Archive for the ‘Attractions’ Category

A brand new, self-guided walking tour focusing on King’s Lynn’s maritime heritage will be launched on International Hanse Day, Saturday 25 May.

The Maritime Trail guides people through King’s Lynn’s exceptional historic built environment. By incorporating the stories of the merchants, shipbuilders, sailors, fishermen, press gangs, porters and pubs, which have played key roles in the town’s history, the trail helps to bring the past to life.

The way-marked trail, which starts at True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum and ends at Marriott’s Warehouse, features 27 bronze pavement plaques. There are four different designs to look out for, representing the four wards through which the trail passes.

The tour in brief:

North End Ward - portrayed by a ship’s anchor – tours the historic home of King’s Lynn’s fishing community at True’s Yard, as well as taking in St Nicholas’ Chapel, Common Staithe Quay, and the impressive Tuesday Market Place.

Trinity Ward – represented by a Kogge or merchant’s ship – covers King’s Staithe Square, the Bank House and the impressive merchant’s mansion and tower – Clifton House. The area was a key place for merchants to conduct their business in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Chequer Ward – depicted by a compass – takes in the iconic Custom House and the magnificent buildings on King Street, behind which was a world of warehouses, breweries and merchants’ yards.

Stonegate Ward – signified by the image of a whale – takes in locations such as Nelson Street, Greenland Fishery, Hanse House and Marriott’s Warehouse, and reflects the oldest part of the town, from which King’s Lynn developed to become one of England’s major ports .

To celebrate the opening of the trail a procession led by Cllr Nick Daubney, Leader of the Borough Council, Deputy Borough Mayor, Cllr Barry Ayres and Dr Paul Richards, will follow much of the trail on Saturday 25 May at 11 am.

Cllr Nick Daubney, one of the driving forces behind the development of this trail, said: “We are proud of Lynn’s maritime heritage and this new trail will help visitors to, and residents of, the town to find out more about the way the town grew from its position as a premier sea port. They will be able to see some of the town’s magnificent buildings and understand where they fit in Lynn’s fascinating history. We are extremely grateful to Dr Paul Richards for his invaluable assistance in helping to create this trail.”

It is hoped that the trail will encourage even more visitors to explore the town, as well as being enjoyed by local people, and will help raise awareness of King’s Lynn’s historic role as an important port and centre for trade.

Maritime Trail guide booklets will be available from King’s Lynn Tourist Information Centre, True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum and Marriott’s Warehouse at a cost of just 50 pence. The trail takes a minimum of around 1 ½ hours to complete, but can be considerably longer depending on the amount of time taken to explore the various locations along the trail.

King’s Lynn will be celebrating International Hanse Day on Saturday 25 May with a packed programme of events and activities to showcase the Hanseatic links.

Events will include:

• Maritime Trail Procession
• A Guided Walk
• Specialised Food Market
• Free Hanseatic Nibbles
• Beer Festival
• A Medieval Banquet
• A Concert for String Orchestras
• Music by the King’s Lynn Waites

There are 182 cities in 16 countries which make up the modern Hanse. Each year, all member cities are encouraged to celebrate their Hhanseatic heritage and their involvement in the modern Hanse network.

By the 13th century King’s Lynn was one of England’s foremost ports. The commercial opportunities and rewards offered by the town attracted merchants from the Baltic, Hamburg and Lubeck. Trading privileges with the Hanse were confirmed by 1310. Hanseatic ships travelled together in convoys across The Wash for safety, especially against pirates.

This year’s Hanse Day celebration centres on Hanseatic food and culture. The day will begin with a Hanseatic Guided Walk which starts from the Custom House at 11am.

To celebrate the opening of the new Maritime Trail a procession led by Cllr Nick Daubney, Leader of the Borough Council, will follow much of the trail around the town.

At Marriott’s Warehouse and Hanse House, food and East European treats will be available between 12.00 noon and 4pm. This will be accompanied by performances of Medieval, Tudor and Renaissance music by the King’s Lynn Waites.

The Bank House will be running a beer festival from 12 noon until 4.00pm, serving bottled beers from Hanse Countries, including beers from the Netherlands, Germany, Latvia and Russia as well as Russian vodka and German Schnapps, all accompanied by free Hanseatic nibbles.

The Market Bistro is organising a small market with their suppliers and will be providing samples of the restaurant’s in-house cured and smoked produce, which will take place on Saturday Market Place between 12 noon and 4pm.

A concert with music for string orchestras and solos by J.S. Bach, Greig, Telemann, Holst and Vaughan Williams will take place at All Saints Church, starting at 5pm.

Denver Mills, based within the Hanse House, is organising a medieval banquet in the Merchant’s Bar at 7pm. The event is ticket only. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

The Hanse flag will be flown from King’s Court, the Custom House, Clifton House and King’s Lynn Town Hall. Sail flags, bearing the Hanse logo will also be displayed at key event locations including the Bank House, Marriott’s Warehouse and the Saturday Market Place.

Borough Council Leader Cllr Nick Daubney, who is the English Commissioner for the League, said: “It is important that we celebrate our Hanseatic links and recognise the important role the former league played within the town. International Hanse Day is a real opportunity to draw attention to King’s Lynn’s rich history and heritage.”

To find out more about International Hanse Day in King’s Lynn, visit the King’s Lynn Tourist Information Centre in the Custom House or call 01553 763044.

An exciting and unique mobile cinema will be coming to Lynn to offer free screenings of local archive films from the last century aboard the 22 seater digital cinema.

The ‘Archive Alive’ mobile cinema tour will be visiting the Vancouver Quarter shopping area on Monday 10 June from 10.30am – 1pm. It will then visit the Green at Hunstanton from 3.30pm – 6.30pm.

Norwich’s Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) will be taking archive film on the road courtesy of a 1960s vintage mobile cinema to bring the archive alive to people throughout Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.

The Archive Alive tour will kick off on Sunday 2 June in Clacton-on-sea, Essex and will complete its journey in Hunstanton, Norfolk on Monday 10 June. The complete itinerary is as follows:

Sunday 2 June – CLACTON (9.30am – 12.30pm Town Square), COLCHESTER (3pm – 6pm Castle Park)
Monday 3 – HARLOW (10am – midday Market Place), HAVERHILL (3.30pm – 6.30pm Market Square)
Tuesday 4 – ELY (10am – 1pm The Maltings), CAMBRIDGE (3.30pm – 7pm Parker’s Piece)
Wednesday 5 – RAF LAKENHEATH (for airbase personnel only)
Thursday 6 – DISS (10am – 12.30pm Mere’s Mouth), BURY ST EDMUNDS (3pm – 6pm Cornhill)
Friday 7 – IPSWICH (10am – 12.30pm Lloyds Avenue), ALDEBURGH (3.30pm – 6.30pm Moot Hall)
Saturday 8 – LOWESTOFT (10am – 12.30 Royal Green), NORWICH (3.30pm – 7.30pm The Forum)
Sunday 9 – GRESSENHALL (10am – 1pm Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse), CROMER (4pm – 7pm The Pier)
Monday 10 – KING’S LYNN (10.30am – 1pm Vancouver Quarter shopping area), HUNSTANTON (3.30pm – 6.30pm The Green)

The archive film footage has been researched and selected for digitisation by HEART working closely with the UEA’s East Anglian Film Archive.

One of the aims of the Archive Alive tour is to promote the website www.archivealive.org which showcases hundreds of digitised archive films from across East Anglia. It also features a selection of archive films from Upper Normandy with the opportunity to compare and contrast our social history on both sides of the channel.

Jane Jarvis, Digital Heritage’s Project Manager said: “The ‘Archive Alive’ tour is a great way to help spread the word about what a fantastic resource archive film is. With more of these unique images now available online they can be viewed to enhance our learning and understanding of our region and the way we used to live.

“We are very much looking forward to setting off on the vintage mobile cinema to promote these great films and our new website archivealive.org via such a unique and authentic platform. We hope lots of people, of all ages, will come aboard and enjoy bringing the archive alive.”

For further information on the tour itinerary, locations and timings you can visit www.archivealive.org

Digital Heritage Project
The Digital Heritage Project is currently working with EAFA to digitise hundreds of archive films from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire from as far back as 1896. With an aim of bringing the archive alive, the Digital Heritage Project is working with two major film archives from both sides of the channel, EAFA and Rouen based, Pôle Image Haute-Normandie.

In October 2012, the Digital Heritage Project launched its new website which showcases a vast and impressive collection of East Anglian and French films which are an important part of our social history and heritage. This project is made possible via EU funding from the Interreg IVA Channel Programme within the scope of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
www.archivealive.org

Hi, Frodo Cavalier here and I am a dog! To be precise I am a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and I am in charge of organising the Hunstanton Fun Dog Show, the only dog show that’s organised by a dog, and I would like to invite all the doggies out there to come along.

It’s going to be a great day out for us dogs and the good news is we have lots of attractions for your human, so why not bring them along with you!

For us doggies there is have-a-go-fly-ball, a pet behaviourist who will answer questions on why our humans don’t always understand what we are trying to say, there will be trade stands selling all our creature comforts including treats, a doggy masseur to give advice on our aches and pains, a mobile dog wash for the dreaded bath, also a doggy dancing display, heel work to music display, and one or two surprises to watch out for.

For the human family there is a bouncy castle, games, stalls, human food and treats, a fab water attraction, plus they can park their cars on site.

It’s going to be great fun; there are 12 classes to enter with loads and loads of rosettes up for grabs to a massive 10th place, plus a great big, enormous cup for the best in show. The press will be there taking photos.…..so come along and enjoy yourself and give your human a nice day out.

Oh, and Chris and Clair from Coastal Vets are very nice to me when I am poorly. They even do home visits. They are our sponsors so thanks guys, you`re great!
Any enquiries give me a ring on: 01485 534481 …I can woof in English.

Check out all the latest news on:- www.facebook.com/TheHunstantonFunDogShow or twitter.com/Hunnydogshow

Please support me…it takes a lot of effort to type with paws! Don’t forget this is the only dog show organised by a dog!!!!!

THE HUNSTANTON FUN DOG SHOW, GLEBE HOUSE SCHOOL, HUNSTANTON, SUNDAY 12TH MAY, ENTRIES FROM 11.30AM

On Sunday, 5 May 2013, the streets of King’s Lynn are once again set to be filled with runners and spectators as the annual Bespak Grand East Anglia Run takes place and last year’s winner of the men’s race, Tadele Geremew, returns to defend his title.

Last year the Ethiopian runner broke the course record, by winning in an amazing time of 30:18 beating the course record of 31:06 set by Paul Miles two years previously.

Around 1700 runners are expected to take part in the main event with a further 550 entries for the Mini-GEAR Fun Run, figures well above last years entries.

The race will set off from the town’s historic Tuesday Market Place at 10.30am and the course will take runners on a loop through the town centre, through The Walks and along the waterfront, showcasing some of King’s Lynn’s key heritage and retail areas.

Sports Development Manager and Race Director, Roger Partridge, said: “We’re set for a really exciting event this year. Tedele Geremew, from Elswick Harriers, who will be wearing Number 1, is back to defend the course record he set last year. Bryony Proctor from Aldershot Farnham & District AC is back to defend her ladies title too, with 32:51 being the time to beat in the ladies race set by Gemma Steel in 2011.

“The number of entries for GEAR is bigger than it’s been in the last four or five years, and combined with the amazing entry for the fun run, we’ll have the largest number of runners yet.

“Entries for the event are coming from all over the country, so GEAR is definitely building a big reputation. We’ve also got some strong corporate entries this year, who will no doubt be giving the Terrington Tigers a bit of a challenge..”

Roger continued: “We’ve had marvellous support from the community generally, with many local companies providing items for the goody bags, and of course the event would not be possible without the help and support of all the volunteers behind the scenes and on race day itself. The responses we’ve received to requests for help this year have been outstanding. We are so grateful for everyone’s generosity

Bespak’s new Managing Director Keyvan Djamarani said: “We are delighted to see the great response the race has received this year and to see the Mini GEAR Fun Run go from strength to strength. The whole event helps to encourage more people, especially young people, into taking up running as part of healthy lifestyle.”

The Tuesday Market Place will be buzzing with stands and stalls, including Pilch Sports from Norwich, who are also donating spot prizes for the event, Charming Rewards, Norfolk Hospice, Macmillan, Benjamin Foundation. Scotties Little Soldiers, King’s Lynn Rotary and RAF Recruitment. KLFM will also be broadcasting live from the event. Springwood High School’s top musicians will be spreading themselves around the GEAR course to entertain the runners as they go by. A string quartet in The Walks, a swing band in the Vancouver Centre and possibly something rockier too.

The King’s Lynn Samba Band will be going full tilt outside the Bank House on the South Quay to spur the runners on their way.

Roads, including London Road, King Street and Queen Street, will be closed from 9.45am until 12.30pm while the race is in progress. The Tuesday Market Place will be closed to vehicles from 8am until 2pm.

All car parks in the town, except Tuesday Market Place and Common Staithe Quay (behind the Corn Exchange), are open and can be accessed while the roads are open. Visitors planning to arrive after 9.45am or leave before 12.30pm should use the Multi-storey, Albert Street Car Park, Austin Street, Austin Fields, Old Cattle Market (Sainsbury’s), Blackfriars Street or Juniper car parks as these will all be accessible throughout the event.

It’s not too late to enter the event. Entries must be online and can be submitted until Friday, 3 May. The cost of entry is £17 for affiliated runners and £19 for unaffiliated runners. To enter, runners must be aged 15 or over on race day. The Bespak Mini GEAR is open to anyone over 6 years of age (under 8s must be accompanied by an adult). The cost of entry for Bespak Mini GEAR is £6.00 for adults, £5.00 for under 16s and £4.00 for under 8s.

There are generous cash prizes for Bespak GEAR category winners and everyone taking part will receive a quality medal and goody bag.

Runners can enter online now at www.grandeastangliarun.co.uk.

It’s Maypole dancing season at Bircham Windmill, where everyone is welcome to come and try their hand at twisting those ribbons. The maypole will be up and twirling from 2pm on Monday 6th May as part of the annual 2 day craft fair.

The Fair will run on the May Bank Holiday weekend, Sunday 5th and Monday 6th May, featuring local crafts gathered together with free entry to the marquee. The Craft Fair will be open 10am to 5pm on both days.

There will be pony rides and face painting too. The ‘Castaways’ will be providing a great atmosphere on Sunday afternoon. Sheep milking is every afternoon at 2pm.

The cheese production is back in full swing with 3 month matured ‘Norfolk Charm’ back on the shelves as well as the Feta style ‘Miller’s Fancy’ and 4 flavours of sheeps milk yogurt – natural, plum and cinnamon, honey and vanilla and lemon.

Cheese making is every Saturday and you can taste our cheese any day of the week.

There’s all the usual surprises, children’s quiz’s and garden toys, a climb to the very top of the mill and lots of animals to stroke, pony rides and yummy cakes and lunches.

With something for everyone at Bircham Windmill, it’s a delightful family day out.

www.birchamwindmill.co.uk

Highlighting this summer’s King’s Lynn Festival will be the Royal Philhamonic Orchestra, two BBC Young Musicians, the Prince of Wales’ Harpist and iconic jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine.

The 63rd Festival will open with a rousing concert, The Best of British, with the 100-strong King’s Lynn Festival Chorus, the European Union Chamber Orchestra and trumpet virtuoso, Crispian Steele-Perkins performing stirring music played at the Queen’s Coronation plus popular music by Benjamin Britten. The final concert will be by the world-famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The current BBC Young Musician, Dutch cellist Laura Van Der Heijden, will join the European Union Chamber Orchestra for a concert in St Nicholas’ Chapel.

An exciting innovation will be the performance of Beethoven’s complete cello sonatas by two world-class musicians, the former BBC Young Musician Guy Johnston (cello) and Melvyn Tan (piano).

Hannah Stone, Harpist to the Prince of Wales, will play at All Saints Church and internationally-acclaimed pianist Peter Donohoe will perform the Ruth Fermoy Memorial Concert.

 

 

The top-notch BBC Big Band will bring their superb musicianship and iconic jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine will visit for the first time.

Adding to the variety will be the exciting Scottish fiddle group, Blazin’ Fiddles, the highly entertaining Classic Buskers, Early Music Day featuring London Handel Players, and the popular series of five morning coffee concerts.

Leading art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon will talk about the artist Caravaggio, and mountaineer Stephen Venables will give the RGS-IBG lecture marking the 60th anniversary of the ascent of Everest. Each of the talks will be complemented by a film shown in partnership with King’s Lynn Community Film Club..

The exhibition will be Roland Penrose’s Surrealist Camera and a tribute to his brother Alexander Penrose, the saviour of Lynn’s St George’s Guildhall.

The brochure will be out in mid-April. Festival Patrons’ and Friends’ booking starts on April 15 and general booking will open on April 29.

This summer’s King’s Lynn Festival takes place between Sunday July 14 and Saturday July 27.

kingslynnfestival.org.uk

There will be music and dancing to entertain visitors around the GEAR course on Sunday 5th May.

Springwood High School’s top musicians will be spreading themselves around the route. A string quartet in The Walks, a swing band in the Vancouver Centre and possibly something rockier too. We are told to wait and see!

And runners should watch out near the Bank House on the South Quay where the King’s Lynn Samba Band will be going full tilt to spur them on their way. An all-round great day of artistic and sporting activity is in prospect for 5th May!

For further information about musical opportunities at Springwood High School go to www.springwood.norfolk.sch.uk And for more on the KL Samba Band: www.deepmusic.co.uk/samba

1,000+ GEAR up for 10k race

Why we love the Grand East Anglia Run

Ahead of her concert in King’s Lynn, we spoke to one of the most successful and popular singers the UK has ever produced. The one and only Elkie Brooks …

You’re appearing at King’s Lynn Corn Exchange on Friday, and I believe you like to have a look round the town when you come?

Oh I always do. I always get there a day before and check it all out, then I’m nice and relaxed for the evening.

So whats happening in the world of Elkie Brooks at the moment?

Well, my autobiography is out at the moment and I’ve also re-released my album Powerless. We sell the books and the albums at the gigs. I’m also planning another album. It’ll be one step on from Powerless featuring the material I’m now collecting and other stuff I’ve been wanting to do for many years, and original material that I’m writing with my son Jay. It’ll be our fourth album together.

Youve had some really Massive hits – Lilac Wine , Pearl’s A Singer, Don’t Cry Out Loud, Sunshine After The Rain, No More The Fool, but I think my own particular favourite is Fool If You Thinks Its Over – what’s your favourite?

Yes I do like Fool If You think It’s Over. It was written by Chris Rea, an amazing writer and fantastic musician and a really lovely person as well. I remember When I was putting the Pearls album together it was my choice to do that particular song. Chris had a really big hit with that over in America, but I managed to have more of a hit over here than he did. I would love him to write another song for me.

You’ve worked with the late Robert Palmer and Vinegar Joe. Was that a formative time for you?

We found Robert when he was working with Alan Bown, and years before that the Mandrakes. I went up with my then husband Pete Gage, and we formed a band called Gaga and the singer was leaving so we thought Robert would be a good replacement. We went to see him at a club in Hamley. It was a very bluesy R & b type club and saw him with Alan Bown and thought he would be perfect.

We left the album with Robert and 6 months later he got back to us and said yes he would like to join the band. It was a very good partnership. We disbanded after about a year and formed Vinegar Joe, which was more of a rock, r&b type of band. I really enjoyed my time with Vinegar Joe but unfortunately Robert decided to leave.

I wanted to keep the band going but the rest of them felt it wouldn’t be the same without Robert, so I more or less had to go solo then.

You sing Rock, jazz, blues even country. Which genre is your favourite?

I’m a singer. If you sing and you sing well you should be able to sing anything. I saw the wonderful, amazing Aretha Franklin on YouTube some time ago. Her great friend Pavorotti was ill at the time, and she took his place singing it all in Italian.

I started my singing career listening to a lot of Ella Fitzgerald and Cliff Richard. I had singing lessons with our local Rabbi, and all my songs were in Hebrew!

So, whats next for Elkie Brooks?

My most important thing is getting this next album together, and hopefully we are going to get a couple of interesting guests on there.

You can also listen to this interview below:

Tickets can be obtained online at kingslynncornexchange.co.uk

elkiebrooks.com

Two stalwarts of the Bespak Grand East Anglia Run have spoken about the benefits of running to encourage people to take up the sport and to enter the race.

Nic Bensley (42) and Pam Loveless (69) from King’s Lynn are two of just a few runners to have taken part in every single race since the first one in 2006 in The Walks, King’s Lynn.

Nic took part in his first competitive race in 1982 when he ran the King’s Lynn Half Marathon. He was inspired to take part after seeing running legends such as Seb Coe and Steve Cram. When he heard that the council was organising the Bespak ‘Great East Anglia Run’, he was pleased to be able to take part.

Nic has made the race his focus every year since the first event and has improved on his time year on year. Much of which he puts down to his membership of the Ryston Runners athletics club and his practice runs round the Walks on Saturdays as part of the King’s Lynn Park Run.

“We’re all born to run and it’s so good for your health. I would highly recommend using GEAR as a way to get into running. Enter the event and then just get out there and start training. Your time isn’t important, being active is. This is a fabulous event for the town and when you are running round the course, the noise from the crowd is amazing, and if you happen to hear your name being shouted, then that makes you go even faster.”

“Last year was a particularly good year for me, but I certainly had a battle on my hands. As I came down South Quay and onto King Street, towards the finish line, I could feel someone breathing down my neck. I couldn’t shake the contender off so just focused on an ‘eye balls out’ sprint finish. I ended up in a tie with Gavin Barron from Tri-Anglia and we both finished up winning the Duncan Gooderson Trophy for the fastest local runner.”

Nic has already entered this year’s event and his main aim is to finish in front of his girlfriend, Ryston Runners’ Marie French who was last year’s second placed senior woman.

Pam also began running in the 1980s when she was working at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She used to run and walk between lamp posts on her way to and from work, gradually building up so that she could run greater distances without getting breathless. Pam felt it helped keep her more relaxed at work and helped her to cope with life’s ups and downs.

She entered the Bespak Grand East Anglia Run in 2006 as it presented a new challenge to her. Whilst she had been jogging for some years at this point, she felt she needed new motivation to keep up her exercise.

Pam said: “As you get older, it can get harder to motivate yourself to exercise. I feel stiff first thing in the morning as if my body has seized up overnight. By exercising regularly I can recover from this feeling quite quickly, and I know from research I’ve read, for people like the Arthritis Research Campaign, that exercising as your become old can really help reduce problems for your body.

“I love the Bespak Grand East Anglia Run because the course is wonderful, the people are so supportive and encouraging and the distance means that it is within most people’s grasp. I particularly like to run the course smiling and waving at all the spectators.”

This is the eighth year of the popular 10k race which starts and finishes in King’s Lynn’s Tuesday Market Place. For the third year, the race also includes a 1.2mile Mini-GEAR Fun Run, which is open to anyone aged 6 and over. Under 8s must be accompanied by an adult. Competitors must be 15 years and over to take part in the 10k race.

The Bespak GEAR costs £17 for affiliated runners and £19 for unaffiliated runners to enter. To enter the Mini-GEAR it’s £6 for adults, £5 for under 16s and £4 for under 8s to enter Mini-GEAR.

For the first time this year Bespak GEAR plays host to the Eastern Veterans Athletics Club Championship. The EVAC Championships are an individual event for males and females with awards for the over 35s in 5 year age categories up to 70+.

Bespak GEAR is organised by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk and sponsored by Bespak. There are generous cash prizes for Bespak GEAR category winners and everyone taking part will receive a quality medal and goody bag.

If you feel inspired to take up running, you can enter the Bespak Grand East Anglia Run by visiting www.grandeastangliarun.co.uk

You can also follow GEAR on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GEARKL or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Bespak-Grand-East-Anglia-Run-2013

We love exploring the beautiful Norfolk countryside and discovering exciting new places to eat out. So we were delighted to come across The Anchor Inn, a quaint olde-worlde pub situated in the little seaside village of Morston along the North Norfolk coast. Apparently, it was once a haven for 19th century smugglers and fishermen.

The pub and restaurant are now run by old school friends Harry Farrow and Rowan Glennie, who have carried out a complete refurbishment since taking over the pub in June 2011. Their hard work and effort paid off as they have built up a local reputation for serving fresh locally sourced food, and The Anchor was voted the EDP Readers Restaurant of 2012.

When we arrived we were given a really friendly welcome by owner Rowan Glennie, who seems to take great pleasure chatting with the customers and serving them too!

There was a lovely family atmosphere, with customers of all ages including a mixture of tourists and hikers as well as those out to celebrate a special occasion.

We were shown to a table near the window where we could watch the hikers and birdwatchers as they strolled back from their walks along the nearby marshes and beaches.

We were given a delicious appetizer of Celeriac Soup and Crispy Chicken, with the compliments of the chef. We knew if this was a sample of what was to come, we would be in for a treat! A nice touch was the jug of iced water with lemon, which helped to clean our palettes between courses.

For starters, Jane went for the Homemade Smoked Mackerel Paté, Pub Pickles and Toast, which she said was delicious and had lots of mackerel in the pate. I went for the ‘Soup of the Day,’ Sweet Potato and Coconut, served with a home made crusty roll and bread. You could really taste the flavours in the soup, and you could tell the bread was freshly home made.

The service was excellent, with very friendly staff, who always found time for a quick chat.

The Winter’s Golden Beer Battered ‘fish of the day’ was plaice and just melted in the mouth. The Homemade Tartar Sauce, Triple Cooked Hand Cut Chips and Crispy Salad all complemented each other perfectly. It was far superior to your average High Street fish and chips!

Jane went for the Roast Rare Breed Pork Loin with Duck Fat Roast Potatoes, Creamed Leeks, Smoked Bacon, Roast Celeriac, Piccolo Parsnips with a side dish of Cauliflower Puree which was rich and creamy, in fact the creamiest she’d ever tasted. It was beautifully presented, and part of the pleasure was in discovering hidden layers of food, each one as good if not better than the previous.

I finished off with the Anchor Vanilla Crème Brulee and honeycomb ice cream, which having a very sweet tooth, was absolutely to die for. Unfortunately for Jane, she was only able to manage a cappuccino and mints. We both agreed that the food far outstretched any meal we had eaten for a very long time.

On the way out, we noticed there were people eating in the beer garden adjacent to the pub. It was too chilly out there for us, but would have been lovely on a warm summer’s day.

Tickets can be purchased at the pub for a spectacular seal trip from the Quay and out to Blakeney Harbour to view the seals and the migrant birds. To combine one of these trips with a meal at The Anchor would indeed be the perfect day out.

To sum up, we really enjoyed our experience at The Anchor and will definitely return again.

You can check out The Anchor website at www.morstonanchor.co.uk

You can follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/morstonanchor or on Twitter at twitter.com/morstonanchor

Reviewed by John Beck and Jane Beaumont.

Two applications for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, submitted by the Borough Council for projects in King’s Lynn town centre, have received initial support with confirmation of a first-round pass.

The Townscape Heritage Initiative project which could create a £2 million funding pot to rejuvenate empty and derelict land and buildings in King’s Lynn, has been awarded development funding of £37,700 to help the borough council to progress its plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.

The second project, Stories of Lynn, has also received a development grant of £126,000 to enable the borough council develop its plans to use the historic town hall to tell the stories of Lynn. The project includes developing access, improving the archive facility within the town hall and providing better interpretation of collections and archives for visitors.

The Grand East Anglian Run is looking good for a large turnout on 5th May, with over 1,000 runners now entered.

Mini GEAR entries are also past 200 with still 4 weeks to go.

The Bespak GEAR is a 10 kilometres one lap course around the centre of King’s Lynn, starting and finishing in the town’s historic Tuesday Market Place.

The Mini GEAR Fun Run is 1.2 miles and for veteran runners (35+) this year sees the addition of the EVAC Championships.

Anyone wishing to take part in the GEAR must be 15 years of age on or before the 5th May 2013. Entries can be made online at grandeastangliarun.co.uk

Read the rest of this entry »

A new exhibition at True’s Yard Museum promises to “take you on a journey into Lynn’s rich pub culture.”

The Spirit of the Age – Historic Pubs of Lynn will feature 56 photographs of 28 pubs – Then and Now contrasting the changes over the years. The exhibition will also feature a map of King’s Lynn highlighting all the locations of the pubs.

In 1845 there were as many as 149 pubs in King’s Lynn. Like the town’s population, this figure had doubled since 1800 where there were only 68 pubs for 10,000 residents.

Pubs were the community centres of urban England; they provided the public with entertainment and games. They even provided a home for those in need with their Sick Clubs and Friendly Societies, some helped sailors save a few pennies for a rainy day.

In the North End pubs also served as auction houses for buying of fishing smacks.

Generally there were 3 kinds of pub:

1) Riverside taverns mostly frequented by sailors and porters on the river. There were 8 of these in Queen Street in 1845!

2) Inns, located on the main highways into Lynn via East and South Gates. They provided stables and lodgings. The 2 main coaching inns were The Dukes Head and The Globe.

3) Neighbourhood Pubs, these were popular in the North End and the Friars which was also a maritime quarter.

Pubs were not popular with all however, the Temperance Movement ran a campaign against them throughout the 19th Century. With catchphrases such as “Lips that touch liquors shall not touch ours!”

By 1900 only 108 of the 149 pubs remained opened there were now too many hostelries and not enough customers! Thus began the decline of the pubs which was partly due to the fall in number of sailors as sailing ships gave way to steamers.

The exhibition opening will be at 12 noon on Friday 22nd March at True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum. Light refreshments will be provided.

To tie in with the exhibition, Dr Paul Richards will be leading a tour of the historic pubs of Lynn on Friday 5th April at 4pm starting at the exhibition and finishing in a local historic hostelry. It makes an interesting Pub Trail!