On a cold evening of 23 November 2010, in the schoolroom at the rear of Martham Methodist Church, members of Martham Local History Group were entertained to an instructive talk by local historian and author Colin Tooke.
His subject, “People who worked on the Broads”, was very interestingly presented. With a large number of colour slides, Colin first described how the formation of the Broads occurred by the silting up of some of the river estuaries, and the subsequent drainage of the land by wind pumps.
Some of the various trades were then described including, marshmen, reed cutters, wherrymen, farmers, windmill owners, brickfield workers, blacksmiths and many others. Each occupation was expertly described with suitable archive photographs to enhance the experience.
The talk lasted almost 1½ hours with a break for refreshments halfway.
For those that attended the talk was very educational, for those who didn’t – you missed a most enjoyable evening.
Thanks go to Colin Tooke and his good lady for taking the time to entertain us, and also to the ladies who provided the tea & coffee.