The Northrepps Area
“More Photos and Local Trivia from the WI”
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Northrepps Village Looking East to Foundry Arms and Hungry Hill"
Northrepps is a pleasant village situated nearly three miles from Cromer. The village is approached from all directions by winding country lanes and abounds in flora and fauna.
The community is made up of many different types of houses including some thatch (see photo). The village pub is named the Foundry Arms and takes its name from a foundry that used to be situated nearby, where in 1830 the Gallas plough was first developed. This type of plough was widely used until the 1920’s.
In 1977 a village sign was erected to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee, with no fewer than eleven symbols depicting various aspects of village history including a car radiator. This radiator is that of a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. Henry Royce stayed in the village while he was developing this famous car.
This must be the only village in north Norfolk to have an airport. The simple grass runway is used mostly at weekends by the occasional private light aircraft or microlight. The front garden of the cottage provides a good vantage point for these take offs and landings despite the airport being located someway out of the village.
"Northrepps Church"
Dating from before 1066, the village church was built to its present standard during the 12th to 15th centuries, and is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. A delightful story concerns a beautiful rood screen which was donated by a John Playford and subsequently removed at the time of the reformation, stored in a nearby barn and finally restored to the church in 1911.
Standing at the foot of the churchyard next to the lane to Southrepps it is just possible to make out Falcon Cottage sitting high on the horizon to the East.
"Southrepps
Village"
Southrepps is a pleasant place to visit in spite of the bitter north winds
that sometimes blow from off the sea in the early spring. The area is rural,
mainly given over to agriculture, and looks out onto open fields and in summer
the most glorious sunsets.
The church of St James stands out prominently and can be seen from afar as one approaches the village, and the Vernon Arms offers its hospitality to those seeking the village pub (with excellent restaurant, piano and darts board).
Southrepps has many pleasant walks along quiet green lanes around the outskirts of the village and along one of these in the Northrepps direction, there is to be found an old Quaker cemetery with one or two ancient tombstones still standing. It seems at one time there was a strong Quaker element in these parts.
Still further one comes to the Suffield Arms, which serves refreshment to weary travelers, opposite is the local railway station of Gunton on the Norwich to Sheringham line.
"Overstrand
Beach Looking East Towards Mundesley"
"Sea
Marge Hotel, Bar and Restaurant, Overstrand"
Overstrand was originally a fishing village and there remain several flint cottages and also many impressive buildings to remind us of the era, from the turn of the century to the First World War, when Overstrand was known as the village of millionaires as no less than six millionaires had houses in the village.
On the cliff the young Edwin Lutyens was the architect for a conversion of two villas into the grand residence for Lord and Lady Battersea. This was called the “Pleasuance”, and had extensive and attractive gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll.
A large house, now divided, was originally “Pear Tree Cottage” owned by Lord Randolph Churchill, father of Sir Winston Churchill, who stayed in the village on more than one occasion, and is said to have mobilised the Navy for the First World War, as First Lord of the Admiralty, when staying here.
Further details of where to visit, plus train travel details, are available to download as a PDF document - Download (119kb)
To make a booking enquiry, please email Jon Edwards or telephone 07792 653 321