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In association with Fakenham and district Sun - Fakenham's only free paper
Readers of the ‘Fakenham and District Sun free paper’ will be familiar with our regular ‘Local History Corner’ articles which have appeared each month since December 2011.
For those who may not receive a printed edition, there is an opportunity here to view the current article as well as those from previous editions. |
December 2015
Free cinema show for 400 children
This photo shows some of the children who enjoyed a pre-Christmas treat at Fakenham’s Central Cinema on 16th December 1960. About 400 children from Fakenham and the surrounding district, aged between three and fifteen, were provided with free entertainment at the Central Cinema in Fakenham by the directors of Eastern Theatres Ltd. Every child received an orange, an ice cream and a balloon, and about 30 prizes were distributed, including boxes of chocolates supplied by local traders. |
Coaches brought parties of children into town from the surrounding villages to see a programme which included a western and the children’s comedy ‘Toby Tyler’. This was about a little orphan boy, Toby Tyler, who runs away to join a travelling circus after a quarrel with his foster parents. Under the big top, Toby is exposed to a magical new world that includes a comical chimpanzee named Mr. Stubbs. The photo shows the cinema manager’s son, Keith Mayes, dressed as the chimpanzee Mr Stubbs, as part of the fun of the pre-Christmas treat.
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive
Photo courtesy of Keith Mayes
Those recognised in this pictures so far are; Mr. and Mrs. George Mayes, Mrs. Connie Parsons, Ian Tudor, Richard Lane, Tony and Trudi Cockerill Lenny, Richard, David and Cedric Warnes, and Keith Mayes dressed as Mr. Stubbs!
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive
Photo courtesy of Keith Mayes
Those recognised in this pictures so far are; Mr. and Mrs. George Mayes, Mrs. Connie Parsons, Ian Tudor, Richard Lane, Tony and Trudi Cockerill Lenny, Richard, David and Cedric Warnes, and Keith Mayes dressed as Mr. Stubbs!
November 2015
Extreme weather events in and around Fakenham
This photo of Fakenham Market Place was taken in February 1979, when some shoppers arrived on horseback from the surrounding villages during the coldest winter since the famous ‘big freeze’ of 1962-63. This time is memorable politically as the ‘winter of discontent’, but it was also one of the ten coldest winters of last century in the United Kingdom. The weather had been mild and dry up to the last week of November 1978, then a cold north-westerly weather pattern hit the UK, bringing wind, snow, showers and blizzards throughout December and the early months of 1979. The country was engulfed by blizzards and deep snow, and the severe impact on local life can be seen in this newspaper photo and others taken at the same time, now in our archive. |
You can come along and see more photos of extreme local weather events – flood, snow, gales and storms – at our next community archive session, which will be held at the Trinity Room in Fakenham Parish Church from 2.00 to 4.00 pm on Monday 23rd November 2015. (Please note that this is a week earlier than normal due to Christmas Tree Festival preparations.)
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive
ECN Newspaper cutting courtesy of Wendy Gilchrist.
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive
ECN Newspaper cutting courtesy of Wendy Gilchrist.
October 2015
The mobile 'Employment Exchange' in Fakenham
This photo, taken in February 1958, is of Iain MacLeod, the Minister of Labour & National Service in Harold McMillan’s Conservative government of the time. He is inspecting the new ‘mobile employment exchange’ bus, which was due to come to Fakenham in April of that year. According to a question in Parliament (reported in Hansard), the mobile employment exchange was to be an experiment for one year and would be based in Fakenham, touring ten small towns and villages around Fakenham once or twice a week. It would enable three full-time offices in the area to be closed during the experimental period. The Minister stated that the mobile employment exchange would save money and also be ‘an improvement in service’, its effectiveness to be reviewed after one year. Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive Further Memories of the Fakenham 'Based Mobile Employment Office' Following publication of this article in the local Sun newspaper, the community archive was very grateful to receive a wealth of interesting artefacts relating to the experimental 'Mobile Employment Office'. In addition to a number of detailed sketches and documents describing the MEO's daily operational program, there were two lovely photos of the staff and their customised office vehicle. These items have now been digitised and added to the extensive community archive and may be viewed while visiting any of our monthly public meetings - as detailed above. |
September 2015
Fakenham East railway station in 1964, shortly after it was announced the line would close to passenger services. Photo courtesy of Fakenham Community Archive.
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A train journey to the seaside from Fakenham
This photo of Fakenham East railway station brought back memories of summer trips to the seaside for local resident Peter Boggis. This is how he remembers the long days of summer drawing to a close, with thoughts of a new school term looming ever closer: ‘Over 50 years ago families would enjoy a final fun day out together, travelling to the seaside by train. With swimming costumes, buckets, spades and picnic lunches packed, families would gather at Fakenham East station to eagerly await the train’s arrival. Excitement would build as the train could be heard approaching long before coming into view. Then, as it screeched to a halt at Fakenham’s single platform, there was a rush for seats on the already crowded carriages. ‘With everyone safely on board, the train would roar away from Fakenham, calling next at Walsingham, then Wighton Halt before arriving at its destination, Wells-next-the-Sea. Mr Abel, the local coach operator, would greet passengers at Wells station and ferry them to the beach, where families would explore the dunes, build sand castles, fly kites, lick ice creams and paddle in the sea. Too soon, however, it would be time for those weary legs to join the queues for Mr Abel’s bus to embark on the journey home. ‘Sadly, the opportunity to travel from Fakenham to anywhere by train ceased in October 1964, as British Railways withdrew passenger services on the Dereham to Wells line.’ Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive |
Further Memories of travelling to or from Fakenham by Train
Jim Baldwin writes:
'I have vivid memories about the Wells to Norwich railway line.
When I was an apprentice my colleagues and I went to college in Norwich one day a week, travelling by train. The train left Fakenham at 0715, quite a challenge for us boys! In fact the station staff were aware of this and it was not unknown for them to hold the train for us. To get your ticket (if you had time) you had to make your way through the parcel room which was always full of car exhausts and boxes of fish the latter were loaded into the guard's compartment of the DMU and by the time the train reached Norwich it reeked of fish.
The timetabling was well thought out because the train arrived in time for us to have breakfast in the good old Foundry Bridge Cafe before making our way to college. At the beginning of our Day release scheme we returned on the M&GN Line to Fakenham (West). But when that closed we used to leave early and return on the Wells line. Very often there was only myself and one other passenger on the train between Dereham and Fakenham. Little wonder that the line lost money!
'I have vivid memories about the Wells to Norwich railway line.
When I was an apprentice my colleagues and I went to college in Norwich one day a week, travelling by train. The train left Fakenham at 0715, quite a challenge for us boys! In fact the station staff were aware of this and it was not unknown for them to hold the train for us. To get your ticket (if you had time) you had to make your way through the parcel room which was always full of car exhausts and boxes of fish the latter were loaded into the guard's compartment of the DMU and by the time the train reached Norwich it reeked of fish.
The timetabling was well thought out because the train arrived in time for us to have breakfast in the good old Foundry Bridge Cafe before making our way to college. At the beginning of our Day release scheme we returned on the M&GN Line to Fakenham (West). But when that closed we used to leave early and return on the Wells line. Very often there was only myself and one other passenger on the train between Dereham and Fakenham. Little wonder that the line lost money!
August 2015
The Play area in Hayes Lane Fakenham
This delightful photo from a local newspaper in 1953 shows happy children playing on the three newly installed swings in Hayes Lane, Fakenham. The former chairman of the local council, Mr F S Wigg, had presented the swings to this area of the town in the summer of 1953, only a few weeks after the Queen’s Coronation and Hillary and Tenzing’s conquest of Everest. Do you recognise any of the children in the photo? If so, please let us know who they are and what became of them. |
If you’re interested in the changes that have gone on in our town and its surrounding villages over the decades, do come along to our next community archive session. The session will be held at the Trinity Room in Fakenham Parish Church from 2.00 to 4.00 pm on Monday 28th September 2015 (no session in August due to the Bank Holiday), and entry is free.
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive.
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive.
July 2015
Changes to Shops in Fakenham
These two photos show the well-known fruit and vegetable shop, Benbows, at the eastern end of Fakenham Market place on the corner leading into Norwich Street. The shop is easily identifiable by its attractive Dutch gable, a later addition to the original building. The first photo is of the building when it was Wainwright’s music shop, which was established in 1875. The shop sold pianos, musical instruments, sheet music and, later, gramophone records. The chap standing in the doorway was Cecil Wainwright, the son of the original proprietor. In the 1960s the shop became a delicatessen called ‘The Larder’, then stood empty for quite some time before changing hands around 1980 to become the fruit & veg shop we know today as ‘Benbows’. The chap in the doorway on the second photo (who kindly agreed to adopt the same pose as his predecessor!) is Nigel Benbow, one of the most well-known and popular shopkeepers in Fakenham. If you’re interested in the changes that have gone on in our town over the decades, do come along to our July community archive session, where we’ll be looking at ‘The Changes to Fakenham Shops over the Years’. Here you can browse through a fascinating collection of images of local shop fronts, photos taken over the years right up to the present day of our changing townscape. Or tell us your memories of shops, shopkeepers or of working in a shop. The session will be held at the Trinity Room in Fakenham Parish Church from 2.00 to 4.00 pm on Monday 27th July 2015, and entry is free. At this session you’re also very welcome to bring your photos in for scanning, look at other photos, search the whole archive and join us for a friendly chat and refreshments. Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive |
June 2015
Did you work at Ross Foods ?
This photo was taken in 1973 and shows members of the football team from Ross Foods (frozen food producers in Holt Road, Fakenham) about to take part in a charity football match at Queens Road. The names of the people in the photo are (from left to right): Beryl Nobbs; John Paige; Debbie (?); Brenda Shilling; Peter Fuller; Phyllis Ward; Robin Cann; Hazel Wicks; Rod Wilcox; Jessie Fisher; Tom Chamberlain; Lyn Gazard; June Lamont; Janette Dale; front row: Keith Rowley; Gwen Snowling; Pat Futter; John Bush. Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive |
May 2015
Fakenham's Cinema – your memories, please!
Before everyone had a television in their homes the cinema was at the heart of everyday life, a centre of the community where people of all ages would go to be entertained and informed. This photo was taken in the late 1950s outside Fakenham’s Central Cinema (now the Hollywood Cinema), when the films showing were ‘Raw Deal’, an American thriller, and ‘The Floating Dutchman’, a murder mystery. The accompanying newspaper ad is from the local Chronicle dated 6th February 1953 and advertises ‘Father’s doing Fine’, a domestic comedy; ‘Cry, the Beloved Country’, about apartheid in South Africa; ‘Jack & the Beanstalk’ and ‘Old Mother Riley’s Ghosts’, films for family entertainment. |
'NORFOLK AT THE PICTURES' - A free illustrated talk.
Do you remember going to the pictures as an adult or as a child? Whereabouts did you go, what did you see and who were you with? Or did you work in a cinema? There will be a free illustrated talk plus refreshments in Fakenham Library on Wednesday 13th May from 2.00 – 3.00 pm organised by ‘Norfolk at the Pictures’ and sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund, who are collecting our memories of cinemas across Norfolk. Please come along, listen and share your memories!
Chris Chalk, Secretary,
Fakenham Community Archive
Do you remember going to the pictures as an adult or as a child? Whereabouts did you go, what did you see and who were you with? Or did you work in a cinema? There will be a free illustrated talk plus refreshments in Fakenham Library on Wednesday 13th May from 2.00 – 3.00 pm organised by ‘Norfolk at the Pictures’ and sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund, who are collecting our memories of cinemas across Norfolk. Please come along, listen and share your memories!
Chris Chalk, Secretary,
Fakenham Community Archive
April 2015
Fakenham's King Edward VII Coronation Memorial Lamp
Fakenham's coronation memorial lamp has been a familiar feature in the town for over 100 years, albeit in a variety of locations. Commissioned by public subscription, the lamp and memorial were designed and constructed in 1902 to commemorate the coronation of King Edward Vll. The King's coronation had originally been scheduled for 26th June 1902, but two days before, on 24th June, Edward was diagnosed with appendicitis so the coronation ceremony had to be rescheduled. Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were eventually crowned at Westminster Abbey on 9th August 1902. The unveiling of the memorial lamp in Fakenham Market Place took place on the same day, when our photo was taken. When first erected the memorial featured a most elegant hexagonal gas-lit lamp which was surmounted by a beautifully ornate crown. Following the King's death in 1910 the crown was removed. |
The structure remained in the Market Place complete with its original gas-lamp until the end of WWI, when the war memorial was constructed in its place.
A new location for the lamp was eventually found close to the Corn Exchange (now the Hollywood Cinema) in Oak Street, where it remained for the best part of 50 years. The introduction of a one-way system around the cinema in the 1970s forced a further move to a site opposite the library, close to the entrance of the road leading up to the Community Centre. Finally (after restoration at the turn of the millennium), the Grade Il structure was deservedly returned to prominence in the Market Place, where it stands today as a reminder of our local history.
A web page dedicated to Fakenham's Coronation Memorial Lamp has been created to compliment this article, Should you have any pictures of the memorial lamp (particularly when it was in either of its Oak Street locations) or any interesting local photos or stories that you'd like to share with us we'd love to hear from you.
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive
A new location for the lamp was eventually found close to the Corn Exchange (now the Hollywood Cinema) in Oak Street, where it remained for the best part of 50 years. The introduction of a one-way system around the cinema in the 1970s forced a further move to a site opposite the library, close to the entrance of the road leading up to the Community Centre. Finally (after restoration at the turn of the millennium), the Grade Il structure was deservedly returned to prominence in the Market Place, where it stands today as a reminder of our local history.
A web page dedicated to Fakenham's Coronation Memorial Lamp has been created to compliment this article, Should you have any pictures of the memorial lamp (particularly when it was in either of its Oak Street locations) or any interesting local photos or stories that you'd like to share with us we'd love to hear from you.
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive
March 2015
Crossing the Wensum
This month's photo is from a pre-1908 post card and is titled 'Old Toll Gate at Guist', a grade 2 listed post medieval toll bridge. Built in 1773 by landowner William Norton, the bridge across the River Wensum at Guist offered a safer route for those who could pay. The old Toll Bridge carried traffic over the Wensum for more than 150 years, until a new bridge bypassing the Toll Gate was built by Norfolk County Council in 1930. If you enjoy looking at local history you can browse many more photos of Fakenham and its surrounding villages on this website, Should you have any interesting local photos or stories, either old or recent, that you'd like to share with us we'd love to hear from you. Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive |
February 2015
Lambing in Whissonsett
This month's local history photo was taken in the early 1900s at lambing time in the village of Whissonsett, seven miles south of Fakenham. The main figure is shepherd James Craske together with an unknown companion. The Craske family lived in the village for many generations, and we have many interesting photos in our archive relating to this large family, including detailed census records. If you enjoy looking at local history you can browse many more photos of Fakenham and its surrounding villages on this website. And if you have any interesting local photos or stories, either old or recent, that you'd like to share with us we'd love to hear from you. Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive |
January 2015
Shopping in Fakenham
This month's local history photo is of Ridley's outfitters, 38 Market Place, Fakenham, which ceased business in 1973 and is now a health food shop. The building acquired Grade 2 listing in February 1979 and has been home to Gurneys Bank (going back to at least 1839 and until the late 1920s), Aldiss Outfitters, Ridleys Outfitters, C. J. Burch, (Complete Men's Outfitters, Ladies' & Men's Shoes, Stead & Simpson (Shoe shop), Julian Graves (Wholefood retailer) and Holland & Barrett (Wholefood retailer). Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham Community Archive |
© 2011 Fakenham & District Community Archive.
Created in-house by Fakenham & District Community Archive
Created in-house by Fakenham & District Community Archive