Tharston Past

The River Bure is the longest, and in places the busiest, of the Norfolk Broads rivers. It rises near Melton Constable, eleven miles upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is 10 miles downstream at Coltishall Bridge. After Aylsham Lock and Burgh Bridge, the Bure passes through Buxton Lammas, Coltishall, Belaugh, Wroxham, Horning, Ludham Bridge, past St. Benet’s Abbey, through Oby, Acle, Stokesby, along the northern border of the Halvergate Marshes, through Runham and on to Great Yarmouth where it meets Breydon Water and flows into the sea at Gorleston. More...

Below is information on some of the places the river passes though:

Coltishall was a place of note even when the Domesday Book was compiled. For 250 years it was a centre of the malting industry. Many Norfolk wherries (trading ships) were built here. At one time, it was possible to navigate the River Bure all the way to Aylsham. On the River Bure, Coltishall Common is a great place to moor your boat. It has a large area of grass that sweeps down to the River Bure and a small island with a thatched hut on it. Coltishall Staithe must be a contender for one of the most picturesque spots in the whole of Broadland. More...

Belaugh is a small village that occupies a bend in the River Bure, within The Broads National Park. It is accessible only via the road between Hoveton and Coltishall. It contains no pubs, bars or shops. The main civic features are the Church of St. Peter and the Old School, which belongs to the church. At the centre of the village is a small, but pretty staithe on the River Bure, which is a great spot to enjoy the peace and quiet. More...

Wroxham is considered to be the capital of the Norfolk Broads, and is where boating holidays started in the late 1800's. It has become quite commercialised over the years with hotels, tea rooms and gift shops springing up near the river to attract holidaymakers to the village. Along the banks of the river are many exceptionally picturesque holiday properties, one of which used to be owned by George Fornby. Wroxham regards itself as the “Capital of the Broads”. Wroxham bridge, crossing the River Bure, is considered to be the second most difficult on the Broads to navigate (after Potter Heigham) and a pilot station sits on the Hoveton side of the river to assist boaters. Wroxham Broad is about a mile south of the village centre. More...

Salhouse Broad is a beautiful broad with accesses directly off the River Bure.

Horning is a long, narrow village stretching for over a mile along the Bure, famous as the setting for Arthur Ransome’s ‘Coot Club’. Attractive cottages and modern houses line the bank. The ‘Southern Comfort’ Paddle Steamer departs from the quay adjacent to the Swan Inn. There is a small staithe in front of the village green where the moorings are free. The staithe has been given a £50,000 face lift by the Broads Authority. The smart new staithe, which has moorings for some eight to ten boats directly in front of the village green, has been upgraded and landscaped to improve public safety. Recently the 110 m frontage has been repiled and raised by one foot to prevent flooding. The adjacent car park has been resurfaced and drainage channels and gullies built to carry off surface water. Safety has been improved with a raised pavement between the car park and River Bure to prevent cars driving accidentally into the river. There are a good range of shops here including, post office, newsagent and mini-market. Small dykes lead off the main river to grand looking holiday homes. More...

Horning Ferry and the Ferry Inn are downstream on the left bank. On the right bank fen restoration work is taking place to recover the natural environment, which had been taken over by scrub and woodland. Like at Reedham there was once a chain ferry here, a passenger ferry still operates and is run by Freedom Cruisers. The opposite bank is popular with anglers, as this reach is good for bream, roach and pike. The Ferry Inn has an extensive river frontage, but is sadly closed in May 2009 but has since reopened. There are also moorings on the opposite bank, where a boarded walkways lead to Cockshoot Dyke and then to Cockshoot Broad.

Woodbastwick is located on the River Bure between Cockshoot Broad and Salhouse Broad and close to Bure Marshes National Nature Reserve. The village name relates to bast, a pliable substance found under the bark of the lime tree. Danish and Saxon invaders used bast as a form of binding to tie leggings and other items. As a consequence, Woodbastwick’s village sign shows two invaders tying their leggings. It is an attractive village with thatched houses and the Church of St Fabian & St. Sebastian, also thatched, set around a village green. The Woodforde Broadland Brewery is located in the village and produces cask ales such as Wherry Bitter, Nelson’s Revenge, Norfolk Nog and Headcracker. More...

Ranworth Dam is a man-made dyke that links the River Bure to Malthouse and Ranworth Broads. It was dug to allow the transportation of malt from the maltings at Ranworth to the River Bure and on to other areas.

At the end of Ranworth Dam are Malthouse and Ranworth Broads.

Fleet Dyke joins the village of South Walsham to the river Bure close to St. Benet’s Abbey. There is a walk along its complete length.

At the South Walsham end of Fleet Dyke are South Walsham Outer Broad and South Walsham Inner Broad.

St. Benet’s Abbey. The remains of the 11th century abbey stretch a long way downstream of the main arched gatehouse, the walls can still be traced along the ground. It was, at one time, one of the most important monasteries in East Anglia, however, during the reign of Henry VIII, it was abandoned, and by 1702, although not dissolved, only few buildings remained. A windmill, was built into the gatehouse over 200 years ago and is now itself a ruin. Religious services are held here once a year in August. St. Benet’s Abbey is a well known land mark on the River Bure. The Abbey founded on land granted by King Canute in 1020, was at one time one of the wealthiest Benedictine houses in the country and was at the height of its prosperity in the middle ages. However it declined before the reformation. None of the ruins date from this early period as in the 18th century a brick windmill was built inside the ruins. The top of the mill is now missing due to the fact it was blown off in a gale in 1863. Legend has it that the ghost of the monk who treacherously granted access to William the Conqueror can be seen hanging from the former bell tower on each night of the 25th May. More...

The River Thurne flows into the Bure just below St. Benet’s Abbey.

Upton is a village about half a mile from the River Bure. Upton Dyke, leads from the village to the Bure and is 0.5 miles long. At the end of the dyke, there is a rare post mill, Palmer’s Hollow Post Mill. Upton Boat Dyke Marshes is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the care of Norfolk Wildlife Trust. More...

Acle. The bridge over the Bure at Acle is the setting of a famous ghost story, which tells of a pool of blood appearing on the bridge every 7th April. The story relates to a local businessman, called John Burge, who cheated his customers, beat his wife and starved his children. One day, in yet another fit of rage, John beat his wife to death. At his trial, he bribed the local doctor and was acquitted of murder. However, is wife’s brother knew the real story and on the 7th April he took revenge by cutting Burge’s throat from ear to ear on Acle bridge. The story then took a twist, when an innocent local man, Jack Ketch was accused, convicted and then hanged for John Burge’s murder. Some time later, the brother returned and was horrified to learn of the innocent man’s death. On the anniversary of his revenge murder of John Burge, the brother visited Acle Bridge to reflect on his actions. As he peered into the water, legend tells of a horrendous twisted figure appearing out of the mist. The next morning the brother was found dead in a large pool of blood on the bridge, his throat cut from side to side. More...

Stokesby is a quiet village approximately 9 miles from Great Yarmouth and 13 miles from Norwich. The village is situated on the River Bure and offers visitors a tranquil and peaceful time for their stay. Stokesby boasts the famous Candlemakers now believed to be closed, the Ferry Inn, one local shop and a cycle hire facility. There is also a busy Community Centre and Social Club and regular services are held in St. Andrew’s Church. There is free parking beside the village green overlooking the river. More...