North Norfolk Living Magazine

Sensational sea lavender taken from the edge of the marshes at Brancaster Staithe - it looks absolutely wonderful this year!

A wonderful sky and reflections this evening at Brancaster Staithe

The lesser spotted blue sky - Monday evening at Burnham Overy Staithe and it was glorious!

D-Day remembered

On 5 June 1944 at 2140 hours, 16 aircraft from 199 Squadron started taking off at one-minute intervals from RAF North Creake. Their mission - the first operation from this airfield a few miles outside Wells-next-the-Sea - was highly secret: to provide an electronic screen for the invasion force to hide behind so enemy radar would not pick up the Allied forces approaching Normandy. Three more planes took off later.

After hours in the air, the first plane arrived back at the airfield from their successful mission at 5.14am on D-Day, the last at 6.21am, with all returning safely (one was diverted to Langham).

It was sobering to sit in what was the watch office 80 years ago, with The Control Tower’s current owners, Nigel Morter and Claire Nugent, and learn what had happened there as Operation Overlord began. I arrived at 11am, when orders would have been posted for 6 June - crews here expected to fly again that day but were stood down at 5pm.

RAF North Creake was operational from D-Day until May 1945 and to keep the stories of those who served at this airfield alive, Nigel has written Control Tower Calling, to be published on Saturday 8 June for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The book tells the stories of RAF North Creake veterans, and details each aircraft lost.

This June also marks the 10th anniversary of Nigel and Claire opening The Control Tower as a Bed and Breakfast, and the book interweaves their story, their love for the building and its history.

As part of the Time to Remember Project, the couple raised over £50,000 and built a memorial on the former technical site of RAF North Creake. A Roll of Honour records the 73 members of aircrew who lost their lives while serving at the station and a sculpture of a Stirling bomber stands dedicated to all who worked at RAF North Creake. Both stand beside the B1105 at Egmere and can be visited, as I did today.

Control Tower Calling by Nigel Morter will be available as a limited-edition hardback, from The Control Tower, Holkham’s Courtyard Gift Shop and Walsingham Abbey Tourist Information, with a paperback edition out in September.

Follow the link find our more https://www.northnorfolkliving.co.uk/articles/northnorfolk-people/d-day-remembered/

The Control Tower (old North Creake Airfield)

What a beautiful day!

Delighted to share that our bumper Early Summer edition of North Norfolk Living is out now, with the glorious ‘Linnets Over Salthouse’ by local artist Joanna Padfield on its cover - you can see Joanna’s work at Sanders & Christie Gallery in Sheringham.

Inside, the team have been busy - the issue is packed with what’s on and where to go, seasonal inspiration and local people.

Sarah Hardy lands an interview with Ashley Mullenger, aka The Female Fisherman, and Monica Vinader shares her guide to North Norfolk with Harriet Cooper. And as the RNLI celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, we talk to a husband-and-wife volunteering team at Cromer Lifeboat Station.

I am thrilled to welcome our new columnist, garden designer and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Nick Bailey to the NNL team; this issue he’s talking growing your own fruit.

Here’s to a fruitful late spring and early summer!

Pick up a copy locally or read it online ➡️ https://www.northnorfolkliving.co.uk/

📷 Our distribution manager, Jim, taking a well earned break for coffee and a piece of yummy carrot cake at The Barn Cafe and the Kelling Home & Friends pop-up at Creake Abbey.

Sanders and Christie

Enjoyed a bit of blue sky thinking during my break today and it was so lovely to see the swallows back, swooping over the water - I can never capture them on camera!

What a sky this evening!

High tide and beautiful reflections last night at Brancaster Staithe.

Carpets of celandines outside and a host of painted wooden angels high up within, it really was a case of looking up, looking down and feeling joy when I visited St Mary’s Church in South Creake last weekend.

The angel roof is said to have been raised in thanks for Henry V’s victory at Agincourt in 1415.

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter from all of us at North Norfolk Living magazine

Making the most of the blue skies and beautiful spring sunshine at Brancaster Staithe earlier today - hope you’re all having a good Easter weekend so far.

March moments… enjoying the late afternoon sunshine at Morston yesterday

An absolutely stunning sunset this evening, so fortunate to get to see this.

Saturday sunshine!

A beautiful start to the weekend at Burnham Overy Staithe

And just like that, we’re back and our spring issue has landed! It’s a bumper edition, packed with events and activities, ideas for spring fun and mini adventures with your little nippers from Rachel Bowles; Sarah Hardy shares a generous helping of news from the local foodie scene, including the places to have on your radar in 2024 and a food lover’s guide to Aylsham; Niobe Shaw is greening up her act, exploring the world of sustainable living in her new column, whilst Natalie Douglas interviews Nick Acheson and Robin Chittenden celebrates the sights and sounds of the season in his Go Wild column.

We’ve also got the latest from the local arts scene, including Suranne Jones’ new role at Sheringham Little Theatre, plus we’re delighted to share Harriet Cooper’s interview with Antony Gormley as he prepares for the opening of his exhibition at Houghton Hall next month.

And we are thrilled to be able to feature ‘Little Egrets’ on this issue’s front cover, a stunning silkscreen print full of character, by the late Robert Gillmor, available from Pinkfoot Gallery in Cley. Thank you to Robert’s family for allowing us to use this wonderful image.

We hope you enjoy the issue ~ pick up a copy or read it online at https://www.northnorfolkliving.co.uk

Today marks 200 years of the RNLI, two centuries of courageous men and women risking their own safety to save lives at sea. They’re ready to launch 24 hours a day, seven days a week; from the early open boats which were rowed and launched with horses, to the all-weather lifeboats used today. In fact, the RNLI has revealed its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 146,000 lives during its 200 years of lifesaving.

Thank you to all those brave men and women who serve and who have served in the RNLI, from those on board the lifeboats, to the indispensable shore support teams, volunteers and fundraisers.

The RNLI’s history is made up of stories of people and on a personal note, I am also thinking of my great-grandfather William ‘Billy’ Loose and great-great-grandfather Robert Loose, who were both coxswains of the Brancaster Lifeboat, founded 150 years ago this year and operated until 1935. Billy’s brother, Little Bob, was bowman and like his father, brother and many of the crew, was a fisherman at Brancaster Staithe.

Brancaster Lifeboat was launched off the beach, near the Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, no mean feat in a strong northerly. The maroons were kept in my great-grandfather’s pantry during his time as coxswain, to the discomfort of my great-grandmother. Brancaster Lifeboat saved 34 lives during its 61 years of service.

RNLI

As part of the celebrations of 200 years of the RNLI this week, the Lifeboat Horse sculpture by Rachael Long is back on the pontoons at Wells Quay and decorated with little RNLI yellow wellies.

I find the stories of lifeboat horses so fascinating, and saved this information from the Wells Heritage Art Trail, several years ago:

In 1869 the RNLI stationed a lifeboat at Wells for the first time. When the maroon rockets were fired summoning the lifeboat crew, the team of horses kept at Mill Farm, west of the town, knew to gallop to the gate to be caught and led down to the lifeboat house on the west end of the quay (now the Harbour Master’s office). Five pairs of horses pulled the 33 foot lifeboat two and a half miles to Holkham Gap or launched it into the harbour at hightide. Once the lifeboat was launched the horses received a treat hence they connected the sound of the maroons with this reward and were always ready at the gate.

These same horses were used to tow the heavy railways trucks used to load and unload cargo from the ships at the quayside.

The sculpture Lifeboat Horse usually stands on the edge of the marsh at the Beacon for part of the year, in memory of the lifeboat, the men and the horses who pulled them.

RNLI
Wells RNLI

Hello March!

Six years this week since the Beast from the East when strong, freezing winds from Siberia brought a short burst of snow and icy conditions which transformed the landscape for several days. I remember taking these pictures and being amazed and also very cold!

After a really busy week of work it was great to get out and enjoy the sunshine - and catch this beautiful light at Burnham Overy Staithe.

Sky watching at Morston this afternoon.

Really lovely light this afternoon at Brancaster Staithe

A blustery walk yesterday through the lovely woods at Snettisham and alongside The Wash, a highlight was seeing two Tamworth pigs specially there to help rewild the area.

A beautiful, wintry Brancaster Staithe. Huge admiration and respect for all the fisherfolk down here and further afield, and everyone else working outdoors in this weather, too.

Catching the last of the light at Burnham Overy yesterday.

We enjoyed our New Year’s Day walk on Wells Beach, followed by delicious Brancaster mussels in our favourite Bang of Wells.
~ Bridget

Sunset at Cley beach and Burnham Overy Staithe today (from a little road trip along the coast).

Wishing you all the very best for 2024 from all of us at North Norfolk Living Magazine. Thank you for your support and kind words over the last year, it means a lot.