Stephen has worked as a thatcher since the 1970s. He talks about his working life and the work he did, along with his brother, on cottages, churches, boat sheds, bus stops and even a village sign. I was born in 1954 at my grandparents’ house, Crome’s Farm, How Hill. In those days young mothers would […]
Marsh
A life in sugar beet – from Scotland to Norfolk (1960s-2017)
Alex spent his whole working life in the sugar beet industry, starting in Scotland and finishing in Cantley in Norfolk. He was employed in many factories from Shropshire to Iran and has seen a big change in working conditions and practices. I grew up on a farm in Fife, in Scotland and we were […]
A Man of the Marshes (1947-2018)
Wally tells his story as the ‘King’ of the marshes. He is the last hand reedcutter and is leaving his legacy of knowledge to his sons. I was born in Rockland St Mary, in the old Post Office row, in 1947. I had two sisters and one brother. I just got one sister left now. […]
A Neatishead farm boy (1950s-2018)
John’s mother ran the village shop in Neatishead for over forty years, it was a meeting place for all the locals and farm workers. John was born in the room above the shop. Growing up above the shop My childhood was spent in Neatishead where my mother ran the village shop and my father had […]
A Rednall from Reedham. A life on the marshes (1950s-2017)
Archie was born in London and his family moved to Norfolk when he was a child. He talks about his childhood and later life on the Norfolk marshes. I was born in London, but my dad moved to Reedham in 1947. He bought Brick Kiln, which was the old Reedham brickyard, although it was redundant […]
A Veterinary Life (1964-2013)
Roger gives an insight into the life of a Norfolk vet, caring for animals on the marshes. He talks about the characters and way of life in this unique area. I was born and bred in Norfolk, Downham Market, as the youngest child of four, at the beginning of the war in 1940. I went […]
A view of Norfolk from the air (1960s-2019)
Mike gained his flying licence and over many years he has built up an extensive library of aerial photos of the Broads which show the changing landscape of the area. I was born in Gorleston-on-Sea in 1940 and we lived in Trafalgar Road West. My parents both died while I was young so I haven’t […]
Artist Ambassador for the Broads (1960s-2018)
David is an internationally recognised artist, known for painting ethereal, atmospheric depictions of the Norfolk Broads. He grew up in Norfolk and pursued his love for his environment through his profession of painting. He is active in the protection of the Norfolk Broads and the wildlife that resides within it. Growing up in Norfolk I […]
Best job ever out on the marshes (1980s-2018)
Paul recounts his life working on the marshes as a marshman. He says, ‘Marshmen don’t seem to retire, they just keep going.’ When I was about nine years old I started going down Norton marshes with my dad duck shooting from the first of September. We shot mallard and geese, which would have been greylags […]
Bringing power to the marshes (1961-2019)
Kerry worked for Eastern Electricity for many years before setting up his own company providing helicopter surveys. He describes the challenges of installing and maintaining overhead and underground cables on the marshes. Early life I was born in June 1945 in Stoke on Trent. Both my parents were born there and my grandfather ran a […]