Our new programme of lectures, walks and visits is now available. View the full programme →
Martham, Norfolk
Martham is a village in the heart of the Norfolk Broads, historically forming part of the ancient Flegg area. Today it is home to more than 4,000 residents, but its history stretches back many centuries. Dominating the village is the magnificent knapped-flint parish church of St Mary the Virgin, built around 1370. Its impressive size and craftsmanship stand as a lasting testament to the wealth, prosperity, and influence enjoyed by the community during the medieval period. Like many of Norfolk's great churches, it reflects the importance of agriculture, trade, and local patronage in shaping the village's history.
Who are we?
We are a community of academic and non-academic historians, researchers, and local residents united by a shared interest in discovering, preserving, and recording the history and heritage of Martham, the surrounding area, and East Anglia.
This website chronicles our activities through reports of the talks, visits, and events we organise, typically holding one each month. It also serves as a growing archive of local history, research, and discoveries.
Many of our talks have attracted audiences of more than one hundred people, and our meetings now regularly fill the Methodist Church hall, for which we are extremely grateful. We also invite you to read our Aims & Constituion to learn more about the group's purpose and activities.
With more than fifteen years of history and over sixty active members, we continue to uncover, preserve, and share the stories, places, and people that have shaped our corner of Norfolk. We hope you'll join us in discovering them.
A four-day exhibition marking sixty years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II drew over 400 visitors and raised £3,000 for Grade I church restoration.
Working with Media Projects East and Flegg High School, we produced a fascinating oral history record of life two or three generations ago. Read the stories →
We published a history trail leaflet and researched nineteenth-century Martham during the national health crisis.
In 2017 we funded Martham's first historical blue plaque, celebrating a notable nineteenth-century missionary couple from the village.
Find your way around
From our current programme to decades of archived talks and visits — everything is a few clicks away.
Our 2026 schedule of lectures, guided walks and visits to historical places.
A full index of past lectures and speaker reports going back many years.
Coach trips, guided walks and visits to historical places across East Anglia.
A growing digital archive of documents, photographs and artefacts from the village's past.
Oral histories and records of life in Martham two or three generations ago.
Current and completed research projects — from tithe maps to blue plaques.
AGM reports, constitutions and records of how we are run.
Links to local history resources and websites we recommend.
Get in touch with the Secretary or ask about joining the group.
From the archive
Early postcards, documents and photographs — many over a century old.