Docking Heritage Group
Through these pages we aim to bring you a snapshot of the activities of the Docking Heritage Group and keep you informed of the progress we are making researching and recording the history of the ancient village of Docking in North West Norfolk.
We are always looking for new material for our village archive and if you have any photographs, newspaper cuttings, memories or artefacts we would welcome the opportunity to record them. By publishing our event diary on this website we hope you will be able to join us in the Tony Arter Heritage Room at the Ripper Hall, High Street, Docking.
The room is open most Wednesday mornings between 10am and 12 noon, including through the winter months, when some of our members will be on hand to help you with any queries you may have and show you our collection of photos, maps and other documents. A Community Information Point can also be found in the room which is available during the room opening hours.
Contact: Helena Aldis, Hon Secretary.
We look forward to meeting you through this website and welcome your feedback.
Latest News
‘Our Jolly Wassail’ with Chanter’s Jigge
We were very pleased to see so many people present on a cold, snowy December evening to see Chanter’s Jigge perform ‘Our Jolly Wassail‘, a pre-Christmas celebration of carols, readings and instrumental medleys.
St Mary’s church was a warm, welcoming venue and mulled wine and mince pies in the interval added to the festive feeling.
The audience joined in with the carols, and clapped along to the music, played by an amazing variety of instruments, including hurdy gurdy, crumhorn, accordion, chalumeau, bagpipes and saxophone.
Altogether a lovely way to spend an evening, in good company and with excellent music-making.
2024 Local History Fair
Following last year’s very successful Fair the 2024 Local History Fair will again be on the early May Bank Holiday, Sunday and Monday, May 5th and 6th. Local history groups who would like to have a stall will be very welcome. Please contact the Secretary with any enquiries.
2024 Dates for your diary (plenty more to come)
January 6th – members’ New Year Party 4pm at Meadow Court.
March 6th – An introduction to the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Tim Dutton – St Mary’s Church 7pm
May 5th and 6th – Local History Fair
July 12/13/14 – Community Dig
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A new Heritage Group publicationDocking Station and the West Norfolk Junction Railway The West Norfolk Junction Railway ran from Heacham to Wells-next-the-Sea, passing through five intermediate stations, the second of which was Docking. Railway enthusiasts will love this booklet, but so will everyone who’s interested in the effect the railway had on local communities. Price £4, details of how to purchase it are on our Sales and Publications page. Docking Heritage Group would like to thank CTM Harpley Engineering for their generous help with the printing of this publication. |
Workhouse Project
We have finally finished the Workhouse Project, and you can download the results of members’ researches into the inmates and their lives as shown by the census returns from 1841 to 1911 on a new web page, the Union Workhouse.
2023 Community Dig
A big thank you to everyone who helped out and volunteered at our Community Dig on July 28th to 30th. It was a very enjoyable event and we had such a good team this year.
The discoveries we have made will help us to expand our knowledge about the origins of the village, with prehistoric flints and pottery being our exciting finds.
Our Open Day on the Sunday was a very worthwhile event and we shall hopefully be able to do a similar weekend next year. Many thanks to SHARP for their input, to Mark Nicholson for his expert help, easy explanations, enthusiasm and hard work, and to the Hill Group for supplying and erecting security fencing around the test pits.
It’s not over yet – we still have to write up the dig and analyse the finds.
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2023 Local History FairOnce again our Local History Fair on April 30th and May 1st was a great success. We had plenty of visitors on both days and comments were very complimentary! |
Heritage Group member Michael Strutt, who sadly died in June, recently published a book about Squadron Leader Ernest Deverill DFC and Bar, AFC, DFM who married a Docking farmer’s daughter and is buried in Docking churchyard. Path to Courage tells the story of his life and daring exploits as a WW2 pilot with 97 Squadron in Bomber Command. It’s available from independent bookshops, price £9.99. Copies can also be purchased from the Tony Arter Heritage Room at Docking Village Hall on Wednesdays, 10am to 12 noon, or on our Sales and Publications page.
“The book paints a picture of day-to-day village life as well as Ernest’s dangerous missions over continental Europe. Time and time again, he defied enemy onslaught, mechanical problems and atrocious weather, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Flying Medal and the Air Force Cross.” Norfolk Magazine, November 2022.
You can read more about Squadron Leader Deverill and Path to Courage on the Docking’s Airmen page.
Helena Aldis has written an appreciation of Michael Strutt here.
DOCKING COMMUNITY ARCHIVE
Docking Heritage Group have created another way to allow people to share their photographs, stories and memories by setting up a new Facebook group called ‘Docking Community Archive’. For those with a Facebook account simply click on the icon on the left, join the group and begin sharing your Docking related memories.
