Wroxham

Wroxham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk. The village is spread over an area of 6.21 km ² and in 2001 the population was 1532, distributed to 666 households. The village is located on the Norfolk Broads on the south side of a curve of the river Bure. It is on a hill overlooking the Bure between Wroxham Broad Belaugh in the west and in the southeast. Wroxham is about 12.8 km north east of Norwich. The village is connected by the A1151 with this city. In the area agriculture is pursued more vigorously. Riverside extend large, moist woodlands. The village belongs to the district of Broadland The Wroxham Broads, the river, and the environment are subject to supervision by the Broads Authority. On the north side of the Bure lies the village of Hoveton, which is often confused with Wroxham.

Wroxham Bridge

The Wroxham Bridge was built in 1619 of brick and stone and replaced a bridge built in 1576th It replaced an even older, but probably existing wooden bridge. She is described as one of the two hardest by boat to be crossed bridges (next to the Potter Heigham of ). At the bridge on the side of Hoveton a station house, which supports the boats as they pass for £ 6 per boat.

Wroxham Broad

Wroxham Broad is about 1.6 flusaabwärts Wroxham Bridge. Wroxham Broad has an area of ​​34.4 hectares unt an average depth of 1.3 meters. The area is located west of Bure, with two through openings between movable river and Broad. The area is known for its sailing and is home to the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club. In addition, it is also an important place for the animal and plant world. Between 2000 and 2005, the island between the two channels, connect the Wroxham Broad with the Bure was renewed to counteract the erosion and improve the ecology. The project was an action of the Broads Authority, the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club and the local landowner Trafford Estates. The underbrush was cleared and a stretch of sand hills piled up that allowed the return of Cyprus grass, reeds and rushes. In 2005, it was reported that the bird population had increased, including kingfishers and the rare Cetti's Warbler, who chose the island as a breeding ground. A large number of ducks, including pochard and tufted ducks, wintering in the area. In addition, there was a greater spread of wildflowers and bog plants, including orchids. During the work in 2004, the voluntary workers met with dredging on a undiscovered grenade from the Second World War.

" Capital of the Broads "

Wroxham is of described as the " Capital of the Broads " ( "Capital of the Broads " ) and was the first point in the Broads for boating holidays and trips, from the late 19th century, as the expansion of the rail network enabled an easier arrival. The East Norfolk Railway reached Wroxham 1874-1876, and John Loynes started the first boat rental in the Broads in Wroxham. Previously, he had already started in 1878 in Norwich.

Wroxham and Hoveton

Both Wroxham and Hoveton possess a variety of boat and vehicle rentals. Other industrial sources of income are the canning of soft fruit. Wroxham had once - for much of the 20th century - a public building ( the castle in the Norwich Road), a post office and a primary school ( in the Church Lane ), which now, however, all were closed. Some small shops there are in the Norwich Road, and a small -public library was a small area near the bridge of Wroxham, built near the Bridge Broad, in the 1960s.

Wroxham is now almost entirely united with Hoveton. Each village is located on one side of the river, where the commercial activity mainly developed in Hoveton. The area around the bridge of Wroxham is a local shopping center, mainly because of the business Roys of Wroxham. The business was built on this site in 1899 and since the 1930s the largest business of the village. Roys of Wroxham lies at the Hoveton side of the river, just like the post office and the Hotel Wroxham. It seems that the riverside part of Hoveton was named after the Wroxham Bridge. This part is the business center of both places. Located in Hoveton, but originally " Wroxham station " called station is named Hoveton and Wroxham Railway Station today. He is on the Bittern Line from Norwich to Cromer and Sheringham and is the terminus of the narrow gauge railway Bure Valley Railway Aylsham after.

Important buildings

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin stands on the top of a steep slope to the river Bure, built of flint with limestone and made ​​of lead roofs. It has a tall tower and a south entrance, which was built in the 12th century in the Norman style. He is stained blue, with seven columns and three shafts, which are described by the historian Nikolaus Pevsner as " barbaric and magnificent ". The church was restored in the Victorian era. On the church cemetery, the Trafford mausoleum, which has a medieval look, but was built in 1831 is located. The area around the church is the historic core of the village. A manor house, which consisted of bricks and a roof with tiles and is southeast of the church, has a truss, which was built in 1623. His stepped gable wall has a Danish influence. A built in red brick cottage dating back to 1820 borders the church cemetery.

Another important building is the Keys Hill House, which was built around 1890 by Edward Boardman, an architect from Norwich, in the east of Norwich Road. The villa is decorated in Jacobean style. It was later used as a sort of retirement home. The actor, musician and producer George Formby, Jr. owned a house called Heronby the river in Wroxham. There is a thatched house, built in 1907 at the Beech Road. Nearby is the site of the Charles family, in the middle of the 1920s, an estate in the Georgian style called Wroxham House was built and was badly damaged in 1954. Closer to Wroxham Broad in the south stands a brick house from the 18th century, which formerly belonged to the landowning Trafford family, but is now an inn.

Literary references

The children's author Arthur Ransome from the 1920 - Jaren visited Wroxham in the 1930s. In his book, Coot Club (1934 ) he described the hustle and bustle on the river at Wroxham Bridge of the many boats, just like a dinghy, punts, motor boats and sailing yachts.

Wroxham in the dinghy business

In April 2011, a branch of the Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust was opened for the restoration of Norfolk Wherrys at the Hartwell Road. The work began with the restoration of the dinghies Norada. Restorations of Olive and Hathor are planned in the next two years. Since the boats were restored, they are available for school and youth groups as well as for private use. A third of the cost contributed to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Barton House Railway

The Barton House Railway is a miniature steam locomotive, of which there are two pieces in use. It is large enough to carry passengers. In addition, there is also a signal box in original size as well as signals and a museum of objects from the railway sector. The museum exists since 1963 and is situated in a garden on the river side of the Hartwell Road. It lies on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, on which drove many trains in East Anglia until 1947. The Barton House Railway is run by volunteers and receives donations through charity events.