Orkney to the Norfolk Broads

One of the joys of the riverside is meeting people and invariably their pet dogs from all walks of life. On May Bank Holiday we had the pleasure of bumping into a lovely gentleman from Orkney called Nik with pipe in hand, who was originally an East Anglian. A few years ago the family decided to up sticks and move fully up to the Orkney Isles archipelago, north east of Scotland. Nik was retracing his last foray on Broadland rivers as a teenager ~ even hiring the very same motor cruiser from Richardsons of Stalham. Nik was intrigued by the green truck and wondered if a chassis which he tows around his garden with a compact tractor (minus the electrical tackle) was from a similar former Royal Mail road vehicle. It was extremely interesting to hear how island life compares to the proper mainland, where everything is more anonymous and corporate. Finding instant maintenance jobs fixed can take months, due to a relatively short supply of skilled trades folk. Justice is another key difference ~ 'if say a visitor steals some chocolate from a shop. The word goes around and the person is swiftly ostracised; whereupon a bus driver will say to the said person they are banned from travelling'. Nik was charged for a combined day and night berth for their boat on the river ~ believing there were no free moorings upstream of the bridge. However, moorings at no cost for charter craft are available in boatyards, providing there is space. Information about moorings is contained in a folder on over night hire craft, although for many reasons this data is not always processed. Does Nik's experience highlight the lack of clarity over mooring facilities for visiting boats in Hoveton~Wroxham today?

Riverside Roundup Mid May 2025

Here is a basic run down of news and happenings around the River Bure In Hoveton and Wroxham ~ Avian Flu restrictions slowly lowered for captive domestic birds. England is to placed in a AIPZ Prevention Zone, where biosecurity is monitored by HM Government Animal and Plant Health Agency. Mute Swan nest with five eggs awaiting hatching on the Wroxham boat dock. Return of the pair of oyster catchers from their winter sojourn abroad. New born Canada Geese goslings paddling on river. Greylag Geese and Egyptian Geese goslings plying the waters. Wroxham Bridge Navigation Pilot Service re~inaugurated for the season by various charter boat companies.

Squabbling times

Carol collected a pigeon dove with a damaged wing, spotted by observant Grace of Ken's Traditional Fish and Chips lappering along Riverside Walk by the old Horseshoes in Hoveton. Its liekly the bird was attacked by a predator ~ possibly a rat, or hawk. Squabbles in the animal kingdom are part of everyday life. A small trifling dispute, say over territory, courting, or food can soon escalate and become fatal for some creatures. Fortunately, the pigeon was given another chance. Interestingly, the word 'squabble' is a baby pigeon dove. A lady visitor at Granary Staithe recently commented how healthy the pigeons swooping round her looked. This is curious, given the ammount of chips and other scraps of food the pigeons and gulls are thrown in the public domain of Hoveton~Wroxham. On occasions people stand and feed the birds chips and other food assortments as they gather round, akin to feeding seals circus style. Feeding of bird life ~ We kindly advise offering natural, vegetable based food (for example grain pellets or flakes) straight into the water. This method is not only healthier for waterfowl, but is just how the the birds digest their food naturally. Where possible, please use the signposted bird feeding area at Granary Staithe, while taken precautions to wash hands with disinfectant. Chris

Plumbing the depths ~ Drop Weights

Old iron weights required for drop mud weights and ballast ~ known by some as river missiles. These are used for ballast in bilges and anchors for old fashioned Broadland boats. Missing Weight ~ One of our weights has disappeared from the boat in Wroxham (similar to the 56lb cast iron block on the left). It has a distinctive moulded curve under the handle and is painted shiny silver with a buff coloured rope, spliced with eye loops. A reward of a sack of blended waterfowl food is offered for any information for its return (before the paw print flotilla arrives). Thank you

HMS IOLANTHE or Jack’s Navy ~ the story of the Broads Wartime Flotilla Part 6 ~ Poor old Mrs Pegg and the balloon goes up

War and conflict is terrible. Yet these negative actions seem entrenched in humanity and indeed nature all round. Could it be that things are easier to destroy than create... Many may 'celebrate' ~ possibly a strange word to describe 'Victory' of Allied Forces on the European arena. The continent after 1945 was forever stained with carnage, death and division, made by a very new type of technological global war. Here is the second to last part of Nigel and Sara Royall's interview of Jack Powles Jnr, nephew of Jack Powles ~ dexterous shipwright and showman of Broadland fleets, alongside Herbert Woods. Another chapter delves into the relatively secret story of HMS IOLANTHE, an unusual and eccentric battleship, named after a rectangular houseboat berthed by a once famous boat yard, just below Wroxham Bridge in Hoveton.

Map of HMS IOLANTHE Headquarters and the surrounding area, showing Wroxham Bridge and Granary Staithe, Hoveton. Drawn by Nigel Royall from the memories of Jack Powles Jnr.

After debrief the army manned the right hand MG post whilst the other men carried out drill and worked on the weapons. Often Jack and his Matlot mates would also help and though not strictly necessary they did learn an awful lot about Lewis machine guns from the armourer in charge Sgt Lawrence. Jack thought that the pill box on the Norwich side of the bridge was always fully manned, in any case a chicane made of posts and rolls of barbed wire blockaded the bridge and anyone passing over it had to show their identity pass to cross. As I understand it the chicane was not big enough for motor cars to pass through.

Early one morning just as Jack’s boat was nearing home and passing the upper entrance to Wroxham Broad they spied Youatt and Hewitt hunched in a speedboat wedged up on the bank behind a tree where they had been for some hours. They had borrowed the boat and taken a trip down river but as they returned Hewitt took the curve too wide whilst coming out of the broad at 30mph and shot up the bank. Jack’s launch pulled them stern first back into the water and next morning the crew were lined up in the office and told never to mention the incident. Manning the MG post at the yard was quite boring as very little happened so the crew would make rings and odd bits out of downed German aircraft parts. The twin mounted boatyard Lewis guns were only ever fired twice, one Tuesday lunchtime a German bomber swept across the village and dropped a bomb on the Doctors Corner, poor old Mrs Pegg was blown over a hedge and a nearby house was pretty well destroyed. The next incident concerned an escapee barrage balloon which had broken loose with a Blenheim fighter plane trying to shoot it down. Bullets were spattering dangerously about everywhere causing small spurts of water as they hit the river. The balloon’s trailing mooring wire draped across the Bridge shop roofs as the units Lewis guns and the Blenheim hammered away at it for all their worth. Pictures: Darwall, R H (Lt), 1940, IWM Text and map: Nigel and Sara Royall ©️

Right Ho, Duckie

Life can be curious in many ways, not least in the adulation of inanimate objects. The archetypal fluffy duckling has inspired countless interpretation in art and manufacturing ~ not least the toy retail industry. It's not known exactly when or where the first modern mass produced duckling was made. Could it have been the United States of America or Great Britain in the 1890s... By the interwar time, novelty ducks were well known enough to feature in print and film. Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, universally known as PG Wodehouse was born on 15th October 1881 and died 14th February 1975. His family background was rooted in Norfolk. The Wodehouse motto is simply "Agincourt!" hollered in perpetual rememberance of the clan's involvement in Henry The Fifth's successful dynastic and territorial battle across the channel in France. Much of PG Wodehouse's ingenious witty writing was based, or inspired by Norfolk county characters and settings, such as Blandings Castle. The venerated Jeeves and Wooster yarns pivot around the misadventures of Bertie Wooster, a gentleman of leisure who frequents the deeply ironically named 'Drones Club' in the West End of London. Jeeves is Bertie's unflinching valet and all round fixer of farcical situations which regularly arise. Wodehouse's endearing stories, especially Jeeves and Wooster present a looking glass of human foibles, frightfulness and frolics. In an overwrought era, the light hearted tales are a tonic to those who discover, or even rediscover them. Wodehouse's second novel in the Jeeves and Wooster series 'Right Ho, Jeeves' features a toy duckling in chapter 9. Bertie finds the cheery novelty bird while bathing in a country pile. The duckie is very likely made of rubber or phenolic ~ an earlier form of plastic. ~ "The discovery of a toy duck in the soap dish, presumably the property of some former juvenile visitor, contributed not a little to this new and happier frame of mind. What with one thing and another, I hadn't played with toy ducks in my bath for years, and I found the novel experience most invigorating. For the benefit of those interested, I may mention that if you shove the thing under the surface with the sponge and then let it go, it shoots out of the water in a manner calculated to divert the most careworn. Ten minutes of this and I was enabled to return to the bedchamber much more the old merry Bertram." Right Ho, Jeeves, PG Wodehouse, 1934 🐤 Moulded yellow phenolic duckling with hand painted eyes and bill, 1940 ~1950, stamped MADE IN ENGLAND underneath. * Moulded yellow phenolic duckling with hand painted eyes and bill, 1940 ~1950, stamped MADE IN ENGLAND underneath

Riverside Trust

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Hoveton & Wroxham Riverside Trust. The organisation will be based on the waterways around the Upper River Bure. Our aims are:~ a) The protection and conservation of wild bird life and riverside habitats; b) The recognition, preservation and appropriate celebration of the unique character of heritage houseboats and riverside heritage structures; c) The promotion of public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the natural and built riverside environment. Timothy

The Fab Fur Four

As the annual whirligig Broadland season begins ~ where the clatter of boating and commerce collides with the natural fluttery cycle of waterfowl breeding; inevitably haphazard events occur. Telephone calls from a concerned visiting family and word of mouth messages via the riverbank were received about a lost clutch of ducklings ~ part of the fragmented mallard duck clan, born within a stone's throw of the old low arch of Wroxham Bridge. The group consisted of five. One splintered off and four clung together like mud around the quay at the corner of King's Staithe. Step in a group of gallant lads supping beers at the King's Head Hotel gardens, who swiftly picked the fur birds out of the chilly waters just before dusk. The chirpy ducklings were then planted in a cardboard box awaiting transit to Leanne's duck sanctuary. Leanne explains: "They're all tucked up under the 'brooder' (an enclosed unit wth bedding, food, water and a heat element to rear baby birds). Fortunately, they don't seem as stressed as the one on its own. All 4 are doing well. One is particularly sassy and clearly will be very bossy." * All parties involved sanitised their hands after the mini dramatical rescue. Leanne, Chris

Eastery band wagon

The waterfowl truck is stacked full of rescue bits and pieces and foodstuffs. People often ask where did the four wheeled box trolley come from. It started life in 1985 as a Royal Mail Postal Electric Delivery Truck or PEDT for short. It was maneuvered by a postie around the streets at the front end (pictured) by means of a metal tiller 📨 often working round railway stations, in this case at Crewe for a time. A few years ago, while still in scarlet livery, the cabin was planned to be used as a dog kennel in Newcastle Under Lyme. It's funny to think it's gone from hosting mail to dogs and then birds in four decades.

Swan pigeon dove nest

The ingenuity of the wild world knows no bounds. Some feral pigeon doves created a nest from old swan feathers in a Wroxham shed. Wishing everyone a fun packed Easter weekend holiday from the riverside.

Short Good Friday

More stray mallard ducklings have been spotted on the bridge reaches of the River Bure between Hoveton and Wroxham. On a jet black night, a lonely duckling was calling out in shrill tones while manically paddling around the dyke at Granary Staithe. She was ignored by the parents who milled about for quite a while. The duckling was salvaged from the darkened waters and placed in a box with straw. Local duck breeder and rescuer Leanne drove over to take custody of the small furry duck ~ naming her Rox of Wroxham. "Sadly the duckling passed overnight. She had heat, food water and vitamins. We think she may have had phenumonia. There were a few little signs ~ her feet wouldn't warm up. She was under a heat lamp and I gave her vitamins but she just didn't seem to warm properly. I held her inside my jumper most of the night (they like heartbeats) but she just couldn't get warm enough. Ducklings are so hard, as you have no idea what they have been through and the adrenaline thats runs inside. Unfortunately, this could be the reason mum left them in the first place. They do that. Tend to leave weaker ones behind. Sadly ducklings are so fragile. It's awful. I adore what I do, but it's heartbreaking." In addition to this orphan, the previous duckling expired too. Timothy, Chris

Springly plate glass window

The waterfowl truck on the square staithe by Wroxham Bridge, Hoveton is decorated with springlike things. Looking through the after plate glass window you will find helpful contact details for Marine and Wildlife Rescue, a map of the riverside central area of Hoveton~Wroxham and other bits of information. Timothy

Ducks in the drains

Pete and Sandra of Wroxham were watching a fresh brood of mallard ducklings who were taking their precarious wanderings in their tumultuous watery world. One baby duck with its minute fluffy wings of barely an inch in length became lost, or more likely abandoned by their parents ~ social workers don't come as standard in the animal kingdom. "Pete got his head down the drain", while Sandra and the neighbours were on look out ~ "We only had to dodge one lorry". He/she was named Sparkle by a little girl at the Slice Of The Broads Cafe. The duckling is safe and being reared until old enough to release. Chris

Blooming blackthorn with a blow

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is often found in hedgerows is in blossom. Curiously blackthorn flowers before its leaves grow, whereas hawthorn flowers after the leaves shoot. Blackthorn is dual male and female gender, known as 'Hermaphrodite' after the mythological Greek God. In Eire the tough blackened knobbly boughs are fashioned into fearsome shillelagh sticks ~ a legendary defensive weapon of the emerald isle. Chris

Help safeguard the Wroxham Mute Swan Colony

Do you have some spare time to volunteer and check the beloved flocks of water birds in Hoveton~Wroxham... If you are an adult with some knowledge or interest in wildlife and experience with the marine environment we'd like to hear from you. Andrew, Chris, Timothy

Book boat

Books hold endless details. The English dictionary describes a houseboat thus ~ A boat roofed over and fitted up as a house, for living in. The word first came into being in 1790 at the height of the Romantic era, when beauty and tragedy were celebrated in the arts, architecture and landscape. The foundation of Heather, the decked hull had a cabin built on top, just over a hundred years after the word was coined ~ making her one of the oldest craft of her kind in the world.

Soulful signs

Examples of embossed sign plates can be found at the charmingly laid back Larry's Pizzeria + Cafe Bar at Hoveton Riverside Centre, just round the corner from Wroxham Bridge. The signs are produced by hand at Jepson and Co's workshop in Sheffield, Yorkshire.

Create your own sign using a number of colours and words of your imagination. 

Proceeds help towards the preservation of Heather, a one of a kind houseboat and waterfowl conservation on the Upper River Bure.

Timothy

Avian Flu awareness

At the behest of HM Government DEFRA Avian Influenza Prevention Zone in England, all contact with waterfowl and poultry should be kept to a minimum.

Irrespective of this mandate, we will continue to check and feed waterfowl during their epidemic, while taking biosecurity measures.

To report a suspected case of avian flu in the UK, call Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301 (in England).

Chris

Lovely days

Whether ashore or afloat ~ surround yourself with love and positive vibes.

Bob, Carol and co take a jaunt along the River Bure ~ the main artery of Norfolk's waterways.

Faun Swan antlers

A white watery faun

The swan streams along with a team

Preening her gleaming plumage

Crowned with burnished horns

Piping calls from dawn until fall

Dreadful limerick by Chris 

Handle with care ~ Festive duck post

Our dear friend Yvonne from round the coast in sunny Lincolnshire kindly sent us a festive parcel containing a bright scarlet caped Father Christmas duckie that intrigued both the swans and Bobby.

T

A shiny half crown ~ Bridge Broad and the Chamberlins

In the middle years of the last century Bridge Broad Wroxham turned from a big overgrown pond, land locked from the River Bure into a multi faceted amenity by the Chamberlin clan, headed by soulful Cecil. 

Cecil was one of very first to let small boats to ordinary people, particularly youngsters. Before, day boats were rarely available to everyone. It was the norm for luxury yachts, motor launches and cruisers to be chartered in advance at a very high cost for several days or weeks. John from Hoveton explains ~ "A canoe or rowing boat could be hired for a shiny half a crown." Boat bookings could be made at Chamberlins shop by the bridge and Granary Staithe on the parallel Hoveton side of the river.

A channel was cut through to the river opposite the Free Moorings enabling passage and Swallows and Amazons adventures around Broadland. 

Photograph ~ Cecil paddling one of the customary timber dinghies available to hire. (Rita Massingham née Chamberlin.)

Chris