Our Aims

Our Club's aims are to:

Learn collaboratively about the history, heritage and archaeology of Norwich and Norfolk

Develop resources and activities that contribute to the wider community’s understanding of history and archaeology

Develop activities that enhance/maintain the wellbeing and emotional resilience of club members

Be actively inclusive – open, accessible and welcoming to all


Monday 24 May 2021

Whifflers of Norwich

Tony Harper mentioned the Whifflers of Norwich to me today and I thought a related article would be of interest.  Most of you probably know the Whiffler Pub on the Ring Road at Hellesdon but what is a Whiffler?  What important role did they perform?  When did this art die out?  What was the processional route they took through Norwich?  What type of costume did they wear?  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link:  

https://joemasonspage.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/the-whifflers-of-norwich/

Here is another article on the Whifflers of Norwich.  So who was Snap the Dragon and what religious significance did it take?  What was Guild Day?  To find out more please select the following link:

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/2018/06/

Please select the following link to see the Whiffler’s costume:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/picturenorfolk/10596233893/in/photostream/ 

Sunday 16 May 2021

Honingham Hall Shooting

Here is another interesting short film from the Little Bit of History series.  The hall was commissioned in 1605 by Sir Thomas Richardson and then passed down through a number of esteemed owners to Sir Eric Teichman in 1935.  Eric was an explorer/secret agent/diplomat - so he had an interesting life!  But where was he posted during the Second World War?  He retired in 1943 and journeyed back along the old silk road to England and Honingham Hall.  Why did Private George E. Smith, aged 28 years, of Pittsburgh and Private Leonard S. Wijpacha of Detroit take out guns from the armoury of the local American airbase?  Why did Sir Eric go outside to seek out the supposed poachers?  What did the GIs do with the body?  Were they brought to justice?  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link and press play (you may need to move the red bar back too the start, you can also give a thumbs up to the film):  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oe18p1cLwM&t=93s

Here is a related article on the Honingham Hall Shooting.  Please select the following link:  

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/2020/05/30/a-murder-at-honingham-hall/

The Great Yarmouth Body Snatchers

Here is an interesting short film from the Little Bit of History series.  Body snatching was such an awful crime, especially the trauma it caused the bereaved.  It is a shocking insight into the 19th century culture - they even body snatched children!  And the body snatchers were paid by highly respected members of society!  What Yarmouth cemetery were 20 bodies snatched from?  What bodies were surgeons legally allowed to use for medical research in 1827?  Why did unscrupulous surgeons turn to criminals to acquire more bodies?  What famous surgeon openly admitted to using body snatchers and which king was he surgeon to?  How much did the surgeons pay for each body?  The 1832 Anatomy Act brought an end to body snatching but what bodies did it allow to be used for medical research?  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link and press play (you may need to move the red bar back too the start):  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xZNs14wdY

Here is a related article on the Great Yarmouth Body Snatchers.  Please select the following link:  

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/2019/02/22/bodysnatchers-of-great-yarmouth/ 

The Postcard Collector Who Preserved Norfolk History

Here is an interesting EDP article with some wonderful pictures about the collection of post card books by Philip Standley of Wymondham.  What shop did he own in Wymondham?  There are excellent pictures of the Chapelfield Pavilion and the Grand Opera House.  Can you remember the fun fair on the old cattle market?  Why were the first picture post cards called Court Cards?  To find out the answers to these questions and more related information please select the following link:

https://www.edp24.co.uk/lifestyle/heritage/wymondham-postcard-collector-with-passion-for-local-history-7921484