulatefurther debatenot only within theParish, but alsowithin the Boroughand All interpretationsexpressed in this Rrpotg County,on wherewe go from here. including the Conclusions and Recommendations,have arisen solely from thc The opinionsof thepeople of theParish presented deliberationsof the Steering Group. This in this Reportare based the on returnsto the SteeringGroup, with its lack of experiencein Methwold Parish Questionnaire.The complete local governmentor in top management.may detaileddata, including every individualcomment, be naiveand ill-informed in someareas, if so, from all returnsare listed in anAppendix.Acopy perhapsallowances can be madeand excusedas of thisAppendixis availableto anyonewho wants over-enthusiasm. one(see back page).
_/\ ?, g,w
ff-Vt Catuvellauni;the Iceni retainedtheir customsand were exemptfrom Roman taxes. But when the Iceni king, Prasutagas,died in 60 AD the local RomanProcurator broke the agreementwith the Iceni and ruthlesslyimposed Romanisation, allegedlyflogging the King's wife, Boadica and raping the King's daughters.The incident riggered off the revolt headedby Boadica, supportedby other tribeswho had experiencedRoman suppression; the Roman garrisonsof Colchester, London and St Albans were destroyed and all inhabitants massacred.The rebellionwas brutally suppressedby the Romans in 61.AD, rebelswere slaughtered andthe remainingIceni ribes people wereherded into forcedlabour to drainthe Fens. causeda massmigration of Celtic Britons westwardtowards Wales and lreland; local Celtic The next 250 years were peaceful and art, customsand place names were completely prosperous.EastAnglia, aided by Fendrainage wiped out. and inland waterways,running as far as york, supplied corn to the RomanLegions. The The Angle-Saxons,or Anglians,differed from Romansbuilt a floating causewayof logs over the earlier Britons, preferring uplandsto the the Fen marshesfrom Denverto peterborough. Brecklandsand settledin the rolling wooded This areaproducedwool, pottery, pewter, woven areas,or wolds. Methwoldwas possibly settled cloth andsalt (from Denver).The remains of a by a group known as the Buntings,initially in Romanvilla andoutbuildings ftilns, sheds)have theThornham Road area, movingto the Buntings beenfound between Methwold and Brookville, Lane area,finally settlingin the centreof the indicatinga villa of brick andflint completewith presentvillage; the reasonsfor the moveswere bathroomsand underfloorcentral heating; this probablydue to floodingand moving to slightly villa might havebeen a sheepfarm or merely a higherground. retirementhome. ARoman sword and evidence Many place of a mosaicfloor havebeen found near the Hythe. current namesoriginated with the - -ford, -wold, Romancoins have been found in Anglo-Saxons: ham, -ing, -ton, Methwoldand -well, Brookville. all indicatedan Anglo-Saxon settlement. Methwold, Raidsby Anglesand Saxonsstarted about 350 previously Medelwolde, Methelwalde, AD at a time whenthe RomanEmpire began to Methelwolda,denotes a settlement in decline.Roman Britain graduallydisintegrated; themiddle of thewolds. Hythe means,landing place'; the Fen drainagesystem collapsed as Romans MethwoldHythe was a port on the edge of were recalledhome, the lastfioops departing in the waterwaysof the fens; Hilgay and 430AD. Southerywere islandsin the fens. Severals meansa collectionof small settlements. Angles and Saxonsarrived in increasing @rookvilledid notget its nameuntil the 1900's.) numbers,to conquer and settle, apparently EastAnglia leavingtheir homelandsdeserted. Their savage prosperedfrom600ADwith its wool industry, policy of genocideand slaveryof the locals tradingwith Wessex,via the Icknield Way,and across the North Seawith Europe. Danish raids from around835 AD devastated the acreagecould be greaterif thequality of the EastAnglia: towns and ports were looted, land was poor. Methwoldwas part of the Europeantrade was severed, and a punitivetax, GrimshoeHundred which coveredHockwold, theDanegeld, was imposed.Within a few years Feltwell, Northwold, Cranwich,Mundford, Danesmoved in as settlers;these Danes were SantonDownham, Weeting; in total66 500acres. assimilators,merging in with the nativeAnglo- Grimshoeand Grimes graves are thought to refer Saxons,but preferringtownJife asdistinct from to a Saxon,or possiblya Danish,general. The theAnglo-Saxons who preferredrural farming nameGrimshoe has persisted over the years; the life. A Danish spearhead was found in a GrimshoePetty Sessionsmoved to Methwold Methwold field. Ownershipof Methwold, CourtHouse, now the LindenNursery, 1901. Mundford, Northwold and Feltwell were all givento Ely monastery. A Parishwas an ecclesiasticalarea, containing onechurch, which couldbe administered by one EastAnglia was restoredto Anglo-Saxonrule, priest. and into a unified England,in 917AD by the Wessexdynasty of Kingsstemming fromAlfred By the early 1.000'sEngland had become the Great. sufficientlyweakened that the Danes were able to return and take the crown of England;East For administrativepurposes the (County) Shires Anglia did not suffer unduly,perhaps because wereestablished throughout England, each Shire of thelargernumber of peopleof Danishdescent, underthe authorityof a Sheriff. TheShires were althoughThetford was looted a coupleof times. brokendown into Hundreds. The last major invasion by 'foreigners' from A Hundredwas the areainhabited by 100 free Europewas by the Normanswho defeatedthe families, alternativelythe areaof 100 Hides, armiesof theDanish King Haroldat Hastingsin wherea Hide was the land which couldsupport 1066AD. a (freeman)peasant and his family. A Hide is alsorecorded as 120acres, but it is thoughtthat William I took possessionof all landin England,
:_-:*_
==- =ga=--- - ..! :_-)_> <<{. A rorvnVirla; which was dividedup primarily betweenthe Manor containedno freemen,18 villeins, Il NormanBarons and the Church. West Norfolk, bordars,24 serfs,2rlzmills, T fisheries,48 oxcr togetherwith part of South Yorkshirewas for ploughing,4 horses,L2 cattle, 'owned', 64 pigs,ffi on behalfof the Kog, by his brother- sheep,27hives of bees.(Methwold and Feltudl in-law, William de Warrene,who lived mainly formed the centre of honey productionil in Sussex.Stewards were installed to supervise Norfolk). the interesnof the absenteelandlord. Afreemanpaid rentfor his land in thethree fields By thetime of the publicationof the Domesday but owed no labour serviceto the Lord of tbc Book in 1086,an inventory of the whole of Manor.Villeins, bordars, serfs were all virnrally England,the Methwold areahad divided into slaveswho had to provide prescribeddays of threeManors, William de Warreneremained as labouron themanor farmland, and could be sold the Lord of Methwoldwhile a de Plaizebecame or transportedto other places. A villein could the Lord of theManors of Methwold (Brunwell rentllq of a Hide of land, a Bordarless and a or Bromhill or Broomhill, pronouncedBrummel) Serfnone. andMethwold Hythe. The extensiveMethwold (rabbit) Warren A Manor usuallycoincided with a Parish,and covering1,500 acres, along the BrandonRoad, consistedof manor house,village cottages, wasprobably established in theNorman perio4 church,the manorfarmed land, threefields for althoughfolklore suggeststhat the waren was thevillagers (with croprotation each three years, in existencein the time of the Danes.The early wheat, oats and fallow for grazing), and a Normanshad difficulty with'th'so Methwold commonmeadow for hay; marsh and poor becameMewol or Muelle; Muel rabbit, noted quality landwere set asideas commonground for its deliciousflavour, has been widely popular for grazingand for cuttingheating turves. over the centuries,apparently it was still being soldinthe london SmithfieldMarketinthe earlv According to the DomesdayBook Methwold partof the L900's. In 1206the Manorsof Methwold (Broomhill) In 1348Methwold Manor was left by will to the andMethwold Hythe were given plaize by thede Earl of Lancaster,who becamethe first Dukeof family to the newly priory. built Broomhill It is Lancaster;the other two Methwold Manors boughtthat this Priorywas built on landopposite remainingwiththe BroomhillPriory. The second thePrimary School; the existing BrumbleBarn Dukeof Lancaster,by virtue of marriageto the is saidto be a Tithe priory Barn of the (perhaps daughterof the first Duke, was Johnof Gaunt, Brumbleis a corruption of Brummel). the third son of EdwardIII, who 'fathered'the line of LancastrianKings (Henry Iy V, VI) by With threeManors there should be threeManor 'fathered'the hisfirst wife and laterline of Housesand three Churches: Tudor Kingsand Queens by his third 'wife'. On the deathof John theManor House for Methwoldwas in the of Gauntin 1,399his landspassed to his son who presentRecreation Ground, and the becameHenry IV, and so the Duchy Churchwas the precursorof the present of Lancasterpassed into thehands of the Church; Crown.
presumablythe Priory was both the Manor Recunentoutbreaks of the BlackDeath over the period Houseand Church for the Methwold 1349-75decreased the populationand BroomhillManor; gavethe peasantsa measureof economic leverage.Attempts by themagnates led by John thelocation of the Hythe Manor Houseis of Gauntto reverseand suppressthe peasants notknown, but theChurch was to theright gainsin 1380 triggeredthe violent peasants of the Methwold to Hythe Road near Revoltin 1381. A groupof localswent on the AbbeyFarm. rampage,attacking wealthy propertiesin Weetingand Didlington before proceedingto The e-xactboundaries of the three Manors are destroyJohn of Gaunt's Manor housein notknown but theMethwold (Broomhill) Manor Methwoldand all of its records. extendedover the 'airfield' area.
t +-
'_/+ -'-;- ..7- @, v 4: --? l-t \-- r
_<.< --4-@,- - lllt -...< \l--', _l .3 rfl' llr-- ,4=r 4{zldfuA- t, R Nor-r.oa *eqg The feudalsystem finally came to an endin the 1400s.But the lot of the peasantdid not necessarilyimprove. New methods of farming, in particulardeveloping pasture land, requiredlarger farms which were formed by the richer land-ownersbuying out the poorer ones and by encroachingon, and enclosing, commonland.
Coming to theTudor period of the 1500's.according to folk- lore, CardinalWolsey, Lord Chancellorfor Henry VIII, startedhis careeras vicar of Feltwellwhere he served a spell in the stocksfor drunkennessin public. To raiserevenues for his variousventures, including the foundationof Collegesat Oxford andCambridgg, Wolsey abolished29 monastichouses, includirigBroomhill Priory and confiscatedtheir revenues. Shortlyafterwards, Wolsey fell from favour, Henry VIII then gavethe lands of theManors of -Kg Methwold (Broomhill) and Charlrrr Methwold Hythe to Christ's College,Cambridge.
CharlesII visitedMethwold in the late 1600's,dining on Muelrabbit, viewing A map of the local areain 1795,taken from a cockfight behind the Cock, and granting Faden'smap of Norfolk, is shownopposite, the exemptionfrom all roadand bridge tolls (if this hatchedareas denote higher ground. Note the Royal Decreehas not beenrescinded, claim largearea covered by theword 'Methwold'from exemptionnext time you go over the Dartford the Warrenin theeast to the Severalsand Fen in Bridge). the west. 'enclosed' Through the 1700'sthe lot of farm labourers Methwoldwas by Statutein 1807, continuallydeteriorated; low wages,high prices, losing its Commonand half of its profitable continuing enclosureof commonland and rabbit waren. Laterin L843a law was passed unrestrained market forces reduceda rural which demandedthat for every 6000 acre population to one of itinerant wagelabourers. enclosed,I32tlz acresshould go to allotments Furthermore drainage of the fens destroyed and 49Uz acresto recreation. The allotments ditching, the traditionaloccupation of the 29- were situatedbetween the Mundford/Brandon week winter. Roadsand Hythe Road/Buntings Lane. \ \ -{ I :'.. i;, Srq l' I [, I
ti
}, |i*. 1.?,, i>
rd[i qFi n F {h Irs, E' {t,- . rrr 1s.R q.\ ii M --f;
i*; I t:F1I
10 Methwold'sfortunes through the 1800's The Colony waswell establishedby 1893. h followed the ups and downsof the agricultural thepassage way of theSocial Club there is a fr! economy,as usual it was down for the poor, page from a North London (Finchley) especiallyabout the time of therepeal of theCorn newspaper,advertising the productsof thc Laws in 1847,and up for the rich, the land Colony. A supportivejournalist who visitedtte owners. Many agriculturalworkers looked to Colony in 1893 despairedof the residentl TradeUnionism to better their situation,most becausethey seemedmore obsessedwith of the prominentleaders of this new movement spiritualism and phrenology(locals have werePrimitive Methodists.After a bittereight apparentlyalways regarded'Brookvillians' as month actionin 1873the NationalAgricultural nutters;in latertimes there was an 'inventor'who LabourersUnion was broken. tried to converta motorcar into a helicopter,aod couplea ploughto a motor bike). Brookville came into being at the turn of the century.The Goodrichfamily, a localMethwold The Colony was not a success,several family,which includeda carpenter,the publican explanationshave been given, all of whichimply at the Swan, and a farmer,owned land around a lack of businessacumen: each small plot was 'Brookville'and the Glebe.As a venturein the not viable on its own, the fruit was not mid 1880's130 acres of landaround'Brookville' transportedto Londonsufficiently quickly, and wasto be sold off in 2 or 3 acreplots at f35 per when the fruit reachedLondon their marketing acre(not insignificant amount) aimed at enticing wasinadequate. Nevertheless a community was affluentcity typesaway from their urbanrat-race created. to take up a life of self sufficiencyin a rural Colony,growing and selling fruit andtobacco. Who conjured up the pretentiousname On the basisthat there are only about10 Brookville, andwhen, is not known. substantialbrick buildings from that periodin Brookville the schemedid not attracttoo many Brookville wasinitially in theNorthwold Parish well-offtypes. Most of the plotswere taken up but ffansferredinto the MethwoldParish in the by local people(whether the pricewas reduced early1950's. ortheplots rented is notknown)who built shacks The map oppositeof Methwold village shows or lived in disusedrailway carriages (at least one someof the traditionalplace names, pubs and of which still remains). buildings
Furtheraspects of more recenthistory of the Parish are describedthroughthe following pages.
t1 r5 -U o :g o -od L = g o a 0 {t 7 g I sl (l c( ) c s o r, 0 a E a- OT l- o o E o a G g c J. s l ,s T8 -- 6 rt oc( u t L E co EEf
-o o d ..\ .^- 7 q, a >
(l t.L c = 5T s .l- s6 -0L .9 ls c dT go $6 l: l ,Eis, l. c.) oa *r o X= s ) o r$ T -o -6 3 ( E t t P6 o 6n (, s o br F d 3 o ti/,
Agriculturalland in the Parishincreased as the As shown in the map in the frontispieoq fenswere gradually drained. nowadaysMethwold Parish extendsfrom tb ThetfordForest in the east,the DentonWaE In 1604800 cattle were grazingonthe Methwold Worksat the BrandoniFelnvell road junction ad Severalswhile 1700sheep and 350 cattle grazed the Felnvell-Southeryroad in the south,acrs on theMethwold Common. theSeverals in thewest to theWissington Sugr BeetFactory in thenorth, andincludes the thrce The constructionof the fen dyke systemby villagesof Brookville,Methwold and Methwold Vermuydenfor the Duke of Bedford in the Hythe. 1630's,including a newdam at Denver,flooded the Commonand the Severals.Abraham MethwoldParish is the secondlargest Parish in Younge,an ancestor of our local historian,John Norfolk in termsof land,extending over I2,?8 Younge,petitioned against this flooding (hehad acres.Methwold was the largestParish until a to be careful,a petition signedby threepeople boundarychange in 1988when a chunkofland constitutedtreason). In the Civil War,in 1642, was transferredto Southery;Feltwell is now thefens were deliberately flooded to hinderany (just)the largestParish. attacksby theRoyalists. With the restorationof themonarchy the fen drainagewas reconstructed TheParish currently has approximately 20 farms in L650,including the drainageof the Severals, rangingfrom about60 acresto about1.000 acres. the Commonand Feltwell Fen. Exactlywho ownsland is difficult to establish. By 1845Methwold had eliminatedall of its Britain is one of the few countrieswhich does marshland,the Parishcomprised 792L acresof. not havea landregister (that is why you haveto arableland,4969 acres of meadowand 65 acres do a 'search'every time you buy or sell your of woodland ('J.2,955acres in total). house)although in Britain two Counties, Neverthelessthere were periodicfloodings, for Middlesexand Yorkshire, keep, or at leastused 'Great examplethe Drown' in 185213.The to keep,a registerof deeds. Methwold and Felnvell DrainageAct of 1909 enforcedthe maintenanceof the drainsand the Most farmersown their farm lands. hunting of moles;to cover expensesa severe 'airfield' localtax was imposed. Someof the areaand pocketsof MethwoldHythe are still owned by Christ College,Cambridge.
It is thoughtthat thereis no longerany land ownedby the Crown throughthe Duchy of Lancaster. QueenVictoria V- sold off part of the Severals, the Forestry Commission bought land from the Crown in 1937, and the Parish Council boughtLower Green from the Crown in 1993. POPUI,ATION llcthwold's populationsince L800, according to to the portsfor embarkationto the new worlds Ccnsusreturns: of Canada.America and Australia.
Year 1801 1851 L87L 190 The populationpeaked in the early 1970'sand population 865 1.669 L430 L254 had been graduallyreducing ever since. The populationnumber of 1309in the 199L census !'ear r93t t95L r97L t991. includesAmerican families living in the Parish population r296 L393 L423 1309 in thatyear.
Thedramatic increase up to 1850was due to the Although the Parishis one of the largestin 'agricultural revolution'of morelabour intensive Norfolk the Parishhas the lowest densityof farming,however, a substantialnumber of people population,an average of L personper L0 acres. in 1851were paupers.After L85l' the new railwaysopened up opportunitiesto travel so Approximately30Vo of families living in the therewas a migrationfrom the rural areasnot Methwold Parishin L994,were born and bred only to theurban areas, particularly London, but in the Parish. Somefamilies, for example,the Sayers,Wortleys, and Younges, go backover The 22.5% of over 60's (a somewhatlower threecenturies. percentagethan that quoted in the 1991census) is a reasonableproportion. Thereis a drop ir Approximately45Vo of familieshave arrived in relativenumbers as agesdecrease; in 20 yeu theParish within thelast 20 years. timeover 30Vo of thepopulation will beover60 About 1,5Voof.the population left theParish over yearsof age(this trendis a nationaltrend). the last L0 yearsfrom familiesstill living in the Theone disturbing population statistic is thattbe Parish;the main reasonsfor leavingthe Parish numberof children are: belowthe ageof 5 yearsold is significantlyless than the numberof children lack of suitableaccommodation, betweenthe agesof 5-10years old.
lackof suitableemployment, especially for What is not known, and what would be of thosewho attendedhigher education, interest,is how the age distributionof thosc leaving the Parish compareswith the age changein family circumstances(maniage, distributionof thosemoving into the Parish. divorce). In 1994, out of a total of approximately500 Presumablythis I5Voof the populationwere Households: primarily young peoplewho left hometo begin their adultlife elsewhere,a significantproportion 20Voof.Households consist of 1 person, of the youngergeneration. (LL.SVoof Householdsconsist of a single Altogether the percentageof the population elderly personover 65 yearsof age), leavingthe Parish over the last L0 yearsis closer 40Voof. Households consist of 2 people, to 25% when the departureof whole families, which could not be ascertainedfrom the (l0.5VoofHouseholds consist of 2 elderly Appraisal,are included. people), However, this 25Vodeparture has been LSVoof Householdsconsist of 3 persons, compensatedby a slightly smallernumber of L4.5VoofHouseholdsconsist of 4 persons, arrivals. The main reasonsfor newcomers movinginto the Parishare: L.5% of Householdscomprise a single parent, attractiverural area,and its location, 23.5Voof Householdshave children under to take up employment, the ageof 16. attractivecheaper housing to buy. It follows from the above figures that It is somewhatsurprising that employmentbrings approximately25Vo of elderlypeople live in in newcomers,presumably they fill more Householdswith youngerpeople. specialisedjobs. In conclusion,the relative high turnoverof For the agedistribution of the populationin the population,approximately 25Vo over 1.0years, Methwold Parish in 1994, excludingmost primarily determinesthe age distribution. If this Americanfamilies, in approximatepercentage rate of turnover continuesthen it is difficult to terms: predictthe agedistribution in theParish in future years. 22.5% areunder 20 yearsof age, One welcome consequenceof this turnoverof 25Vo arebetween 20 and40years of age, population,coupled with the factthat the Parish consists 30Vo arebetween 40 and60 yearsof age, of three separatevillages, is that the Parish does not suffer from the intrusive 22.5Vo areover 60 yearsof age. claustrophobiaand insularity often associated with closelyknit rural communities. HOUSING ln medievaltimes, before the Tudors,Manor William Coote,who had madehis fortunein Houseswere substantially built of stoneand flint. Ausfralia. The medievalvillage dwellingswere primarily Thefirst councilhouses, on theStoke and Hythe *'ood andthatched, and easily destroyed by fire. Roads,were built in the mid 1930's;Herbert Tudorbuildings combined brick with a wooden Drive wasbuilt about1947 (these were intended, frame. The Old Vicarageopposite the Church like pre-fabs,to be temporarybut are still datesfrom the 1.500's;in its timeit hasserved as standing,nearly 50 yearson), the remainderwere a factoryand workhouse. built in the early 1950's. In total about 120 Councildwellings were built. A JacobiteMansion, built presumablyin thelate 1600's,used to standbehind the church. Exactly At the presenttime thereare approximately 530 why this building has beendemolished while dwellingsin the Parish. Of thesedwellings, earlierbuildings still standis not known. approximately: The historiesof most of the old properties 34Voare detached houses, surroundingthe Church and Fairhill do not 22Voare semi-detached houses, appearto be well known;perhaps the Historical Societycould find out moreabout them. 9Voare terraced houses, The presentflint, stoneand chalk cottages 28Voare detached bungalows, appearedin the 1880s;slate roofing camewith railways after 1860,bringing the slatefrom 7Voare semi-detached bungalow, Wales. while, accordingto the Questionnaire, Six almshouseswere built downthe OldFeltwell 70Voare privately owned, Roadin 1880 at the bequestof an ex'-resident,
f-{1 4;ft' Y//A- I -rft.-l n#6 ------ffi-.tl {i,,, ru\ / :,rlil ': \ l r \\
-LAF} I 7:=-- t> -(errarud :1
16 "L4Voare Council rented, shelteredaccommodation with a Thereare, at least, 7Voate Private rented, 2 Householdson the Council wa 6Voarc Private rented to transient Americans, 8 Householdsunable to get on the waitinglist. thereare 8 tied cottages. In Novembert994,from Council records, The relativelylarge percentage of privaterented were 13 peopleacross the Boroughon tb accommodation,especially to the locals,is Council waiting list, seeking housingil surprising. Methwoldas first choice.Last yearthe turnovcr In the L980's,as part of MargaretThatcher's of Councildwellings was 5. vision of a propertyowning society,Council Currentlya typical rent for a two bedroom propertieswere offered for sale,and the building dwelling is around t32 per week. Under tb of new CouncilproPerties ceased. To dateM presentGovernment policy, rents are not dwellingshave been sold off to Council house subsidised;families on income supportor tenants,not necessarilyto sitting tenants(some benefitshave their rents paid, but families oa Council propertyhas been sold to Council low income,orwith savingsof morethanf8,0fi), tenantsliving outsidethe Parish). who areineligible for incomesupport or benefis' One of the morecontentious decisions was to haveto pay the full rent. sell off old peoples'bungalowsto their elderly Thereare a numberof building developmentsin tenants. A numberof theseprivately owned theParish. bungalowscame on the marketas their owners diedor movedelsewhere, and are now occupied The Clough Farm development,below the by youngerpeoPle. PrimarySchool, is now complete;it comprises barnconversions and executive houses. To assessthe current housing needs ofthe Parish, accordingto theQuestionnaire, there are TheCowlishaw site (approximately 0.4 acre) on theHigh Streetis currentlyunder development; 31.Households living within the Parish 7 housesare to be built on this site, someare who are looking for alternative accommodationin the Parish either now, or expect to within the nextZ years. The tyPes of accommodation being sought in the Parish are primarily:
places to rent (flatl bedsit,Council house, :- Council bungalow),
low coststarter homes to buy, -==;7,j--* but also gv=-= - {u*,1 small/medium ttouS05 propertiesto buy.
t7 &signatedlow coststarter homes. from otherswho fear the spoiling of the views there is some local support for partial Permissionhas been granted to build4 Executive development. bousesin the hollow of the Chalk Pit. Thereis muchlocal pvzzlementand indignationat this Housingfor the yearsL988-2006 has been laid decisionbecause it is a siteof historicalinterest downby theCounty in its Norfolk StructurePlan *'ith potentialfor a more environmentalusage, 1,993. The Borough Council has the a@essis limited, mists linger for long periods responsibilityof implementingthat part of the during winter months,and the seweragefrom Planwhich is relevantto WestNorfolk; 13,500 theCowlishaw site is to be pumpedinto thePit. dwellingsare to bebuilt in King's Lynnand West Norfolk of which 3,500will requirenew land, A long standingplanning permission has been the other 10,000dwellings to be placedby grantedto build approximately40 mixedhouses infilling. It is not known whethera specific ona sitefrom Old FelnvellRoad to PetchComer, numberof dwellings has been allocatedto althoughthere are still disputesconcerning MethwoldParish. access. For the purposesof housingdevelopments all A Housing Trust has expressedinterest in villagesare divided into threemain areas: buildingproperties to rentand starter homes if a suitablesite canbe found. SuchHousing Trusts new dwellings will normally be allowed partly involve privatemoney which requiresa (this type of areais alreadywell built-up, profit, rentsof the smallestproperties are about for example,Elden Lane - Hythe Road- f45 aweek. HerbertDrive, LancasterClose, Thornham Road,the main road throughBrookville, Therehas been controversyover the meadow the centreof the Hythe) by the sideof the recreationalground, opposite Methwold Post Office. The owner wishesto newdwellings maybe allowed buta strong build on the meadow,an unsightlypatch of caseneeds to be made(this typeof areais overgrownnettles with a brokendown gateon alreadyreasonably built-up, most of the main road.Although there is oppositionto Methwoldvillagecomes into thiscategory anydevelopment from thoseliving closeby and
t-l
-,_- -i-t:.- .-,
( ' .t?- Ir 1 - f ' l--T:> even though Methwold village is designated a ConservationArea) new dwellingswill --=::- not be allowed although existing buildings may be extended and converted,or where >-\ newbuildings replace =," older buildings(this ll r \\ areais sparselybuilr Fcrn)ll up, for example, LancasterPark, the restof Brookvilleoff themain road). materials,with the sunoundingold buildings. Accommodationbecomes vacant as Households This developmenthasdestroyed, for all time,part move out of the Parish. Accordingto the of the heritageof thevillage. The peopleof the Questionnairethere are: Parishdeserve an explanation and assurance that havebeen learnt. It is by no means 48 Householdswithin the Parishlooking lessons thatthedesignation of Methwoldvillage for alternativeaccommodation outside of obvious as a ConservationArea provides adequate the Parisheither now, or expectto within the next2years. safeguards. theother hand the renovation of buildingsin The accommodationbeing sought is primarily On GlobeStreet and the Clough Farm development mediumsized properties to buy. hasbeen designed with sensitivityand regard to Unfortunatelyit is not known what type of tradition. propertyis beingvacated by Householdsas they concludeswith a numberof move outsideof the Parish,and so it is not a This Section questions: simpleor straightforwardexercise to assessthe housingneeds of the Parish. why hastheBorough Council not initiated thebuilding of anydwellings for rentsince From the Questionnairethe overwhelming the 1.950's,especially when 35Voof opinionof the peopleis thateach of thevillages Councildwellings have been sold off? of the Parishshould only marginallyexpand in orderto retaintheir individualrural character;it doesthe ParishCouncil have a housing wasvirhrally unanimous that priority for housing policy? developmentshould be aimed at thosecurrently living in the Parish. (this questionis posedbecause current developmentsappear to be piecemeal,and It would seemthat theseopinions are being contraryto whatthe PeoPlewant) ignoredby the currenthousing developments. doesthe Borough Council have a housing A relatedissue concerns the designfeatures of policy for the Parish? newhousing recently built. Thereis widespread dismay,even anger,at the types of modern how often has the Borough Council housesbuilt on the High Street(for example, overridden Parish Council wherethe old cart shedused to be) andMillgate recommendationsin regards of Streetwhich are incompatible,in designand developmentproposals? EMPLOYMENT Traditionallyfarming has been the main source whenfully operationalthe Factory with its staff of employment. In L967the numbersof farm of around350, will betaking in about1000 lorry labourerswere: loadsof beet(1,500 tons) a daywhich produces 2000tons of sugar,1000 tons of animalfeed and 292 full-time,49 part-time,250 casual. 250 tonsof molasses(a syrup usedin growing yeasts,and an ingredientin animalfeed). Over the last 30 yearsthe developmentof herbicides and insecticides and the mechanisationof drilling, harvestingand handling,has led broadlyto a tenfold decrease H OWARDLONG INTERNATIO NAL in requiredfarm labour. Jeff Waterfall,a memberof a Wissingtonfarming Although farming in itself is no longer an family, took over a hangaron the airfield employerof any consequencethe main local alongsideBrandon Road as a cold storein the industriesare still rootedin the land in an early 1960's,and over the yearsbuilt up a agriculturaland horticulturaleconomy, with business(Mr Fresh) of prepared salad threemajor industrial firms in theParish, namely ingredients.After the prematuredeath of Jeff the Wissington SugarFactory, Howard Long Waterfallthe plant was taken over by Shropshires lnternationaland Darbys. in L987,anotherWissington farming family, and thenin 1980by HowardLong International,an Americanbased firm. WISSINGTONSUGAR FACTORY Howardlong haveinvested f5.6 million; turn- over hasincreased from f3.5 million with L80 to WissingtonSugar Factory was built in L927 employeesin 1987 to f25 million with 450 processthe local crop of sugarbeet. With the employeesin 1993. This firm now suppliesall recentclosure of the King's Lynn Saddlebow the saladneeds of the McDonald restaurant complex the WissingtonFactory has been chain;Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose, Littlewoods, improvedand expanded at a costof f50 million; /' 20 Budgensand Gatewayare also customers. f4 million perannum, and employing around Havingestablisheda lead in a highly competitive full time staff and 200 casualand contract marketthe future stategy is to consolidaterather for the six summer months. Looking to the thancontinuing to expand,and to anticipateand the emphasiswill be on optimisingthe possiblyinfluence the changing pattern of salad from the presentacreage. combinations, their fads, fancies and presentations. Othersmall firms in theParish include: Kebrell Nuts andBolts, in the old Drill Hall. In the summermonths 35Vo of the lettucesfor Wheel andTyre Services,down Buntings HowardLong are grownwithin the Parish;the I-ane. giant mobile sortingtent in the lettucefields in FenspeedHaulage, behind the Fire Station the Wissingtonarea is an impressivepiece of G B machinerv. Qualiry Foods,off the High Srreet. Mayer,Sommerfield and Neville, Haulagein the Hythe. O.W.Wortley & Sons,Potato Merchants donm DARBYS ThornhamRoad. During the secondWorld War the Government Turning to the employmentof Individuals, reclaimedareas of thefen which wereprimarily accordingto the Questionnaire: scrubwith brokendown drainage. Most of this for thoseIndividuals over2l yearsof age: reclaimedland was handed over to othersto farm exceptfor 500 acresclose to BroadFen which 445 arein employment, was farmed by the Norfolk War Agricultural where Committee.ln1945 FrancisDarby was brought in to manage this farm primarily as an 28 are 'employers'of 3 or more people experimentalfarm, testingout cropsand (a family has been countedas one techniquessuitable for the black peatsoils. 'employer') In 1951this Governmentfarm land washanded 82 are self-employed(9 of which are back to its original owners. Howeverthe female) ownershipof 150acres could not betraced, so it wasoffered for saleand was bought by Francis 259 arefull-time employed(104 of which Darby who was then joined by his younger arefemale) brother,Hugh Darby. Initially the business 72 are part-timeemployed (58 of which concentratedon soft fruit plantsbut expanded arefemale) into ornamentalshrubs, with the acquisitionof partof the airfield downOld FelnvellRoad and 3 are undergoingtraining, also into vegetableand saladproduction, with 3 are in highereducation, the acquisitionof a numberof farms on the Several.The vegetableand salad business was while sold in 1979;other farmshave been bought in Norfolk and Suffolk. 39 areunemployed; for Darby Nursery StockLtd, formed in 1.961,has thoseIndividuals in the l7-21agebracket, subsequentlydeveloped into possiblythe largest 31 are in full-time employment, specialistcontainer grown shruband tree nurseriesin the UK, with an annualouput of L4 arc in part-timeemployment some2 million plantsfrom its sitesdown Old 27 arein full-time education, Felnvell Road and the Broad Fen Farm in the Hythe (covering in total 70 acres,including 8 11 are on trainingschemes acresunder glass or polythene),a turnoverabout 4 areunemployed. 2l TbeQuestionnaire did not containquestions on 8Voof.Individual's work, or arebased, in ry'pesof jobs becausein a small communitya eitherthe Thetford or Brandonareas, job description,together with family details, couldidentify a family. 4Voof.Individual's work, or arebased, in either the Lakenheath/Mildenhallor Thebusinesses of the28 employers(of morethan DownhamMarket areas, threepeople) include farming,building, of.Individual'stravel more electricalinstallations, funeral services, imports 8Vo than 30 miles to work. andvehicle repairs. Someemployers who live in the Parishhave their businessesor plant Of the 43 Individualsunemployed: outsideof the Parish,their businessesinclude smallmanufacturing and haulage. 26 aremale, 17 arefemale, Thereis a relatively large numberof self- 28 arein the 40-59age bracket, employed. 27 havebeen unemployed for morethan L Self-employedmales include: year. builders, plumbers, electricians, For thoseIndividuals who havedealt with the decorators,shopkeepers, publicans, DSSwithin the last 3 years,their opinionon the gardeners,window cleaners,financial help receivedin obtaining the full rangeof advisors,solicitor, smallholders, financial benefitsand job opportunitiesand training advisors, coal merchant, jeweller/ throughthe job centres: craftsman,secondhand car dealer. 23Voare fully satisfied, Self-employedfemales include : SOVo^re reasonablysatisfied, shopkeepers,hairdressers, beautician, 27Voare dissatisfied, secretaries,artist. Among thosedissatisfied, some were extremely With regardto how far peopletravel to work, dissatisfied,a causefor concern. approximately: The Parish Council should monitor the 60Voof lndividual's work, or arebased, in employmentsituation and ensurethat the the Parishor neighbouringParishes, unemployedreceive the bestadvice and service. nYU - 't5ron fie Syo' I RETAIL SHOPPING in Brookville, 1n1937the shops in Methwoldvillageconsisted 1.post office/general store; of: in the Hythe,there are no shops. 4 butchers,3 generalstores, 2 bakers, 2 fried fish dealers,L watch repairer, At the presenttime, for their main shopping 2 grocers,L tobacconist,l.fancy goods, 1 chemist,L bootrepairer,l photographer, 45Voof. Households go to Thefford, togetherwith a branchof BarclaysBank. 1,5Voof Householdsgo to Brandon, By 1960there were a few shopsless. 1,5Voof. Households go to local shops, Since 1.960local shopshave closed at an L3%of Householdsgo alarmingrate due to increasingcar ownership to King's Lynn, and the ability to travelinto the nearby towns, 6Vo of.Households go to Downham particularlyto the superstores. Market. In 1994,the shopsconsist of: Local retailershave difficulty in reconcilingthe in Methwoldvillage, aboveusage of localshops with their experience. L butcher, Virtually all Householdsuse local shopsbut mainly I generalstore, for last minute or small items, L confectioner/store, neverthelessthe complete disappearance of local 1 pet/hardware/greengrocery, shopswould impose inconvenience. Local shops are regardedas an important 1.postoffice/cards/stationery/gift s; featureof a rural community. a newsagenVconfectionerintends to open soon; With the bulk of shoppingnow being doneout of the Parish,local tradingis only marginally profitable,after the ever-increasing overheads of tlk -? ?e - bffitffi -><-' ?osl,Glics ond Shop 23 businesstax and insurancehave been paid. To Apart from the Mondaycoffee/cake stall in the sn)' in profit localshops need more trade. Those ChapelHall run by volunteersto raisefunds for pcoplewho say that theyregard local shopsas theChurch and Chapel, the Monday Market does cxnemelyimportant should be prepared to spend not inject much money into local shops,the a biggerproportion of theirmoney in localshops; Georgeor the SocialClub. costsof some items can be less than the srpermarkets. The main complaintabout the Market concerns car parking. It is irksomethat the free parking The future of a Methwoldvillage generalstore behindthe Fenton Room is not usuallytaken up, looksbleak. Sainsburyshave been approached possiblybecause of poor signs; a hand poster but offeredonly sympathy. exercisehas been undertaken recently. The congestionof car parking is acute on Bank Maybe a profitable businesscould arise by Holiday Mondays,a potentialsafety hazard. mergingsomehow the Post Office anda General Store. The lack of a public toilet, a talking point over many yearsby the ParishCouncil, is still an The ParishCouncil shouldtake a more active embarrassment. interest,in collaborationwith otheragencies such as the Norfolk Rural Community Council, to establishexactly what is thepresent situation and to seewhat options are available to help retaina viablestore. It wouldbe far betterto takeaction now ratherthan wait until the storedisappears andthen try belatedlyto do somethingabout it. MONDAYMARKET MethwoldMarket has a longtradition. Aweekly marketwasestablished about 1200, held initially in the churchyard, but it hadceased to existby medievaltimes. A Tuesdaymarket was reintroducedin 16L8by Charterfrom CharlesI but wasgone within a hundredor so years.The weekly Monday Market began trading in livestockand corn sometimebefore 1.845.and continuesto this day. TheMethwold (Auction) Market, held within the walledenclosure offthe High Street,attracts on averageapproximately 60 peopleeach week from mostly outsideof the Parish. On Bank HolidayMondays there is anextra large turnout when an auctionof antiquesis also held in St George'sHall. Within the last few monthsstalls have started appearingin the GeorgePub forecourt on Mondays,extending the scopeof the Monday Marketbut potentiallyfurther eroding local trade. TRANSPORT \ \."l\ 4 2\ I , 1iffi ,l,lnil'tTt' PRNATE TRANSPORT to Bury St Edmunds:Wednesday In the Parishat the presenttime: departMethwold 9.05,return Bury 1.30 L3Voof Householdshave no vehicle, to Brandon: Thursday departMethwold 9.46,return Brandon L2.30 30Voof Householdshave 2 or morecars, to DownhamMarket: Friday 27Voof. Households have bicycles, departMethwold 9.23,return Downham 1..00 thereis an excessof 600 motor vehicles, to Thetford:Friday departMethwold 9.48,return Thetford L2.30 with the closureof Cowlishaw'spetrol pumps in 1992,there are now no petrol to Norwich: Saturday pumps, departMethwold 8.55,return Norwich 3.00 thereis oneused car dealer, on theBrandon to Swafftram:Saturday Roadat Cock Corner,who doesnot offer departMethwold 9.26,return Swafftram 1l..45 car servicingor repairs, In additionit is possibleto travelinto Methwold there is no garage,some car servicingis in the morning on the Schoolbuses. available,,most carsare takenout of the Parishfor servicing. SeniorCitizens can obtainconcessions, up to a maximumof 70p offthe standardreturn fare, by purchasinga card from the Council Officesat King's Lynn. BUSES The aboveBus Serviceessentially fits in with Thepresent bus servicesare: theSchool Bus Service;buses are available after to King's Lynn:Tuesday,Thursday, Saturday Schoolsstart at thebeginning of theday but have departMethwold 9.31., return King's Lynn1.30 to be back in Methwold beforeSchools finish. 25 Recentlya dial-a-busfor the 'lessmobile' has The StokeFerr)'Branch Line, connectingwith ceenintroduced. the GER at Denver,opened in 1882;it closedto passengersin 1930but a freight servicewas From theQuestionnaire, operateduntil 1965. 12% of Householdsuse the presentbus The private WissingtonLight Railway, which serviceregularly, extendedto Southeryand Feltrvell and reached 30Voof. Households use the presentbus Methwoldin 1.906,provided local farmerswith serviceoccasionallv. readyfansportation of cropsand produce to the SugarBeet Factory and the StokeFerr), Branch *'hile Line; thisprivate Railway closed finally in 1957. another35Vo of Householdswould In morerecent times, prior to the electrification probablyuse an improvedbus service. of theKing's Lynn-Ely-Cambridge-Iondonline The mostcommon request for animproved bus the trains,although infrequent, were extremely serviceis for afternoonbuses and evening buses, comfortablewith tablesto sit at, andwith a buffet althoughtrekking around neighbouring villages car. Nowadays,with a more frequentservice journey canbe tedious.Additional afternoon buses will anda rapid timeof 90 minutesto King's not necessarilyincrease the total numberof Crossfrom DownhamMarket, the trains are less passengers.Evening buses would give more comfortableand with no refreshments. opportunityfor individualsto visit sportscenftes, There is a limited serviceto Norwich from cinemasand concerts. Improvedbus services Brandonstation. will only be forthcomingif local peopleare preparedto actuallyuse them. WestNorfolk is pressingfor improvedrail links with StanstedAirport andwith the connecting The provision of an adequatebus serviceis a termini in Londonfor accessto Europethrough complexproblem, matching provision of buses the Channeltunnel. with actualdemand, availability of buses,and interfacingthe needsof neighbouringvillages. would Only aftera thoroughand detailed study TRAFFIC it be possibleto seehow the servicecould be improved. Roadtraffic appearsto be increasingprimarily due to moreheavy lonies; nowadays there is: Thereis a lack of busshelters (to the annoyance of vandals). Sometime ago the Community a turn-roundof approximately50lonies a Associationproposed a busshelter but wherever day at Howardhog, a locationwas suggestedsomeone objected, the a turn-roundof approximately12lonies a busshelter never materialised. day at Darbys, a turn-roundof approximately35lonies a a)il day down ThornhamRoad, Thereis one taxi servicein Methwold. a throughputof approximately40 lorries (Suttonstel.7?3337) a dayby FavorParker, together with ever larger farming machineryand tractors. RAIL More correcflythe aboveparagraph should read The Great Eastern Line from London- 'day and night' for it is the night traffic, Cambridge-Ely-King'sLynn through Downham especiallythrough Brookville, and not just from Market was Ely-Norwich openedin 1847;the the abovefirms, which causesconsiderable was line throughBrandon openedearlier in 1845. distress. ?6 just rodr Thereis a widespreadopinion that the speedof qualityof road surfaces(and not getscls taffic, carsand lorries, through all threevillages most services)improves as one is excessiveand dangerous, and that there should Norwichand the CountyCouncil Offices- Most of the speedingin be a clampdown. The sweepingof roadsis the responsibility the Hythe is by drivers living in Methwoldand the Borough Council; roads with kerbs whereasspeeding through Brookville theParish, scheduledto be swePttwice a Year. andon theBrandon/Stoke Ferry Roadis alsoby driverspassing through. Over 50Vo of Households regard maintenance,road gutter and drain cleanin& an extensionof the Many peoplepressed for poorstandard. speedlimit which existsalong the StokeRoad throughBrookville. While this Appraisalhas Overallroad maintenanceappears to be beenin progressa 40 mph hasbeen granted and patchworkvariety. In particularthe quality installed.However it hastaken nearly 1'5years the roadsurface and generalunevenness oftb of ParishCouncil badgering for a speedlimit to main road through Brookville is a major apPear. contributoryfactor to the noiseproblem. Thereis pessimismthat any speedlimit will be The resurfacingof roadsby layeringchippingr ignored,and so have little effect- Initial on tar might be economicalbut damageto impressionsare that the Brookville speedlimit paintworkand windscreens is cosfly. Toomany hashad a salutoryeffect; the police have also motoristsignore the recommended speed limitl madetheir presence felt. although a 10 mph limit over an extended distanceis ratherridiculous. Otherpeople, and the ParishCouncil, pressfor a speedlimit throughthe Hythe continuingon The Mundford road remained chipping- to Methwold. hazardousmore thana monthafter resurfacing. Although speedis dangerousin itself the Justover a year agof250,000 was spentoD increasednoise associated with speedalong the improvementsto the Stoke Ferry Road past mainroad in Brookville,especially by lorries,is MethwoldHigh Schooland the building of a new reachingunacceptable levels. This problemis cyclefiack. Thismodification has been well over particularlyacute at night when empty lorries 1.0years in the pipelinefrom the dayswhen far rattlethrough. morecyclists used this stretchof road- Thereare many complaintsover the excessive Public opinion on this project is mixed but in use of narrow roads(eg Old Feltrvell Road, broadterms any improvementis thoughtto be ThornhamRoad) by largelorries andlarge farm marginal,if at all: machinery.Darbys accept that their lorry traffic accidentsstill occur,possibly because the is a nuisanceto someresidents and would lend ' improvements'seem to encouragefaster their supportto a road link betweenBrandon driving, Roadand Petch Corner; such a road would be compatiblewith any housingdevelopment off manypeople askwhy the dangerousbends Old FeltwellRoad. werenot takenout, Carsparked on roadsappear to be a problemin no allowancewas made for parkingin front MethwoldHythe; off-road parking suchas lay- of the cemetery, byeswould help. weedssoon began growing up throughthe tarmac of the cYcle track, making it exceedinglydangerous for cyclists; this ROADS hasnow beenrepaired, presumably costing Themaintenance of roadsare the responsibility moremoney. of the County. A cynic has suggestedthat the )'7 The last two observationsare disturbing, STREETLIGHTING rmplyingincompetence either by the Countyin provision is specificationsand supervision,or by the The of street lighting is the contractor. responsibilityof theBorough Council. However the Boroughdelegates this responsibilityto the It is recommendedthat the Mundford Road, ParishCouncil for which the BoroughCouncil which is the only east road connectionin and pays40%o of the costs. This anangementgives out of Methwoldbe upgraded: the ParishCouncil more controlin the sitingof streetlights and their maintenance. the road is barely wide enoughfor heavy lonies andschool buses to pass, It is suggestedthat further streetlighting is requiredoutside the Primary School,between thereis a considerableincrease in traffic, PetchCorner and Brumble Barn,and at the top is now the main location Thetford for endof the Old Feltwell Road. shoppingand Howard Long and Darbys haveexpanded, thereare no centralwhite lines, theroad is not gritted in badweather. PAWMENTS(also lcnownas FOOTWAYS) Maintenanceof pavementsis the responsibility of the County; some pavementsare unsafe becauseof potholes,especially for elderly people. Pavementsare never swept. Although chippings on a resurfacedroad are usuallyswept up, chippingsthrown up onto pavementsare just left indefinitely,an extreme nuisanceto all pedestriansbut dangerousto elderlypedestrians and childrenon small bicycles. Many peoplecomplain about the selfishnessof I I lorry andtractor drivers travelling at high speeds I in wet weather,splattering mud all over pavementand verges, and over pedestrians. A pavementis requiredbetween the Hythe and Methwold. WRGES The maintenanceof greenverges by the sideof roadswhere there is no pavementis the responsibilityof the County. Over 65Voof Householdsregard verge maintenanceof poor standard. 28 SERVICES HEALTH SERWCES school nurses,occupational therapy physiotherapy. In thepast in Methwoldvillage, a dentistvisited until 1948,and therewas a doctorand visiting Nowadaysthere are two surgeriescovering opticianup to theearly 1.970's. Parish,one in Feltwell@rs Mcl*an, Nisbcg 0842 828481),the other in Boughton The currentorganisation of the local Health Bolam,Mack: tel: 500331);both outside of Servicecomprises: Parish. the Norfolk Family Health Services About 90Voof Householdsin the Parish Authority which anangesthe provision of registeredwith theFeltwell surgery, which family doctors,dentists, pharmacists and approximately4000 patients. Each week optometrists; are5 moming surgeries(8.30 to L0.00am) 3 evening (althoughthere is govemmentpressure on surgeries(Monday, Wednesday doctorsto becomeindependent 'fund Friday,5.30 to 7.00pm) at Feltwell and, 2 surgeries(Monday holders'few ruraldoctors have done so; a andThursday, 4.00 to pm) in doctors'surgeryreceives a sumof money Methwold. basedon numberof patientswith a The overwhelmingmajority of Individualsare weightingfor the elderly,maternity care, satisfiedwiththe teatmentand service from their child immunisationetc., but moneycan be Doctors.However, there is a significantnumber deductedif targetssuch as cervical smears, of Individuals who experiencedifficulty in arenot met); attendingtheir Doctors'surgerybecause of theNorth WestAngliaHealthAuthority, a inconvenientevening surgery hours at National HealthAuthority Trust, is Methwold which overlapwith working responsible for the King's Lynn, hours, Peterboroughand Wisbech Hospitals and theprovision of communitybased services thelocation of thesurgery when transport suchas community nurses, health visitors, is not available. N 29 Similarly, the overwhelmingmajority of ForHouseholds which havedealt with theSocial Individualswho havebeen either in-patients or Serviceswithin the last 3 years: rut-patientsat a NHS Hospitalover thelast 5 '.ears were satisfiedwith their treatmentand 50Vothought that the Social Services .ervice. respondedquickly, 807othought that the \s far aswaiting for admissionto a Hospital; SocialServices provided satisfactory support. 23 Individualshave been waiting for less (somewere satisfied even though the initial than L year, responsewas thoughtto be slow) 5 Individualshave been waiting between a numberwere not happywith theservice 1.and 2years, received. 2lndividuals havebeen waiting more than From the Questionnairethere is a smallnumber 2years. of elderly Householdswhich feel that they require more care support. Sadly the most Of theremaining Health Services (district nurse, requestedsupport is 'someoneto talk to'; in healthvisitor, ambulance,maternity care, addition mealson wheels,home help, and chiropody,optician, dentist,loan of medical additionalcare are still sought. equipment)the majority of Individualswere satisfiedwith the servicereceived. The DENTON DAY CENTREwas formed in 1977 and is managedby a committeeof At least 69 Individualshave experienced volunteersand funded by theSocial Services. It difficulty in arrangingdental treatment on the catersfor 25 older peoplefrom the local area, NHS, a symptom of the breakdownin the notjust from theParish. Every Wednesday these provisionof dentalservices on the NHS. membersare transpoftedby volunteersto the Surprisinglyno return mentionedthe ever- FentonRoom where they are offered a hot lunch increasingcost of prescriptions,or of eyetests, andlight refreshments;activities include crafts, or of dentalcharges. quizzes,bingo and occasionaltrips out. The financial support is under review as a consequenceof Governmentspending limits. SOCIALSERWCES With the current emphasison care in the SocialServices aim to careforchildren-in-need, community,consideration is beinggiven by the thedisabled, and the elderly-in-need. The Social Social Servicesto opena Day Centre5 daysa professional Servicesare the responsibilityof the County week, with a core staff, taking in primarily people Council and administeredin this areaby the 1.5, elderly frail, a day. The WesternDistrict Office at King's Lynn, proposalis to extendthe Fenton Room to provide integratingwith the servicesof the local GPs, bathingfacilities, disabled toilets, clinic rooms communirynurses and health visitors, hospitals, etc. Exactlyhow this new Centrewill interface residentialhomes. with the DentonDay Centreis not clear. In the vocAl PROJECTa group of young There have been many reorganisationsof the adultswith severelearning difficulties meet each Social Servicesover recentyears. Cunently Tuesdayat MethwoldHigh Schoolto learnthe SocialServices act asan 'assessorof needs'and dealingfor example, as a 'puttertogether' of 'carepackages', only skills of everyday living, planning I5Voof.Social Services monies may be spenton with money,shopping, meal and project thedirect provision of careby theSocial Services cookery.An innovativefeature of this is pupils, part themselves,the resthas to be spentin theprivate the involvementof schooland its as or voluntary sector. The emphasisis on of the Schoolcurriculum. providingcare to enablepeople to continueliving Hopefullythe Social Services are fully awareof in the communityas long aspossible. all the peoplein the Parishwho requiresupport, both the disadvantagedand their carers. The TELEPHONE SocialServices could inform theParish how far the needsof the Parishare beingmet by the At least28 Householdsdo not havea provision of the Social Services,and by the (7 are householdscomprising a single complementarycontributions of the Voluntary person). Services. There were virtually no adverse the telephoneservice, not eventhe cost. VOLUT'ITARYSERWCES Thereare 4 telephonekiosks in the Parish: on the main roadthrough Brookville, Approximately25Vo of Householdshave sought advicefrom theCitizens'Advice Bureau orfrom on the cornerof Millgate the SocialAy'oluntaryServices over the past 5 Street, years.This numberis surprisinglyhigh, although on HerbertDrive, some enquiriesmay have beenrelatively straightforward.But this high numbersuggests at the crossroads at theHythe. the needto makereadily available in theParish Thelast 3 arethe old redbox kiosks. The Parisl accessto counsellingand support services. Councilis trying to retainthe old redboxkictsr arguingthat they fit in with traditionalseuings It has not been possibleto find out how far VoluntaryOrganisations contribute to thewelfare Approximately30Vo of Householdsuse a kiost of the Parish. It is difficult to keeptrack of the but mostly occasionally. extremelylarge numbers of suchbodies, and new variantskeep appearing. Experienceof the telephonekiosks is that they canbe smelly,vandalised, not working, without directories,and without accessfor disabled. .*-m-A._1> xttr..?/a 'rySsryf ZA! K%lffir{il)ry iltWr W, r.h WIL'ruyIW- *- lu^^ur,,ratnns 31 ELECTNCITY Electricitywas first rnstalled, via a g:enerator,in the Ex- ServiceMens Club in 1932,and connected io a gridin 1936.The najor expansionof provision of electricity to all householdsoccurred overthe years1.948- o,surhgo)6lufnc{j 58. |,ablp,s .{,pproximatelytOVo of Householdsare dissatisfiedwith their ElectricityServices. scheduledfor 1997. The mostcommon complaint is that the supply Neverthelessapproxim ately'J.6Vo of Households is uncertain,with frequentbreakdowns, which are dissatisfiedwith their water quality. The can causeproblems with computersystems, main complaintsare that the water is frequently freezers,digltal systems and economy 7 systems; poorin colour,taste and smell; some Households reasonsfor breakdownsare never publicised either filter their tap water beforedrinking, or althoughthe reasons are obvious when elecnical drink only bottledwater. stormsstrike. A recentletter from Eastern Anglian Waterhad Electricitypublished in the Methwold Times Beforethis Appraisal began issueda that water meterswould be effectivelysays 'hard lines for living in the statement properties,but hassince changed country'. installedon all its mind; its currentintentions are unclear. SeveralHouseholds feel that overhead cables are againstwater meters. an eyesoreand a factorin thebreakdowns. Most Householdsare Whilst it is truethat a watermeter is an effective Pricesfor electricityare regarded as being too mechanismof payingforwhatwater is usedand high. brings homean appreciationof the amountof water used,charges will not go down because Anglian Waterhas to raisethe sameamount of WATERSUPPLY money as well as install all meters. It is also pointedout that Thewater supply for theParish comes from the sourceworks at Denton[.odge, developedin the meterswill be installed on the L936by DownhamRural District Councilwith boundaryof a propertyso any leaks within a teamof Welshminers (the well hasa depthof a propertywill be the householder's 6L meterswith a diameterof 4 meters).Periodic financialresponsibility, modernisationof the pumping systemsand watermeters disadvantage large families, refurbishmentshave been carried out over the years;in L989 an auxiliarybooster was low incomefamilies will be temptedto constructedwhich is fully automaticin operation savemoney. andresponds to waterdemand. A small numberof Householdsalready have A full studyof thewater supply and distribution water meters;some claim lower bills, some byAnglianWater inlggZindicated no problems, higher ones, some satisfaction, some including water quality. The next study is dissatisfaction. 32 Many Householdscomplain thatAnglian Water matter of seweragemany times, a abusetheir monopolyby overchargingand Householdsstill remainseverely making unbelievablestatements. Water Authoritieshave been accused by the National ConsumerCouncil for abusingtheir monopolies REFUSECOLLECTION with high dividendsfor shareholders,artificially high shareprices, and high salariesand perks Refusecollection is the responsibilityof paidto top executives.OFWAf,, the Government Borough Council and carried out body responsiblefor regulatingthe Water subcontractors. Authorities,has imposedprice controls on Approximately 40Vo of Households AnglianWater, namely al0Vo reductionin prices dissatisfiedwith the refuse collection. in realterms by theyear 2000; according to press ovenvhelmingreason is that the collection reportsAnglian Waterhas madethe whinging is a Monday,thus rubbish is not collectedfq2 reply that in that casethere will be no weeksevery Bank Holiday (over the 1993/91 improvementin waterquality. Christmasand New Year, refuse was noE collectedfor 3 weeks). SEWERAGE Othercomplaints refer to: poorquality Most Householdsrely on septictanks. Herbert of bags, Drive and neighbouringCouncil houseshave a inadequatenumber of bagsleft, 'mains' drainagein which seweragegoes into a overspillrubbish not picked up, tank at the backof Hall Farm which is emptied periodically. bagsbunched together by refusecollectors 'mains' on pavementscause obstructions to A similar seweragesystem was to be pedestriansand to pramsand wheel chairg installedin LancasterClose ; pipe systemswere put down,and prospective buyers were promised bagsnot accepted. a'mains' seweragesystem. Following the local government reorganisation in L978, responsibility was transferredfrom the DownhamRural Council to theKing's Lynn and WestNorfolk BoroughCouncil who abandoned the scheme,to the chagrinof the people who had alreadybought property. Most Householdsempty their septictanks once everyone or two years;some Households empty their tanksfour or moretimes a yearwhile other Householdsnever empty their septictank. Approximately12Vo of Householdsneed 'mains' sewerageas a matteror urgency;another 35Vo would prefera 'mains'seweragebut no urgency. It is not knownwhether the l2Voof Households who requiremains sewerage as a matter of urgencyall live in the samearea. Around LancasterClose there is a geologicalcondition which does not allow soak away, some fnrr,qiryOtf \ Householdscannot have a washingmachine. Lhu'K'*lbslrSack Although theParish Council hasdiscussed this JJ ScveralHouseholds ask whether wheely bins Themajority of Householdersare satisfied with r.ould be a bettersystem. The ParishCouncil their PostalServices. Those expressing rrs recentlydebated this proposaland have come dissatisfactionhave either lost post,or received o a preliminaryconclusion that wheelybins their postlate, or do not receivea secondpost, rould not be preferred. j); ." or complainat the way in which postalvans are drivenand parked. EachHousehold produces on average314 of a ton of rubbisha yea\ recycling reducesthe If postalservices are privatised, either partly or amountof landfill requiredand savesmineral totally,at somefuture date, it is of vital resourcesand energy in manufacture.There is importancethat our rural postoffices and postal only a bottle bank in Methwold, at the Social servicesbe retained. ParishCouncils should Club. Otherbanks for paper,cans, textiles are relatethis message to their MP andto theRoyal at Brandon(Leos), Thetford (Tescos),and Mail in no uncertainmanner. DownhamMarket; the generalbank facility at Wereham/Crimpleshamalso acceptsmotor oil andfridges/freezers. POLICE SERWCE By theyear200025Vo ofrefusemustbe recycled. A PoliceStation and Court Room (now the .{.ccordingto the Questionnaire 80Vo of. LindenNursery on the StokeRoad) opened in Householdswould be preparedto keep items Methwoldin 1901.The Court held Sessions until separatewhen refuse is collectedso that refuse 1969. can be recycledlater, conditionalon adequate bagsor containersbeing made available. Where An Inspector'sHouse and a Constable'sHouse this is beingtried out there are complaints werebuilt adjacentto the CourtHouse in 1935. becausethe itemised bins are not collectedevery A secondPolice House was built at the corner week. of MundfordRoad in L956. The collectionof litter is done by the Parish With theclosure of the Court inl969,the police Council.Litterbins are emptiedby the Borough contingentwas downgradedby replacingthe Council. Inspectorby a Sergeant.TWo years later in 1.97L theresponsibility for the Parishwas transferred to DownhamMarket. Local policing endedin with police POSTALSERWCES 1986 the closureof the houseon MundfordRoad. The first PostOffice in Methwold was located at the Cock in L845,it later moved to Millgate Nowadays,3 Constablesand 1.Sergeant based Street;the PostOffice has been at its present in DownhamMarket are responsiblefor the DentonWard (Parishes of Methwold, locationsince just before World War II. The Northwold, BrookvillePost Office openedin 1912. Feltwell,Hockwold) as well as Werehamand StokeFerry for 1,6hours each day; the other 8 Accordingto the Questionnairethe majority of hoursare coveredby a ResponseCar which Householdsare satisfiedwith their local Post respondsto 999calls. In additiona Traffic Beat Office, althoughabout l.IVo of. Households Officer and a Detective Sergeantplus two expresseddissatisfaction. DetectiveConstables based at Downhamcover thewhole of theDownham beat. CountyTraffic Onequery has been raised, why cannotroad fund Policealso respond to roadaccidents. licencesbe obtainedat the local PostOffices? Fromthe Questionnaire the numberof theftsand/ The suggestionthat the post box in Millgate or burglariesper year from householdsis Streetshould be movedback to its originalsite increasing;within the last year20 Households (becauseit is a traffichazardwhen trying to post (4Vo)have suffered burglaries, or thefts,from letters) has implementedwhile the been theirproperty. Appraisalhas been in progress. 34 Theincidence of vandalismon privateproperty To compensatefor lack of police on thc is abouthalf thatfor theftsor burglariesbut with communities are encouragedto lrct thesame upward trend with time. Neighbourhood Watch schemes,local alreadyhave such a scheme. Alternatively Although details of industrial crime have not time, unpaid Parish Constablescould beensought, in theearly spring of 1994ten small appointed;a ParishConstable is a nained tractorswere stolenfrom Darbys. Constablewho would dealwith nuisance, crime,crime prevention,liaison with schools The most heartbreakingtheft in 1994was the patrolon foot or pedalcycle for. t1lais1nmd4 forcible into entry the Churchand the removal hoursa week; the ParishCouncil would harrcb of a 1400'schest. paya not insignificantcontribution towardstb Vandalismin the Parishhas takenthe form of costs of cycle, uniform, communicatio! brokenequipment, broken windows, etc; graffiti equipment,etc. hasbeen observed in the childrensplayground, telephonekiosks and cemetery. FIRESERWCE Thereis no information on how many of the perpetratorsof the above crimes have been BeforeL936 each Parish was responsible for its apprehended,warned or successfullyprosecuted. own fire fighting, in Methwoldit took the form of a large number of bucketshoused in the Over50Vo of Householdsregard the current level Pound,adjacent to theRecreational Ground. By policingas unsatisfactory another of 30Vohave actof parliamentin 1936,fire fi ghtingcover and reservations. Although considerable equipmentwas providedby the Downham Governmentresources have been put into the District Council, paid for out of the local rates; PoliceForces nationwide, insufficient resources Methwold was designateda centre for a Fire grass policing seemto trickle downfor the roots Brigadeto cover L3 surroundingvillages within favouredbv communities. N@RI@KWSgOrci =i :EI- a--i Whittington,Methwold andFeltwell. ThisFire Last yearthe local Fire Brigadeattended in the Stationwas locatedin Cowlishaw'sworkshop. local area: During World War II all Fire Brigadeswere L3 chimneyfires, nationalisedwith standardequipment and rank structure.Since the war the Fire Serviceshave 7 small fires, mainly rubbish, beenthe responsibilityof the County. 1"9barn fires, The presentFire Station,on the site of the old 1.3road accidents, Bell pub, was openedin 1968. Methwoldis a RetainedStation with 10 volunteerson call}4 5 genuinefalse alarms, hoursevery day of the year;all volunteershave LLmalicious false alarms. permissionfrom their employersto respond immediatelyto all call-outs. and Up to 1940the call-out systemwas by maroon 31 incidentsoutside of thearea. launchedfrom the Station,and then upto L972 by sirenand housebells, and now by personal bleepers. tl it ll ,! id iil ltl l1 i 36 EDUCATION PRE-SCHOOL ofsuchgroups perhaps there are grants available to helpdefray expenses and buy equipment. There are a numberof placeswhere children under5 yearsof agecan be left by their parents Onesuggestion is thatthe playbus should come and supervisedby registeredsupervisors: in a to thevillage. playgroup children mainly play, in daycare and All 4 year olds are now beingadmitted to the in nurseriesplay is lacedwith elementsof PrimarySchool for oneor two afternoonseach education,in nurseryeducation the emphasis is week. on education. In the Parishthere is one Nursery,Linden Nursery(tel.728479). It is not knownif there PNMARY SCHOOT are any other registeredchildminders. The first school,a shantyin the chalk pit, was Out of 34 Householdswith childrenunder the providedby theDuchy of Lancasterin 1812. It ageof 5 years: was replacedin 1858by a nationalChurch school;an Infant Section was added in L874,with 5leavetheirchildren regularly with a carer, furtherextensions in 1898and 1903. When the 16 would like to leavetheir children with seniorsleft in 1958the Schoolbecame the a care\but do not do soprimarily because Primary School; there has been further it is too expensive. modernisationin recentyears. With its 4 classroomsit has room for a maximum of Thereis widespreadopinion that more day care approximately L20pupils. placesshould be madeavailable at a reasonable price,possible subsidised for the lesswell off. Currentnumbers are94 pupils, 4.5 teaching staff, From last Octoberparents on FamilyCredit are 2 supportstaff and 1 caretaker.According to entitledto moneyif theyleave their children with thisAppraisalthe numbers of pupilsare expected registeredchildminders or nurseries. to fall in future years. A Mothersand Toddlersgroup of up to L4 For Householdshaving children currently mothersmeets weekly in the ChapelHall on attendingMethwold Primary School, or children Tuesdayafternoons at a costof 50p per mother. who haveattended Methwold Primarv School More motherswould probably attend if transport in thelast 5 years: couldbe provided.Because of the importance 46Voregard the PrimarySchool as good, 46Voregard the Primary School as Community projects include practical help for reasonable, the elderly, help for the play group, help for the disadvantaged,designing and building 8Voregard the PrimarySchool as poor. artifacts for the community, and raising money for It is suggestedthat there is somebullying, and a charities. lack of emphasison mannersand politeness For Householdshaving children currently (possiblymore a reflectionof modernsocieW at large). attendingMethwold High School, or children who have attendedMethwold High School in The Schoolis involvedwith the Churchand the the last 5 years: Community,raising monies for charities(guide 40Voregard the High School as good, dogs,hospice, homeless, Help the Aged) and entertainingat concertsand at the DentonDay 30% regardtheHigh Schoolas reasonable, Centre. 30% regardthe High School as poor. The high percentageof disgruntled parents is a METHWOLD HIGH SCHOOL causefor concern. MethwoldHigh School was opened in 1.957 asa The most common complaints are a lack of SecondaryModern School for L1-16year olds. discipline, poor standard of appearanceand The catchmentarea goes around Boughton, behaviour,including bullying, truancy, and Gooderstone,Foulden, Mundford, Weeting, drugs,togetherwith a few adversecomments on Hockwold,Feltwell, Methwoldand Stoke Ferr)'. academicstandards and attitudes. Thereare places for 700 pupils. At present the As far as overall academic standardsare roll is 630pupils with 46 teachers, 7 supportstaff concerned,according to the 1994 National and 1 caretaker.Pupil numbersare expectedto Irague Tables,the High School performancein fall to about580 in 1998before starting to rise the GCSEexaminations is aboveboth the county again. To sustainnumbers it is hopedto starta and national average. This performance is a VIth form; if all goeswell the first pupils will commendableimprovement over that in previous enterin SeptemberL995. years. Close links havebeen forged with local and The ParentTeachers Association comprises 19 Countycompanies, industrial and commercial, parentsand 4 staff; it organisesthe uniform shop, contributingto theoverall educational ethosand the diary of events, parent's newsletter, and benefittingthe senior pupils on the brink of future homework monitoring. The PTA, plus the employmentor highereducation. Friendsof Methwold High School,raised more '-n lv\e 38 than f4,000 last year from dances, village Thereare problemsorganising evening summer fayre (not to be confused with the in sparselypopulated rural areas: a course cacophonousTravellers Bank Holiday rave-up) to attract at least L2 attendeesfor that course andother events,which contributed to transport be financially viable, a local qualifiedaod costsand schooltrips. inspirationalteacher has to be found,there is e long time lag betweenorganising the rangeof, classesin theSpring and the presentation of the COMMEI{T classesin theAutumn, a popularclass one year tendsto absorball the local interestso there Pressurehas been put on schools to opt out of b little interestthe following year. the fire of County Council control into the frying pan of Government control. Although 27 About50Vo ofHouseholds are of theopinionthat Norfolk Schools have opted out neither of the the Adult EducationClasses are insufficiently two local schools have done so, it would be of publicised.But thiscriticism cannot be levelled interestto know why. this yearbecause the brochure for thefull setof throughoutthe County has been Both local Schools are now given more Courses circulatedto everyhouse in the Parish. 'freedom' by having to operate within an allocatedbudget, which is based primarily on Overthe last5 years pupil numbers. School Governors have the 10Voof.Households have attended anAdult collective responsibility of managing all of a EducationCourse, or EveningClass in the school's affairs within that allocated budget. Parish Being a Governorhas become a time-consuming and demandingtask, requiring managerialand tSVoof.Households have attended anAdult accounting experience to deal with large sums EducationCourse, or Evening Class, of monies (which for the High School exceeds outsideof the Parish(many of theseare f1.5 million). the sameHousehold). While this Appraisal has been in progress a 30Vo of.Householdsstate that they would policy to reduce bullying has been agreed be interestedin attendingEvening Classes betweenthe High School and the neighbouring if suitablecourses were offered. Primary Schools. The main suggestionsfor topics for Evening As far as the local community is concernedboth Classesare: local Schools keep a low profile. Nowadays languages(business languages), schoolshave little sparetime to devoteto'public rangeof handicrafts, relations'and maybethe local community does lacemaking, not show sufficient interest to what is happening flower arrangement, in our Schools,or in education in general. The modernoffice skills, meansof establishinga more active dialogue betweenthe schools and the local communitv with the commentthat feesare rather high. could be explored. With manyretiredpeople maybe daytime classes wouldbe atffactive;St George'sHall, theFenton Room or the ChapelHall might be suitable ADULT EDUCATION venues. Adult Education (evening) Classes have been Anothersuggestion is a closerintegration with offeredunder the auspicesof the County Council Parents'Associations.Classes on the School at the High School and in surroundingvillages curriculum (helping parentsunderstand their over the last 20 years. A local branch of the childrens'homework), on living together,on W(orkers) E(ducational) A(ssociation) also parenting(it hasbeen many peoples experience provides a Course each year. thatthis Classis neededwell beyondretiring age) all reinforcethe strengtheningof family life. 39 thanf,4,000 last year from dances,village Thereare problemsorganising evening summerfayre (not to be confusedwith the in sparselypopulated rural areas: a courtc cacophonousTravellers Bank Holiday rave-up) to attract at least 1,2attendees for that cours andother events, which contributedto transport be financially viable, a local qualified costsand school trips. inspirationalteacher has to be found,there b long time lag betweenorganising the range classesin theSpring and the presentation of tbc COMMENT classesin the Autumn,a popularclass one yer tendsto absorball the local interestso therei Pressurehas been put on schoolsto opt out of little interestthe following year. thefire of CountyCouncil control into thefrying pan of Governmentcontrol. Although 27 About50Vo of. Households are of theopinion ther Norfolk Schoolshave opted out neitherof the the Adult EducationClasses are insufficiently two local schoolshave done so, it wouldbe of publicised.But this criticismcannot be levelled interestto know why. this yearbecause the brochure for the full setof Coursesthroughout the County has been Both local Schoolsare now given more circulatedto everyhouse in the Parish. 'freedom'by having to operatewithin an allocatedbudget, which is basedprimarily on Overthe last5 years pupil numbers. SchoolGovernors have the lOVoof.Households have attended anAdult collectiveresponsibility of managingall of a EducationCourse, or EveningClass in the school'saffairs within that allocatedbudget. Parish Beinga Governorhas become a time-consuming anddemanding task, requiring managerialand l5VoofHottseholds have attended an Adult accountingexperience to deal with largesums EducationCourse, or Evening Class, of monies(which for the High Schoolexceeds outsideof the Parish(many of theseare f1.5 million). the sameHousehold). While this Appraisalhas been in progressa 3OVoof Householdsstate that they would policy to reducebullying has beenagreed be interestedin attendingEvening Classes betweenthe High Schooland the neighbouring if suitablecourses were offered. PrimarySchools. The main suggestionsfor topics for Evening As far asthe local community is concernedboth Classesare: local Schoolskeep a low profile. Nowadays 'public languages(business languages), schoolshave little sparetime to devoteto rangeof handicrafts, relations'and maybe the local communitydoes lacemaking, notshow sufficient interest to whatis happening flower arrangement, in our Schools,or in educationin general.The modernoffice skills, meansof establishinga more activedialogue betweenthe schoolsand the local community with the commentthat fees are rather high. couldbe explored. With manyretired people maybe daytime classes wouldbeattractive; St George'sHall, theFenton Room or the ChapelHall might be suitable ADULT EDUCATION venues. Adult Education(evening) Classeshave been Anothersuggestion is a closerintegration with offeredundertheauspices of theCounty Council Parents'Associations.Classes on the School at theHigh Schooland in surroundingvillages curriculum (helping parentsunderstand their over the last 20 years. A local branchof the childrens'homework), on living together,on W(orkers)E(ducational) A(ssociation) also parenting(it hasbeen many peoples experience providesa Courseeach year. thatthis Classis neededwell beyondretiring age) all reinforcethe strengtheningof family life. 39 SOCIALACTIVITIES SPORT District League,play on Saturdayson RecreationGround, Formalsport activities cunently available in the Parishare listed. L Senior Team in Thetford Sundav (Morning)lrague. Football (MichaelLegge, tel 72870I) Methwold Hythe IndoorBowls 2 SeniorTeams in Divs 2,3 of theLynn & District League, play on Saturday everyTuesdayeveningatStGeorge'sHall, afternoonsat High School, exceptduring summermonths, current membership20' 1 Senior team in Thetford sunday (GordonFullerter728344)' (Morning) League,also pray ;;;;il School, OutdoorBowls 1 Juniorteam (5 - L4 yearsof age)trains a privaterink. twice a week on the recreationgound. Badminton (Rick Bunten,tel727 150) everyMonday evening at st George'sHall Methwold united exceptduring summer months, competes in local leagues'cunent membership 24' 1 Senior Team in Div 2 0f.the Lvnn & (GordonFuller, tel 728 344). ffioLball n Netball Swimming a new club (JudithClement, te1728926) Feltwell,Downham Market, King's Lynn, Thetford (currentlybeing rebuilt), Shooting Norwich. meetsin the Glebe;rifle shootingon Indoorsports arenas Monday and Thursdayevenings, pistol shootingon Wednesdayevening, junior DownhamMarket, King's Lynn,Norwich. rifle shootingon Mondayevening. Bowls (indoor) (Ken Griffe\tel728438) StokeF oy, Brandon,Lakenheath. Snooker Bowls (outdoor) 2 tablesat SocialClub. Weeting,Hockwold, Feltwell, Brandon. Pool,Darts Tennis at George,Green Man andSocial Club. Downham,Thetford, Brandon. Thereused to be a cricketteam, but becauseof a 'personality' crumbling concretestrip and At the presenttime up to 40Voof Households difficulties the teamdisbanded in the 1960's. say they participatein sport either inside or Local cricketersnow play in neighbouring outsidethe Parish.These numbers look high; it villageteams. is possiblethat Households have included, quite rightly, cycling andwalking the dog. The Methwold High Schoolhas the following facilities: The abovenumbers are even more surprising when it is notedthat in many of the Parish pool, a smallheated outside swimming sportingactivities listed above the majority of gymnasium, membershipcomes from outsideof the Parish. 4 hard and2grass tennis courts, 2 cricketnets, Themain suggestions for additionaloutdoor and netballcourt, indoor sportingfacilities in the Parishare for: football pitch, rugby pitch, bowlinggreens and club, hockeypitch. swimming, tennis; Apart from the football pitch at presentnone of the otherschool facilities areused by outsiders, althoughthey have been in previous years. Themain sport venues outside Parish are listed: othersuggestions are for: citizens,was formed inL96Z. Currentlvit has approximately60 memberswhich cyclingclub, meeton Mondayaftemoons in the Fenton keepfit, Room. Oncea montha lunchis cooked squash, andserved. The club goes on visits, about martial arts, 7 a year,to suchplaces as statelyhomes, tabletennis. largegarden centres, interesting towns, etc. Considerationshould be given to whetheror not An annual horticulturalshow and an informal local areaSports Council might be Christmaslunch and social for all senior set up to rationaliseand promote opportunities citizensare organised. Money is raisedfor for sportin thearea (Denton Ward, Stoke Ferr),), themedical equipment fund. Acausefor to assesswhat furtherfacilities are desirable, to concernis theneed for moreprompt access negotiatefor the necessaryfunding, and to to medicalhelp and supportwhen it is organiselocal transport. requiredin emergencies. HistoricalSociety (David Thomas,tel728152) TheSociety was formed in 7984 with aim of stimulatinginterest and activity in local history; membershiphas crept up slowly and currently there are about20 members. Meetingsare held on the !,t' En; third Monday evening of eachmonth at7.3O pm at the SocialClub; during the Summermonths outside visits replacemeeting. Topics this year have includedthe history of airships,the origin of photography,British Rail, and archivefilms; visits havebeen made to King's SOCIALCLUBS Lynn Guildhall and the Bury Museum. TheSocial Groups currently active in theparish, TheSociety is keento buildup its storeof togetherwith contacts,are listed. localreminiscences. AfternoonClub (Vi Samwell,telTZB 466) An over-60sclub, with approximately25 SocialClub (tel, 728703) members,meets on the afternoonof the ln 1921ex-servicemenpooled their war first Friday of eachmonth in the Fenton gratuitiesto leaseSt GeorgesHall for 33 Roomfor a chatwith quizzes, a little Bingo years,forming the Ex-Servicemens' Club. and a cup of tea. During the summer Socialactivities included dances, concerts, monthstrips are organised,primarily to billiards and weekly cinema. During coastaltowns. World War II the Club ran dancesat the Busy Bees(Hazel Gray, tel 728 488) Drill Hall, attractingservicemen from CranwichCamp and Methwold The BusyBees, a clubprimarily for senior Air base, buildingup fundsfor futuredevelopments. In the1950s the lease expired, ground and Tuesdayevenings of altemate propertyadjacent to St GeorgesHall was the SocialClub at 7.30 pm, alternating boughtand a timberbuilding constructed. Sundayvisits to AerospaceM Thename changed to theSocial Club with Topicsfor meetingsthis year have i its licenceand need to widenmembership autogyros(Ken Wallis), experienced to females. Medical Officer. Norfolk Mili Airfields,Flight thru'the Ages; visits In thelate 1960s into early70s further land beenmade to the ScienceMuseum i was purchased,but difficulties with I-ondon,Shuttleworth Collection, Muscrn planningpermission over access prevented of BerkshireAviation, and Midlandr furtherdevelopment. Due to the effortsof AviationMuseum near Coventry, this lc theParish Council in thelate 70s, planning visit includeda flight in a Dakota. permissionwas obtained,the demolition of a cottageallowed access. Womens'Institute (Freda Lakey, tel T?3 138) The presentSocial Club has grown over Womens'Institutes actually startediD recentyears; the bar and main lounge Canada where women in remote openedinl98Z,the hall (thezl Room)in homesteadscame together to exchange 1984,the new billiard room in 1990,and ideason homemanagement (and gossip); the smalllounge in 1992. the conceptspread to Walesand then to rural England.The National Organisation Currentlythe Club, registeredas a non- of WomensInstitutes is non-politicalbut profit making Societywith a Board of it claimspolitical clout asa pressuregroup Trustees,is openevery eveningand representingrural middle class female lunchtimeson Saturday,Sunday and opinion. Monday. It has approximately350 memberswith a minimumage of L6. It MethwoldWomens' Institute startedin runs football,snooker and darts teams, L926tosupport and encourage rural crafts Friday eveningbingo, a d.ancelcabaret andprojects, and to supportlocal charities. every Bank Holiday Sunday,and is a Membershiphas declinedover recent meetingplace for severalSocieties. years,standing at presentabout 20 members.Meetings are held on the third Futureplans seek to extendthe rangeof Tuesdayof eachmonth at the Fenton socialclubs and activities. There is Roomat 7.30 pm, eachmeeting involves adjacentland with potentialfor further a speakerand a competition;topics this development, year have included bee keeping, environmentalhealth, decoupage(3D WestNorfolk AviationSociety cards),local artist,Japanese silk flowers, (RichardAllen, tel500 243) Bury Hospice,while competitionshave The Societywas formed in 1991.to includeda decorativejug, picturesmade accommodatethe considerable interest in of leaves,baby clothes (for prematurebaby aviation,especially the history of aviation. unit at King's Lynn Hospital),poem for A buoyantmembership of 65 comesfrom Christmas.The Institute welcomesnew a wide area(Downham, Swaffham, members. Narborough)and is made up of ex- DanceClub (S Coulson,tel728 435) servicemen,with memoriesto recall,and youngerenthusiasts; current membership A DanceClub of approximately100 is about 60. A regularprofessional membersmeets in the eveningof every newsletterand annual journal is published; third Saturdayin the month at Methwold a lendinglibrary of members'books is High School. available.Meetings are held on the third 43 HowardLong has a thriving Social Club for PUBLIC HOUSES employees,families and friends. Thepub has been the traditional focus of village A numberof SocialGroups used to existbut are sociallife. no more: In 1883the pubs were: communityassociation/fete committee, gardeningclub, in Methwoldvillage: judo club, Bell, Chequers,Cock, Crown, Globe, tug of war team. George(originally Georgeand Dragon), Windmill (also for a Their demisewas due mainly to lack of time a trampsdoss continuityof volunteers. house). Approximately40% of Householdsparticipate in theHythe: in socialactivities either inside or outsideof the GreenMan, Best Beer under the Sun Parish.It is notknown what social activities are attendedoutside of theParish. in Brookville: Suggestionsfor new clubsare: Swan luncheonclub. The Crown, Globe,Windmill and Best Beer whist drive, underthe Sun, closed in the 1930s. handicrafts, TheBell, Chequers and Cockclosed in the1960s, computergames, rambling, TheSwan closed in 1985. gardening, ln 1994 only 2 pubs are left, the Georgeand photography, GreenMan, the Social Club servesas a thirdpub. drama, music, Managinga pub these days is a tough chess commercialbusiness with franchise,business ratetax andinsurance to pay. To makea profit also pubshave to offer meals,accommodation and somethingmore lively, a nightclub! provideentertainment. Although eachpub has a nucleusof regulars,not necessarilylocals, muchmore local supportis neededto keepboth e=- rz ,m@'I1ffi9nW -s /: ,\ lFi,rPt rIr -The 9rdnn pubs viable (the real ales are highly MethwoldHythe recommended). every 4 weeks,on a Thursday,next date At the George, an energetic Cockle Club March 2nd, (Councilhouses 3.35 pm, organisesevents and activities to raise money GreenMan 3.55pm) for charities. Just under 20Voof Householdsuse a library regularlyand another25Vo use a library ENTERTAINMENT occasionally;these numbers are surprisingly high. Approximately1,5Vo of Householdsattend discos,dances, cinemas and concerts; and about In retrospectan attemptshould have been made 8Voof. Households attend plays; mostof these in theAppraisal to find out aboutreading habits entertainmentsare outside of theParish. (magazines,books), purchaseand rentingof tapes,CD discsand videos. LIBMRY SERWCES Local libraries are at Downham Market, Brandon,Thetford and King's Lynn. The COMMENT magnificentLibrary Building at King'sLynn was TheParish is well servedby thenumber of halls oneof over1000libraries built in theUKby the availablefor socialfunctions: SocialClub, St Scottish/Americanphilanthropist, Andrew George'sHall, FentonRoom, ChapelHall, Carnegie. PrimarySchool, and High School.There is also An excellentMobile Library visitsthe Parish: a derelictChurch Hall. Brookville A numberof Householdshave expressed interest in music, concerts,drama, plays and painting, every4 weeks,on a Thursday,next date, noneof which are currentlycatered for in the March2nd (BrookvilleP O 2.50pm) Parish. Thesetypes of minority activitiesmay Methwold well bebetter encouraged and co-ordinated over awider area,say Denton Ward plus Stoke Ferry, every 2 weeks,on a Tuesday,next date, by an informal Arts Council which could also Feb14th (Cock Corner 1.50 pm, I-ancaster actas a focusfor applyingfor artsgrants. There Close2.L0 pm, Fairhill 2.40 pm,Herbert is alreadya FeltrvellArts Council, perhapsits Drive 3.15,Elders Place 3.30 pm, Red opinionshould be sought. House3.50) ENVIRONMENT One of the attractive featuresof the Parish is its Environmentalnuisances are the periodic smells, closenessto Thetford Forest. This Foreststarted especially those which are not the traditional as a job creation schemeduring the depression rural smells,and low-levelaircraft noise, which years of the late 7920s,labourerswere brought could be easeda by slight change in the flight from the cities, housed in Cranwich camp, to path. begin planting the trees. It took a considerable time before the right types of trees for the soil It is of interest to record that Robert Spinks is were found, and rabbits were culled at 500 per developing a wildflower meadow down the day. Nowadaysthe Forestextends over 50,000 Thornham Road. acres;about L million new plantsare planted each The Borough Council has recently publisheda year, of which approximately200,000 will be document entitled 'State of the Environment allowed to mature in time beforebeing chopped Report' which brings together the combined down for timber. The threat by Government of expertiseof the Council itself, the National privatisation has receded,at least for the time Rivers Authority, Anglian Water, Friends of the being. Earth, and othersto summarizethe current state Up to 80% of Householdssay that they use the of the environment of West Norfolk. This data Parish public footpaths and bridleways, mostly provides a standard from which future occasionally;slightly lesssay that they use the improvements,or otherwise,can be measured. Forest public footpaths and bridleways. The This Appraisal has been criticised for paying Questionnairewas not as clearas it might have insufficient attention to local Environmental been in distinguishing betweenfootpaths and matters. pavements(sometimes refened to asfootways). Virtually all Householdswould welcome the publication of maps, indicating the public footpathsand bridleways in theParish, including those which enter neighbouring Parishes(eg along the Ouse). Thdsefootpaths and bridleways should be sign posted. Su. 46 RELIGION T il i'[ il J'/{ 4 . ,l,l I /,/i i 1"\ i:r tl #, irt l> trr -fq3:'-- l V CHURCH Methwold's St GeorgeChurch was built in the centralto the heritageof the village; the early 1400s,with its slenderspire and unusual recentsuccess in fund raisingto repairthe corona; it is highly likely that therewas an earlier churchcorona is a testimonialto that church on the samesite. The six bells which feeling, date from 1630 had to be taken down in the 1960'sbecause of sructural defectsin the spire. 30Voof Householdsthink thatthe Church is importantfor baptisms,weddings and Methwold Hythe Church of St Helen, possibly funerals, built in the 1200s,whose remainsare close to Abbey Farm, was already derelict long before l2%oof.Households feel thatthe Churchis the early 1700s. There was also a church and importantas a place of worship,but not priory on the Severals,and a church at Poppylot necessarilyfor themselves. on the fen. At presentthe Churchcongregation is small, There is no RomanCatholic Churchin the Parish. exceptfor the specialservices at Easterand Christmas. Thereis a choir, but no Sunday From the Questionnaire: Schoolor Youthactivities. The vicar retiresin 1,995and thereis uncertaintythat therewill be 35Voof. Households regard the Church as adequatefunds to afford a replacement. an important historic building which is 47 CHAPEL The WesleyanChapel on Crown Street (and its The Chapelis resourcedby voluntary giving and 'school' down ChapelLane) was built in 1831, the regularMonday morning coffee session,and and the Primitive Methodist Chapel, now a concerts. To shore up finances in the immediate privatedwelling was built somewhatlater; the future more lettings of the Hall would be two Manseswere next door to eachother down beneficial. Ideally the Hall could be sold and the Stoke Road. The Wesleyanand Primitive the Chapel converted to an all-purposebuilding Methodistsunited in 1932 even though there but the presenceof an old graveyardand other were complexdifferences, essentially Wesleyans factors prevent this. were middle classand the Primitive Methodists working class(as already statedthe local branch From the Questionnaire: of the agricultural workers trade union was organisedmainly by Primitive Methodists). ISVo of.Households regard the Chapel as an important historic building, Although the Chapel is the poor relation with respect to the Church, there is a cordial 15% of Householdsthink that the Chapel relationshipbetween Chapel and Church. is important for baptisms, weddings and funerals, The number of worshippers at the Chapel is sparse,and most of that sparse congregation 1Voof. Households feel that the Chapel is comes from Northwold, Brookville and the important as a place of worship, again not Hythe. Thereis no work with youth and children. necessarilyfor themselves. The minister's term of office terminates in the near future. ?J i-t v 'ihe.VeLh),sL ehape\ 48 It' rX {tl H W = irfri n ; ilry it li:1 'c) d Vi CaycrQQ-: affiri q ltl * -&\:l --:=, tw-.ffi[llll: ?rexnbVrcAroJt 49 INFORMATION Local news and informationare gleanedfrom Suggestionsfor improvingthe Methwold Times local radio, regionalTV local Newspapers are: (King's LynnAdvertiser,Thetford and Brandon issueof Bury FreePress, Downham Mercury), betterpresentation and reproduction, andfrom the MethwoldTimes. morecurrent local newsand issues, Fromthe Questionnaire65Vo of households take morefulsome monthly diary of events, a local newspaper. a more lightheartedapproach (makeus AMethwoldTimeswas organised from theearly laugh,happy endings), 1970sby the CommunityAssociation. After aboutten yearsit lapsedbefore being taken up quizzes,crossword, short stories. by thepresent group ofdedicated volunteers and distributors. The Methwold Times,funded by Thereis now a databaseestablished in Norwich subscriptionsand advertisements,is published callIcon which claimsto list localorganisations, monthly,it is distributedfree of chargeto every healthand welfare services, leisure facilities, and housein the Parish;it is readfully by virtually which can be accessedthrough the Thetford, all Households;it is generallywelcomed; it is DownhamMarket and King's Lynn Libraries. regardedas informative. LOCAL GOVERNMENT National Governmentdecides overall policies. Norfolk CountyCouncil Local Government implements those policies (sometimes enthusiastically,other times The County Council consistsof 84 elected reluctantly) and managesthe day-to-dayrunning Councillorsand 17,500(equivalent) full time with of our community,within an allocatedbudget. staff, an annualbudget of f600 million. lt is At present Local Government comprisesthree responsiblefor: tiers: Education SocialServices Norfolk County Council, Planning Transportation Police Fire Service King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough WasteDisposal WasteRegulation Council, TradingStandards MuseumsService Coroners ParishCouncil. Library andInformation Service There is a Government review in progresson Registrationof Births,Deaths and whether or not to changethese three tiers of local Marriages government to two; an interim recommendation There is no dominantpolitical partyin control is that the three tiers shouldbe retained. of the CountyCouncil with no formalalliances County and Borough Councils monies come betweenthe parties; becauseLabour won the primarily from Government and also from the most votes at the last Countyelection Labour domestic Council Tax which is levied on each Councillorsnow chairall Committees. household. Methwold is representedon theCounty Council The Counfy, Borough and Parish Councils each by one Councillorfor the FeltwellWard (ie the decideannually what revenueit wishesto raise Parishesof Methwold,Hockwold, Feltwell, through the Council Tax. The County and Northwold, Stoke Ferry, Southery,Boughton, Borough estimatescannot exceeda maximum Wretton, Wereham,West Dereham); currently amount laid down by Parliament,known as our County Councilloris David Buckton, capping; at present the County is capped but (Liberal Democrat),from Hockwold. the Borough is uncapped. The Borough collects According to the Questionnairethe County the Council Tax on behalf of the threeCouncils. Council is an unknownquantity. Virtually no :-_,__ - =-- u (* ,t8w -- '= //Ll, s. Pu ??7'ul'3-i b, l L? | *i-he ,4 Fenton Roorq informationfilters down to the peopleof this worker, primarily responsiblefor litter, and a Parishon what the Countydecides, how it caretaker. whatit does,and what it doesdo in decidesit, or The annualbudget is aboutf30,000 which is for exampleabout speed limits, road this Parish, madeup of the Parishtax, or Precept,monies and alterations,is not highly maintenance from theBorough for undertakingspecific jobs, regarded. andrevenues from bookingsof St GeorgesHall/ FentonRoom. TheParish Council has a reserve fund for contingencies. King'sLynn andWestNorfolk Borough Council The ParishCouncil owns the Fenton Room/St The Borough Council consistsof 60 elected George'sHall complex,the Recreation Ground, Councillorsand 650 (equivalent) full time staff, the Pound,the Greensand the cemeteryand the with an annualbudget of f42.5 million. new cemeteryfield (behind the existing It is responsible cemetery). ParishCouncil is responsiblefor: Housing RefuseCollection By statutea local Planning StreetCleaning the closedchurchYard, EnvironmentalHealth war memorial, Irisure Facilities andis the burialauthoritY. Conservativesdominate the Borough Council Althoughnot a statutoryduty the Parish Council with 65% of the seats. maintainsthe landswhich its owns. Methwoldis representedonthe Borough Council In additionMethwold Parish Council actsas an by the three Councillors for the Denton Ward agentfor the BoroughCouncil responsible for (the Parishesof Methwold, Hockwold, Feltwell and Northwold); currently they are Martin Community Halls Pavements Storey (Conservative)from Feltwell, Carol Street Lighting Off-street Parking Sharp(Conservative) from Northwold and David Litter Recreation Ground Buckton (Liberal Democrat)from Hockwold. Allotments Bus Shelters Footpaths From the Questionnairelittle is known about the activities of the Borough Council, only L7 The Borough contributes40Vo of the costsof Households know the names of the three thesecommitments, the Parish provides the rest- The Parish Council may Borough Councillors. The ParishCouncil has an advisoryrole only in Borough Council business be kept informed of dealingwith planningapplications, the Borough if so, that information is not and decisions,but Councilmakes all thedecisions. passedon. Last yearthe MethwoldParish Tax, or Precept, Borough Council pays There is a feeling thatthe was little heed to local opinion, particularly in the areaof planning. f?3.6L (for a BandD ProPertY)' which is addedon to the Countyand Borough Preceptsof. f,514, to makeup the total Council M ethwold P arish Council Tax. The revenueto MethwoldParish Council The number of Parish Councillors is decidedby from its Preceptis f11,500. the Borough Council; Methwold ParishCouncil For comparisonthe Preceptfor neighbouring has 1.3elected Councillors (all coming up for Parishesare: re-election in 1995). Party politics play no part in Parish affairs. Felhvell !L3.65, Hockwold f'1.6.33, The part-time salariedstaff comprisesa clerk, a 52 Northwold f9.20, This gulf is unfortunatebecause on mostissues StokeFerry t9.26. theParish Council and peoples' aspirations are much the same; ParishCouncillors are part of the highest The Methwold Precept is in West the communityand are fully awareof what is Norfolk, the ParishCouncil should explain why. goingon. Although the detailed minutes of the Parish ParishCouncils necessarily have to spendmost Council meetings are reported in full in the of theirtime dealing with theminutiae of Parish Times: Methwold business(vandalism, grass cutting, cemetery only 35Voof Householdsfeel that they are upkeep,street lighting, tendering,planning kept sufficiently informed on Parish applications,curtains for theFenton Room, etc), Council matters. little time is left for initiating and promotingthe broaderinterests of theParish. Also Boroughand County Councils can call uponan 50Voof Householdsare satisfiedwith the extensivebureaucracy of staff to supportthem way the ParishCouncil spendsits money, with professionalhelp and advice whereas Parish 30Voof. Households do not know how the Councilshave to do everythingfor themselves, part ParishCouncil money is spent. although of the BoroughCouncil brief is to provideprofessional back-up to ParishCouncils. The main commentsin the Questionnaireon the Perhapsit would help the Parish Council if a ParishCouncil are: broaderparticipation by the peoplein the airing and discussionsof topical issuescould be the high Precept is a matter of concern, organised,this could be introducedin a number and whether the Parish benefits of ways: accordingly, by bringingoutside people on to Standing general lack of information on Parish Committeesof the Parish Council; at Council objectives, strategies and presentthere are small Hall, Foot'waysand activities, Footpathsand Planning Committees dates and times of meetings and agenda withoutoutside representation; perhaps the should be made available in Methwold numberof StandingCommittees could be Times in advance, increasedto cover housing,transport, environment,services, etc; Council not receptiveto public attendance at its meetings, ad-hoc advisory working groups comprisingCouncillors and local people thereis a gulf benveenthe ParishCouncil couldbe setup to makedetailed analyses and the people. of issuesas they arise(eg wheelybins, There are two sidesto the gulf betweenthe Parish proposedDay Centre,transport); Council and the people. Councillors complain establisha ParishForum to debatewider that the peopleof the Parish are apathetic,citing issuesas they arise. lack of public attendanceat Parish Council meetings and difficulty in recruiting volunteers To further improvematters the ParishCouncil in Parish affairs (at leastone Councillor thought shouldmake more of an effort to tell the people that this Appraisal would be unsuccessful what it is about,the problems that it encounters, because of lack of volunteers and public andto trumpetits successes,a summarylisting response). On the other hand the people of the of the minutesof the ParishCouncil Meetings Parishfeel let down by the Parish Council by a doesnot really suffice. A little public relations senseof remotenessand for not getting to grips wouldgo a longway towardsrestoring a rapport. with the tawdry appearanceof someof Methwold village. YOUTH Thegroup, the Pirates, where the under 11. years agegroup, in particular,would requiretransport of agemet weekly,has recently closed. to go outsidethe Parish. AYouth Club,also closed a few yearsago. The majority of both age groupswould also welcomean evening meeting place with a coffee In the Questionnairethe Youth Surveywas bar,(loud) music and games. answeredby: Groupsof youngstersdo wanderround the 53 (out of 74)in the 11- 16 agegroup Methwold village in the evenings,apparently aimlessly.Many people have suggested thatwith - 28 (out of an estimated35) in the I7 18 nothingto do theseyoungsters turn to vandalism agegroup. andthat 'somethingshould be donefor them'. But wanderingaround has always been part of As might be expectedthe main leisurepursuits the normal growing up processfor most of the two agegroups differ significantly: youngsters(known as the 'monkeyrun' in the the elderage goup spendtime in thepubs/ north), without any seriousadverse effects, at SocialClub, watch television, and go into leastjudging from our local middle ageand nearesttown. seniorcitizens. the youngerage group watch television, wanderaround and play computer games. Neverthelessthe possibility of reopeninga Youth Surprisingly,hardly any ofthe youngeragegroup Centre should be seriously explored. TWo mentionedthe Methwold Scouts, a thrivinglocal problems exist, finding enthusiasticand Group for both sexes(for further information committed organisers,and finding a venue. In contactMo Hobbs, tel728 6L7). many parts of the country a Youth Club is attachedto the neighbourhoodHigh School. The Themajority of bothage groups would welcome advice of the County Youth Service should be theopportunity of beingable to participatemore sought. in sport,particularly swimming. Butthe younger 54 AMERICANRESIDENTS Becausethere are manyAmerican families from had visited placesof local interest the Air Force Bases at Mildenhall and (churches,cathedrals, coastline), Lakenheathresiding in the Parishfor a short spell,usually of two to threeyears, itwas thought on thewhole were impressed and gratified appropriateto invite them to participatein this with thefriendliness of neighbours, Appraisalwith a separatesurvey. enjoyedliving in a ruralarea, From the 20 American families,out of will takehome pleasant memories, approximately30, which answeredthis suney: Even though our Americanvisitors are far too mostwere in rentedaccommodation, polite to criticiseus, the generalopinion of only occasionallyused local shops,local contentmentof living in our communityis labour,attended local events,and visited thought to be genuine. But thereis a senseof pubsand local restaurants, isolation from the local community,which is a pity; maybe an effort could be made to thoughtthat most of the serviceswere encourageand welcomeour Americanvisitors good, into local groups. 55 FUTURE According to the Questionnairemost people of the Parish find much to commendin the Parish; the church, the old buildings in the centre of Methwold, the relativetranquility of a friendly rural area, a pleasantarea between the forest on one side and the open fens on the other, and a convenient location with accessto a range of towns and to the Norfolk coast. On the other hand accordingto the questionnaire the list of unattractive featuresin the Parish is three times longer than the list of attractive features. Allowing for the fact that what is attractive to one personis unattractiveto another (for example,the Monday Market, the Chalk Pit) the most common complaintis that Methwold village gives the appearanceof a village in decline with the closureof shopsand general air of scruffiness. To paraphraseone comment "the village must be decaying becausemore undertakersare moving in". I,hmt In broad terms the people of the Parish would like to see: Methwold cleanedup, to identify and supportany development only a limited expansionof housing but initiatives. aimed at the disadvantagedin the Parish, Potentialset-backs are: a balancedcommunity with regardto age, the curbing of excessivespeeding, theloss of thevillage store, especially by lorries through all three any contractionin eitherHoward [.ong or villages, Darbyswho both operatein highly more done for the unemployed possibly competitivemarkets, by the expansionof small businesses, further closuresof Lakenheathand more done for the youngsters. Mildenhall. Looking to the future, if the Parish merely Fundingsupport for developmentinitiatives is attempts to maintain the statusquo and remains availablefrom Borough,County, National and way passive,decline is a real possibility. The possiblyEuropean Agencies. forward is not to be too prescriptive but to be able to This areaof WestNorfolk hasbeen targeted as a Priority Area by the (Norfolk) Rural respondpositively as occasionsarise, DevelopmentCommission which is the to mitigate potential set-backsif they GovernmentAgency responsible for improving materialise and secondly life in the EnglishCountryside, covering jobs, businesses,childcare, transport, village shops. It is not known whetherthe Parishhas benefited Considerationshould be given on how the from this initiative so far. Denton Forum should evolve into a permanent Standing Committee with clearer long term In addition the Norfolk Rural Community objectivesand strategies. Council has the responsibility, and funds, to promotesmaller scale rural activities. It is questionablewhetherthe Denton Forumwill be able to generatethe right kind of substantive Unfortunatelythe Parishhas been excluded from projectproposals.The Borough Council hasthe the areadesignated worthy of investmentby the responsibilityfor formulating developmentplans EEC; our neighbours Stoke Ferry, Downham and strategiesfor West Norfolk as a whole; it Market are included. There is a chancethat the would be of interest to know the Borough Parishmight gainsome benefit from a spill-over developmentplans for the Denton Ward. Perhaps effect; this will involve closecontactwith project there needsto be a mechanism, or think-tank, to proposalsfrom Stoke Ferr)t. identify potential growth areas for the Denton Ward; one suggestionis to set up an Advisory Local farming is dependenton the decisions of Group of the top industrialists, farmers and as it comes to grips with its Common the EEC professionalpeople in the Denton Ward who Agricultural Policy. Already some land in the 'set have a vestedinterest in promoting its prosperity. Parishhas been aside'. With crops of sugar beetand saladvegetables required for Wissinglon Over the next ten years technological advances and Howard Long, perhaps local farming may could well changeour way of life; bringing not be seriouslyaffected. modern technology to the countryside may be well-received by the funding bodies. It is of crucial importancethat this Parish be well informed of what is on offer and how the Parish Geneticengineering will producenew strainsof can benefit. virus free cropswith built-in long term freshness, and with vegetableoils replacing fossil oils, wider issuesare debated it has to be When maybe this Parish is well placed to be at the the Parish itself is too small a recognised that forefront of such developments. However this political to makemuch impact, so Methwold unit technologycould well reduceemployment. has to combine forces with its neighbours; the Borough Denton Ward (Methwold, Northwold, Accessto information highways will allow more Feltwell and Hockwold) is a more acceptable people to work from home via their personal size. In the future, although the four Parishes computer.Those people who will then only have have their distinctiveidentities and insularities, to go into the office in London, or anywhere the Denton Ward has to establish itself as a else,once or twice a week, may find the villages cohesiveunit to promoteits interests. of the Parish attractive places to live. Such people could bring in younger families and few months a start has been made Over the last contributeto the vitality of the Parish. It would of an ad-hoccommittee, with the establishment be important to ensure that the most modern Denton Forum, which brings the so-called information highway systemsare available in the of all four Parish Councils, together members Parish. the Borough and County Councillors, and Officers from the Borough Council and other Services, under the auspicesof the Borough Council. This Denton Forum is pursuing a number of local initiativeswhich were suggested at an openmeeting in May, 1994. )t CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS In this sectionthe main conclusionsand responsibilitiesfor the appearanceof recommendationsare listed, most arise from the the village, and within that context, earlier text, although one or two are new lay out a strategy for improving that thoughts. appearance No significance should be given to the order of secondly identify the other theseconclusions and recommendations. Some responsiblebodies so that pressure recommendationscould be actedon in the near can be brought to bear. future while othersare more speculativeand long term. Comparedto many partsof the UK (for example,inner urban areas, and village communitieswhich relied on mining or steel),Methwold Parish is fortunateto be relativelyfree from any major problems. Most peopleare content with theParish as an unspoiltrural areawith historical associations,pleasantly situated between forestand fen, coastand towns; and driving aroundrural Norfolk can still be pleasurable. Although no major expansion,in termsof housingor industry, wouldbe welcome, it is acceptedthat the Parishcannot stand still but must evolve with thetimes. For a smallcommunity it is lively with many socialactivities, due it must be admittedto a few energeticand commiffed individuals. Even so, manypeople have expressed interestin more socialclubs coveringa widerrange of activities.The Social Club Thereis small core of disadvantaged couldexplore these suggestions. people(unemployed, unsatisfactorily housed,elderly, etc) who do not enjoy The amountsof money raisedfor the living in this Parish; they needto be schools,spire fund, medical fund, identifiedand helped. firefightingequipment, hospital, hospice, McMillan nurses,and many traditional New housingkeeps appearingin a charitiesis a creditto the Community. piecemealfashion. The ParishCouncil, togetherwiththe Borough council, should Themajority of peoplefeel thatthe centre formulatea HousingPolicy andStrategy, of Methwoldvillage is scruffyand tawdry. for the three villages, which first and The ParishCouncil should: foremostmeets the needsof thoseliving in the Parish. This Appraisalhas gone first explain the extent of its someway in identifying thoseneeds. Considerationshould be givento whether Perhapsa TransportWorking Group could or not it is desirable,and then feasible, to assessexactly the transportneeds of the monitorthe housing situation. DentonWard and how thoseneeds mieht be satisfied. Thereis widespreaddissatisfaction with theRefuse Collection. I6 The generalquality of roadmaintenance andupkeep is not highlyregarded. Thereis dissatisfactionregarding the qualityof service,costs and attitudeof The Mundford Roadshould be upgraded AnglianWater. (widened,white lines,gritted), this road is usedincreasingly by lorries and cars Thereis dissatisfactionwith the frequent sinceThetford hasbeen identified as the breakdownof electricityservices. main shoppingcentre for the Parish. 10 Thereis widespreadresentment with the 17 The majority of peopleare satisfiedwith attitudesand excessive profiteering of the their doctor,health visitors and hospitals; privateutility services(water, electricity, somepeople have difficulty in arranging telephone);it appearsthat democracyis transportto the surgeriesoutside the the choicebetween being rippedoff by Parish,others find the times of the privatemonopolies or by public-owned Methwoldevening surgeries inconvenient. monopoliesin the form of taxes. 18 Thecreation of a 5 day-a-weekDayCentre 11 Sewerageremains a seriousproblem for a for the frail elderly is supportedon the smallnumber of households;there needs understandingthat the cunent Denton Day to bea clearerunderstanding of theoptions Centrecontinues; the ramifications of this availableto helpresolve this longstanding developmenton all currentactivities in the problem. Fenton Room/St GeorgesHall, and possiblefuture activities,should be fully T2 Considerationshould be given to the explored. settingup of an informal SportsCouncil, coveringat leastthe DentonWard, to co- This developmentis importantbecause ordinatesporting activities and facilities, negotiatefor fundsand organise transport. it maybe possibleto add,at minimal costs,other facilities,for examplea 13 Considerationshould be given to the publictoilet andadvice centre, settingup of an informalArts Council, coveringat leastthe DentonWard, to co- bringing investmentto Methwold ordinatearts activities, negotiate for funds increases the perception of andorganise transport. Methwold acrossthe Boroughand County. L4 Considerationshould be given to the resunectionof a YouthCentre. Theplight of someelderly in this sparsely populatedarea is a matter of concern, 15 Thereis probablylittle demandfor more especiallyif the level of financialsupport busesduring daytime,although some is reduced. afternoonbuses would be appreciated. T9 Crime (burglary,theft and vandalism)is Thereis a totallack of publictransport in on the increase. There is a lack of evenings; eveningtransport would be a awarenessof the currentpolicing policy, dedicatedservice, to sportscentres, to andfuture options. Communicationswith cinemas,to concerts. thepeople by thePolice must be improved. There is evidence that drugs are being 22 Serious considerationshould be given to taken although its extent is not known, at whether tourism could be exploited. least to the SteeringGroup. Perhapsthe Parish Council shouldinitiate a debateon The historic centre of Methwold is an what the local attitude and policy should attraction; a pamphlet describing the be and what might usefully be done to historical backgrounds of places of contain drug usage. worship, housesand propertiesin a walk around the village centreshouldbe written 20 The closure of the shops in Methwold by the Historical Society. village and the bleak future of existing shopsis a matter of grave concern; there Could a museum be established,for is virtually total agreementthat shopsare example by resurrectingthe derelict vital to the life of a village. Church Hall? To safeguard existing local shops in the Are theresufficient local craftsto pool their immediate future, people of the Parish wares in a central place? Would a should spend more money at the local combined museum and craft shop be shops and less at the supermarkets. feasible? Considerationshould be given to whether However, public services,like toilet and or not a Charity shopwould be feasibleor signposting,would be essential. desirable,with proceedsto local causes? 23 There is a gulf betweenthe ParishCouncil Looking to the near future, if 'market and the people of the Parish which, in the forces' cannot be relied upon to solve this opinion of the SteeringGroup, is not deep; problem, some kind of interventionis all Councillors have extensiveknowledge needed; more easily said than done. and appreciation of the Parish and work Perhaps the Parish Council should take a conscientiously to reflect the wishes and lead with a small working group to make interestsof the people. itself fully acquaintedwith the facts,to find But the gulf is a real one,with 'blame' on what subsidiesand grants for 'village both sides. It could be easedby an shops' are available,and suggestpossible improvement in communication. The ways ahead. Parish Council needsto make more effort 21 Although the Church as a building is to explain, in the Methwold Times, some admired and cherished, the Church as a of the main issues,omitting much of the place of worship is in an uncertainstate day-to-daydetails. But communicationis with small congregationsand rising a two way process becausethe Parish expenditure. Concerts help vitalise the Council needs guidance on what Church and defray expenses. There is a information is required. Church Hall which is close to being In addition the Parish Council could derelict. The retirement of the vicar next investigate ways by which people could year poses yet more problems for the participate in discussionsof matters of Parochial Church Council. interest. The recent rather curt dismissal The Chapel is in an even sadderstate, by the Parish Council of the introduction although the ChapelHall has the potential of Wheely Bins is possibly at odds with of being used more for village activities the opinions of the people. and making some money. The reason for the high Preceptneeds an It is difficult to seehow the Parish,through explanation. its Parish Council, can help to sustainthe Church and Chapel. 24 Both the Borough and County Councils The Methwold Times would also be the are virtually unknown quantitiesin this vehicle for transmitting relevant Parish,hardly any one knows the names information from the Parish,Borough and of their electedrepresentatives, and there County Councils, and also from other is virtually no knowledge of what these Bodies suchas the Police,Health Services, Councilsdo. Much of whattheydo locally Voluntary Services etc. does not inspire much confidence,for example, in planning decisionsby the In extendingthe rangeof the Times in this Borough Council and in road alterations way, which doesnot necessarilyimply an by the County Council. increasein the number of pages,it may extend the range of income. It is a The antics of both Borough and County fundamental principle that the Times Councils in the way they have each continues to be circulated to every pursued their self-interests in the debate householdin the Parishwithout charge. on the reorganisation of Local Government, and the large sums of (our) It has been proposedrecently that the money they have spenton their respective Times should be replacedby a Denton campaigns,has eroded their standing and Community Newsletter with space respect. allocated to Methwold news. This proposalis completelyrejected. The Times Whatever the outcome of the Norfolk should continue as it is with editorial Local Government review, Councils now control andorganisation in local hands; the have a long haul ahead to restore their Borough Council, and the other bodies credibility. listed above, would forward regular contributions. The people of the Parish deserveto be better informed on matters which affect 26 The moves to establish the Denton Ward them by the Borough Council and County as the cohesive unit for advancing the Council. There is a need to know about future developmentof this part of Norfolk the main issuesbeing debated (our elected is strongly supported. representativesshould tell us, and how they vote) and the decisionsmade (but Every now and againlarge sums of monies, without the self-congratulatorygloss so often over f,L million, are made available often superimposedby the public relations by Government through its various side of all Councils). agenciesfor rural developments. These monies are usually awarded by 25 One of the main themesof thisAppraisal competition whereby an area such as is the need to improve communication. Denton makesa bid with a projectproposal The key to communication is the which is then consideredin conjunction Methwold Times. with all otherbids; competitionis usually fierce. The time between the It is recommendedthat the Methwold 'competition' announcementof a and the Times should try to move up a gear. At closure date for submissionsis short; presentthe Times is passivein the sense within this short period of time it is not that it dependsprimarily on copy that is possible to come up with a credible submittedto it. The Times could become proposal and write it up. The name of the more active by going out to gather in, and game is to have a numberof different well report, local news; this would entail thought out and researchedprojects in the building up a network of contactswith a 'doing' pipeline which can be honedto meet the reporter the rounds. 'competitions" There are conditions of any when other suggestions in the Appendix for 'improving'the they are announced. Times. The key is in the preparatoryhomework But an AdviceAnformation Centre could on formulatingrealistic projects. It is have a wider role as a place where thereforeimportant to havea framework information could be exchanged. The and organisationwhich can respondwith Cenhecould keep abreastof the statistics authorityand competence. of the disadvantaged in terms of unemployment,housing, social needsetc 27 Considerationshould be given to the and so keep the Parish Council, Borough establishmentof a multi-purposeAdvice/ and County Councils, and Service InformationCentre. Agenciesup to date on local needs and more importantly on predicting future A significantpercentage of Householdsin trends.At the sametime the endlessreams the Parishhave sought professional help of information on new developments and andadvice. It is assumedthat this level of changesfrom all ofthe abovebodies could advicewill be soughtin the future. There be fed into the Centre and properly is a problemof knowingwhere to turn to absorbedinto the system. for advice,especially with the large number of existing Voluntary Furthermore the Advice/Information Organisationswith newones appearing all Centremight be expectedto keep track of the time. policy statements coming out of Governmentand the EEC, and interpreting AnAdvice Centrein Methwoldwould not them in local terms. This information provideadvice directly but would be a would then serve as an important placewhere people in needwould go and, backgroundto the deliberationson Denton with the aid of a cup of tea and a projectproposals. sympatheticear, identify where the most appropriatesources ofhelp andadvice are To be fully effective in all of theseroles, a locatedand make suitable arrangements. network of Parish Advice/Information C-entrescould be established each with a Already someservices, for examplethe work station connectedto one mainframe DSS,Social Services, Citizens Advice computer with a full database. Bringing Bureau,have mobile units so it wouldbe accessto information to rural areasmight usefulto havea placein the Parishwhere be the sort of project favoured by funding thesemobile units could meet, in bodies. confidence.those in need. 62 qFetsar; For all communicationsregarding this Appraisal,contact GeoffHancock 21.Scotts Lane Brookville Thetford Norfolk IP264RD Tel: 01366728488 A copy of the Appendix can be obtained on demand free of charge. Permissionis requiredto reproduceany parts,or anyof the statisticaldata, from thisAppraisal Reportor itsAppendix. Coveris takenfrom an aerialphotograph provided by Dave Hunt; the original was takenby Airpic Ltd (Ver House,23 - 25 High Street,Redbourne, HertsAL3 7LE; tel01582 793007) who havegenerously given permission for its reproduction