Downham Market in Bloom

Portfolio 2007 Downham Market in Bloom

Downham Market is a rapidly growing market town on the edge of the fens in the far west of Norfolk. Its strong farming history is reflected today in its popular market and local wheat mill. However, it is increasingly seen as a service town for the local outlying villages and has a selection of small shops, banks and a range of other small businesses as well as two supermarkets. With good roads North/South and East/West and an award winning railway station, it has become the ideal location for commuters to nearby Kings Lynn as well as London and Cambridge.

The unique, red, open textured carr stone used in many Downham Market buildings gives the town a distinctive character and earned it the nickname ‘Gingerbread Town’. The most impressive example is the central Town Hall, dating back to 1887, extended in 1974. Fronting the Town Hall is the newest feature in the town the Town Square, completed in 2003. The most memorable sight in Downham Market is undoubtedly the Town Clock, an unusual and distinctive cast iron structure in a Gothic style given to the town in 1878, by James Scott.

2 Contents

2 Introduction

3 Contents

4 Committee Members

5 Judges Itinerary and Road Map

6 - 9 Downham Market in Bloom Route

10 - 11 Ongoing Projects: The Willows

12 - 13 Ongoing Projects: The War Memorial

14 Ongoing Projects: Recycling Future Projects: Church Road

15 Downham in Bloom local involvement

16 Thank you

3 Committee Members Anglia in Bloom 2007

1 Tinker Taylor 10 Julie Davy Downham Market Former Mayor Horticultural Society Downham Market

2 Nathan Johnson not pictured Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Councillor Pat Roberts 3 Roger Parnell Downham Market Councillor Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Councillor John Leach 4 Emma van Deventer Downham Market Councillor Downham Market Community Development Officer Sara Porter 5 The Mayor - Councillor John Doyle Downham Market Deputy Town Clerk Downham Market Mayor

6 Councillor Mick Ford 7 2 5 9 Downham Market Councillor 4

7 Tony Porter 6 1 3 8 Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk 10

8 Andrew Davy Horticultural Society Downham Market

9 Councillor Colin Sampson Downham Market Councillor

4 S RIM S E S H L R O A E U G N L L R D D C

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D N E M U E R R I S C N H E LACK L I A R C O P C Y S F R E E D O E B A BAT K C V S HC N R I O E APE CL E LA W V NE A NE H L T T S O WESLEY E

T O W B S N 1 A R N T W B O I A ND Z I

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DOWNHAM T O E V 2 L

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STATION IC A P N TO R R

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O T R D ION D T Y T HE I STA P I N 11 A 1122 D A E T L 9 S R N RA CL

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A BRI G WA Y I LK S RD R G WC Q10 H U N H I 5 C T L THE GREEN 8 A IORY RD PR E TOWE M R S H

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R R ERS ST D E U L D HAL B R W MANBY CL CRO E R LAN IC ARK HM P O N D

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N Downham Market Judges itinerary & road map

1 The Town Council Offices 6 Town Sign 11 Crown Pub 2 Castle Hotel 7 Corner of Priory Road 12 Hythe Bridge 3 Cannon Square Cross Roads 8 Bible Garden 13 Downham Market Railway Station 4 High Street North 9 Bridge Street 5 High Street South 10 Town Square 5 H

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NU E E RS C N H E LCastleA Hotel I R CK CLO P C Y S R Thought to have beenE a coaching and E D O E posting house, this striking building is B mostlyA c18th, although some parts are BAT thoughtK to be even earlier. CHC V The Town Council Offices R I CL O E Completed in 1998, the current offices W NE have always maintained a well kept

garden to the front entrance. T

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T E PARADIS 3 M A W 4 L A T Y I N T D S R

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T H KING

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WC Q H U High Street North H C The approach down this road to the Town Square allows the visitor to IenjoyORY RD PR E TOW an excellent view of the TownS Square H

T and Town Clock. T W Priory Cannon Square

I N Centre Cross Roads N Scouts roundel to celebrateC 60 years of O OU the Scouting movement. RT G L DN D

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6 N WESLEY

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N High Street South D T T D N S R D

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T H KING

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I LK R H ST EDM WC Q U 5 H C IORY RD PR E TOWER S H

T 7 T W Priory HOWDA I N Centre N C O O URT G L DNS D 6

C Corner ofL Priory Road RotaryH Club roundel to celebrate 50 NCE A I years of the local club. Look out for PR theR Green plaque denoting the old P PrioryD site. Y R Y C S L T O L N ORY O

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D D O Town Sign

N The sign depicts the Crown and Arrows

of St Edmund, the horsesR that surmount R Y

D it indicate the importance of the horse

E S R C fairs held in Downham Market in the late N T OA Y H

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c19th. A plaque on theO plinth giving F S U

more information. N I T E R O L C D N L H H CL O I W LL IG C 7 S C E H ER LACK CLO C Y R SE E D O E B A BAT K C V S HC N R I O E APE CL E LA W V NE A NE L T S O WESLEY

O Crown Pub W N This c17th coach house featured in the BRO N A 1816 Bread and Blood Riots, when a

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Bridge StreetV

D crowd protesting against the Corn Laws S

E L RD T ARADISriotedE in the town. Now it is more

A P famous for its riot of colours from its N

M hanging baskets.

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Bible Garden O

Opened by the Salvation Army in L Summer 2006, this peaceful area D C of town was designedY for rest L and reflection. A T R W

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L G I Town Square

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A regeneration project in 2004, the Town H L D R A Square is a meeting place for the town O D

R and plays host to various Town CouncilL

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NSI ON CTOorganisedR entertainment and events

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Hythe Bridge Crossing the Inner Relief Channel for the River Great Ouse V A H T

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L MARKET E ST T E STATION N VIC S N TO RI R E 13 ST E B T 12 R

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Downham Market Railway Station This award winning station has a café and post office and a friendly atmosphere.

9 Ongoing projects: The Willows

Downham Market’s three parks are owned and managed by the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk. The most secluded and least known about of these is the Willows, a former brickworks site. Now it is a nature reserve, known mainly by the local fishermen and dog walkers. Sadly neglected when local groups ceased to manage it several years ago, it was put back on the Borough’s agenda through the dogged determination from the Town Council. Work through Winter 2006 to Spring 2007 included cutting back overgrown brambles, branches and hedges, opening up the views of the reed bed and edging the paths.

Clockwise: The Willows currently & before the restoration 10 Ongoing projects: Willows & the local Community

Local knowledge about the plant life has caused the Borough to review their grasscutting times to accommodate the wild flowers seeding. Other local input came from Downham Market hedge layers, Dave Edwards and Nigel Brunn who have laid new hedges with a mix of traditional shrubs. The Town Council has worked with local children at Wimbotsham Primary School to highlight the beauty of the site and encourage good citizenship. Their interest and involvement in improving the Willows culminated in a display of posters at the local library and can be seen at today’s reception.

Main picture: Dave Edwards Right: Wimbotsham Primary School Children 11 Ongoing projects: The War Memorial

Although the War Memorial itself is in good condition and a regular feature of the town’s annual Remembrance Service, its current site is in poor condition and does little to enhance the Memorial itself. In 2007, work began in earnest to redevelop the area in a way which would be in better keeping to both the War Memorial and its location on a popular gateway into town.

12 The War Memorial & the local Community

The Town Council has been working with the local Royal British Legion and other interested Town organisations to facilitate a facelift for the War Memorial site.

13 Ongoing projects: Recycling

The Borough has worked with the Town Council to encourage recycling Christmas trees. The first year of this partnership proved successful with Downham Market’s participation being double than at any of the other Borough’s recycling days held elsewhere across their region.

Future plans: Church Road

Alongside the on going work with the Willows and the War Memorial, it is hoped that the green area currently used as an unofficial car park, Church Road will be enhanced by the Borough and Town Council.

Top: Recycling Christmas trees Insert: Church Road 14 Downham in Bloom local involvement

A massive contribution to the event was made by Downham Market in Bloom has sought to support the local Horticultural Society, whose members local products and materials as much as possible. Julie and Andrew Davy have attended all the in The plant brackets around town were made locally Bloom meetings and organised the popular Best by Fen-Fab Engineering Ltd. Stuart Glover from Garden Competition. Downham in Bloom would West Dereham. like to thank the three fearless judges, Tony Stacey, . Tinker Taylor and Roy Coughtrey as well as local photographer, Ken Beck.

The Print Centre has generously donated time and materials to produce photographs of the gardens in this year’s competition and the prize of a canvas print to the overall winner.

The local Lioness charity also gave their support, by sponsoring the Town Hall’s hanging baskets.

The current projects at the Willows and the War Memorial have been greatly enhanced by local involvement from Wimbotsham and Stow Primary School, Class 2 and the Royal British Legion respectively.

15 Thank you

Downham in Bloom would like to thank the following people and organisations for their active role in making the first year of Downham in Bloom so successful:

All participating Downham Market Businesses Pat Purcell and Friends

1st Downham Market Scouts Stuart Glover Fen-Fab Engineering Ltd, West Dereham Andrew Archibald & Fenland Express Café & Post Office The Castle Hotel, Downham Market

Best Kept Garden Competition Judges: The Crown Hotel, Downham Market Cllr Tony Stacey, Roy Coughtrey and Tinker Taylor The Horticultural Society, Downham Market Class 2, Wimbotsham and Stow Primary School The Lionesses, Downham Market Four baskets on Downham Market Chamber of Trade Town Hall

Downham Market Railway Station The Salvation Army, Downham Market & First Capital Connect The Swan Inn, Downham Market Downham Market Rotary Club Tim Glover and County Grounds Maintenance for Environment Agency donating Best Garden £100 prize and caring for the Hythe Bridge baskets Helen Daw and The Print Centre, Downham Market Winning Ways, Downham Market Heygates Mill, Railway Road, Downham Market

Ken Beck at Bex Photography, Downham Market