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.

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