News archive
18 September 2018
“Village closed”
Phone and water works cause traffic problems in Stanhoe.
Roadworks by BT Openreach and Anglian Water have left Stanhoe residents and visitors wondering if the village is still open.
Michael Clark of Stanhoe Pottery said business had been very quiet recently as the “Road Ahead Closed” signs, traffic lights and construction vehicles had put off customers.
photos: Pamela Austin
“Road closed” signs have deterred visitors
from coming to Stanhoe
Some of the work relates to telephone and broadband improvement, and residents who have suffered with poor broadband speeds for many years are hoping that the service will soon get better. On 12 September Terry Austin received an email from BT saying: ”This is to let you know we've upgraded your local telephone exchange, so you should now have a more reliable broadband connection. Where possible, we've also increased your speed.”
However, the BT broadband availability checker is currently quoting speeds of around 3.5 Mbit/s in Stanhoe from the Docking exchange, which is little if any improvement over past performance. ”Fibre to the cabinet” – otherwise known as superfast broadband, with speeds of 30 Mbit/s or so – doesn’t seem to be available.
According to Better Broadband for Norfolk, most of Docking itself does have fast broadband. Stanhoe is still at the “planned delivery” stage, as it was at the beginning of last year.
By 20 September, the Roadworks.org website was showing only Anglian Water as active in Stanhoe, on Docking Road and at the Fakenham Road crossroads.
Posted by: Charles
Posted on: 18 September 2018
17 September 2018
Parish Council Agenda
Parish Council Agenda - 19 September 2018
The agenda for the Parish Council meeting to be held on 19 September 2018 can be found here.
Posted by: Wayne
Posted on: 17 September 2018
13 September 2018
Think about oil
As the days shorten, now’s a good time to join our local heating oil buying group.
As winter approaches, heating oil is not getting any cheaper in the long term. Bulk buying can help keep heating costs down, as shown by the continuing success of the Brancaster Staithe Oil Cooperative run by Maria Spink.
Below are examples of prices negotiated by the Cooperative during 2018.
| 18/01/2018 | 50.45 pence per litre |
| 08/02/2018 | 44.99 pence per litre |
| 01/03/2018 | 59.99 pence per litre |
| 22/03/208 | 53.50 pence per litre |
| 12/04/2018 | 50.85 pence per litre |
| 24/05/2018 | 50.10 pence per litre |
| 14/06/2018 | 48.00 pence per litre |
| 05/07/2018 | 47.20 pence per litre |
| 26/07/2019 | 47.75 pence per litre |
| 16/08/2018 | 47.00 pence per litre |
| 06/09/2018 | 50.45 pence per litre |
The Coop costs nothing to join and Maria does not charge for her hard work. Co-op members make their payments directly to whichever oil company has agreed to make the deliveries.
To get on the Brancaster Staithe Oil Cooperative mailing list, contact Maria Spink at her new email address (brancasterstaitheoil@hotmail.com) or phone 01485 210155.
Posted by: Charles
Posted on: 13 September 2018
11 September 2018
Wine tasting
Book early for Stanhoe charity event on 20 October.
“Get ready for Stanhoe’s charity wine tasting event on 20 October!” say organisers Nic Hopkins and Kate Jewell.
“Whether autumn is your favourite season or the harbinger of mists and frosts to come, please do come along to celebrate some tastes of mellow fruitfulness.”
Click on the image to download a
PDF poster you can print and display
Advanced and early booking is essential so Nic and Kate can order the right quantities of wine and food – and numbers are limited. Please make sure you book by 7 October.
Contact (tel 07785 387683), Lavender Cottage, Cross Lane, Stanhoe. Tickets are £16 each.
Nic and Kate sampling local brews in Costa Rica recently
All profits will go to the Mary Esther Hollway Memorial Trust to support the Reading Room and Village Hall.
Nic and Kate will present interesting wines to intrigue and tickle your tastebuds.
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Enjoy the convivial company of friends and neighbours
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Enjoy a welcome glass of English Sparkling Wine
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Tuck into a simple, tasty and plentiful home-prepared buffet
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Sample tasting measures of two famous varieties of white wine and three interesting, and contrasting, red wines
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Compare and contrast wine styles just for fun or to plan some future wine shopping.
Posted by: Charles
Posted on: 11 September 2018
9 September 2018
Secrets of spices
WI members learn about Bangladeshi cookery.
It was a happy group of 22 members and friends who attended the September meeting of Stanhoe and Barwick WI.
Junya Lewis, a talented lady of Bangladeshi origin but now from Norwich, spoke about “Spices and how to use them”, whilst demonstrating six different vegetarian dishes that are easy to prepare and are very tasty.
Along the way we were given a lot of useful tips including the best way to store spices and fresh herbs, the best oil to use which is low in cholesterol, the best way to chop herbs and freeze them for future use, and how to choose a mango and a head of garlic.
And of course at the end we were all encouraged to taste most of the dishes prepared.
In the business part of the meeting we were shown our entry for the 2018 Rose Bowl competition which won third prize, and also were shown the 2019 entry which is a walking map of Stanhoe encouraging people to visit all of its attractions.
It was a very friendly and inclusive afternoon and gave us all an insight into the speedy preparation of vegetarian dishes.
Posted by: Charles
Posted on: 9 September 2018
11 August 2018
Mary Lancefield
Remembering Mary Lancefield of Stanhoe, who died on 9 July.
Zita Mary Lancefield – amazing lady with an extraordinary range of interests involving so many friends. Those friends who have met Mary through teaching and schools, making glass, supporting the hard of hearing, church recording, WI, lace making, singing, swimming, fitness classes, lunching, coffee drinking, supporting Mike with beekeeping and honey making (and a whole list of other activities!) will all feel her loss keenly. Mary didn’t just turn up – she was a real roll-your-sleeves-up-and-get-involved person with strong opinions of what was going on.
Mary was strong on family – we all looked forward to the stories of the annual holidays in Lyme Regis which involved numerous members of her family. She looked forward to these trips all year and would discuss the logistics of travel and accommodation for hours. She adored all her grandchildren, following their lives and supporting as much as she could. They have the most beautiful quilts and knitwear courtesy of her busy fingers!
Mary lived the last years of her life with humour at the challenges illness and its treatment brought her. She had always had such a great sense of humour and she didn’t lose it then. Even at her worst moments she tried not to let it all get her down, but some of us saw the annoyance at moments when she couldn’t just get on with life. Such a lovely normal human reaction which would pass quickly. That’s what she was – a warm loving human being who gave time to love and listen.
R.I.P. Mary, loved and missed by so many.
Mary Lancefield (l) and Mary Hall (r)
with their glass art in 2012
Mary’s funeral took place at Norfolk Bluebell Wood Burial Park, Hainford, on 10 August.
Posted by: Charles
Posted on: 11 August 2018
3 August 2018
Blickling Belles
Powerful women in history inspire Stanhoe WI members.
A small group of members plus guests from Wells WI enjoyed Kate Barnes speaking on “The Blickling Belles” at the August meeting of Stanhoe and Barwick WI.
photo: Rosemary Brown
Kate Barnes with a slide showing Blickling Hall
The three ladies featured by portraits accompanied by intriguing and scandalous stories were: Henrietta Howard, Harriet Viscountess Lothian, and Lady Amelia Hobart later Countess Castlereagh.
All three had complicated home lives and marriages through which they all managed to shine in Society, with royalty and government connections.
We shall all look at the portraits in a different way when we next visit Blickling.
It was pleasing to hear that the speaker is donating her fee to fund a Conservation Cabinet for the Antiquarian Library at Blickling.
Posted by: Charles
Posted on: 3 August 2018
1 August 2018
Parish Council Minutes
Minutes of 12 July meeting.
The Parish Council Minutes from the meeting held on 12th July 2018 can be found here.
Posted by: Wayne
Posted on: 1 August 2018
26 July 2018
Archive is ten
Stanhoe’s local history group and website mark their first decade.
Stanhoe Archive, our local history group, is ten years old.
It all began in 2008 when a small group of Stanhoe residents applied for a National Lottery grant to buy a professional sound recorder and a digital projector and screen for the Reading Room. With special thanks to Mary-Anne Hallinan for her work on the grant application, we received some money and the project kicked off.
Since then we have held well-attended talks, notably by the late Gillian Beckett, who was a true expert on the history of the village and the local area. We’ve operated a treasure hunt and published a guided walking tour of the village targeted at holidaymakers. And on this website we have assembled an impressive collection of oral history recordings, old photos and historical notes.
2008 also saw the launch of stanhoe.org, which owes much of its success to support from Stanhoe Archive. The website has allowed many thousands of people over the years to learn about Stanhoe, its people and its history – and continues to record events that one day will be history in their turn.
This is a good moment to remember with affection three former Archive members who have died: Ken Foskett, Gillian Beckett and Mary Lancefield.
We also thank everyone who has told Rosemary their memories of Stanhoe and allowed the recordings to be published. And we remember the interviewees who are no longer with us: Margaret Ayres, Eddie Barber, Eva Blackburn, Doreen Cox, Noel Linge, Ronnie Newell and Olga Ransom.
For the next ten years we need new people and new ideas. If you are interested in local history and would like to help, just contact (tel 01485 518033). Expertise is always welcome but above all we need enthusiasm!
Posted by: Charles
Posted on: 26 July 2018
26 July 2018
Guinea pig found
Stray rodent turns up in Stanhoe.
A guinea pig was recently found on Station Road. The guinea pig is rather skinny and has a crusty skin. It is black and tan in colour, but is mainly black. If you have lost a guinea pig, or are aware of someone that may have, then please contact the Parish Clerk on 01485 518570 or at parishclerk@stanhoe.org.
Posted by: Wayne
Posted on: 26 July 2018