North Walsham & Dilham Canal And Honing Station

[MY littleboat]

Hi all, I am probably setting myself up for a fall with this one as I know we have one or two experts on this topic on here, however, I believe what I have gathered is correct from credible sources (Obviously credited appropriately - I hope you enjoy - there is a part 2 but I need to go and get some more shots on a less rainy and windy day!

 

http://youtu.be/KpfY7PIy1dU?si=UZTguKFaLxJiH3LP

[MY littleboat]

Apologies I couldn't make it appear in line

[kpnut]

Thankyou very much indeed for this. Fascinating and now I have somewhere else to go and explore. 

[dom]

Well produced and informative video. Only thing slightly offputting for me, as someone who grew up in the area was a few mispronunciations.

Antingham seems to have gained an L in the voiceover. Honing is pronounced Hone-ing (hone as in bone).

Everyone I know also pronounced Ebridge as Ebb-ridge (like the ebb of a tide), but that may just be a local variance (I went to school in Stalham for a while with people who lived in Dilham, Honing, etc).

It is a shame the NW&D hasn't been restored by now, even if just as somewhere accessible to smaller, or unpowered craft. The fact it only took 100 navvies 2 years really highlights how easily it could be done. They're dredging fens near where I live at the moment and based on their rate of progress, I'd imagine you could probably achieve the task in a similar time frame, but just a couple of men with modern excavators.

[marshman]

Indeed you may be right but that does not take into account the fact that the owner of the last section south of Honing Lock, does not want it restored and connected to the rest of the Broads!

[floydraser]

2 hours ago, dom said:

Well produced and informative video. Only thing slightly offputting for me, as someone who grew up in the area was a few mispronunciations.

Antingham seems to have gained an L in the voiceover. Honing is pronounced Hone-ing (hone as in bone).

Everyone I know also pronounced Ebridge as Ebb-ridge (like the ebb of a tide), but that may just be a local variance (I went to school in Stalham for a while with people who lived in Dilham, Honing, etc).

It is a shame the NW&D hasn't been restored by now, even if just as somewhere accessible to smaller, or unpowered craft. The fact it only took 100 navvies 2 years really highlights how easily it could be done. They're dredging fens near where I live at the moment and based on their rate of progress, I'd imagine you could probably achieve the task in a similar time frame, but just a couple of men with modern excavators.

I offer the theory that it's not the pronunciation that's wrong; it's the spelling.

Having researched my family history I have experienced hand written records hundreds of years old. Parish records written by whoever was responsible within the local church. Go back far enough through time and this person may be the only person in the village who could read and write. Said person probably didn't think that in 300 years time everyone would be able to read and write on their laptops. 

So in Norfolk accents of the time:

Excuse me, what is your name? 

Herbet Oswaldwhistle.

And how do you spell that?

I'm sorry I don't know.

Where are you from?

Hone-ing

And how do you spell that?

How the hell you like because I can't read!

And so the person wrote down what they thought it should be thinking this writing lark would go the way of VHS and cassette tapes.

I saw variations in parish records where one person had recorded all events in date order as they happened, then their successor had written them all down grouping similar events together. The only way to find what you're looking for (if it's even there!) is by reading every entry. 

[YnysMon]

When I was studying Middle English (the bit between 1066 and Shakespeare) our tutor gave us a map of the UK with all the variants of the spellings for church/Kirk. There were a lot more than you'd imagine! The point being that there wasn't any accepted spelling at that time, everything was spelled phonetically. Also the literature of the time maps a gradual shift between what had been Old English i.e. Anglo Saxon to the beginnings of modern English in the Tudor period. I found it fascinating. 

[MY littleboat]

15 hours ago, dom said:

Well produced and informative video. Only thing slightly offputting for me, as someone who grew up in the area was a few mispronunciations.

Antingham seems to have gained an L in the voiceover. Honing is pronounced Hone-ing (hone as in bone).

Everyone I know also pronounced Ebridge as Ebb-ridge (like the ebb of a tide), but that may just be a local variance (I went to school in Stalham for a while with people who lived in Dilham, Honing, etc).

It is a shame the NW&D hasn't been restored by now, even if just as somewhere accessible to smaller, or unpowered craft. The fact it only took 100 navvies 2 years really highlights how easily it could be done. They're dredging fens near where I live at the moment and based on their rate of progress, I'd imagine you could probably achieve the task in a similar time frame, but just a couple of men with modern excavators.

Oddly I was calling it antingham until I spoke to an old boy at Honing who pronounced it anLingham and I have seen at least one map with that written, but as you say, regional pronunciation is very important and I took the old boys pronunciation of Honing to be him from Norfolk and me from Suffolk (Up coming part 2 but need some more footage to make it work) Thank you for the feedback - heaven help me when I move on to Happisburgh!!

[MY littleboat]

13 hours ago, marshman said:

Indeed you may be right but that does not take into account the fact that the owner of the last section south of Honing Lock, does not want it restored and connected to the rest of the Broads!

Yes I am working on Part 2 at the moment and really struggling with alot of the politics - even a pushback of re-dredging the current area - I really appreciate your expertise in this matter - there seems to be so much more to the story than what is in the public domain.. any links will be most welcome

[marshman]

In my early days of boating, a while back, one of my favourite mooring spots used to be alongside what is now shown on the map, as Dilham Broad just south of Honing Lock - we didn't get disturbed much, if at all, and made the mooring at Coltishall Lock seem a bit like Piccadilly Circus.

We both appreciated that and took full advantage of it!

[BroadAmbition]

Nice one, Thanks for sharing

Griff