Not only is Holt one of the best surviving Georgian towns in Norfolk, it is also the main shopping centre in North Norfolk with over 200 shops, many independently owned. The chains have yet to reach here and Budgens is the only supermarket to have arrived.
The name comes from the Anglo Saxon word for woodland and there is still a lot of woodland in the area. A small settlement grew up on a ridge which was a crossing point for two ancient trackways. In Domesday it is recorded as a market town with five watermills and twelve plough teams with a port at Cley-Next-The-Sea, four miles away.
Sir John Gresham who was born in Holt in 1495, became a member of the Royal Household and later Lord Mayor of London. A year before his death in 1556, he founded ‘The Free Grammar School ‘ in Holt, endowing the school with land and money. Gresham’s School is now among the top public schools in England and, although it has expanded sine then, still occupies the original buildings on Cromer Road.
A devastating fire in 1708 destroyed much of medieval town. Although the church (#2) survived, it was badly damaged. Few other buildings survived. These include the Feather’s Inn on Market Place which dates from the mid C17th and was a coaching inn.
Byfords Cafe on Shirehall Plain is the oldest building in Holt.
The town was rebuilt in the latest Georgian style with splendid town houses around the market place.
While the more expensive houses were built from brick, smaller ones were more usually built from flint or with a plaster finish.
A jumble of streets and alleyways and yards developed off the High Street.
Many of these are now the home of small independent shops, cafes and galleries.
Bakers and Larners in the market place is one of the oldest family businesses in Holt having been trading here since 1732.
The Shirehall with adjacent courthouse was built after the fire. The first floor was the magistrates court until the 1970s but the building is now luxury self catering accommodation.
A Wesleyan Chapel built in 1838 is now a private home.
Behind it is a small Memorial Garden. The Town Council took the lease for the old burial ground in 1986 and have turned it into a small garden. Headstones were moved against the walls, shrubs planted and seats provided.
Holt Methodist Church, the large imposing building at the junction of High Street and the A148 is the first building seen coming into Holt.
Built in 1865, for the then massive sum of £2000, it was regarded as one of the finest examples of Victorian Church architecture at the time. There were plans for a clock on the spire, but money ran out. The inside was stunning with cast iron pillars and multicoloured brick. Unfortunately the interior has now been partitioned off to form small meeting rooms with a low ceiling of polystyrene tiles to reduce heating costs.
The Railway arrived in 1883, eventually closing in 1964. The North Norfolk Railway has reopened the line to Holt although the new station is a mile out of town on a new site. The original station was demolished to make way for the Holt bypass
The Queen Victoria Jubilee Lantern was erected in 1887 in the market place, but was moved to its present position at Obelisk Plain in 1921 when the War Memorial was built. The light was powered by the town’s gas supply which was so unreliable the light was more often off than on, earning the nickname ‘Blind Sam’.
The pineapple topped obelisk is one of a pair of gateposts relocated from nearby Melton Constable Park in 1757. The stone panels record the distances to different Norfolk locations, which were correct from its original location, but not now. At the start of the Second World War, the panels were white washed over.
The Market Place, Bull Street and Fish Hill are still the main shopping areas.
The War Memorial at the top of Market Street, was unveiled in 1921 to commemorate the dead of the Great War and now also includes names from the Second World War. There are also inscriptions for a soldier killed in the Korean War and another killed while serving in Northern Ireland.
Holt is very compact and easily explored on foot. It is the kind of place to wander and get lost as there are so many hidden gems to discovers. The Holt Owl Trail, available from Tourist Information in Nelson House on White Lion Square, is loop following 24 pavement plaques. It explores the history and buildings of the town along with the with the different yards, each with their own character.
Holt is thriving. It has yet to be discovered by the tourist hordes. Visit before it gets over run! The Holt Festival takes place every year, with poets, dancers, musicians, actors and artists performing at venues all over the town
website
cont...
The name comes from the Anglo Saxon word for woodland and there is still a lot of woodland in the area. A small settlement grew up on a ridge which was a crossing point for two ancient trackways. In Domesday it is recorded as a market town with five watermills and twelve plough teams with a port at Cley-Next-The-Sea, four miles away.
Sir John Gresham who was born in Holt in 1495, became a member of the Royal Household and later Lord Mayor of London. A year before his death in 1556, he founded ‘The Free Grammar School ‘ in Holt, endowing the school with land and money. Gresham’s School is now among the top public schools in England and, although it has expanded sine then, still occupies the original buildings on Cromer Road.
A devastating fire in 1708 destroyed much of medieval town. Although the church (#2) survived, it was badly damaged. Few other buildings survived. These include the Feather’s Inn on Market Place which dates from the mid C17th and was a coaching inn.
Byfords Cafe on Shirehall Plain is the oldest building in Holt.
The town was rebuilt in the latest Georgian style with splendid town houses around the market place.
While the more expensive houses were built from brick, smaller ones were more usually built from flint or with a plaster finish.
A jumble of streets and alleyways and yards developed off the High Street.
Many of these are now the home of small independent shops, cafes and galleries.
Bakers and Larners in the market place is one of the oldest family businesses in Holt having been trading here since 1732.
The Shirehall with adjacent courthouse was built after the fire. The first floor was the magistrates court until the 1970s but the building is now luxury self catering accommodation.
A Wesleyan Chapel built in 1838 is now a private home.
Behind it is a small Memorial Garden. The Town Council took the lease for the old burial ground in 1986 and have turned it into a small garden. Headstones were moved against the walls, shrubs planted and seats provided.
Holt Methodist Church, the large imposing building at the junction of High Street and the A148 is the first building seen coming into Holt.
Built in 1865, for the then massive sum of £2000, it was regarded as one of the finest examples of Victorian Church architecture at the time. There were plans for a clock on the spire, but money ran out. The inside was stunning with cast iron pillars and multicoloured brick. Unfortunately the interior has now been partitioned off to form small meeting rooms with a low ceiling of polystyrene tiles to reduce heating costs.
The Railway arrived in 1883, eventually closing in 1964. The North Norfolk Railway has reopened the line to Holt although the new station is a mile out of town on a new site. The original station was demolished to make way for the Holt bypass
The Queen Victoria Jubilee Lantern was erected in 1887 in the market place, but was moved to its present position at Obelisk Plain in 1921 when the War Memorial was built. The light was powered by the town’s gas supply which was so unreliable the light was more often off than on, earning the nickname ‘Blind Sam’.
The pineapple topped obelisk is one of a pair of gateposts relocated from nearby Melton Constable Park in 1757. The stone panels record the distances to different Norfolk locations, which were correct from its original location, but not now. At the start of the Second World War, the panels were white washed over.
The Market Place, Bull Street and Fish Hill are still the main shopping areas.
The War Memorial at the top of Market Street, was unveiled in 1921 to commemorate the dead of the Great War and now also includes names from the Second World War. There are also inscriptions for a soldier killed in the Korean War and another killed while serving in Northern Ireland.
Holt is very compact and easily explored on foot. It is the kind of place to wander and get lost as there are so many hidden gems to discovers. The Holt Owl Trail, available from Tourist Information in Nelson House on White Lion Square, is loop following 24 pavement plaques. It explores the history and buildings of the town along with the with the different yards, each with their own character.
Holt is thriving. It has yet to be discovered by the tourist hordes. Visit before it gets over run! The Holt Festival takes place every year, with poets, dancers, musicians, actors and artists performing at venues all over the town
website
cont...
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