About Dereham

The Dereham wayfinding project is now making good progress and the content of most of the interpretation panels is now near to being finalised.

Some of the text and images is still in the final stages of design and proof-reading and corrections and undergoing some tweaks.

The overall look and feel and content was approved by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership at a meeting on 16th November. However, this should not be published as some of the content will undoubtedly change as we seek to gain permissions for images etc.

We aim to have the artwork finalised by Xmas so that manufacturing and installation can start in the New year for completion by early May. Dereham Windmill The last of Dereham’s windmills There used to be seven or eight windmills in Dereham but this is the last one remaining. It was built in 1836 as a flour mill by local baker Michael Hardy and James Hardy, a millwright of Toftwood. It was in use for exactly 100 years and ceased working in 1937. The windmill consisted of a brick tower with a wooden boat-shaped cap, four double shuttered sails and a six-bladed fantail. The cap carried the bearings for the windshaft and sails and revolved around a circular iron track to face the wind. It had five floors and all the machinery necessary to drive two pairs of grinding stones. During World War 1, it was used for grist milling, grinding oats and barley for animal feed and even acorns for pigs. By 1922 the millstones were driven by a steam engine and the sails were no longer needed, so they were taken down. It became a Grade II Listed Building in 1972, by which time it had lost its cap and had become very dilapidated. The listing saved the building as the owners wanted to demolish it. In 1979 Breckland District Council purchased the building for £1.00. Much of the machinery had already been removed and it was decided to restore the mill as a landscape feature and not to full working order.

The restored mill was opened in1987 and was subsequently taken into the care of Dereham Town Council in 2002. A video portrays Miller William Fendick who Find out why Withburga These beautiful cottages Opened by the Queen A great venue for live Dereham Station and The last windmill in bought the mill in 1844. He became a saint and see house Dereham’s Mother in 1983, an oasis performance, workshops track has been restored Dereham, now restored talks to visitors about what her holy well at the west museum and are in the of tranquility off Church and meetings with a 300 by volunteers and is now as a visitor centre with life was like as a miller in side of the town ancient heart of the town Street near the Guildhall seat auditorium fully operational parking and tea rooms the 19th century. From the windmill to Dereham town centre is only one mile, about a 20 There are several interesting sites to see in the town and leisure activities such In 2011 the Friends of Dereham Windmill minute walk or a few minutes by car. There is ample parking in the town as the leisure centre, the recreation ground and skate park and play areas. secured funding to complete the restoration and centre and a very good shopping offer with a mix of national brands and Neatherd Moor offers a chance to play and walk away from the roads and re-open the windmill as a visitor and exhibition independent shops and cafes. take in some of the diverse flora and fauna at any time of year. centre. Learn more at derehamwindmill.co.uk

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust Dereham Livestock Market

Welcome to Dereham! In front of you is the market place. On market days a hundred years ago it would have been full of people buying and selling all the necessities of life and much else too. But if you had arrived here on a Friday, the first thing you would have noticed would have been the sight, sound and smell of livestock, around you here, and in much of the rest of the town centre. In front of you, where the war memorial now stands, there was an obelisk with mileages to nearby towns and next to that - sheep pens! On your right were cattle and they were up Theatre Street on your left too. Pigs If you looked back behind were in the car park behind you. Down you 100 years ago on a Friday 1850 – Slaters Directory the other end of the Market Place, farm this is the view you would have Dereham - The market, held on Friday, has lately attained great machinery was displayed in front of what seen looking into Cherry Tree importance, and dealers in the country around: very considerable is now the cinema. car park. business is transacted in corn and cattle, and this market is esteemed as one of the best in the county for pigs. Beyond that, horses were in Church Street and, furthest of all, poultry was in Bull Inn 1869 - The Farmer’s Magazine Yard, down the High Street towards the There is a great sale for old sows in the autumn at East Dereham library. market, and they will sometimes be found there nearly eight hundred strong. The North Country dealers come to meet them and take them Dereham’s very popular markets were to Yorkshire, where they are sold at £3 to £5 each, and duly grazed renowned throughout England in the 1906 into bacon. nineteenth century and trade flourished YOU helped by the advent of the railway. ARE The stone water trough HERE is used now as a flower bed but was originally To find your way gifted to the town in around the town 1913 by the Norfolk & Norwich branch of the and learn more RSPCA, for the animals. about places to The bottom trough was visit, please go for sheep, cats and dogs, and look at the while the top was for the information board cattle and horses. On in the middle of the end was a fountain for human consumption the Market Place of fresh cold water.

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust The map shows the centre of Dereham and the locations of Each of the sites described below has an information panel the main attractions. These are all within a short walking which tells us more about the story of Dereham and some of distance of the town centre and Market Place. its notable residents. These are shown as an ‘i’ in a red dot.

Dereham’s history begins This beautiful timber-framed, This tranquil walled garden Built in 1818 as a coachworks, The station dates from 1846. Dereham’s only remaining around AD 654 when King thatched building is noted was dedicated to the Queen this is now a restored Grade II After passenger services windmill, no longer working, Anna’s daughter Withburga for its unusual frieze of Mother in 1983. Today it is listed building with several ended in 1969 it was leased has been restored as a visitor founded a nunnery here. coloured pargeting. used for occasional concerts interesting features. to a local company, but was and exhibition centre. and as an ideal location for later ravaged by fire. In AD 970 the manor of Originally three cottages, photographs following a The building began life as The fact that there were once Dereham was granted to the these are the oldest surviving wedding ceremony in the a coach building works and In 1998 the station became several windmills in this area Abbot of Ely. The Abbot domestic buildings in nearby Registry Office. was converted to a memorial part of the Mid-Norfolk shows that the grain trade decided to move Withburga’s Dereham and may once have hall around 1920. The blank Railway, and was then was very important to the body to the abbey. In the been alms houses. Also near the garden is the arcading on the ground floor restored to its former glory. town in the 19th century. dead of night the Ely monks Grade II listed Guildhall replaces shop fronts. It was carried off the body, to The row of three cottages which was once the seat of converted into a magnificent Now visitors can step back This windmill stands in its the dismay of the townsfolk. survived the great fires of local government, converted entertainment venue in 2011. in time on its platforms and own protected Field in Trust 1581 and 1679 and then into a mansion in 1548. travel on the heritage trains. with car parking and a After the body had been much later escaped the The building is now home to With its museum space, cafe, community cafe and moved, a spring of water with bombs dropped during the The gardens are a great place several meeting rooms and shop and special heritage rail meeting room on the site. healing properties sprang up Zeppelin raid of 1915. It is to start or end a walk along a well equipped auditorium events, there is something for Visit the mill to find out about in her grave at Dereham. now the town’s Museum. Ted Ellis Way. seating up to 300. everyone to enjoy. its history and restoration. Bishop Bonner’s Cottage Museum and St Nicholas’ Church - historic heart of the town

The oldest features of the church you see today are Norman and The museum is named after Bishop Dereham enters history St Nicholas’ Church and St Withburga’s Well date from about 1120. They include the south doorway, inside This is the earliest known image of Bishop Bonner’s Cottages. Bishop Bonner’s Edmund Bonner who was Rector of the porch. There have been alterations in most centuries since, It dates to around 1870. At this time the church graveyard Dereham from 1534 - 40 and who later The large size of the church and churchyard shows it was an important religious centre from late Saxon times. came right up to the back wall of the cottages. The low but most of what you can see dates between 1200 and 1500. brick building in the foreground was the wash house which became Bishop of London under We think this area is the historic heart of Dereham, where contained a well. It was demolished in the late 1950s. Cottages Queen Mary I. the town began. It is set on the slope of a small river valley, The River and Just inside the church is the unusual font, made in 1468. The This is one of the very few if not the only domestic Washbridge poet William Cowper (1731-1800) is buried in the church, and has building to escape the town fires of 1581 and 1679. Bishop Bonner was notorious as a cruel with rich meadows, where natural springs flow. People a fine memorial window featuring his two pet hares. The importance of the cottages was recognised by the persecutor of protestants. have left their traces here since prehistoric times. antiquarian Walter Rye who bought them and had them For more information, see the church website: restored in 1905. There are records of Alms Houses for the poor that backed on to the churchyard bit.ly/2zXs0jB Dereham is likely to be a Saxon name meaning 1773 weather vane We are unsure of the exact age of the oldest parts during the time he was Rector. They ‘enclosure of deer’. It was first recorded in 797 when the of these timber framed cottages, but investigations may have been these cottages. Bishop Edmund Bonner body of St Withburga was discovered to be “all whole continue. Originally it was three cottages of different St Nicholas’ The cottage is now the town’s local history museum. and uncorrupted at Dereham, fifty five years after she Bell Tower dates: it looks as if the two outer ones were built first went from life”. The daughter of King Anna, Withburga Church It is mainly about life, work and commerce in Dereham, Bishop Bonner’s St Withburga’s Well and the gap between was turned into a third. is said to have founded a nunnery in Dereham in 654. A Cottage Museum including local industries such as Metamec and Hobbies. Viking army invaded this part of Norfolk in about 870, They all came under the same ownership at some point, as the broad frieze of pargeting (decorative plasterwork) The Museum is operated by volunteers and opening so the wooden buildings of the nunnery were burned times vary. For details see www.derehamhistory.com down. on the front spans all of the three cottages. It was probably built in the area where the church stands today, making this a site of Christian worship for over The style of the pargeting 1300 years. dates it to the 1600s, yet it YOU contains the date of 1502. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary sent two female deer ARE to Withburga for her nuns to milk to provide food for HERE We do not know when the workmen building the convent. Every day the two the cottages were built nor what this date deer would come to the banks of the river at Washbridge Aerial photo: www.mike-page.co.uk to be milked. When a huntsman killed the deer he was commemorates. The Norman doorway into the church The Font was once brightly coloured struck down and killed along with his horse. The tale is commemorated in the town sign and the symbol of a golden deer can also be seen on the town The Bell Tower crest and the church’s 1773 weather vane. The massive detached bell tower is The plasterwork on the front of the cottage with the date 1502 very unusual. A new tower was needed Left and below: Displays in Bishop Bonner’s Cottage Museum for the bells as the church tower was

The angry townsfolk of Dereham chasing the monks from the Abbey of Ely, who dug up St Withburga’s body and carried her away to Ely in 974. Drawing by Eric Puddy too weak to carry their weight. It was first mentioned in the will of In 970 King Edgar set about rebuilding the holy houses. It is said that a holy spring miraculously appeared and Richard Pynnes in 1500, when he left Dereham became part of the estate of the new Abbey of started to flow from her burial place. This became known money for the ‘Clocker’ to be built anew. Ely, which had been founded by Withburga’s older sister as St Withburga’s healing well and is still to be found Etheldreda. The Abbot wanted to reunite the holy sisters in the churchyard to the west of the church. Dereham Four bells hung in the tower by 1536, in Ely. So in 974 he held a great feast for the people of became a centre for pilgrims. The church may have been today there are eight. The ringing of Dereham and, while they slept off the effects, his monks named after St Nicholas when it acquired a holy relic of the bells was of great importance to Find St Withburga’s Dereham’s museum is An oasis of tranquility A great venue for live Dereham Station and The last windmill in stole the saint’s body. In the morning when the town’s the saint in the form of one of his ribs. A silver shoe of St the town, for they were time-keeper, holy well at the west in the ancient heart of off Church Street near performance, work- restored track are now Dereham is now a The town sign showing the legend of St Withburga people realised they gave chase, but it was too late. Withburga’s was also listed as one of the church’s relics. calendar and news bulletin. side of the town the town the Guildhall shops and meetings fully operational visitor centre

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust Dereham’s amazing talents Brian Aldiss 1925 - 2017 Poet, playwright, critic, fiction and science-fiction writer Brian Wilson Aldiss was born in August 1925 in Dereham and is the author of more than 75 books, but is best known for his science fiction. Brian was born on 18 August 1925, above his grandfather’s draper’s shop in Dereham. As a three year old, he started to write stories which his mother would bind and put on a shelf.

Brian grew up in the properties over what is now Aldiss Court, above the furniture shop owned by his uncle and the clothing shop run by his father.

Brian Aldiss helped ring in the ‘British New Wave’ of science fiction writing of the 60s and 70s, which focused on soft science, more so than the hard stuff. “I don’t agree with those people who think of science fiction as some kind of prediction of the future,” Brian said in 2007. “I think it’s a metaphor for the human condition.”

Brian has argued that science fiction originates, as a genre, from Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein. He summarises the genre as “a search for a definition of man and his status in the universe”. Brian Aldiss has received numerous international awards for his science fiction. Learn more at Brianaldiss.co.uk

Photographs by kind permission of the family of Brian Aldiss and Dereham Heritage Trust Enjoy your visit The map shows the centre of Dereham and the locations of the main attractions. These are all within a short walking distance. Each attraction has an information panel which tells us more about the story of Dereham and some of its notable residents. There are also public open spaces with play areas and several attractive local walks. Visit St Withburga’s holy well and Bishop Bonner’s Cottage museum to find out why she became a saint - and why he was not! Dereham station is now the heart of a restored and working heritage railway and rail museum. Dereham Windmill is now restored as a visitor and exhibition centre with tea rooms and parking. The Memorial Hall is a Grade II listed building restored as a live performance space

John Craske 1881 - 1943 John Craske was first a fisherman, later a fishmonger, and finally an artist and a ‘painter in wools’. The story of John Craske and his life with his wife Laura is an extraordinary one. John became seriously ill at around the age of 36 and, in order to occupy him, Dr Duigan recommended embroidery. The result of this advice was that the invalid John Craske produced hundreds of beautiful embroideries, some of which were sold to This photo of Norwich Street may have been taken around 1921. The first shop American collectors. on the right was the old Co-op and on the left you can see what was once a bank. John had been born in Sheringham, into a family of fishermen, and went out to sea with In 1921 the Craske family his father from the age of 14. When John was bought No 21 Norwich Street about 24, his father retired from the sea and where they had the flat above the family moved to Dereham and opened the shop as well as the fish the first of a series of fish shops. counter and the smokehouse behind. When he was well enough, John served in the shop and Laura ran the smokehouse. They lived at No 42 Norwich Road at this time until Laura’s death in 1957. The shop and business were eventually sold around 1966. 21 Norwich Street in the 1960s

It is said that in his pictures he captures perfectly the way a boat sits on the waves and leans into the wind. Almost all of his paintings and embroideries were of boats, fish, the sea and the coastline. A detail from Smile at the storm by John Craske, (Sheringham Museum) It was said that he The embroidery of the The Fishing Smack Gannet © Sheringham Museum at the Mo. missed the sea. basket of fishes hung in the home of William Craske for many years until he donated it to Sheringham Museum where many of John’s paintings and embroideries are on display. Dereham Heritage Trust also has a small collection.

Basket of Fish by John Craske, (Sheringham Museum) Find out more about John Craske, his life and work on Derehamhistory.com. John Craske embroidery from the Duigan family collection © Photographs by kind permission of the Craske family, Dereham Heritage Trust and Sheringham Museum

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland District Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust Dereham - a hive of industry Dereham Memorial Hall Invention, expertise, enterprise The Memorial Hall was originally A diverse range of industries including brewers, maltsters, Elvin’s Coach works and is a fine brickyards and iron foundries had developed in Dereham before example of early 19th century the coming of the railway in 1847. Trade in the town benefited factory architecture with its and grew greatly from the railway links. New manufacturing rusticated pilasters at each end. firms producing push-bikes, cameras and sewing machines A variety of carriages were made, thrived, alongside the town’s traditional market in livestock and some with beautifully emblazoned grain. From these sprang the large employers of the twentieth panels for royalty across Europe. century such as Hobbies, Jentique, and Metamec. W. Elvin, Carriage and Harness Manufacturer Hobbies, Jentique and Metamec

During the First World War it was turned into the Picture Palace, showing silent films. In 1934 it was converted into a heated swimming pool, which is still underneath the Hall’s floor to this day. On the site to your right, opposite the railway, was Hobbies, founded in 1895. In the winter the pool was boarded Hobbies employed some 500 people in the 1950s making a huge range of up and the Hall became a dance and products in metal and wood from their own timber yards. The company took concert venue. part in the war effort in the first and second world wars, helping to make aeroplane parts. It became enormously successful as the image above shows. During the Second World War it became a cinema again, now They produced the ‘Hobbies Weekly’ magazine which had a circulation of over known as the Pool Cinema. 70,000 internationally. It contained plans to build everything from dolls’ houses to oscilloscopes encouraging readers to learn crafts and simple engineering. The Urban District Council Jentique the furniture manufacturer purchased the Hall and, in 1949, became an important supplier to the war it was renamed the Memorial Hall effort, making instrument cases and transit in honour of those who lost their cases made of wood and strengthened with lives in the two World Wars. metal pressings. In 2010-2011, Dereham Town Council restored, Metamec the clock-maker started as an off- extended and refurbished the hall to create a marvellous shoot of Jentique and the factory employed venue for live performance that today is used as a concert around 750 people in the 1960s-70s, hall, theatre and meeting space with a capacity of 300 in the making 350 models of clock and producing main auditorium. Learn more at derehammemorialhall.info 25,000 clocks per week at its peak. About Dereham

The map shows the centre of Dereham and the locations of some key sites of interest. These are all within a short walking distance of the town centre. Each site has an information panel which tells us more about the story of Dereham and some of its notable residents. There are also green spaces with play areas and several attractive local walks.

Find out why Withburga These beautiful cottages Opened by the Queen A great venue for live Dereham Station and track The last windmill in Dere- became a saint and see her house Dereham’s museum Mother in 1983, an oasis performances, workshops has been restored by ham, now restored as a visi- holy well at the west side of and are in the ancient heart of tranquility off Church and meetings with a 300 volunteers and is now fully tor centre with parking and the town of the town Street near the Guildhall seat auditorium operational tea rooms

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland District Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust Dereham and its railway 1846 saw the arrival of the first railway in Dereham. Horizons suddenly widened and the economy of both town and region massively benefited for the next hundred years

The trains offered huge advantages of speed and convenience for both passengers and the movement of goods and livestock—from crops and cattle to malt and milk. That first railway gave connection at Wymondham for Norwich, and London via Cambridge. In 1848 a second new line connected Dereham with Kings Lynn; in 1849 the original line was extended to Fakenham and, later, to Wells-Next-the-Sea.

The railway brought new industry, so new employment opportunities. Traders could more easily send their goods to and from market in Dereham. Dereham became the largest malting centre in Norfolk and several of the former maltings can be seen from the station. In the first ten years of the railway, Dereham gained a sack factory, a steam saw-mill, more foundries, Around 1900, a passenger train has arrived from Kings Lynn. Behind, to the left, is the Hobbies factory and increased agricultural machinery manufacture. For these industries the railway was important to bring materials in and to take finished goods out. Dereham immediately found fresh prosperity as it built on the long established rural economy. In due course the railway also helped new light industries to become established - including Hobbies which supported model makers, furniture manufacturer Jentique, and the clock makers Metamec. For over 100 years the railway continued to play a key role in the life of the town and region. Besides the important freight traffic, passenger business was significant—although at first high fares had ruled out leisure travel for ordinary working people. Fares gradually became more affordable, and by Goods staff with a wagon shunted into the goods shed Passengers boarding a Dereham-Lynn service in the early 1900s the early 1950s both business and leisure rail travel were commonplace. for loading or unloading

But traffic was gradually lost to road transport. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1969, although goods trains continued until 1989 when the railway through Dereham Find out more from finally closed. mnr.org.uk Eventually the line was bought and restored by the Mid-Norfolk Railway and In 1914 the country is at war. On the platform are leaving troops and the band of today attracts thousands of In the 1960s both the Maltings (far left) and the gas works the 5th Territorial Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment visitors each year. Dereham Railway Station in 1907 (far distance) were served by railway sidings

The map shows the centre of Dereham and the locations of the main attractions. These are all within a short walking distance of the town centre and the railway. Each attraction has an information panel which tells us more about the story of Dereham and some of its notable residents. There are also public open spaces Find out why Withburga became These beautiful cottages house Opened by the Queen Mother in A great venue for performance Dereham Station and track has The last windmill in Dereham, with play areas and several a saint and see her holy well at Dereham’s museum and are in 1983, an oasis of tranquility off art, workshops and meetings been restored by volunteers and now restored as a visitor centre attractive local walks. the west side of the town the ancient heart of the town Church Street near the Guildhall with a 300 seat auditorium is now fully operational with parking and tea rooms

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust Dereham town and its important sites A classic market town There are several historical clues that point to Dereham becoming a regional centre from an early date. Place names that end in `ham’ often signify a Saxon estate centre or some other `central place’. It was the weekly market in Dereham that brought people and traders from the surrounding hamlets together from an early date. In the early 1800s the town was known as Market Dereham, such was the renown of its market. The goods the town was famed for have changed over the years. Dereham is first mentioned for its fine thread and woollen cloth; later it became famous for its butter. Dereham market was at its largest after the coming of the railway to the town in 1846 when livestock and grain markets flourished. The importance of these industries in the past is evidenced by records of the windmills that used to exist and the maltings that have now closed or been converted. The Corn Hall, which was built in 1856 for the booming trade in grains, still stands in Dereham Market Place as a testimony to former times. The map shows the centre of Dereham and the locations of the main attractions. These are all within a short walking distance of the town centre and the railway. Each attraction has an information panel which tells us more about the story of Dereham and some of its notable residents. There are also public open spaces Find out why Withburga became These beautiful cottages house Opened by the Queen Mother in A great venue for performance Dereham Station and track has The last windmill in Dereham, with play areas and several a saint and see her holy well at Dereham’s museum and are in 1983, an oasis of tranquility off art, workshops and meetings been restored by volunteers and now restored as a visitor centre attractive local walks. the west side of the town the ancient heart of the town Church Street near the Guildhall with a 300 seat auditorium is now fully operational with parking and tea rooms

Sir John Fenn was also a William Hyde Wollaston 1766-1828 George Borrow 1803-1881 justice of the peace who served as High Sheriff of William Hyde Wollaston was George Henry Borrow was an Norfolk for 1791-2. born on 6 August 1766 in English writer of novels and of He lived with his wife Ellenor Dereham when his father travel books based on his own at Hill House at the north end was the Rector. He trained experiences in Europe. Borrow of Dereham Market Place. It is one of the finest Georgian as a doctor but later took up studied law, but languages and houses in the town. Hill House, Dereham metallurgy and developed literature became his main interests. a career as one of the most His best-known books are The Ellenor Fenn 1743-1813 influential scientists of the age. Bible in Spain, Lavengro, and The He died in 1828 after a long Romany Rye. During his travels, Ellenor Frere (birth name) was born in 1744 to a and distinguished career. he developed a close affinity with privileged family in Suffolk, England. She did not attend the Romani people of Europe who formal schooling and was educated by her aunt. This He discovered the chemical elements palladium and rhodium and became was common as many upper class 18th-century women President of the Royal Society in 1820. He created many inventions and figure prominently in his work. made many discoveries, including the meniscus lens and the camera lucida. were taught at home. In 1766, she married fellow writer In 1825, he began his first major European John Fenn and settled down in Norfolk. She had no Wollaston also performed important work in electricity. During the last journey, walking in France and Germany. biological children but raised two adopted children. years of his life he performed electrical experiments which resulted in his Over the next few years he visited Russia, Portugal, Spain and Morocco, accidental discovery of electromagnetic induction 10 years prior to Michael acquainting himself with the people and languages of countries he visited. Faraday, preceding the eventual design of the electric motor. Later in life, Fenn became active in the Sunday In Lavengro: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Priest (1851) Borrow describes School movement. This movement sought to his home town thus: “I love to think on thee, pretty quiet Dereham thou teach working class children basic reading, William Cowper 1731-1800 pattern of an English country town, with thy clean but narrow streets writing, maths and crafts. She published more William Cowper was an English than 50 books, using the pseudonyms Mrs poet and hymnodist. One of Teachwell and Mrs Lovechild, aimed at helping John Fenn 1739-1794 mothers to understand how best to help their the most popular poets of his children learn. time, Cowper changed the Sir John Fenn was an English antiquary. He is best remembered Fenn also created toys and games that direction of 18th century nature encouraged mothers to teach their children poetry by writing of everyday for collecting, editing, and themselves. She is seen now as an an life and scenes of the English publishing the Paston Letters, early advocate of child-centered teaching countryside. In many ways, he describing the life and political strategies. was one of the forerunners of scheming of the gentry in Medieval Throughout her career, Fenn never received any royalties for her work, only Romantic poetry. England. The first two volumes free distribution copies of her works. George Borrow affectionately referred to her and Hill House as “thy one half-aristocratic mansion, where resided His poem “Light Shining out of Darkness” gave English the phrase: “God of Fenn’s edition of the famous thy Lady Bountiful - she, the generous and kind, who loved to visit the sick..” moves in a mysterious way/ His wonders to perform.” Cowper also wrote letters appeared in January 1787, a number of anti-slavery poems and his friendship with Newton, who was dedicated to King George III, and The community space on Chapel Walk has been created in an avid anti-slavery campaigner, resulted in Cowper being asked to write in support of the Abolitionist campaign. He is buried in the chapel of St caused a literary sensation. Fenn received a knighthood recognition of the life and works of Ellenor Fenn who for Thomas of Canterbury, in St Nicholas’ Church, in Dereham. after presenting the originals to the King in May 1787. many years truly was one of Dereham’s unsung heroines.

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust Detecting Dereham’s intriguing history History around you Once manufacturing and houses stood side by side in the centre of the town, most everyday products were made or produced locally. In the past you would have seen, heard and smelled very diffrent things to those you do today on this spot. In 1815 on the south side of the car park stood Banyard’s Mill, one of the town’s four windmills. In 1882 a blacksmith had his workshop between here and the High Street and to the north of the You are path there was an iron works and a timber yard. here Map of 1880s

You are here

Banyard’s Mill was recorded on this site in 1815. It was a wooden post mill, where the whole upper storey rotates to face the wind. It was not recorded again after that.

Wright’s Motor Wright’s Way that runs from the car park to the and Cycle Works High Street, where you are standing now, was at their first site in the High Street named after James J Wright who established a motor and cycle works in the town in 1889. It grew into a major supplier of agricultural machinery. The old name for this path was the Rope Walk. It was a strip of land 300 feet long, open to the sky with a shed at one end, where the rope-maker set up his simple machinery then stretched and twisted vast lengths of hemp fibre into rope Find out why Withburga These beautiful cottages Opened by the Queen A great venue for live Dereham Station and The last windmill in and twine. The production of rope by the Elsden became a saint and see house Dereham’s Mother in 1983, an oasis performance, workshops track has been restored Dereham, now restored family finished on the site in the late 1880s. her holy well at the west museum and are in the of tranquility off Church and meetings with a 300 by volunteers and is now as a visitor centre with side of the town ancient heart of the town Street near the Guildhall seat auditorium fully operational parking and tea rooms Drawing of rope making in the early 1800s. The first record of rope Each of the six sites shown above has an information panel where you can find production by the Elsden family on out more about the story of Dereham and how it has changed over time. All of the site dates from 1839. these sites are within easy walking distance. There are several interesting places to visit in the town as well as leisure activities such as the leisure centre, the recreation ground and skate park, play areas and local walks.

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust Neatherd Moor then and now Neatherd Moor Early History Paths and tracks The moor is the only surviving common land in People from every period have left their traces on the common. Evidence of early Dereham that was not included in the Enclosure Act human activity in the area dates back to of 1812. It was described in medieval documents finds of worked flints from the Stone Age. as Galewetremor (Gallows Tree Common) and it is The remains of hearths and tools show believed that it had the town gallows on it. settlement in Neolithic times and the Bronze Age - that’s 4,000 years ago. A possible origin for its current name (shown on some maps and documents as Neat Herd Moor, Neatherd’s Moor or Nettersmoor) is ‘Neat’herd’ - a Roman finds have also been found on the person who has the care of neat cattle or a cowherd. This suggests that the common, including a hoard of Roman common was used for grazing cattle even in the post-medieval period. coins which were buried for safekeeping inside a pot. Other Roman finds have been To the north is Back Lane, shown in red on the map, probably an ancient everyday objects such as a key, furniture There is evidence of willow cultivation Shillings Lane track which also marked the southern boundary of a Deer Park. This was and basket making over the years. fittings and a reaping hook. documented in AD1251, while in 1360 the familiar features of a deer park regime were described, trees were felled, deer taken and the pasture There are a number of public rights of way between The Neatherd and Within living memory cattle have grazed on overgrazed by cattle. the moor and enjoyed paddling in the pond. Etling Green. Nearly all are Restricted Byways not open to any motorised vehicles. You can walk along Shillings Lane which now also acts as a valuable The blue track to the south is known as Shillings Lane and could have been wildlife corridor between Neatherd Moor and Etling Green. a drove route along which cattle were driven to the market in Dereham. Dereham Walkers are Welcome encourage the use of the 41 public rights of way in and around the town and work to keep them clear of vegetation and other obstacles. The website has a range of local walks, some of which use the routes by or across The Neatherd.

YOU ARE HERE

Public Access and Wildlife In 1910 new by-laws made the Neatherd a public park allowing access to all parts of the common. As times have changed so the need for grazing for cattle has given way to that of access to a public open space and a protective habitat for wildlife. An ancient common such as this has remained largely undisturbed through the centuries, a legacy of medieval times when people relied on commons In 2013, Neatherd Moor was designated a County Wildlife Site, in recognition for their survival. On the Neatherd every inhabitant of every ancient cottage of its biodiversity and the variety of habitats with areas of marshy open within the parish was entitled to put two milch cows and one heifer or grassland, woodland and scrub, hedgerows and trees, ponds and ditches follower on the common every day from 11th May until the following 5th all providing a home for a range of plants, birds, animals and insects. These April. The commoners were to elect two herdsmen to keep the cattle off the include some rare protected species such as the great crested newt, bats common from 5th April to 11th May to let the grass recover. and some rare plants.

Produced by the Dereham Wayfinding Partnership of Dereham Town Council, Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, the aboutDereham Partnership and Dereham Heritage Trust