Halvergate Village History

Halvergate Public Houses One of the most important buildings in any village is it's Public House, throughout the 18th century Halvergate had two and in the 19th century this became three with the opening of the Red Lion. Some detail is known of the early days of these establishments but further details are welcome, take a look at what we know so far. The Crown and The Hare & Hounds

Halvergate Recorded Photographs of the past fascinate me, and from the number of different books on the subject available from Jarrolds it would seem I'm not alone. A photograph can bring the past alive, portraying people going about their daily lives. Few people had cameras a hundred years ago and so we must rely on the (well heeled) amateur photographers of the time and those who sought to profit from the images - the Postcard makers. The link below will take you to some images we have acquired recently: Halvergate Recorded

One of the easiest ways to see how an area has changed over the centuries is to look at old maps and charts. Here are three examples you may not have seen:

This is a map of Halvergate 'Island' which dates from the later part of the 18th century. It is part of a larger high resolution section extending from Billockby in the North to Reedham in the South and from Southwood in the West to Yarmouth in the East. It is interesting to note that the only things the map makers of the day thought worthy of noting were the Public Houses, The Crown and The Hare & Hounds. Even the Church is shown only by a cross. The elevation markings clearly show how Halvergate was once an Island surrounded by flooded plains, marshes and bogs. It is easy to understand how travel to Yarmouth and Burgh Castle would have been easier by boat before the drainage of the area took place. You can download the full size (high resolution) map (3035kb) in ZIP format here.

The map below is from the later half of the 19th Century shows Halvergate very much as we know it today. The road layouts and many of the buildings are identical to a modern map.

You can download the full size (high resolution) map which extends a mile or two past the image shown here (1227kb) in ZIP format here.

The history of a place can sometimes come from the most mundane sources. In 1923 the local estate known as The Rookery came up for sale. This map is an extract from the version produced with the sale particulars illustrating the full extent of the estate. You can download the full size map (1614kb) in ZIP format here. The full sale particulars running to 22 pages plus the map are available but are too large to place as a file for download. If you would like an extract relating to a specific plot please contact us.

Anyone with an interest in the history of our local villages can contibute to these pages. Family histories, Halvergate through two world wars, farming through the ages, right back to the Roman occupation and I'm sure many more subjects than I can list here. Is this a project for your children? Get them talking to their Aunts and Uncles, Grandmothers and Grandfathers about their experiences as children. So much knowledge is out there, let's try and record some it before it's lost forever.