Before Soddenham, there was an unspoken and unacknowledged awareness of people who lived ‘in the wilds’; a rough triangle that sits between Swaffham, Dereham and Thetford. According to most accounts of the time, these were wretched people who had chosen to live outside society and operated furtively within those lands that others considered unproductive, unhealthy … More The Witch Trials and the beginning of Soddenham
As we had already established in Part 1, after an unreconcilable falling out in 1783, George Murrow worked tirelessly and serrupticiously to purchase as much of the land owned by his former friend Earnest Mulgrew. In this task he was very successful, as were his successors, who continued the practice as if it were part … More The Wars of the Lichens (Part 2)
It has been established on numerous occasions on this website that Soddenham is bestowed with a rich and varied folklore that touches on most areas of village life, the land, its history and misfortune. The trees shown here are all part of a natural boundary that runs down Murrows Drift from School Lane and almost … More Back in the saddle
It is well noted that Soddenham is subject to its own unique micro-climate. Indeed, it is the characteristic dampness of the area that gave rise to the proliferation of the lichen industry so that our glorious coastline should be garlanded in luxurious spume. However, the weather can also be a fickle and cruel mistress for … More Weasels
A remarkable discovery was made earlier this week during some annual maintenance in the woodland north of Lollards Pits known as Sodden Covert. Four trees were scheduled to be felled this week as part of our woodland management programme in conjunction with the E.N. Viro Mint Agency*. The first two trees, both Ash were brought down without incident, … More When is a tree not a tree?
All across the country, there are small pockets of people who periodically break from the routines of their daily lives; the demands of twenty-first century existence and the ‘all-seeing eye’ of wi-fi connectivity, mobile phone signals, Twitter and other modern distractions of that ilk. For some, this is a deliberate act of defiance, others may … More Grolling
This year marks an extraordinary anniversary in Soddenham. The turpentine distillery that was first set up by brothers Godfrey and Reuben Drewery in their back parlour way back in 1815 reaches its bicentennial and there will be a number of ways in this will be celebrated. Firstly, there is a new bicentennial blend that will … More Turpentine Bicentennial
Ellis Clacker has run Clacker’s Cafe in the village for the last 45 years, and there are few in the village who would admit to not having eaten there at some point in their lives! Although Ellis is known for her services to maintaining the standard of the traditional breakfast, hers is a much more … More Spotlight on Soddenham #2
A while ago I received a communiqué from a member of the ‘Soddenham diaspora’ who sent me a number of photographs of ‘the old country’ he had just inherited. Mr. Pickard, a regular visitor to our humble website, sent me an elegantly typed letter explaining his scant knowledge of the images and why they were … More More From The Past
Lichen has always been at the heart of Soddenham, in both literal and metaphorical senses. We’ve already touched upon the origination of subsidence lichen farming, and also seen the legacy of the later commercial processing and milling in our village. The very idea of lichen as either a foodstuff, agricultural crop or an instrumental part … More Lichen and the Decline of Spume
This is Soddenham 