2020 |
Vertical Divider
|
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 2020
Christmas Party
This photo, taken in 1954, is of a children’s Christmas party held at Raynham Hall, hosted by Lord and Lady Townshend. Children from nearby parishes enjoyed a Christmas tea party that was traditionally followed by the showing of a Walt Disney film. Before going home, every child would receive a magical gift from Santa. In our community archive we have thousands of photos of everyday life in Fakenham and the surrounding villages, and you can see a good selection of them on this website. If you’d like to contribute some photos or memories to the archive, then please use the 'contact us' section on this website or phone us on 01328 863377. We look forward to holding public sessions again when government regulations allow! Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive |
THOSE RECOGNISED SO FAR ARE.... Party hosts Lord & Lady Townshend. Mrs. May Willimott. Mrs. Hilda Burton. Mrs. Kathleen Shackcloth, David Willimott. Mrs. Muriel Mayhew. Reg Mayhew. Mrs. Lillian Graver. Mrs. Rose Allen. Alan Boggis. Barry Mason. Robert Middlemass. Ray Allen. Silvia Allen, Caroline Townshend. Melvyn Neave. Mrs. Nancy Bidwell, Sally Bidwell, Ann Savage. Mary Taney. Shirley Cason. Carol Sizeland. Mrs. Winner. Dorothy Winner. Sheila Boggis. Peter Boggis. Philip Boggis. Mrs. Lucy Boggis. Ralph Batten.
November 2020
Oak Street filling station
Here’s a photo of The Old Rectory in Oak Street, Fakenham in the mid-1950s, when it was occupied by the Ford dealership of R.C. Edmondson. The firm sold, rescued, repaired and serviced Ford cars, tractors and other agricultural vehicles on these premises and also had petrol pumps and a payment kiosk on the forecourt. The forecourt service was very personal, with men in white coats and caps who would spring into action to fill up your car, check the oil and water and clean your windscreen while you waited! Edmondsons were a major employer in the town, with a huge showroom on Oak Street, offices in the Old Rectory and a body shop, tractor shop and workshops both below the building and in the site now occupied by Tescos supermarket and Cromwell Barn Health & Fitness Centre. |
When Edmondsons ceased trading in the late 1990s the building stood empty for several years before being converted into a County Council local Adult Education Centre in 2002, subsequently becoming offices for Citizens Advice and now Sowerbys estate agents.
In our community archive we have thousands of photos of everyday life in Fakenham and the surrounding villages, and you can see a good selection of them on our website. If you’d like to contribute some photos or memories to the archive, then please use the ‘Contact Us’ section on our website or phone us on 01328 863377.
We look forward to holding public sessions again when government regulations allow!
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive
In our community archive we have thousands of photos of everyday life in Fakenham and the surrounding villages, and you can see a good selection of them on our website. If you’d like to contribute some photos or memories to the archive, then please use the ‘Contact Us’ section on our website or phone us on 01328 863377.
We look forward to holding public sessions again when government regulations allow!
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive
October 2020
56 Oak Street
We have a complete historical record of all the businesses that have operated from what is now Oak Street Beauty Salon in Fakenham: there have been seven different businesses there over the last 130 years! The first business established at these Oak Street premises was Alfred Love (Tailors), listed in directories as early as 1892. It was a family business, run by Alfred Love, his son William Love and William's wife Florence, herself an accomplished dressmaker and costumier. It was Florence who carried on the business after William's early death in 1928. Loves Tailors moved in the 1940s up the road to 26 Oak Street (Currently Oliver Lamps), opposite the Methodist Church and survived for over 60 years, closing in 1959. |
After Love's had left, the original shop became a boot and shoemakers, owned by Mr. G. H. Wright.
A vegetable shop followed in the 1940s, and then it became a florists, listed in the 1967 and 1969 local directories as 'The Garden Shop' ('Florist, Wreaths, Bouquets, Teleflowers. Proprietress: L. Fuller').
Later the shop became Unwins Wine Merchants and lasted until 2003; then it became 'Light Touches' lamp shop until 2018 and now it's the Oak Street Beauty Salon. You can find several photos of the shop on this website.
Sadly, we are unable to hold our normal public monthly meetings at the moment due to coronavirus restrictions, but we will be back when regulations allow. In the meantime if you need any information or wish to send us photographs of events in or around Fakenham, please contact us through this website or find us on Facebook. We would love to hear from you!
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham District Community Archive
A vegetable shop followed in the 1940s, and then it became a florists, listed in the 1967 and 1969 local directories as 'The Garden Shop' ('Florist, Wreaths, Bouquets, Teleflowers. Proprietress: L. Fuller').
Later the shop became Unwins Wine Merchants and lasted until 2003; then it became 'Light Touches' lamp shop until 2018 and now it's the Oak Street Beauty Salon. You can find several photos of the shop on this website.
Sadly, we are unable to hold our normal public monthly meetings at the moment due to coronavirus restrictions, but we will be back when regulations allow. In the meantime if you need any information or wish to send us photographs of events in or around Fakenham, please contact us through this website or find us on Facebook. We would love to hear from you!
Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham District Community Archive
September 2020
Past and Present
Here are two photos of the Bridge, which stands at the bottom of Bridge Street and spans the River Wensum in Fakenham. Between 1832 and 1835, a series of tours of England and Wales was planned for Princess Victoria by her mother, much to the disapproval of the princess’s uncle, King William IV. These 'royal progresses' were designed to acquaint Princess Victoria with her future kingdom and to allow her prospective subjects to see her in person. It is said that when the young Princess Victoria got to Fakenham her coach became stuck in the ford and that the bridge was built as a result of this embarrassing incident. Funded mainly by public subscription, the bridge was built in 1833 using labour from the Poor House on Fakenham the Heath. The bottom photo shows the bridge, with the Massey & Bridges garage in the background. This was built in the 1920s and stood next to the river. New town houses and flats replaced the garage in the late 1980s. Please note that the Community Archive is unable to hold public sessions until next year, but we always welcome any photos or written memories to add to the archive. You can send these via the ‘contact us’ section of this website, or telephone us on 01328-863377. At the moment we are particularly interested in the history of the central streets of the town. Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive |
August 2020
Fakenham Press
This month's photo - originally due to be published in April - was taken 40 years ago in August 1980 and shows some of the printers at Fakenham Press. It will bring back many memories of working life at the huge printing works, which ran the length of White Horse Street. Here the spirit of teamwork, pride and fun was strong among the workforce of around 600 skilled local people Due to the ongoing uncertainty concerning the Covid-19 pandemic we are currently unable to host any public archive meetings. However we hope to be back as soon as we are able. In the meantime, if you would like to donate any photos or memories of life in Fakenham or surrounding villages, please do contact us via this website or find us on Facebook. Chris Chalk, Secretary, Fakenham & District Community Archive |
April to July 2020
Due to the nationwide COVID-19 shutdown
Fakenham and District Sun has taken the difficult decision not to circulate editions until further notice.
Fakenham and District Sun has taken the difficult decision not to circulate editions until further notice.
March 2020
Guist Primary School 1950s
This photo is of children at Guist primary school in the 1950s. You’ll see that we have quite a few of their names already, but if you can recognise any that we don’t know then please get in touch. To see more photos from Fakenham & District Community Archive or to contact us you can explore this website or come along to a public session, held on the last Tuesday afternoon of each month. Our next session is on Tuesday 31st March from 2.00 – 4.00 pm in Fakenham Parish Church. You can watch a slideshow on a different theme each month, look through the complete archive on a laptop or browse our fascinating collection of old scrapbooks. Do feel free to bring along any old or recent photos you would like to add to the archive, which will be scanned and returned to you. Refreshments are provided, and all we ask is for a small donation to keep us going. It’s a good place to chat to other people about their memories of the town and is a very sociable occasion. Chris Chalk, Secretary Fakenham & District Community Archive |
February 2020
Whissonsett Rural Sports Event - May 1871
This poster shows that our ancestors were not as dour and serious as we sometimes imagine them to be. Even though they lived hard lives, often in great poverty, they still had a good sense of humour, as you’ll see if you read this poster closely, which advertises an afternoon of rural sports at Whissonsett in May 1871. Events included a donkey race; a sack race; a three-legged race; races for married men and married women; a competition for eating treacle rolls; for drinking hot tea, and another for smoking tobacco! Prizes for the running races included a pair of trousers, a dress and a sack of flour. Sadly, we have no photos of the event, being before the days of popular photography, but it must have been an afternoon that generated lots of fun and laughter! To see photos from Fakenham & District Community Archive you can explore this website or come along to a public session, held on the last Tuesday afternoon of each month. Our next session is on Tuesday 25th February from 2.00 – 4.00 pm in Fakenham Parish Church. You can watch a slideshow on a different theme each month, look through the complete archive on a laptop or browse our popular collection of old scrapbooks. Do feel free to bring along any old photos you would like to add to the archive, which will be scanned and returned to you. Refreshments are provided, and all we ask is for a small donation to keep us going. It’s a good place to chat to other people about their memories of the town and is a very sociable occasion. Chris Chalk, Secretary Fakenham & District Community Archive |
January 2020
John White - Complete House Furnishers
Our first photo is where John White first began trading in the early 1900s as a jeweller: 57 Oak Street, Fakenham (A shop that’s currently empty, near the junction with Nelson Road). By 1912 John White’s business and range of goods had expanded into a large building in Upper Market Place (see second photo). The company promoted themselves as 'Complete House Furnishers' and went on to sell almost everything needed for the home, including furniture, bedding, carpets, rugs, musical instruments, cycles, clocks, watches, jewellery, electrical appliances, TVs and radios. To see more photos from Fakenham & District Community Archive you can explore our website - www.fakenhamcommunityarchive.weebly.com - or come along to a public session, held on the last Tuesday afternoon of each month. Our next session is on Tuesday 28th January from 2.00 – 4.00 pm in Fakenham Parish Church. You can watch a slideshow on a different theme each month, look through the archive on a laptop or browse our fascinating collection of old scrapbooks. Do feel free to bring along any old photos you may have, which will be scanned and returned to you. Refreshments are provided, and we ask for a small donation to keep us going. It’s a good place to chat to other people about their memories of the town and a very sociable occasion. Chris Chalk, Secretary Fakenham & District Community Archive |
© 2011 Fakenham & District Community Archive.
Created in-house by Fakenham & District Community Archive
Created in-house by Fakenham & District Community Archive