Norfolk Broads
Richard Bracewell directs Cuckoo.
This month Cinema City welcomes one of Britain’s best new directors for an exclusive screening of new film ‘Cuckoo’.
Norwich-based director Richard Bracewell will be answering audience questions at an exclusive preview on Tuesday 14th December at 6.00pm.
Filmed in Great Yarmouth and Norwich, ‘Cuckoo’ stars Richard E. Grant as an ageing professor obsessed with his star student, Polly. Trapped in a dead-end job and her relationship with her boyfriend falling apart, Polly struggles to keep her grip on reality.
Mysterious sounds surround her, voices in the darkness, whispers of deceit. Polly knows she’s not cuckoo, but why won’t the noises go away?
She turns to the one person she can trust – her boss. But Julius has a dark secret of his own.
Richard E. Grant in the thriller ' Cuckoo'.
Richard Bracewell is the head of Norfolk-based production company Punk Cinema, his debut film ‘The Gigolos’ was named ‘Most Underrated Film of All Time’ by the Telegraph.
Cinema Manager Jack Thompson says:
“We are delighted to be screening ‘Cuckoo’ here at Cinema City. It’s an even greater honour to have Richard visit us to take questions from our audience. It’s not often we are given the opportunity to screen films created by local talent and it always feels special when we do.
It’s more important than ever that local cinemas and cinema go-ers support this regions film making talent. Supporting Norfolks film makers creates jobs whilst raising the profile of this beautiful county.”
CUCKOO (15) will preview at CINEMA CITY on TUE 14 DEC at 6.00pm, followed by a Q&A with director Richard Bracewell. The film opens at CINEMA CITY on BOXING DAY.
Book online at www.picturehouses.co.uk or by calling 0871 704 2053.
Cinema City, Norwich
St Andrew’s Street
Norwich NR2 4AD
Cinema Tel: 0871 704 2053
Restaurant reservations 07504 356378
(10p a minute from a landline)
Street Party To Celebrate Re-Launch Of The Greyhound Inn.
Sunday 31st October may have been Halloween, but it was also the day when the owners of The Greyhound Inn at Hickling on the Norfolk Broads celebrated the past and raised a proverbial glass to the future. In a time when pubs are closing left, right and centre, it is a really lovely sight to behold.
Having been at The Greyhound for 16 years, Landlords Tony Woodman and Debi Key decided that a makeover inside and out was a fitting way to bring the pub up to date and set it in good stead for the next decade. To celebrate this occasion, and in effect ‘re-launch’ the pub, Tony and Debi organised a street party for the local villagers. As part of the festivities, they decided to recreate a photograph taken outside The Greyhound in 1926.
The original sepia photo shows regulars of the pub alongside two holidaymakers (complete with striped blazers and sun umbrellas). Wonderfully, it features all the original characters names on the back.
1926 Group Photo.
So, as closely to the original as possible, nine locals and two regular tourists to the area attempted to recreate the look and pose from that day and it was captured for posterity by our own photographer, Andrew Kitt.
Pub Group 2010.
The day raised £750 for the Help For Heroes charity and Tony would like us to convey his thanks to the villagers of Hickling. “It was great to see the community come together on what can only be described as a damp day. It would not have been possible without their support”.
Ultimately, Tony and Debi would like to include copies of the old and new photo in a time capsule for future generations, showing how The Greyhound has maintained its presence as a beloved village local over the course of the last Century. And who knows, maybe in another 84 years, a new group of locals will be able to add a further chapter to the set of photos. Wouldn’t that be marvellous?
Outside Frontage of The Greyhound, Hickling.
The Greyhound Inn
The Green, Hickling, Norfolk, NR12 0YA.
Tel: 01692 598306.
With the intention of ‘seeing more of our locale for less’, we decided to embark on a series of free days out in Norfolk, starting this weekend with a visit to the Roman Fort at Burgh (pronounced Bo-rough) Castle.
Found just West of Great Yarmouth, the remains of the fort are maintained by English Heritage, but owned by the Norfolk Archeological Trust, who presumably have been involved in creating a new and excellent quality car and coach parking area near to the Fort. (Frankly, we’ve seen grander visitor attractions that didn’t enjoy such a decent entrance).
New walkway to the fort at Burgh Castle.
Situated on a raised location (for Norfolk anyway) that looks out over Breydon Water (with views towards the Berney Arms windmill), the fort was known in Roman times as Gariannonum and was built in about 280AD as a defence against invading Saxons. Three of the four massive sides of the fort still stand – 9 feet thick and 14 feet high, probably their original full height. Surviving fantastically intact, it can be matched by few other Roman sites in Britain.
The Roman Fort in the distance.
The walls are built of carefully knapped flints and mortar, interspersed with layers of red Roman tile for strength. The remains of the Roman town at Caistor also display this style, but the ruins are not nearly as well preserved. The east wall, with the gate in the middle, features four huge rounded towers.
Walls of the fort at Burgh Castle.
A stroll around the ruins of the fort leads you onto several other scenic footpaths, and the surrounding area is perfect for fishing and birdwatching. We walked down to the Fisherman’s Arms, flanked by water on our right all the way. This would have been a perfectly acceptable mid-walk refreshment stop, had Little Man not decided to squeeze a tube of sun cream all over the place, while we were there, meaning we ended up rubbing as much onto him as we could (leaving him looking ill in pallor) and departed pretty sharpish.
Strolling along one of the riverside walks.
Taking a route back along the road (through several holiday parks), the sun shone and the flora of the area, combined with the slightly worn anti-sheen that everything has, being close to water (you see it on the Coast too), evoked the feeling of being on holiday ‘abroad’ somewhere. It could have easily been a little port in Portugal or suchlike. All in all, this helped to produce a very relaxed feeling (even though we feared we might have been lost at this point). Result.
Back at the car-park (yes, we made it – hooray), we decided to have a quick look in the church (also off the car park). The Church of St Peter & St Paul, a round-tower church, has a little display inside about the excavation and finds unearthed from the adjacent site and some lovely stained glass windows that you can only really appreciate from the inside.
One of the stained glass windows in the church.
So there you go, a fews hours of outdoors-ness and appreciating local history. Nice. If you were up for it, you could certainly make a full day of it, and enjoy some of the longer walks around the area.
Impressive example of a still-standing Roman fort not exciting enough for you…? Perhaps we should mention that its also haunted. Apparently, the 27th of April each year is accompanied by the sound of swords clashing and the screams of Saxon warriors as they are slaughtered in some bloody fray. Allegedly a ghostly figure can sometimes be seen falling from the castle ramparts. Additionally, Old Scarfe (a Shuck-like creature named after a Baron Rudolf Scarfe, a 13th Century villain who lived near the Castle) also haunts the grounds and nearby roads. You can spot him by his single eye that glows red and yellow…
In summary then, if you like fast rides, bright lights and Hollywood-esque cinematic-style stimulation, this won’t be a day out for you (unless of course, you spot Old Scarfe, which I’d imagine would be a pretty white-knuckle affair). However, if you like wildlife, great views, fresh air and a good dose of history, then it’s not a bad little afternoon excursion. And with no entry fees (and no gift shop), its no pounds well spent.
View out towards the Windmill.
Basically open all year round. Plenty of parking (free at time of writing).
Most of site is fairly accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Dogs on leads are permitted (please clean up after your dog if required!).
Location: Far west end of Breydon Water, 3m west of Great Yarmouth. Postcode: NR31 9pZ.
'Broads Walk' signpost.
- 18/05/2012 - Victorian Shell Artistry May 18, 2012
- 18/05/2012 - Shipwrecked! Back to 1897 May 18, 2012
- 18/05/2012 - A Walk Through Time: The Victorians May 18, 2012
- 18/05/2012 - Norwich 20 Group – Looking into 20 – paintings and sculpture at The Forum May 18, 2012
- 18/05/2012 - Tony Foster Paintings/Angela Harding Prints May 18, 2012