Sculthorpe, the Parish Church c1965

East barsham Manor

The manor house was occupied by the army during the Second World War and not released until about 1946. My friends and I often cycled from Walsingham and we found the manor deserted. The entrance hall is well remembered with a large minstrels' gallery at the east end. The most exciting room was, probably still is, the most western first floor room which has a hidden spiral stairway within a turret leading to the floor below. Years later I purchased a 19th-century print of the manor to remind me of this memory.

Stories of North Creake

My grandfather, John Arnett, was the teacher at the North Creake school for many years.  Four of his sons came to Canada.  When I was a little girl growing up in distant Saskatchewan the uncles would gather and tell marvellous tales of living in North Creake.  I have a photo of the grandmother riding her tricycle, of the brothers in front of the school house during World War I.  When my grandfather died there was a story in the Norwich newspaper of how he passed on the Earl's frock coat to the newly elected Labour Member of Parliament. (The Earl was in the habit of giving Grandfather items of clothing for the poor as many were in need in the 1930's but there was little call for a frock coat among the farm labourers.)  Thank you for showing me North Creake.  F. Arnett Sbrocchi, Western Australia

The Bell

My name is Ann Jones. I live in the USA I was formerly Ann Groom, my dad Sydney Groom and mother Mildred kept The Snoring Bell. I remember the Whiteheads down the street on the farm, and going to Little Snoring School - my teachers were Donny Garrett, Mrs Catchpole and Mrs Leach. I had lots of friends and some of my best memories ever. When I go back home now everything is so different - those were the good old days!

Middleton Family

Hi - My family history research finds that my mother Isobella Stephenson was born in Houghton in 1917. Her family may have been in the pub buisness, but her father Harry John Middleton worked for the railways. They eventually ended up in Barnsley where I was born. Any information on this family would be of help to me,
Regards Allan Broadhead

Evacuation from London to Harpley

I remember Harpley when it had no running water, electricity or gas. I was evacuated there during the war years and stayed in a cottage near to the village pub. At that time we had to cross the road to draw drinking water from the village well. Washing and bathing water was supplied by rainwater tanks kept at the back of the cottage. There was a large bungalow bath hung on the side of the cottage which was used for bath days. The couple who looked after us used to place every receptacle possible on top of the kitchen range to heat the water. Washing clothes was a considerable chore, and I remember that once washed they were put through a mangle and then hung up to dry. Ironing was carried out by using flat irons on a stainless steel baseplate to prevent coal dust soiling the clothes. As one iron cooled down, the baseplate was removed and attached to another freshly heated iron. There was a red telephone box outside the cottage with the old manual telephone number of Great Massingham 27. It suggested that only 27 phones were in existence in the village at that time! We used to watch old black and white movies in the village hall most weekends, something as a four-year-old, I loved. The other excitement came when planes from the American Airforce Base nearby, would fly over at low altitude making a tremendous noise. I think the base was Finningley. I was one of the lucky ones. As Catholics, we used to go to mass in a local house, as we were too far away from the nearest Catholic church to fulfill our Sunday mass obligation. Some of the villagers didn't like us becasue of this, as most of them were low-church, and went to the local chapel. However, I had good memories of my evacuation, but left there before the war finished at the end of 1944, to return with my mother to our house in Streatham, London. I kept in touch with the couple who looked after us, and paid them visits years later after I'd grown up and could drive there. Since then, it has changed beyond all recognition. Does anyone out there remember those days of the village well, the old pub, and the film shows in the hall during those war years, and even perhaps the mass house in nearby Rudham we attended?