Forncett Village Info

Forncett History Group members were invited to take part in a guided tour of the Great Hospital in Norwich. This was a wonderful opportunity to explore this building, that has such a long history and is rarely open to the public.

The hospital was first founded by Bishop Walter de Suffield in 1249 for the housing of elderly, poor priests, the sick and infirm and for the education of 7 boys in Latin. No women were allowed, except for nurses who had to be over 50 years of age. By the end of the 14^th Century the building had been taken over and its remit changed to purely the care of priests; the poor were no longer considered. During this period much new building took place.

On a dark and stormy night 64 people gathered in the Village Hall for what has become the ‘must-go-to’ event of the year - the Garden Club quiz. Contestants arrived early to make sure their table decorations were as good as they possibly could be, in an attempt to win the much-coveted prize for ‘Best Decorated Table’: this eventually being awarded once again to Margaret Hickman Smith’s team for their Santa’s sleigh theme which occupied so much of the table that there was barely enough room for the wine glasses, and food – when it came.

But before the food came, the questions had to be dealt with. Old favourites were trotted out such as ‘how long did the 100 years’ war last?’ I put ‘16 years’ but the correct answer was 116 years, but by heck I was close! And ‘what is the answer to 15 cubed?’(Answers on a postcard please.) Maybe if I had got these (and a few other) questions right, our table might have won: we were pipped to it by a team from Mulbarton, ably led by Nick Brookes and his wife. We came second. 

Andrew Coleman did the scoring on his amazing laser display unit that only took four university-educated men (one of them a physicist) about 45 minutes to set up (it had to be plugged in) and the Question Master / compère was Jan Cutting from Long Stratton who probably ended the evening with a sore throat to go with her gift and the undying thanks of the entire Diggers & Dibblers committee. Well done Jan! 

(Click on the small pictures to enlarge them - photographs by Su Leavesly)

£350 or thereabouts was raised for club funds and all the rubbish was taken away, and the floor swept clean; thanks go to all who helped with the setting up and the taking down at the end, with especial thanks to Sarah House and her team of helpers for making all the wonderful hanging decorations on the ceiling.

Next year’s date?   Saturday December 8th.
Put it in your diary.

In July this year St. Peter’s Church suffered a significant lead theft from its roof. The thieves were never apprehended.

Since then, after much investigation by the PCC and Churchwardens it was agreed that a ‘State of the art’ alarm should be installed. The system consists of sensors, alarms, recorded warnings and Strobe lighting. Should the alarms be activated the emergency security services will automatically be alerted and within minutes be at the Church.

There are lead alternatives but these do not have the longevity of lead neither are they as pleasing aesthetically.

We had hoped to update the heating in the St.Peter’s but to comply with the Church Insurer’s conditions and to protect this beautiful and ancient building for the community we have no choice but to proceed with the security arrangements. This is an expensive venture.

Contribution towards this community project will be gratefully received,

please contact Susie Rohde, Churchwarden, on 01508 489 363  or  07762 727 539 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

There has been a call for a petition to be signed to help prevent the theft of lead from church roofs.

You don't have to be a church-goer, or even a Christian to care about these medieval buildings, and as any householder will know, the surest way to encourage deterioration within a building is to have a leaky roof.

Strenuous efforts have been made to prevent these thefts; surveillance cameras, locked gates, and even ‘smart water’ that rubs off on the culprits and remains detectable for some time have all been tried, but still the thefts continue. Ironically the cost of making good this vandalism far outweighs the profit that the thieves make on the lead. Church committees and fund raising groups work endlessly and tirelessly to raise funds to improve other aspects of these old buildings, and it is sickening to see this money being spent on the roof yet again. These thefts involve not only churches, but houses, business premises and schools.

On Thursday 13th October a group of about a dozen Forncett HIistory Group members and friends met at the Erpingham Gate of Norwich Cathedral for a guided tour around the area, where weavers and textile workers of the past had plied their trade.

Our excellent guide for the event was Rod Spokes, who delivered a very interesting and informative talk and commentary, skilfully guiding us around many ‘nooks and crannies’ in the streets and courtyards around the Colegate area. One particularly surprising place was ‘Whip and Nag Court’, a quaint, council restored courtyard such as would have been seen in many areas around central Norwich.

The Revd Andrew Good declared Forncett St Edmund’s very first fete open at one o’clock on 6th August to the distinctive chimes of the church’s single bell. Delicious cream teas were expertly prepared by Jasmine and Sheila and served by them and their team of lovely ladies, while ‘Frier Tuck’ (Taverham) was on station providing other refreshments. There was a very wide selection of bric-a-brac for sale, but a major attraction, as always, was the home-made cakes and provisions stall, which had completely sold out before the end of the day.

Saturday 3rd September saw the fourth annual Garden Club show to be held at Forncett Village Hall, hosted by Diggers & Dibblers. There was a gratifying increase in the number of entries of produce and craft, and the standard continues to rise. 

At the end of the show, tradition was upheld with the highly comical auction of entries which raised a record amount of funds for the club. Sarah House and her team of runners quickly despatched everything from bouquets of flowers to humble potatoes; the eager bidders competing enthusiastically for the cakes and preserves - the highest price of £5.30 going to a hotly contested jar of lemon curd.

Boots

Photographs by Su Leavesly

Our thanks go to Pam Thurtle and Jan Temple in the kitchen, for keeping us all fed and watered throughout the day, and also to the team of judges who come each year giving their time and expertise freely. Tony Blackburn, a well known presence at produce shows, was presented with a card and a bottle of wine to mark his retirement from judging: we will miss him.  The entire event was videoed by Wright Productions of Forncett who will present a DVD of the proceedings to the club and to the village archive.

A BIG thank you to everyone for attending and helping with the fete.

Following the initial count of the takings at the fete, the fete has raised, after expenses, £1,654.68!  Obviously this may change slightly when counted again. A further £750 should also be added as part of Barclays donations to local charities.

WELL DONE to everyone