Binder Corn Harvesting for Threshing
Cawston Church and Village Drone Video by Mark Daniels
Click on above link to see video:
Ivan Purdy
Victor Purdy
Clifford Harmer
Peggy Payne
Frank Hannibal - USA
Tony Hilton
The suffix "gate" is no mystery, for we have "gates" on the outskirts of many villages and towns, their names dating from Viking times when the Danish invaders settled near earlier Saxon dwelling places. In most Scandinavian countries a street is called "gate" or "gata" ;
I have a Icelandic friend who lives in a street in Reykjavic called Sudagate - i.e. Southgate!
John Kett 1989
Note:
Also see Chapel Street/Prince of Wales road, the road from Cawston to Sygate/Southgate and the history page regarding the Mills.
We have a Birds Lane named after Mr Bird the farmer,
Heydon Lane leading to the Heydon road and Beerhouse road leading to Beerhouse Farm and Oulton.
Click on file to view....
]]>How it was 1992
Click on files to view full screen....
Early last century some misguided surveyor working on the first 1-inch maps of this area decided to rename this hamlet "Southgate", and so it appears on Ordnance Survey maps to this day. However, the name by which we know it, and which is included in the ancient inscription on the Plough Gallery in St. Agnes' Church, is Sygate. Some say it comes from Syk, a very old family name, while others find its origin in Sulh-geath, meaning a "Plough Lane" or rough track (Anglo Saxon).
The suffix "gate" is no mystery, for we have "gates" on the outskirts of many villages and towns, their names dating from Viking times when the Danish invaders settled near earlier Saxon dwelling places. In most Scandinavian countries a street is called "gate" or "gata" ;
I have a Icelandic friend who lives in a street in Reykjavic called Sudagate - i.e. Southgate!
John Kett 1989
Note:
Also see Chapel Street/Prince of Wales road, the road from Cawston to Sygate/Southgate and the history page regarding the Mills.
We have a Birds Lane named after Mr Bird the farmer,
Heydon Lane leading to the Heydon road and Beerhouse road leading to Beerhouse Farm and Oulton.
Click on file to view....
New Street - early 1900's: On the right coming from the Aylsham Road was Marshall Howard's builders yard, he employed about 30 men of different trades. On the left were Mr and Mrs Sally Hill, who were cattle drovers, they would walk driving cattle to Norwich and bring back those that were sold at the sale, arriving at Horsford giving the animals a rest, arriving at Cawston in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A little further. on was Mr. Isaac Dent's general stores. Opposite this was Mr. Billy Wrights barber shop, two pence to cut a boy's hair, three pence for an adult. A little further down was a bakery, managed by Mr Pull and his wife. Next door was the village sweep Mr Brett.
On the other side was the Lamb Public House. Milk was brought into the village by Mr Tom Barrett (farmer) of Swanington, by house and cart, with a large churn, and a two gallon carrying can, with two metal measures hanging inside. I used to do part of the village before school and Saturday evenings. I would serve Goose pie, the last call would be the sergeants mess, which was the last house on the left. After I had served them they would make me sit down to a plate of two large slices of roast beef, or mutton, they saved all the jam jars for me, for which I got a half pence each.
New Street was a busy street in the past. The Lamb was a good pub in its early days Hutton kept it also a butchers shop in the yard. Mr Chaffey said to Billy one dinner time bring Johnny Walker to school this afternoon. Billy said who is Johnny Walker. Mr Chaffey said ask your mother. Of course it was a bottle of whisky!
On the other side of the street was Brett the chimney sweep, later taken over by his son-in-law Joe Hudson who did it for many years. One play time at school. as we played mostly on the road. the sweep went past with his horse and cart and the name on the side was Joe Hudson. Practical Chimney Sweep, Mr Chaffey stood outside. I think I was about eleven. I said to him. Sir what does practical mean. He told me lets see if anyone else knows.
Next door to them was a baker's shop. this was run by Frank Pull. later by Fred Gooch. Lots of us still in the village went to school with his son Fred. also a girl who they brought up Alice Payne. Dent took it on when they left; this was the start of Dent's Bakery which is now part of Marsham's Garage. Dent had a shop and yard, it was a shop where you could buy anything. iron mongery. garden tools, etc. Vans travelled all over the district for miles around. He employed a lot of labour. Boys just left school started with him. He also farmed at Perry's Lane Cawston and Belaugh near Wroxham.
At the top of the street was M.D. Howard Builder and undertaker he employed a lot of men at one time. He had a yard, a portable steam engine and saw bench where they used to saw full size oak trees into coffin boards. In my day I have seen Eddie Cox only a young man then with two of Mr W Payne's horses on a big gill. bringing the trees into the wood yard. Later years M. D. Howard and Son, this place was sold to I & M Tubby Builders. There has been many changers there in the last few years, good luck to them. 1 have known that place since 1923 when I first started school, that school is no longer there.
On the other side of the street was The White Horse, this has never been a pub in my time. I have heard my father say when they had Fairs at Cawston, Horse Sales were held in New Street and they used to trot the horse down the street for the buyers. This was the first Car Repair Shop and that which is now a butchers was a Cycle Shop owned by Cecil Kybird.
Click on file to view....
Click on files to view full screen....
File 1: Map & New Street Shop File 2: New Street early 1960s showing old school & start of building new bungalows being built, photo taken from Church Tower. Files 3. 4 & 5 General Photos.
New Street - early 1900's: On the right coming from the Aylsham Road was Marshall Howard's builders yard, he employed about 30 men of different trades. On the left were Mr and Mrs Sally Hill, who were cattle drovers, they would walk driving cattle to Norwich and bring back those that were sold at the sale, arriving at Horsford giving the animals a rest, arriving at Cawston in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A little further. on was Mr. Isaac Dent's general stores. Opposite this was Mr. Billy Wrights barber shop, two pence to cut a boy's hair, three pence for an adult. A little further down was a bakery, managed by Mr Pull and his wife. Next door was the village sweep Mr Brett.
On the other side was the Lamb Public House. Milk was brought into the village by Mr Tom Barrett (farmer) of Swanington, by house and cart, with a large churn, and a two gallon carrying can, with two metal measures hanging inside. I used to do part of the village before school and Saturday evenings. I would serve Goose pie, the last call would be the sergeants mess, which was the last house on the left. After I had served them they would make me sit down to a plate of two large slices of roast beef, or mutton, they saved all the jam jars for me, for which I got a half pence each.
New Street was a busy street in the past. The Lamb was a good pub in its early days Hutton kept it also a butchers shop in the yard. Mr Chaffey said to Billy one dinner time bring Johnny Walker to school this afternoon. Billy said who is Johnny Walker. Mr Chaffey said ask your mother. Of course it was a bottle of whisky!
On the other side of the street was Brett the chimney sweep, later taken over by his son-in-law Joe Hudson who did it for many years. One play time at school. as we played mostly on the road. the sweep went past with his horse and cart and the name on the side was Joe Hudson. Practical Chimney Sweep, Mr Chaffey stood outside. I think I was about eleven. I said to him. Sir what does practical mean. He told me lets see if anyone else knows.
Next door to them was a baker's shop. this was run by Frank Pull. later by Fred Gooch. Lots of us still in the village went to school with his son Fred. also a girl who they brought up Alice Payne. Dent took it on when they left; this was the start of Dent's Bakery which is now part of Marsham's Garage. Dent had a shop and yard, it was a shop where you could buy anything. iron mongery. garden tools, etc. Vans travelled all over the district for miles around. He employed a lot of labour. Boys just left school started with him. He also farmed at Perry's Lane Cawston and Belaugh near Wroxham.
At the top of the street was M.D. Howard Builder and undertaker he employed a lot of men at one time. He had a yard, a portable steam engine and saw bench where they used to saw full size oak trees into coffin boards. In my day I have seen Eddie Cox only a young man then with two of Mr W Payne's horses on a big gill. bringing the trees into the wood yard. Later years M. D. Howard and Son, this place was sold to I & M Tubby Builders. There has been many changers there in the last few years, good luck to them. 1 have known that place since 1923 when I first started school, that school is no longer there.
On the other side of the street was The White Horse, this has never been a pub in my time. I have heard my father say when they had Fairs at Cawston, Horse Sales were held in New Street and they used to trot the horse down the street for the buyers. This was the first Car Repair Shop and that which is now a butchers was a Cycle Shop owned by Cecil Kybird.
Click on file to view....
File 1/ Eastgate Photos....
File 2/ Life at the Ratcatchers Row. Eastgate by Michael Yaxley....
File 3/ Rough Guide Map....
Roads Info:
Rodwell Corner: Major Hubert Rodwell lived here.
Easton Way: Alfred Easton ran Easton Coach Hire & was Landlord of the Ratcatchers public house.
Friendship Lane: Road to the Friendship Public House.
Crow Hall Lane leading to Crow Hall Farm.
Perrys Lane. Craft Lane. Back Lane. Buxton Road.
Click on file to view to view full screen....
]]>Old unused Telephone Box at Eastgate which is on the crossroads of Back Lane/Perry's Lane now used for a Defibrillator: (For location see file 3 rough guide map)
2017: Cleaned and painted.
2018: Defibrillator purchased and installed on the 26th January from monies donated by Eastgate parishioners in memory of David Kemp.
For more info see Files:
File 1/ Eastgate Photos....
File 2/ Life at the Ratcatchers Row. Eastgate by Michael Yaxley....
File 3/ Rough Guide Map....
Roads Info:
Rodwell Corner: Major Hubert Rodwell lived here.
Easton Way: Alfred Easton ran Easton Coach Hire & was Landlord of the Ratcatchers public house.
Friendship Lane: Road to the Friendship Public House.
Crow Hall Lane leading to Crow Hall Farm.
Perrys Lane. Craft Lane. Back Lane. Buxton Road.
Click on file to view to view full screen....
Eastgate Fruit Farm
Ratcatchers Row
Plus Search Eastgate in Search Box
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At that time you could see the "new school" being built across the fields; today its low roof is hidden by the buildings since erected along the Norwich Road. I went down the lane during the first week in March - the month came in like a rather gentle lion, by the way! It was early for wild flowers, but there was a great display of "ladder ferns" and the shiny dark leaves of cuckoo pint - "lords and ladies".
We would sometimes take a nature walk from the school through Goose pie and down the lane to Thirtle's Moat, an attractive long pond where we dipped our nets for sticklebacks, beetles and other water creatures. Sadly the dear old moat proved too useful as a dumping place when mains drainage came to Cawston, and artists are denied that striking view of the Church with water in the foreground. I was interested to find "Thirkell's Greene" on a map made about AD 1600; we do strange things with surnames in Norfolk!
I once spent a fascinating hour at the Castle Museum with the late Mr. R. Rainbird Clarke, curator and leading archeologist, who interpreted for me a set of aerial photos of Cawston. He quickly identified a number of bomb craters between the Booton road and Jerry's Lake to the west, where Roman pottery had been found. The late Mr.Tom Sayer believed there was a Roman settlement in that area, having seen interesting "crop marks" in one of his fields. Mr. Clarke also pointed out other circular marks in the field near the copse, where the power cables cross the road. These, he said, were probably Bronze Age barrows or burial mounds, levelled and ploughed up over centuries. The soil in that field is noticeable on account of its variations in colour. Another link with the Bronze Age was the finding of a burial urn containing human remains not far from the school entrance in 1960.
Just beyond the copse it is encouraging to see that the unsightly rubbish dump has been tidied and fenced off. Let us hope that this will put an end to the desecration of one of the more attractive and interesting parts of our village.
From the Parish Magazine around the 1980's by John Kett,
Note: Booton Road lead to Green Lane and Jerrys Loke named due the number of bombs dropped during WW11. (see map)
The Memorial for the Lucky Strike plane crash and the Bomber Plane Crash at Bluestone Plantation is by the Church Wall.
Click on file to view....
Booton Road/Goose Pie Lane
Church Farm
A walk along the road to Booton - "Booton Green Lane" as many of us know it is a sentimental journey, recalling the first time I passed. that way in April, 1952, when the banks were bright with primroses and violets and other flowers.
At that time you could see the "new school" being built across the fields; today its low roof is hidden by the buildings since erected along the Norwich Road. I went down the lane during the first week in March - the month came in like a rather gentle lion, by the way! It was early for wild flowers, but there was a great display of "ladder ferns" and the shiny dark leaves of cuckoo pint - "lords and ladies".
We would sometimes take a nature walk from the school through Goose pie and down the lane to Thirtle's Moat, an attractive long pond where we dipped our nets for sticklebacks, beetles and other water creatures. Sadly the dear old moat proved too useful as a dumping place when mains drainage came to Cawston, and artists are denied that striking view of the Church with water in the foreground. I was interested to find "Thirkell's Greene" on a map made about AD 1600; we do strange things with surnames in Norfolk!
I once spent a fascinating hour at the Castle Museum with the late Mr. R. Rainbird Clarke, curator and leading archeologist, who interpreted for me a set of aerial photos of Cawston. He quickly identified a number of bomb craters between the Booton road and Jerry's Lake to the west, where Roman pottery had been found. The late Mr.Tom Sayer believed there was a Roman settlement in that area, having seen interesting "crop marks" in one of his fields. Mr. Clarke also pointed out other circular marks in the field near the copse, where the power cables cross the road. These, he said, were probably Bronze Age barrows or burial mounds, levelled and ploughed up over centuries. The soil in that field is noticeable on account of its variations in colour. Another link with the Bronze Age was the finding of a burial urn containing human remains not far from the school entrance in 1960.
Just beyond the copse it is encouraging to see that the unsightly rubbish dump has been tidied and fenced off. Let us hope that this will put an end to the desecration of one of the more attractive and interesting parts of our village.
From the Parish Magazine around the 1980's by John Kett,
Note: Booton Road lead to Green Lane and Jerrys Loke named due the number of bombs dropped during WW11. (see map)
The Memorial for the Lucky Strike plane crash and the Bomber Plane Crash at Bluestone Plantation is by the Church Wall.
Click on file to view....
Leaving Cawston. The first right is Cooks Hill and was originally known as Stocks Hill, the stocks were in this area, probably on the site of the new houses built in 2001 opposite the Post Office, joining this road is the old school and then Marshall Howard Close, the Cemetery and Howard Way, the Howard family carried out a family business in Cawston for many years, just before Howards Way, S.J. Tooke had a garage in the 1940's,
then to the School which came into use in 1953, further along we have as at 2012 the building used by the Auxiliary firemen used for their Green Goddess appliance, joining this was Marshall Howard's brick kiln, each brick was moulded in a wooden mould and moulded in each brick was Marshall Howard's initials M.D.H. Then to the Friendship lane being named for the Friendship Public House on this road the last turn right is Perrys lane leading to Eastgate.
Leaving Cawston.The first turn left from Cawston is to Fairfields, Fairs where held here and was formerly the Fairstead, off Fairfields the first road on the left lead to Stocks Loke, this was farm land of the White House Farm on Market Hill, probably named to remind us of the stocks being in this area. Clifford Pye Close is the other road leading from Fairfields, Clifford Pye being a Parish Councillor and local farmer in Cawston for many years. The next left is Gayford Road, this was a area used as an artillery training ground during the second world war, the houses being built in 1947, the Gayford's where farmers at the White House Farm at Market Hill.
Received by e-mail September 2011 - After looking at the interesting history of Cawston and reading my uncle Denny's memories. The photo of Tooke's garage took my attention it was taken 1931 the lad in the photo was Philip Easton ages 16 years. My father Philip left school at 14 years of age and started work at the garage which was built approx 1929. Petrol was a shilling a gallon. Philip left in 1932/33 at the age of 17/18. His cousin Alfred took over his job as he was almost 3 years younger than him. On his first day in the garage, stood a brand new Grindly peerless motorbike Billy Woods owned it. He taught my father a great deal while he was there. Later he was thrilled to be taken for a spin on it and also allowed to ride it.
Very kind regards,
Janice Whittred.
Many thanks to Janice & her father for the above and permission to use on this website.
Click on file to view....
The Road from Cawston to Aylsham, the B1145:
Leaving Cawston. The first right is Cooks Hill and was originally known as Stocks Hill, the stocks were in this area, probably on the site of the new houses built in 2001 opposite the Post Office, joining this road is the old school and then Marshall Howard Close, the Cemetery and Howard Way, the Howard family carried out a family business in Cawston for many years, just before Howards Way, S.J. Tooke had a garage in the 1940's,
then to the School which came into use in 1953, further along we have as at 2012 the building used by the Auxiliary firemen used for their Green Goddess appliance, joining this was Marshall Howard's brick kiln, each brick was moulded in a wooden mould and moulded in each brick was Marshall Howard's initials M.D.H. Then to the Friendship lane being named for the Friendship Public House on this road the last turn right is Perrys lane leading to Eastgate.
Leaving Cawston.The first turn left from Cawston is to Fairfields, Fairs where held here and was formerly the Fairstead, off Fairfields the first road on the left lead to Stocks Loke, this was farm land of the White House Farm on Market Hill, probably named to remind us of the stocks being in this area. Clifford Pye Close is the other road leading from Fairfields, Clifford Pye being a Parish Councillor and local farmer in Cawston for many years. The next left is Gayford Road, this was a area used as an artillery training ground during the second world war, the houses being built in 1947, the Gayford's where farmers at the White House Farm at Market Hill.
Received by e-mail September 2011 - After looking at the interesting history of Cawston and reading my uncle Denny's memories. The photo of Tooke's garage took my attention it was taken 1931 the lad in the photo was Philip Easton ages 16 years. My father Philip left school at 14 years of age and started work at the garage which was built approx 1929. Petrol was a shilling a gallon. Philip left in 1932/33 at the age of 17/18. His cousin Alfred took over his job as he was almost 3 years younger than him. On his first day in the garage, stood a brand new Grindly peerless motorbike Billy Woods owned it. He taught my father a great deal while he was there. Later he was thrilled to be taken for a spin on it and also allowed to ride it.
Very kind regards,
Janice Whittred.
Many thanks to Janice & her father for the above and permission to use on this website.
Click on file to view....