Rubbish rambles

Individual volunteers regularly do litter sweeps along the riverside, where a number of curious, if not downright bizarre things can turn up. Some of the discarded food packaging becomes tasty treats for canny invasive brown rats, who chew even the plastic to devour every drop. 

Road cones, folding chairs, clothes and even inner soles were found in one afternoon rubbish collection. 

Andrew, David

Ragged angel wings

Cob mute swan on the River Bure of around four years, with rough quills sprouting from the right flight wing (Pictured by a local resident). 

A mute swan with some deformed wing feathers was observed over the weekend by some local people. The bird who is believed to be male is around 4 years of age and had signs of 'angel wing'.

Otherwise known as airplane or slipped wing, the medical syndrome affects some young aquatic birds. One, or both of the flight wings, grow out at awkward angles. At the age of four, its unfixable, but he copes fine. The ragged quills were trimmed and he went on his way in overall good health. 

The irony of Dr Dolittle

Born on 14th January 1887 at the River Thames town Maidenhead, Hugh Lofting  started out as a civil engineer and surveyor. In World War One, he began writing about abuses of those in power and the mistreatment of animals like horses on the battlefield. 

The first story about a characterful 19th century country vetinary Doctor Dolittle was published in the USA in 1920. In contrast to the violence around him, his tales offered kindness, curiosity, and a deep respect for animals.

Doctor Dolittle ~ a physician who learns to speak the languages of animals stands as a symbol of empathy, patience, and understanding across differences.

Through adventures filled with humour and whimsical wonder, Lofting encouraged young readers to value listening, learning and caring for all living beings.

More than a century later, Doctor Dolittle’s message remains timeless. At this time of year, we honour Hugh Lofting for reminding us that gentleness is a strength, communication builds bridges, and imagination can be a powerful force for good.

"I was thinking about people," said Polynesia (West African parrot). "People make me sick. They think they're so wonderful. The world has been going on now for thousands of years, hasn't it? And the only thing in animal language that people have learned to understand is that when a dog wags his tail he means 'I'm glad'! It's funny isn't it"?

The Story of Dr Dolittle: Being the History of his Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts

Hugh Lofting, 1920

Scarlet 

Swan hop

A male mute swan hop skipping along in January sunrays at Granary quay ~ bird roosting area, Hoveton.

S

🐥 International Day of Rubber Duckies

It gave us great pleasure to give away little yellow duckies at the riverside booths over the second half of 2025, including the Wroxham Waterfowl Truck on Granary Staithe by the bridge in Hoveton.

🫱 Please contact us if you'd like a complimentary duckling ~ there are plenty still available.

Andrew

Bird's aerial view of Gateway villages of Broadland a century ago

Digitally colourised north easterly aerial view of the area around Wroxham Bridge, early 1920s

This inter~world war aerial photograph shows Hoveton and Wroxham centred on its defining landmark, the bridge, crossing the River Bure. The river is lined with working boatyards, timber sheds, and slipways serving the growing Broadland boating trade. Painted roof signs advertise businesses to passing aircraft, reflecting the novelty of aerial photography at the time.

The newly developed riverside village is tightly clustered, with modest buildings, linked by dykes and narrow roads. Beyond the centre, open marshland, grazing fields, and winding dykes surround the settlement, a landscape shaped by centuries of water management.

Recreation at this time was seen as a social endeavour. A newly built assembly room provided space for dancing. There were baths, tennis courts and even an art gallery. Retail therapy was catered by a number of independent shops like Wards ~ plus Arnold Roy was in the process of building a new block of his departmental store. 

Today, many boatyards have become marinas, shops, and riverside housing, and roads have replaced the river as the main transport route. Yet the bridge, the river and surrounding wetlands remain key to the identity of Hoveton & Wroxham, linking its working past to its present role as the gateway to the Norfolk Broads.

S

Riverside Trust

Exciting news on HWRT coming soon. We are going from strength to strength with exciting partnerships and events on the horizon. Please follow the riverside trust social media pages and keep in touch ~ @WroxhamWaterfowl

Swan Winter roll call

Ken made a head count of 29 mute swans at Granary Staithe in Hoveton. This is the highest number seen for many weeks, before the latest bout of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) struck Broadlands rivers. 

The increase in numbers may be due to

swans swimming from Wroxham Broad and the surrounding area in search of comradeship and food. 

Scarlet, Ken

Grandma's 'Toss in' fruit cake

If you're partial to fruitcakes ~ a relatively simple recipe that is beloved in some far flung parts. We made a 'Toss in' cake as a hearty pudding to enjoy between friends and family over the 12 day celebrations of Christmas. 

Gemma

Missing Dinosaurs

A brilliant blast from the past and an evergreen favourite film of Heather's crew from fifty years ago is 'One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing'. Walt Disney wizards made the extraodinary comedy as a quirky British caper involving a group of nannies, a secret formula and a hijacked dinosaur! 

The dinosaur depicted in the film is a replica of the famous 'Dippy' diplodocus skeleton, which is stolen from the Natural History Museum in Kensington, London. Cloaked in a green duck loom canvas tilt, the gangly skeleton is driven around on a steam lorry through foggy London streets of the 1920s, even charging by the Palace of Westminster, in a sequence that's both eerie and absurdly funny. 

The film has become something of a cult classic, particularly for fans of old~school practical effects and bizarre British humour. 

A decorative felt dinosaur (shown suspended in the tree) was made by Kate, a resident of nearby Wroxham. Incredibly, in a tantalising link, natural historians have proved conclusively that birds are the direct genetic heirs of prehistoric dinosaurs. 

Dinsoaurs thought they ruled the earth and then they were wiped out by mother nature. This begs the question, how long will humans survive? 

John Shilton, Sri Lanka ~ Ceylon

Life of a boat

Unexpectedly in the summer, Martin, a friendly master ~ custodian of a classic Leo Robinson Broadland cabin yacht visiting Hoveton from the southern rivers; tied up by the lifeboat at the short stay moorings up river of the bridge.

By astonishing coincidence, Martin worked on board the isolated oil rig platform NORTHERN PRODUCER, where the lifeboat was stationed while in service off the north coast of Scotland. 

Martin was a "rope access technician... abseiling down and doing structural inspections... and probably sat in her doing lifeboat drills". 

Northern Producer was a partly submersible drilling rig, or floating production facility (FPF) built in 1976 to work, located in the North Sea around 90 miles north east of the Shetland Islands.

Chris, Tim

Church of the River

Framed by graceful trees, St John's Church is situated on the crest of a slope above the marshy portion of Hoveton. The hallowed Grade II listed building (1955) is a focus point amongst the scattered homesteads of the village or 'town' (the two noun words were interchangeable in centuries past). 

Since 1667, the Blofeld family have assumed Lordship of the Manor of Hoveton, following Thomas Blofeld's acquisition of Hoveton House and the surrounding estate. Originally, the domain extended right up to the modern day riverside by the bridge ~ and to the west of Horning town in the other direction. 

Several fine heraldric Blofeld memorials featuring pretty clover emblems are on show around the alter.

The graveyard is no less interesting, as here many of the great artisan boat builders are laid to rest. Names like Collins, Loynes and Press are scribed in stone alongside many other, no less important innovators.

Andrew, Chris 

Bobster greetings

Bobby the boat dog samples the stout at a charming hostelry in Llandudno, Aber Conwy.

Photo captured by Jamie

Festiveness

Hope, happiness and festive cheer from Heather's crew

The Wicked Lady rides again

Seven decades ago Gainsborough Pictures made the film 'The Wicked Lady'. Released in cinemas to rapturous acclaim, with a collective audience of over 18 million people, the daring story is a galloping melodrama about a lady highwayman who rejects her priviliged station and instead embarks on a raunchous and rebelious life during the reign of Charles II. 

Pillars of the community masquerading as honourable persons, while living a double callous existence has long been a topic of the arts. 

Leading creatives of the day were involved during the film production ~ the outdoor scenes were filmed on location at the Jacobean mansion Blickling Hall, near Alysham, a few miles up the Bure Valley. Margaret Lockwood, the raven haired actress who played "..., my lady of inequity" (Captain Jerry Jackson ~ James Mason upon greeting Barbara Worth ~ Margaret Lockwood) is said to have stayed at the smart riverside King's Head Hotel in Hoveton while filming The Wicked Lady. 

Cyril Rivett, whose family were involved in the motor trade ran a taxi cab company using Austin Sixteen saloon cars. Cyril ferried Margaret Lockwood backwards and forwards to Blickling Hall estate during her stay in Hoveton.

Chris, Scarlet

Sources ~ T Rivett, D Buick, D Wall, Chamberlin family and Hoveton and Wroxham Pictures and Memories Facebook Group, British Film Institute. 

Lovely sights

Nature is all around us. A host ~ or more technically a "loveliness" of "bishy barnabees" in Norfolk tongue clings to the railway boundary fence along the path to an ancient Hoveton boat mooring staithe.

Andrew 

Bobby at Yule

Bobski Winter Solstice cards - alternatively known as Christmas cards have been printed in a limited run. 

Thanks to the following

Photography - Ed

Jacket costume - Jean

Location launch dashboard location thanks to Peter - Master of Wroxham Launch Hire

More about Bobby the Boat Dog here 

www.instagram.com

Timothy 

Lustrous hawthorn berries

Hawthorn berries soaked in droplets of chilled water from the heavens

Photograph by Steve

'Haw' berries are rejected as a food source by animals, largely because of the big stones under the thin layer of skin of the miniature fruit. The berries can be made into jellies, or add favour to jams and alcoholic drinks. 

Chris 

Swans by electric light

Resilient and stately, a big pack of mute swans dart in the reflective shadows of a festive electrical fairy light display ~ shining from a classical timber chalet, while gathering for a teatime feed on the river at Hoveton. 

The fantastic thing about local waterfowl, living on the River Bure, across Broadland and beyond through the seasons; is the fact that there is often no monetary cost, or 'catch' to seeing these spirited creatures eye to eye in their natural fluid abode.

Andrew, Scarlet 

Pixie door

A faerie tree doorway near the ceremonial pagan drove at Belaugh. (The spirits allowed a photographic record of the portal to their mysterious world.) 

For those who care to look, the countryside ~ and town to a lesser degree abound with magic and spirits. 

In Scots and Eire Celtic lore Áes Sidhe ~ "People of the mounds" (pronounced "eys shee") are mythological creatures who inhabit ancient burial grounds and ritual sites. These are sacred barrows scattered all around the British Isles and Europe, linked to monuments made of stone and even timber. 

The names of these ethereal entities vary from sprites, pixies, fairies and goblins, amongst many others. Faeire folk or 'wee folk' have captured our imagination for millenia. Some believe the 'little people' were gods, fallen angels, or that as full sized beings, they lost power as deities in the barrows, so became scaled down dwarves.

There are strong associations with sacred fairy trees, more so in the western part of the British archipelago, where earlier customs, language and rites are preserved. The openings at the base of the mystical trees are believed to be gateways to the 'otherworld'. 

Chris 

Swan scene

This German produced postcard by a commercial artist depicts a pair of mute swans paddling in a natural corner of Wroxham and Hoveton.

Printed around the turn of the twentieth century by Meissner and Buch in Leipzig, Germany; it was one of many such cards that were available all over for pennies. 

S

Loynes Legacy

Earlier in the summer, a kindly local gentleman from nearby Drayton, who frequently comes to the riverside explained how he was a direct descendent of John Loynes ~ the great Victorian boat builder and charter entrepreneur. 

Loynes was a self taught innovator in the newly formed holiday industry. Filled with zeal and good humour, John designed yachts by hand and physically constructed them (getting his hands dirty) on a bigger scale than ever before in Broadland. Effectively, the entire modern day holiday boating enterprise began here on this spot by the bridge. 

In the 1870s John Loynes brought a horse and trap from Norwich to transport his boats from Norwich; letting them by the old mill. Later on, Loynes purchased land and built boat houses on the opposite side of the River Bure in Wroxham. The Loynes name continues to this day.

Chris, Tim

Avian Flu Update ~ Fall 2025

Due to the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza ~ Bird Flu, Heather's water bird food booths have closed temporarily. 

Further information is available from animal health agencies, rescue organisations and Hoveton & Wroxham Riverside Trust. 

Andrew 

Bowed out Aspen

In the recent storm a tall lop sided aspen (Populus tremula) tree fell down on the riverside parks in Hoveton. The tree had surpassed its natural height for marshland trees. "There are still about 6 more still growing in the same location and doing well. A fast growing tree. No more than 40 years old." ~ Steve Moore

Curiously, the fine looking aspen was growing out of the silted remains of a dried up dyke, going from the River Bure towards Station Road. This is one of several lost water courses dug usually by hand and utilised by reed lighter boats and the like for transporting stuff. The channels were filled in over the last 50 years or so in the Hoveton ~ Wroxham area, as the riverside turned ever more from an agricultural workplace to a leisurely destination. 

Can you count how many rings there are on the hewn trunk to tell the age of the tree?

* Thanks to Steve Moore for confirming the identity of the tree and clarifying information about it. 

Australian guest of honour

Carole from Australia came on a visit back to her home by the River Bure. She toured round the area with friends and was re~aquainted with the cooler autumnal climate ~ a stark contrast to the humidity of South Australia.

Pictured here on a balcony of a Bridge Broad houseboat in Wroxham, as a swan couplet came to bid her farewell on her voyage home down under.

Chris 

The Wilkinsons go yachting

Charles 'Vern' Wilkinson posed in yachty white attire on the long counter stern of the cabin yacht ROCKET at Oulton Broad Yacht Station Boulevard, during a summer cruise. The photograph was recently discovered in his wallet. 

A long houseboat with a dark coloured hull and six big windows lays in the distance (on the quay near Mutford Lock), behind Vernon, on the left. While another box shaped houseboat can be glimpsed to the right. 

Charles Vernon Wilkinson was Timothy's grandfather. Charles and Marjorie Wilkinson were frequent visitors to Broadland in the years between the World Wars. 'Vern' as he was more usually known was a former Lieutenant in the Royal Navy during the Great War, serving in China ~ and was made Captain of a Home Guard unit in the Derbyshire Peak District in the Second World War.

Jeremy, Chris, Tim 

Sunset of the fall

Sunset of the fall over Wroxham Bridge

Local residents and boatyard staff came to the aid of a mute swan who crashed early in the morning into the Loynes building early (seen on the left). Swan Paul came to take the bird to be X~rayed and assessed at PACT Animal Sanctuary.

Solacement

Wherry Solace is the very last privately owned full sized wherry in full sailing order, used as originally intended on Broadland waters. She resides for most of the time in Hoveton and Wroxham and retains the charm, grace and integrity of craftsmanship rarely seen in an age of mass production and lack of general interest.

Nigel, Roger and Chris motored Solace down the River Bure on an early ebbing tide, across Breydon, near to the mouth of the River Waveney for her to have maintenance work. The wherry was pushed from astern by the equally attractive motor launch. 

Reed edging much of the river banks was turning yellow from the roots, while the upper part retains summer green. 

The tide ran increasingly faster as we reached the northern side of Great Yarmouth, shooting past a collection of character craft. 

We stemmed the tide along the sweeping panorama of Breydon water, past curving channels, cut out of mud which looks like blancmange. Rows of wading birds perched on the bank edges, doubtless on the prowl for tasty morsels lurking under the salty water. 

On the final leg, we past the 'Dicky Works' a curious pier formation of decaying timbers, which helps keep the tidal flow in check ~ where the mighty Yare meets the Waveney. (At the bottom end of Breydon, the Bure flows, whereupon all three rivers decant into the sea.) The dickey works were much mentioned, with slightly humorous tones by Arthur H Patterson, known by the modest pen name of John Knowlittle. Arthur was entrenched in the life of 1800s and early 1900s Breydon and Breydoners (sometimes known as Breydon Pirates), a mytical group who worked and lived partially on Breydon in houseboats in times past. 

Suddenly, just before reaching our destination at the boatyard, a formation of three almost luminous white spoonbills, a relatively rare wading bird circled around above the river ~ an extraordinary sight which Nigel had never seen before. 

Chris 

Storms and slack water

Extremely low water at the lead dyke of Hoveton Riverside Park ~ caused by the affects of both the severe storm and full moon cycle.

Hallowe'en at the hall

LIVE MUSIC is being played at the Midnight Monster Hop up at the Village Hall, sponsored by the Friends of Hoveton Village Hall. All tickets sold will go towards running the hall and saving for a new roof. 

Book tickets here: trybooking.com

Dickie wing bird

A greylag goose with a dropped left wing has caused some concern with riverside visitors. One of the bird's favoured roosting spots is the water front of granary staithe in Hoveton.

We're keeping an eye on the greylag. He seems to be coping well and is otherwise healthy. Wildlife rescuers are aware of the goose and are monitoring his condition. 

Chris, Paul 

Rustic river bank scene of a century past

Pictured upstream of Horning Ferry with pleasure houseboats, motor launches and a wherry, tethered up in between the working ferry windpump, mid 1920s. 

Photograph via Rita Massingham nee Chamberlin. 

MISTY MORN was a grand pleasure houseboat designed in the standard rectangular block pattern. The roof doubled as a spacious top deck for entertainment and sun lounging ~ note the person laying on cushions, engaged in conversation with a shipmate. Later, she was towed up river to King's Staithe, Hoveton and was let out by Mr Ben Jordan of Belaugh. 

Upstream is a smaller houseboat converted from a ship's lifeboat. It's not unusual for boats to possess romantic or funny names. 'WINNIE' was a customary cabin houseboat, named after the enchanting character of literature penned by Alan Alexander Milne ~ Winnie~the~Pooh, a yellow furry bear who resides with his friends in Hundred Acre Wood. 

The clapboarded wind powered smock mill was built in 1880 by the millwright family England of Ludham. Windpumps decanted water from the low lying marshes ~ mechanisation of water levels maintained dry grazing meadows for cattle. Inevitably, in later years, with tourism increasing, the draining of marshland led to pockets of Broadland being consumed by development. 

A big load of marsh hay is stacked high on the bank, next to the black tarred shed. The fibre rich hay is likely ready to be carted away, or more probably shipped by barge to towns down river, where it was used as horse forage food. 

Alfred Turner's Boatyard was established behind the windmill. From here in the early 1950s, Heather entered the chartering business as a stationary holiday houseboat; until she was discarded for being 'old fashioned' in 1985.

One of the characterful senior assistants and a great river lover who worked at Wroxham Launch Hire in the 2000s, was affectionately known as John 'Windpump' Bailey. 

Scarlet, Andrew, Chris 

“Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

Winnie~the~Pooh

America class yachts from gilded age of Broadland

The sweeping lines of the America class yacht are a joy to behold. The charter craft was laying temporarily at the Free Moorings, up river of Wroxham Bridge, with mast scantalised ~ lowered in horizontal position above the cabin roof. She was poised in readiness to 'shoot' the bridge, as old style wherrymen used to say. 

This version of the graceful 43 foot yachts were hand built in 1994 by the reinvigorated Norfolk Broads Yacht Company. However, the original incarnation of the yachts were born and subsequently let from the river banks in Hoveton~Wroxham by talented Mr Ernest Collins, patriarch of the famed boating family over a 100 years ago. 

Chris, Scarlet 

Standley ~ Hudson Scrubhounds

youtube.com

My Kin is a new soulful track released by Standley ~ Hudson, aka Mick and Cheryl of Wroxham on their Scrubhounds album.

The music is inspired by the hinterland surrounding Orford Ness, round the coast in Suffolk ~ and of course their beautiful hounds.

Chris