Aldborough, Norfolk, UK
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Aldborough (orld-buh-ruh) is as large village of about seven hundred inhabitants, located approximately twenty miles north of Norwich along the A140 to Cromer.
The settlement can be traced back to the early 1500's, and at that time was located well to the North West of its current location. It is presumed that the migration occured during the great plague of the 15th Century, when a good proportion of the inhabitants died. As it is now, the actual "Aldborough Church" is almost a mile from the centre of the village, and various place names refer back to the plague. For instance, "Doctors Corner" as it is now, in the 17th Century was known as "Poison Green." Whether this was due to the doctors or the plague is unclear.
The village nowdays is centred around a village green of approximately 7 acres. This acts a the focal point, with various sports being played on it in both summer and winter. Cricket is the main feature, and Aldborough cricket club has approximately 200 members, and draws players from the whole county. It is also quite succesful, tracing its lineage back to the early 19th Century.
Around the green, all facing inwards, are approximately 50 houses, many well over 200 years old. "John Browns House", currently owned by John and Glenis Padgam, actually features in text from 1720. As well as houses there is a "Spar shop", a "Post Office", two pubs in the form of "The Black Boys" and "The old Red Lion" a Butchers, and even an Antique shop. Aldborough school is slightly outside the village bounds, but has 5 classes, and about 130 pupils. These services draw people not just from the village, but from many of the other villages and hamlets in the surrounding countryside.
There are also several modern developments in the village. To the back of "The Black Boys" lies a 1970's council estate with approximately 70 houses. There are also other new buildings dotted around.
Village life is reasonably quiet, it being a place to live and grow up in, rather than a bustling metropolis. But there are various clubs and weekly events held in the community centre. A christmas pantomime is performed every year, and the school has numerous events as well, from sports day, to Guy-Fawkes night, to Halloween night. But undoubtedly the highlight of the year is over midsummer when the travelling fair arrives.
Due to an ancient by-law, formed when the horse-fair came round the villages, that stated that if they failed to arrive by midsummers day then they could never come again. This passed away from the Horse fair, and onto the travelling one. So ever midsummer, huge lorries crawl through and onto the green where they set up the Ferris Wheel, Dodgems, Go-Karting and a multitude of smaller stalls and rifle ranges. This continues for 3 days and draws people from beyond Norwich.
Aldborough also has a village show in early september, usually september the 4th and 5th. This is again a large event. Radio Broadland arrive to provide the DJ's and music, and it is rare that attendance falls below 10,000 for the two days. As well as the usual things like Go-Karting, there is a model show (of planes etc) in the community center, the "North Norfolk Owl Trust" turns up with many rare species of bird, which they fly in demonstraions of hawking. And there are plenty of other things, like old threshing machines driven by steam.
So life in Aldborough is quite varied, but the pace rarely picks up to much. The setting is stunning, and in summer with blue skys, cricket on the green and a hot sun, it becomes the perfect example of a "ye olde englande" village.
The settlement can be traced back to the early 1500's, and at that time was located well to the North West of its current location. It is presumed that the migration occured during the great plague of the 15th Century, when a good proportion of the inhabitants died. As it is now, the actual "Aldborough Church" is almost a mile from the centre of the village, and various place names refer back to the plague. For instance, "Doctors Corner" as it is now, in the 17th Century was known as "Poison Green." Whether this was due to the doctors or the plague is unclear.
The village nowdays is centred around a village green of approximately 7 acres. This acts a the focal point, with various sports being played on it in both summer and winter. Cricket is the main feature, and Aldborough cricket club has approximately 200 members, and draws players from the whole county. It is also quite succesful, tracing its lineage back to the early 19th Century.
Around the green, all facing inwards, are approximately 50 houses, many well over 200 years old. "John Browns House", currently owned by John and Glenis Padgam, actually features in text from 1720. As well as houses there is a "Spar shop", a "Post Office", two pubs in the form of "The Black Boys" and "The old Red Lion" a Butchers, and even an Antique shop. Aldborough school is slightly outside the village bounds, but has 5 classes, and about 130 pupils. These services draw people not just from the village, but from many of the other villages and hamlets in the surrounding countryside.
There are also several modern developments in the village. To the back of "The Black Boys" lies a 1970's council estate with approximately 70 houses. There are also other new buildings dotted around.
Village life is reasonably quiet, it being a place to live and grow up in, rather than a bustling metropolis. But there are various clubs and weekly events held in the community centre. A christmas pantomime is performed every year, and the school has numerous events as well, from sports day, to Guy-Fawkes night, to Halloween night. But undoubtedly the highlight of the year is over midsummer when the travelling fair arrives.
Due to an ancient by-law, formed when the horse-fair came round the villages, that stated that if they failed to arrive by midsummers day then they could never come again. This passed away from the Horse fair, and onto the travelling one. So ever midsummer, huge lorries crawl through and onto the green where they set up the Ferris Wheel, Dodgems, Go-Karting and a multitude of smaller stalls and rifle ranges. This continues for 3 days and draws people from beyond Norwich.
Aldborough also has a village show in early september, usually september the 4th and 5th. This is again a large event. Radio Broadland arrive to provide the DJ's and music, and it is rare that attendance falls below 10,000 for the two days. As well as the usual things like Go-Karting, there is a model show (of planes etc) in the community center, the "North Norfolk Owl Trust" turns up with many rare species of bird, which they fly in demonstraions of hawking. And there are plenty of other things, like old threshing machines driven by steam.
So life in Aldborough is quite varied, but the pace rarely picks up to much. The setting is stunning, and in summer with blue skys, cricket on the green and a hot sun, it becomes the perfect example of a "ye olde englande" village.
