It was a joy to see my letter published about my ancestor William Dove (Your Letters, 11 October 2017).
We do enjoy getting the Reepham Life newsletter as it keeps us in touch with a place we enjoyed visiting.
Regarding the rhythmic drumming (Your Letters, 20 June 2017), it could be our son who is a professional improvising percussionist – although he lives in France!
Best wishes to all in Reepham from down under.
James and Felicity Guthrie, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Reepham appears to have 4G, at last. On Vodafone, anyway. On Station Road, at least
Sam Higenbottam, Reepham
Does anyone know why so many older houses in East Anglia have their bedroom ceiling light fittings placed close to the window?
Were we such a bunch of prudes that we didn’t want our silhouette to be seen from the window to avoid casting a shadow on the curtains when undressing?
Or was it so a woman’s dressing table could be placed in front of the window with the light shining directly above in dull weather or during the hours of darkness?
Or was it supposed to replicate daylight coming in from the window?
Or did the original lightbulbs tend to explode over the bed?
It would be more logical to put the light fitting in the centre of the room – having them near the window certainly looks odd.
Any retired electricians out there?
C Anderson, Norwich
I am searching for information on my great-great-grandfather William Hudson, who was born in 1838 in Swanton Morley and died on 19 November 1905 in Hackford next Reepham.
As a child William was sent to live in Gressenhall Workhouse. He grew up and was educated, becoming a solicitor’s clerk and accountant.
I am assuming these are small towns and there must be some local historians that may know something.
Any more information would be appreciated greatly.
Heidi Bird, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Two points for Reepham Town Council:
Would it be possible for buses to park at the fire station? There seems to be a lot of space there, providing a bus would not obstruct a fire engine exiting the site.
It is short-sighted of people to complain about bus parking. We need to encourage bus services, not frighten them away.
It is also short-sighted of the Town Council to allow political parties to set up stalls in the market.
Typically, a market is for buying and selling goods, not a forum for disseminating political propaganda.
Occupation of the market square half a day a week is already a threat to permanent businesses in Reepham as it restricts access.
This is tolerable if people find the market useful, but to have the square potentially taken over by political activists seems inappropriate and is unlikely to be popular.
Did councillors seek any views of residents before making their decision?
This could easily have been done by providing an item for publication on the Reepham Life website before the decision was made, not afterwards as a fait accompli.
Rupert Birtles, Pettywell
I agree with Phillip Leeder (Your Letters, 25 August 2017).
I have often asked the staff in Spar about where they can store their rubbish and I have been told that there is nowhere else to put it.
It is a shame that it is there [outside] as the inside looks lovely now that it has been renovated.
I shop at Spar regularly and really value the service and all the staff, but the mess lets the rest of the village down and does not show Reepham off at its best.
Jackie Speer, Irwin Close, Reepham
Would any shop in the market square be allowed to store their crates and combustible waste outside the front of the building?
The Spar has been doing so for years – and what an eyesore.
Apart from how it looks, all it takes is for a discarded match or similar to be dropped in the wrong location and the result could be disastrous. No doubt this waste also attracts vermin.
I welcome other views on this, especially from the [Town and District] Council, as I feel that something should be done to get [the Spar] to clean up their act.
Phillip Leeder, Cawston Road, Reepham
My four-times-great-grandfather William Dove was born in Reepham in 1809. He was transported to Tasmania for machine-breaking and ended his life in Tasmania, gaining his freedom and eventually buying several pubs.
I still have distant cousins living in Reepham and we have visited the village twice. We just loved it.
We enjoy receiving the news from Reepham, which brings us a little closer to my forebears.
James Guthrie, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
I had a great time at last weekend’s Reepham Music Festival – congratulations to all the organisers who I’m sure worked hard to put on a most creditable and worthy event.
However, I was most disappointed with the bar on the field on Saturday, with not a locally produced beer in sight, just a fizzy lager from an Australian conglomerate (but probably brewed in the UK) and ale from a Cornish brewery of all places (although I found that this is actually brewed in Burton-upon-Trent).
Most of the fast food was hardly from local origins either, Thai, Indian… At least the cider was from East Anglia!
I understand there at least two breweries in or near Reepham. I’d hope that next year’s festival can promote local food and drink.
R. Price, Tamworth
I am researching my family history and have found that John Benjamin of Walsingham held the living of a medieval church in Reepham in 1375.
I would be grateful if you could point me to any reference work that would take me back into that period in Norfolk.
Ian Benjamin, Cropthorne, Pershore, Worcestershire
