Welcome To The Norfolk Club Founded in 1770, The Norfolk Club has always aimed to offer its members and their guests a "Home of Norfolk Character" in the centre of the fine city of Norwich. The facilities available at The Norfolk Club include a well stocked Bar, Dining Room, guest bedrooms, conference and meeting rooms and leisure facilities such as snooker and squash court. Breakfast and lunch is available every day except Sunday, and morning coffee and pastries or afternoon tea and sandwiches are also available. The Norfolk Club offers a warm welcome and outstanding service. It’s on the road to nowhere – in a good wayPhotograph: Sophia Evans for the Guardian It’s on the road to nowhere – in a good way What’s going for it? The great thing about Norfolk is that it’s not on the way to anywhere. This can present a problem when you have people to see, places to go and single carriageways blocked by combine harvesters. On the plus side, like other spots on the way to nowhere (Humberside, Lincolnshire, Cornwall et al), Norfolk accumulates all sorts of odd bits and bobs like a gigantic back-of-the-sofa – including fabulous places like Wymondham that are slightly disconnected from the rest of humanity but which might, elsewhere, have succumbed to Starbucks, pulled pork pizzas and other modern ills.
It has allowed the town to retain a higgledy streetscape of monastic fragments and Georgian cottages, spiked with a bohemian, eccentric edge. Even saying the word “Wymondham” (pronounced “Windum”) is counterintuitive. The half-ruined, two-towered abbey haunts the skyline like something from an MR James story. Lecturers from the University of East Anglia lurk in bookshops. Poets and writers escape here – not an obvious retreat, but that’s the point. Nobody comes to Wymondham unless they have to or want to. The case against Not much. It’s quite a delight. But it’s not the place to live if you like Starbucks and pulled pork pizzas.About as connected as Norwich gets. Driving: the much-improved A11 dual carriageway makes Norwich 20-25 mins, the coast at Cromer or Great Yarmouth about 50 mins, and Cambridge and the M11 70 mins. Trains: hourly to Norwich (15 mins) or Cambridge (67 mins). Schools Primaries: Ashleigh Infants and Robert Kett Junior are “good”, says Ofsted, with Browick Road Infants “outstanding”.
Secondaries: Wymondham High is “good”.The Hen House cafe-cum-hen-house-cum-egg-shop-cum gift-shop. Told you the place was odd. Or the brilliant Station Bistro. Where to buy The old centre, for starters. It was destroyed by fire in the 17th century, so most of it dates from the rebuilding: plenty of Georgians, plus the odd Jacobean survivor. Few Victorians (try Norwich Road) as the town slumped after the wool trade died. But plenty of postwar suburbans from its new life as a commuter town: look to Chapel Lane, west of Melton Road and near the A11. Terraces and cottages, £130,000-£250,000. Rentals: one-bed flats, £450-£600pcm; Bargain of the week A charming three-bed cottage, £229,950 with Money Properties. Frances Middleton “Best little Norfolk town. Elderflower marshmallows (homemade, of course) at the quirky Hen House; farmers’ market with goat’s cheese and veg with mud on it.” Alison Neal “A thriving arts scene, lots of history, and a great independent bookshop, Kett’s Books.”
Roy and Hazel Marchant “Best pub: the Feathers.” • Live in Wymondham? Join the debate below Do you live in Marlow, Buckinghamshire? Do you have a favourite haunt or a pet hate? by Tuesday 21 July Find out where you can donate * Refine your search by days and times that suit you. Please note that results are based on the time we are at a venue and not exact appointment slots. Modal trigger search suggestionPatrons:John Renbourn (RIP), Anthony John Clarke, Dave Pegg, Damien Barber The Milkmaid Folk Club started its life at the Milkmaid Tavern in Willingham in October 1996. The club was opened by the wonderful Dave Burland and continued for three very successful years with memorable evenings with the likes of Martin Carthy, John Renbourn, Alan Taylor,Last Nights Fun, Kate Rusby, Rory McCleod, Anam, Craobh Rua,Vin Garbutt,etc etc. Singers nights were popular (Rory McCleod and Paul Downes turning up on different nights for a floor spot) magic days indeed.
Sadly the pub didn’t have the success the folk club enjoyed and with lots of sadness Jane and I sold it de-licensed to a travel agency. For the next eighteen months The Milkmaid came out on several occasions at the Cambridge Folk Festival where we ran and organised a floor singers stage at the Coldhams Common Campsite. This stage is similar to the Club Tent where attendees of the festival can book a fifteen minute spot and perform to an audience. We regularly play to five or six hundred people a night Thursday to Sunday. See you there this year? We also managed a pub in North Norfolk and had the odd folk evening before buying the lease on the Railway at Wymondham Norfolk, having turned down a tenancy with Adnams for the famous Eels Foot at East Bridge Leiston.The folk club in its new home was again a great success with lots of big names weekly. Saturday and occasional Wednesday nights were concert nights, weekly Sunday lunch sessions (thirty players plus audience sometimes) and Monday was Open Mic.
Dave Swarbrick telephoned me and booked a gig for himself and Martin Carthy. Unfortunately we closed before they played. Another case of Folk great, Pub crap. As a pub we couldn’t make it work so we ended up in Bury St Edmunds totally finished with the pub game, apart from as a punter. We both got jobs in the charity sector, me with West Suffolk Headway as a care-assistant, where one day in 2003 I suggested in order to fund raise we have a folk day with local performers playing all day and an evening concert with professionals. A great day was had at The Rising Sun with music and local Morris dancers all day culminating with an evening concert featuring Andy Wall, Jane Walden, Derek Brimstone, Wiz Jones and John Renbourn.After the success of the first folk day I was persuaded to start a regular folk club as a fund raising exercise for Headway. We had a good year (2004) at the West Bury Social Club and raised £3400 for the charity. Unfortunately the management committee of W.S. Headway felt they couldn’t underwrite the clubs expenses so we’d have to close.
Then up stepped several club members who each pledged £50 each to keep the club going. This money was put into a separate account to be used in an emergency. I’m pleased to say that we never touched it and after a year was offered back to the donors. We moved to the Royal British Legion Club (2005) in Guildhall Street Bury and had eighteen wonderful months there before sadly they went into liquidation and closed. The Constitutional Club further up the road in Guildhall Street came to our rescue and offered us their comfortable facilities for which we have been extreemly grateful. We have been there for 21 months now. Since The Milkmaid has been in Bury St Edmunds we’ve enjoyed seing the likes of Peggy Seeger, Waterson:Carthy, The Watersons, Martin and Swarb, John Renbourn and lots of other top folk stars and that is going to continue. I am encouraged by the support the club has had and because of that I have formed The Milkmaid Folk Arts Centre Community Interest Company with Steve Martin.