Historic Places - Riverside Holidays Norfolk

Heritage & Historic Places

Here are some of the historic places you can visit

St Benets Abbey
St Benet’s Road (off Hall Common Road)
Ludham NR29 5NU

The Abbey of St Benet at Holme lies deep in the Norfolk Broads, close to the meeting place of the rivers Bure and Ant. This was the only Norfolk monastery founded in the Anglo-Saxon period which continued in use throughout the Middle Ages, and is the only monastery in England which was not closed down by Henry VIII – the Bishop of Norwich is still the Abbot.

As well as being of great historical interest, St Benet’s Abbey is also very atmospheric. For over 200 years it has been a favourite spot for artists, photographers, and tourists.

For more information: https://www.norfarchtrust.org.uk/project/st-benets-abbey/

Horsey Windpump
Horsey, Great Yarmouth NR29 4EE

An iconic Norfolk Broads landmark with a fascinating past and the perfect gateway to experience the connection between man and nature. Standing sentinel over the mere and surrounding Broadland landscape, a climb to the top is rewarded with beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding countryside an opportunity not to be missed.

Horsey Windpump is a windpump or drainage windmill in the care of the National Trust in the village of Horsey, on The Broads near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. The structure is a grade II* listed building.

For more information: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/norfolk/horsey-windpump

Potter Heigham Bridge
1 Bridge Road, Potter Heigham NR29 5JD

Potter Heigham Bridge is a medieval bridge, believed to date from 1385, famous for being the most difficult to navigate in the Broads. The bridge opening is so narrow that only small cruisers can pass through it, and then only at low water.

A tale is told that in 1742 Lady Carew and her daughter Evelyn were taken away on Evelyn’s wedding day by a phantom coach driven by skeletons. The coach reportedly caught alight as it crossed Potter Heigham bridge. It is also said that the ghost of a drummer boy skates across the Broad during the month of February.

Historic place of interest
Parking
Food & Drink
Shops
Public Toilets
Dogs allowed with some restrictions
Visit by boat

Thurne Mill
Thurne, Norfolk, Great Yarmouth, United Kingdom, NR29 3AP

“In 1820 Thurne Mill was built by local millwrights England & Co. of Ludham. Its job in life was to drain the marshes for the farmers to make good use of this valuable land. The mill would originally have been as tall as the black band shown in this photograph and would have driven a scoop wheel with cloth covered sails known as common sails. In 1885 the mill was raised or ‘hained’ as it is called in Norfolk. This haining was required in order to fit the new style patent sails which had much more power and could be operated by standing on the ground and pulling on the chain in order to open or close the shutters. The fantail was put on at this time too and this enabled the mill to turn automatically into the wind.”

https://www.thurnewindmill.co.uk/

Happisburgh Lighthouse
Lighthouse Lane, Happisburgh, Norwich NR12 0PY

Happisburgh Lighthouse in Happisburgh on the North Norfolk coast is the only independently operated lighthouse in Great Britain. It is also the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia. Historically it was also often called Haisborough or Haisbro’ Lighthouse.

Built in 1790, orginally one of a pair – the tower is 85ft tall and the lantern is 134ft above sea level. The ‘low light’ which was discontinued in 1883 was 20ft lower and the pair formed leading lights marking safe passage around the southern end of the treacherous Haisborough Sands.

Today the lighthouse is painted white with three red bands, and has a light charcteristic of Fl (3) W 30s (3 white flashes, repeated every 30secs) with a range of 18 miles.

Saved as a working light by the local community, it is maintained and operated entirely by voluntary contributions.

http://www.happisburgh.org.uk/lighthouse