Vaughan

Well, it looks as though Malcolm's guess is the winner! Many thanks to Liz for all her detective work. Personally I still have a feeling that the actual O.S. map on which this is based, is rather earlier and may even be pre 1st World War. I have seen other old O.S. maps, where the date of the first impression is shown, as well as the date of any revisions. It is quite possible that the name of the railway was changed from GER to LNER when the map was revised. At least I know that Whitlingham junction station and the line to Wroxham and Cromer, were opened in 1876, so it can't be before then! By the way, I have noticed that Harvey Lane in Thorpe (part of today's ring road) is following its original course down what is now Stanley Avenue, before it meets the Yarmouth Rd. Nowadays it is straighter, and comes out in front of Carey's Meadow, at the end of the island. If the council have records of when that was done, it may be another clue.

It usually works out right if you go under Acle Bridge at the time given for low water in Yarmouth Yacht station. By the way, make sure your tide tables are for Yarmouth Yacht Station and not Yarmouth Bar.

Indeed it was. Affectionately known as the Muddle and Go Nowhere. In fact Cromer had two stations, Cromer High and Cromer Beach, served by the GER from Norwich and London as well as the M&GN from the Midlands via Kings Lynn and Melton Constable. The two companies are very important to Broads history as, both pre-war and post-war, they were very largely responsible for the boating tourism industry that we know here today. This is why, apart from Horning, every main centre of boating on the Broads grew up right beside an old railway station. A close study of this map will show exactly what I mean. Edited to add : The Norfolkman Express (ex Norfolk Coast Express) was still running a buffet car service, direct from London to Cromer without changing trains, in the late 50s.

This is what you need when converting a boat to have all outlets going into a grey water holding tank. The cabin washbasins as well as the shower trays all drain into this and the submersible pump pushes it into the holding tank. You will probably have 2 or 3 on board in a larger boat. The galley sink has to go through a macerator pump. Locaboat use these on their hire boats in France. They need regular and thorough cleaning and can also get very smelly. They are a frightful "faff" to be honest.

I couldn't agree more!

Yes, Repps church has a cross, but Brundall gardens is not there. Interesting!

I have just noticed that Berney Arms halt is shown by a black dot, but Potter Heigham halt is not. Having a "gander" at the Brundall area, it is just a small village on the top road, with no apparent boatyard dykes or buildings at all at the riverside. Surlingham Broad has no navigable connection to the river and Rockland Broad has only the long dyke, but not the short one.

No, there isn't! Stations are shown as a black dot, but I don't know whether they would have bothered to show the halt. There is a small cross beside the railway bridge which is certainly not a church! This map was obviously modified by Jarrolds to show the Broads from Blakes' point of view, so a lot of other detail is missing. O.S. Maps often had revised editions over the years, without actually being re-drawn, so it would be very hard to tell its original age.

Make sure it is a diaphragm type which will not overheat when run dry, and is self priming. The Jabsco Water Puppy impeller type is not suitable. Always fit a shower drain filter, available from all chandlers, as hair is death to shower pumps!

So that is a total of 134, or around 14 a year over 10 years, in a total fleet of around 700 (so they say). That means every boat will have a life of over 45 years on hire before it is replaced, assuming the total number stays the same. We are not going to see electric boats taking over very quickly at that rate, I don't suppose!

What are we all talking about? Water conducts electricity - very well in fact! What you might call a "common earth". It wouldn't do your anodes any good though . . . .

It would not be before 1923 or it would say Great Eastern Railway, not LNER.

The signal box is at the end of the old high level station platform. Actually, the map shows the original station site, which was moved to the site of the flyover crossing, with stairs to connect the two stations. That might help to date the map.

I was given an old Blakes map of the Broads and have taken it out of the frame for repairs, before hanging it again in our new house. Sadly, there is no date on the back. It was printed by Jarrolds (on linen) for Blakes and is clearly based on a one inch O.S. map So I wonder what the date was? The railways are shown as LNER (London and North Eastern) and also show the M&GN (Midland and Great Northern) so it must be after 1923. Blakes address on the back is shown as 22, Newgate St, London, at the time when they were also booking agents for the LNER. They were at this address until 1939 and moved to 47, Albemarle St. after the War. They then moved to Hoveton in the late 60s. So it must be some time between 1923 and 1940 but was the map based on something earlier? Thorpe is just a row of houses along the Yarmouth Rd, with no development northwards, to the Plumstead Rd, where Harvey Lane stops, instead of continuing on the Norwich ring road, as it does now. Wroxham looks a bit different as well! Here we see the old triangle railway junction to the North of Reedham swing bridge, which I think was removed when they built the new double track bridge. Also the two levels at Haddiscoe station, where the line between Norwich and Lowestoft is still running and the high level, between Yarmouth South Town and Beccles went over the old Herringfleet swing bridge. I notice that Fritton Lake (Fritton Decoy) is shown as connected to the main river. My own guess at the date would be about 1930. Any other ideas?

It makes an enormous difference! I have experience of European waterways as well as the Broads. The damage caused by household detergents is far worse than human sewage ever was in the first place! There is proof of this, going right back to the first serious studies, that were done in the 60's on the Broads. Riverside shops and sensible boatyards all sell biodegradable washing up liquid and shower gel. Always use it, and you will make a big difference!

I think the last three posts demonstrate the old saying : You take as you find.

Do you remember the big sewage outfall at Whitlingham, by Postwick Grove, when big "icebergs" of foam would float off down the river on the ebb tide? I was out rowing in a scull one day and rowed right into one of those, without seeing it ahead of me. The whole world suddenly went white all around me!

I have seen this a couple of times on TV today. The article is good stuff, until you get about half way through it. I quite agree that the Broads may well revert back to how it was in Roman times, especially if we don't spend enough resources in maintaining it in its present condition. It would be the final proof of the Great Estuary Theory! I really don't see, however, that improving our carbon footprint with electric day boats from Wroxham is going to stop the sea level rising by a metre! I have a feeling there may be a few more natural factors involved than that! I am interested to see that James Knight says they have had 2 electric day boats there for the last 20 years. Is that all? I think perhaps that, in itself, says it all! I fear that all this is just to justify the existence of the new carbon footprint officer, or whatever official title he reposes under.

In which case Holland, for once, is a long way behind Norfolk. It has been recognised here for over 40 years that nitrate enrichment of the water from farm fertilisers is a large contributor to river water pollution. I see sewage is in the news again this week. Apparently we are not allowed to have effluent outfalls into the sea any more. So what do they want us to do with it? Leave it out in a recycling bin, to be collected now and again, if you're lucky?

Although the Broads has a tide coming in and out through Yarmouth, the river Bure also has headwaters above Coltishall right to the other side of Alysham, which are constantly flowing down river. The same thing happens in Norwich, where the Wensum flows over the weir at New Mills and the upper reaches of the Yare come in at Trowse Eye. Also the Waveney, from Geldeston Lock up beyond Bungay. This is why the ebb tide on these rivers is almost always stronger than the flood.

A very interesting post, thank you Andy. It's nice to hear it direct from the customer! I think you are absolutely right that price will be what matters, as it always has been in this business. Back in 2019 (which seems like 5 years ago now) I predicted a dreadful recession in the business for this year. I am very glad to say I was wrong! So I think it is very important, now that yards can look towards a good future for the next few years, not to "kill the golden goose" by setting their prices too high. As for Richardsons, we have to face it, that all those old boats they are selling were built over 45 years ago. I was working there when they built them! That is a very long time for a hire boat - over twice its planned life - and there has to come a time when it is no longer feasible to maintain them in such good condition. To me, it proves that a well designed boat will stay popular, but an un-popular design doesn't last long. I wonder whether some of the "futuristic" things we are seeing brand new these days, will last 45 years?

They are used all over the Broads to start sailing races and each class of boat has its own code flag. For the Cruiser class it is numeral 3, which is broken out as the 10 minute gun is fired, followed by flag P (the blue Peter) at the 5 minute gun. Both flags are lowered at the start gun but the class flag is left at the dip if a boat was "over" at the start. A lot of yachts use code flags as their racing flag and house flag, possibly the most well known being Forester, when owned by Tony Bentall, who was an ex naval consultant surgeon. He flew flag M, which had the single letter meaning "doctor on board".

"The great white hunter"!

I haven't looked it up but I should think you are right. We were talking on another thread about the difference between the Yare and the other rivers. The Yare is a maritime navigation, but not the north rivers.

Well spotted! I had a feeling he could get under the bridge! She said on the video it was heading for Barton Broad. Those barges are actually very manoeuvrable, with the right kind of skipper. Could be most interesting!