The Norfolk Broads

One of the largest wetland areas, the Norfolk Broads makes up quite a bit of the area that is the county of Norfolk.  With 125 miles of waterways with plenty of places to dock and explore, the Broads are nationally protected and a sanctuary for the large variety of wildlife that lives there.  It was discovered in the 1950’s that the Norfolk Broads were not a natural occurrence, but instead man-made.  Research has shown that the years of digging for peat to fuel homes and as building materials in the medieval times eventually carved out the waterways that make up this beautiful landscape.
Visitors to the Norfolk Broads can enjoy a day of navigating these man-made waterways by hiring a motor launch or even a yacht or canoe, depending on their taste.  A boating holiday on the Broads will give them access to many of the small towns and villages in this area of the county as well as being able to enjoy sighting the many animals that make it their home.  If boating is not an option, visitors can hike or bike through the land that helps make up the waterways.  There are 330 kilometres of paths and trails that weave their way through the wetlands that lead to places such as St. Helen’s Church in Ranworth or the How Hill Nature Reserve.
Anyone who is visiting Norfolk and wishes to learn more about the Broads can visit the Museum of the Broads in Stalham.  There they will see how researchers determined that the Broads were man-made, how medieval citizens of the area dug for peat, and the tools they used to not only dig the peat but also to perform traditional tasks such as thatching using the local reed.

The Norfolk Coast - An Overview

Visiting the Norfolk coast on the east coast of England is like visiting another world.  This lovely area of unblemished and natural coastline offers beautiful beaches with miles of clean sand and rolling dunes.  There are nature reserves filled with a variety of wildlife that can be seen all year round and a good part of the county has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  The pace here is slow and the residents warm and welcoming.  It is the perfect spot for a weekend getaway.
The Norfolk Coast has plenty for you to do.  From windsurfing to visiting the historical sites to simply strolling along the beach barefoot, the feel of the wind in your hair off the North Sea is exhilarating.  There are boat trips out of the villages of Blakeney and Morston that will take you out on the water of Blakeney Pit.  You can then see the numerous seals sunning themselves on the coastal sandbanks.  The landscape also offers hiking trails and cycling pathways for those who wish to see the county this way.  You will find small villages dotting the coast complete with pubs, bed and breakfasts, and unique shops.
While you are out and about walking, cycling, horseback riding, or even just sitting outside in the pub’s garden, make sure you keep an eye on the birds.  The entire coastline is the home to a wide range of species and types of birds, some of which have made the endangered list in England.  Or, try your hand at fishing and go to Cromer to cast your line from the pier.  No matter what your fancy is you can find it along the Norfolk Coast.

The Hell and Hound of Norfolk and Suffolk

I was lucky enough to have spent my formative years living on the North Norfolk coast at Cromer - at a time when constraints on children were not as rigid as they are today – passing school holidays roaming at will, on the beach, in the woods and on the clifftops. This was in spite of a warning from my grandfather about a huge black hell-hound that also liked to wander the area, bringing death to any poor soul that happened to meet it. This creature went by the name of Black Shuck. The secret of surviving an encounter with this hound was to avert your gaze; to look into his eyes - as big as saucers and glowing like burning coals – would mean death within the day.

I was very young and impressionable and my grandfather was a true Norfolk countryman wise in country lore. Who was I to doubt the word of a man whom as a child had been, ‘witched’ by a woman in his village, as a punishment for having punched her son on the nose. He assured me that this had resulted in his body being covered with fleas, instantly. You can well understand why I took the warning about Black Shuck seriously. I intended to avoid a meeting with the hound at all costs. Certain locations were therefore avoided as the evening drew in, being considered high risk areas. This fear was however at conflict with the curiosity of a young boy; the hope being that one day I might spot the creature from a point close enough to allow me to study it, but at a sufficient distance to protect me from the ill-effects. Needless to say I never did meet Black Shuck, but my interest in the story has never waned and I recently decided to conduct some research into the phenomenon. I was surprised to find that black dog apparitions are well documented in many parts of this country and abroad.

These reported events are thought to have their origin in Norse mythology; the god Odin having a black hound as a companion in his kingdom, Asgard. The earliest written reference is in a French manuscript dated AD856. The writer describes how darkness enveloped a church during a service and a large black dog with glowing eyes appeared. It ran around the church as though searching for something and then vanished.

A similar story, but with more serious consequences, involves the churches at Bungay and Blythburgh. On the morning of the 4th August, 1577 the good folk of Bungay were worshipping in their parish church when there was a violent thunderstorm. As the storm raged outside, a large black dog ran down the aisle at great speed. It wrung the necks of two parishioners kneeling at prayer. Another unfortunate was struck on the back with great force causing a terrible burn injury. After this horrific visitation it was found that all the wheels and wires in the church clock were smashed.

That same morning, the storm reached Blythburgh church where a service was being conducted. The great dog appeared on a main beam in the roof of the church; leaping down amongst the congregation it killed two men and a boy. Another person was badly burned but survived the encounter. The dog then left the building with a huge thundering sound. As a result of this visit the claw marks of the beast can still be seen to this day, on the inside of the north door of the church.

Of course, in our modern times we believe that the lightning caused the damage and fatalities, not some ‘devil’ dog. How much easier though for the simple God fearing folk of that time to believe that the devil, rather than an act of God caused the terrible event. Besides which, it made a much more interesting tale for later generations to tell, at the Inn, on a dark stormy night.

There is some speculation that the story of Black Shuck may have been the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s, The Hound of the Baskervilles’. The author did write to his mother from Cromer about this new book on which he was about to start work. It is more likely, however, that the idea came from similar folklore relating to the county of Devon where Conan-Doyle had a close friend. A contemporary novelist, Ian McEwan, also used the theme in a recent novel. ‘Black Dogs’, published in 1992 tells a sinister story of a woman’s encounter with the creatures whilst walking in an isolated part of southern France. McEwan studied at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. Did his inspiration come from the local legend of Black Shuck

A coastguard made the most recent report of a sighting of Black Shuck: the Eastern Daily Press of the 27th April, 1972 gave a full account of the event as described by Graham Grant, the officer involved. He was on night duty at the Gorleston rescue headquarters on April 19th at 0445hrs. “I saw a large black hound type dog on the beach, about a quarter of a mile north of the lookout. What made me look was that the dog was running then stopping, as if looking for someone. I watched it for one or two minutes and then it vanished before my eyes. I kept on looking for a time but it did not reappear”. Bulldozers had recently flattened the area of beach concerned, so there was nowhere for the dog to be lost to sight. “One moment it was there, the next it had gone”, said Mr Grant. Being recently transferred from another part of the country; the officer had never heard the story of Black Shuck. A colleague, Mr Harold Cox of Cromer, related the legend to him after being told of the sighting.

In recent years our attention seems to have turned from black canines to black felines roaming the Norfolk and Suffolk countryside. Strangely no one has ever managed to shoot one of these creatures, which I find a bit odd. In my experience, gamekeepers vigorously defend their gamebird stocks and are very resourceful and skilful in dispatching predators. Surely by now one of these large cats should have been pictured in our newspapers; shot by someone defending their livestock. Perhaps the fascination with these black spectres from our very distant past has not gone away. Do we have some subconscious need for irrational belief in, and fear of, such nightmare creatures? Are the black, ‘Puma’ like animals real, or are they our modern version of Black Shuck?

(1108 Words. © David Hobart, 1998).

Cromer Museum

Cromer is a seaside village on the north-eastern coast of Great Britain and the Cromer Museum is an excellent place to learn about what the town was like during the 19th Century.  There is a complete fisherman’s cottage from the Victorian age inside that allows you to see what life was like during this time.  There is also an area called the ‘Old Cromer’ Gallery which contains historic photographs and illustrations of the town.  Information on Cromer’s heyday as a Victorian seaside resort, its elegant hotels, and scandalous mixed bathing practices, and accounts of the daring rescues by Henry Blogg and the lifeboatmen can be found in the Museum as well.
The Museum recently added a geology gallery that includes a collection of fossils found in the North Norfolk area.  It shows just how important Cromer is as a geological area of importance.  The West Runton elephant – a complete and one of the oldest elephant fossils – can be viewed at the museum and visitors can also see a cast of the skull of the Mosasaur, a marine reptile that lived off the coast of North Norfolk over 80 million years ago.
The Cromer Museum recently published the 2008 Events Programme which includes information about the different events and displays that will offered throughout the year.  It can be found online at: http://www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/img/08%20site%20leaflet%20art1_final.pdf or visitors can request a printed copy by calling the Museum on 01263 513543.

Entrance fees for adults are £2.90, children 3 to 16 £1.75, and under 4 free.  Special concessions for disabled individuals, persons aged over 60, and students are available as well as for adults in a family group.