Everything about Aylsham totally explained
Aylsham is a historic
market town and
civil parish on the
River Bure in north
Norfolk,
England, about 15km (10 miles) north of
Norwich. The river rises near Aylsham and continues to
Great Yarmouth and the
North Sea, although it was only navigable after 1779, allowing corn, coal and timber to be brought up river.
The town is close to large estates and grand country houses at
Blickling,
Felbrigg, Mannington and
Wolterton, which are important tourist attractions.
The civil parish has an area of 17.52 square
kilometres and in the
2001 census had a population of 5504 in 2448 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the
district of
Broadland.
History
Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the town has been occupied since
prehistoric times. Aylsham is just over two miles from a substantial
Roman settlement at
Brampton, linked to
Venta Icenorum at
Caistor St Edmund, south of Norwich, by a
Roman road which can still be traced in places - the site was a bustling industrial centre with maritime links to the rest of the empire. Excavations in the
1970s provided evidence of severall
kilns, showing that this was an industrial centre, pottery and metal items being the main items manufactured.
Aylsham is thought to have been founded by an
Anglo Saxon thane called Aegel around 500 AD. The town is mentioned in the
Domesday Book of 1086 as
Elesham and
Ailesham, said to be derived from
Aegel's Ham (meaning "Aegel's settlement"), with a population of about 1,000. Until the 15th century, the
linen and
worsted industry was important here, as well as in
North Walsham and
Worstead, and
Aylsham webb or 'cloth of Aylsham' was supplied to the
royal palaces of
Edward II and
III.
John of Gaunt was
Lord of the manor from 1372 and Aylsham became the principal town of the
Duchy of Lancaster. Although John of Gaunt probably never came to Aylsham the townspeople enjoyed many privileges, including exemption from jury service outside the manor and payment of certain taxes.The
village sign depicts John of Gaunt.
In 1519
Henry VIII granted a market on Saturdays and an annual fair to be held on
March 12, which was the eve of the feast of
St Gregory the pope. Aylsham markets have always been an important feature of the town and businesses developed to meet the needs of the town and the farming lands around it. Besides weekly markets there were cattle fairs twice a year and, in October, a hiring fair.
The historic Black Boys Inn in the Market Place is one of Aylsham's oldest surviving buildings, and has been on the site since the 1650s, although the present frontage dates to between 1710 and 1720. There is a frieze of small black boys on the cornice and a good staircase and assembly room. The Black Boys was a stop for the
post coach from Norwich to
Cromer, had stabling for 40 horses, and employed three ostlers and four postboys.
As with many of the other
market towns in the county, the weaving of local cloth brought prosperity to the town in
medieval times. Until the 15th century it was the manufacture of
linen which was the more important, and Aylsham linens and Aylsham canvases were nationally known. From the 16th century linen manufacture declined and wool became more important, a situation that continued until the coming of the
Industrial Revolution. Thereafter the principal trade of the town for the 19th century was
corn and
timber, together with the range of trades to be found in a town which supported local agriculture. Records show that Aylsham had markets and fairs, certainly from the 13th century. Such weekly and annual events were important for the trade that they brought. Annual
horse fairs would bring many other traders to the town, and the weekly market would be the occasion for more local trade. The rights of the stallholders in the market place today date back to the rights established in
medieval times.
Today Aylsham remains well-known for its twice-weekly
market and its Monday
auctions. It is a popular town for people working in Norwich, but remains an active local business centre in its own right, particularly in the support of agriculture. Today the town has a population of about 5,000, several local industries and still serves the needs of a wide area with twice weekly markets and a
farmers' market on the morning of the first Saturday of each month.
Local government
In medieval times the parish of Aylsham was established as four
manors, the main manor of Lancaster, Vicarage manor, Sexton's manor and Bolwick manor. The ownership of the Lancaster manor changed hands many times, before
James I assigned it to his son, the future
Charles I.
In the course of the events which lead up to the
English Civil War Charles I'd to raise as much money as possible, and mortgaged Lancaster manor to the Corporation of the
City of London. The Corporation eventually sold it to
Sir John Hobart, and through him and the ownership of the
Blickling Estate. The current lords of the manor are the
National Trust.
Formerly part of the
South Erpingham Hundred, Aylsham was, for administrative purposes, absorbed into St. Faiths and Aylsham
Rural District Council in 1894 and became part of
Broadland District Council in 1974.
Notable residents
A plaque on the wall of
Barclays Bank in the Market Place commemorates Christopher Layer (born 1683), who was a militant
Jacobite and supporter of Prince
Charles Edward Stuart, the 'Young Pretender'. He was tried for high treason and hanged at
Tyburn in London in 1723. Nearby, a plaque commemorates
Joseph Thomas Clover (1825–82), the father of modern
anaesthetics, who was born above a shop overlooking the Market Place.
Daniel Defoe stayed in Aylsham in 1732 and enjoyed a meal at the Black Boys Inn.
Parson Woodforde, the famous Norfolk diarist, also dined there in 1781, and
Horatio Nelson, whose cousin lived in Aylsham, is said to have danced in the Assembly Room attached to the inn.
Humphry Repton (1752–1818), the landscape gardener who lived at nearby
Sustead, is buried in St Michael's Churchyard, and his watercolours provide a fascinating record of the Market Place in the early 19th century.
Clive Payne (b. 2 March 1950), former
professional footballer for
Norwich City and
A.F.C. Bournemouth.
Kathleen Starling (1890–ca 1970) became an
opera singer under the name of Kathleen Destournel. She sang at
Covent Garden and entertained troops in
north Africa during World War Two, before moving to
Arizona, USA until her husband's death after which she returned to Aylsham to live with her sisters.
A
thatched waterpump was built in 1911 at Carr's Corner in memory of John Soame by his uncle, a wealthy financier. An
artesian well, it's 170 feet (52 m) deep, and its canopy is thatched in
Norfolk reed.
The Parish church
The Market Place and surrounding area is dominated by the tower of the parish church of St Michael and All Angels, a fine example of
Gothic architecture of the
Decorated style. The small
spire on top of the 30 metre (98 feet) tower is also a landmark that can be seen for miles around. The
nave,
aisles and
chancel were built in the 13th century. The tower and ground floor of the south porch were added in the 14th century. The north
transept was built under the patronage of
John of Gaunt,
Duke of Lancaster around 1380. An upper floor to the porch was added in 1488. The lower part of the
rood screen survived the destruction visited by
Oliver Cromwell and the
Puritans, although some of the painted panels were disfigured.
Transport and tourism
The ancient but natural transport route for Aylsham would have been the
River Bure, but it wasn't open to substantial navigation. There was a scheme in the 1700s to widen the navigation from
Coltishall to Aylsham and, after many difficulties, trading
wherries from
Great Yarmouth were able to reach a
staithe at Aylsham. The final end for this scheme was the devastating
flood of 1912.
Road transport for Aylsham was very important. It was the principal coaching point on the Norwich-Cromer road, and the meeting point for other roads. Each day the
coaches from
Cromer and
Holt would draw up at the Black Boys, the main inn in Aylsham market place. Coaching ended with the coming of the railways in the 1880s. There were many different plans for railways, but eventually two lines served Aylsham, with the town having both North and South stations until the 1950s.
Aylsham once had two railway stations, both now closed, one
Aylsham railway station on the
Great Eastern line between
County School (near
North Elmham) and
Wroxham and the other
Aylsham (North) railway station on the
M&GNJR line from
Melton Constable to
Yarmouth.
Aylsham is also the terminus for the
Bure Valley Railway, the
Bure Valley Path and the
Marriott's Way.
Blickling Hall, the great
country house in the care of the
National Trust, is a mile and a half (2 km) away. With its dramatic symmetrical front, flanked by two great yew hedges, it's a fine example of a
Jacobean brick-built manor house, and was formerly the home of the young
Anne Boleyn, later to become Henry VIII's second wife.
Aylsham was once noted for its
spa, situated about half a mile south of the town, comprising a
chalybeate spring, formerly used by those suffering from
asthma and other
chronic conditions.
The
Tourist Information Centre office is located adjacent to the Bure Valley Railway station.
Aylsham today
The Aylsham Partnership was formed in 2001 to implement the
Market towns Initiative in Aylsham. The Partnership includes elected members of County, District and Parish/Town Councils in the Aylsham County Council Division and representatives of other statutory bodies and community organisations.
Aylsham came fourth in the world in an international competition celebrating liveable
communities, winning a Silver Award in category A (towns with a population up to 20,000) of the International Awards for Liveable Communities, held in
El Coruña,
Spain in November 2005.
The Market Towns Initiative finished in 2004 but the Partnership successfully bid for funding to take part in the Cittaslow pilot project and to sustain work on
traffic management and
heritage. As a result, Aylsham became one of the founding towns, and the first in Norfolk, of the
Cittaslow movement, an international organisation promoting the concept of 'Slow Towns' ("a Network of towns where Quality of Life is important"). It is claimed that Aylsham didn't have to change to become a member, as it was already a clear example of the type of community advocated by the Cittaslow movement.
Aylsham became Norfolk's first
plastic-bag-free town on May 3, 2008.
Gallery
Image:Blueloo.jpg| Public toilets completed in 2007
Image:Black Boys Inn.jpg|Black Boys Inn
Image:Aylsham Town Hall.jpg|Aylsham Town Hall
Image:Lychgate.jpg|Lychgate at St Michaels church
Twinning
Aylsham is twinned with
Further Information
Get more info on 'Aylsham'.
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