Somerleyton, The Green c.1960

Photo ref: S146010

The 'Wherry Dyke', Somerleyton, was the home of 'Ripplecraft Co' which built and hired out the Broads Cruisers that the picture shows. It had been owned by Sir Francis Cockeral, inventer of the Hovercraft, who tested his original model on this water. The 'Dyke' was dug out to allow the wherry sailing craft to collect bricks from the local brickworks for transporting around Britain. Where the Wherry Dyke enters ...see more

My husband's mother came from Somerleyton, and he and I visited the village and church two or three times between 1978 and 2004. We though it a very beautiful area. The churchyard has the last resting places of quite a few of my husband's ancestors, and I believe some of them worked at Somerleyton Hall. In, I think, in the gardening area. His mother's maiden name was Florence Jackson, and her ...see more

My first memories of school were of Miss Barwood the First Year teacher. She lived in Oulton, driving to school in a china blue Morris Minor. The school was heated by coke fires in each class which a monitor would stoke up during the winter. We would often throw coke at each other after classes. Unfortunately one day the Morris was chipped and dented by a lump of coke... Howard G. did not turn up for ...see more

My grandparents lived at 5 The Green until my grandad retired from working on the Estate farms. They then moved to 5 Widows Cottages. My grandma lived there after grandad died in 1951 until her death in 1959. I have very happy memories of school holidays spent with them. My cousin and I used to walk everywhere, round the candlestick etc., with no worries. I remember the Co-op, ...see more