History
The story of the shallow lakes known as broads begins in the Middle Ages.
By the 12th century, much of east Norfolk had been cleared of its woodland for fuel and building materials, and the first written evidence of peat digging for fuel in the Broads also dates from this time. Between the 12th and 14th centuries peat digging (or turf cutting) was a major industry. Peat digging was probably in progress for several centuries before then, but there is no direct evidence for this. Turf cutting was carried out on a massive scale with almost every settlement in the area we now know as the Broads digging its own pit, or turbary, for extracting peat as its principal source of fuel.
Historical records show that the pits gradually began to fill with water, making the turves of peat more difficult to extract. Peat diggings were abandoned by the 14th century. They flooded, and this partly man-made landscape became a wetland, rich in wildlife.
The true origins of the broads were not rediscovered until 1952 by Dr JM Lambert. The findings were received with scepticism. How could people in medieval times possibly have dug by hand the huge broads, and what use was there for the millions of turves of peat?
But research revealed striking evidence including the fact that the sides of the broads were vertical, not gently sloping, as would be expected of a naturally formed lake. Records revealed a huge demand for peat in what by the 14th century had become one of the most densely populated and prosperous areas of England.
The early economy of the Broads area, like the rest of Norfolk, centred on farming. Some parishes in the Broads reaped the rewards of the highly profitable wool trade, but many inhabitants led a hand-to-mouth existence, selling their crops and their services according to the season.
Marshmen living in the wetter lowland river valleys of the Broads developed a way of life which exploited the natural riches of the landscape. They tended cattle on the marshes, cut reed, sedge, marsh hay and litter, maintained dykes and drainage mills, and reaped a healthy harvest of fish and wildfowl to sell at local markets, as well as supplying their own needs.
The waterways were essential for communications and commerce. In the 16th century Norwich was the second largest city in England after London, its wealth founded on wool, weaving, fisheries, agriculture and general trade. Goods from the city were exported worldwide through Great Yarmouth.
The earliest trading vessels on the waterways of the Broads were keels, with their square sails and long hulls. They were the forerunners of the Norfolk wherries which have become synonymous with the Broads. For over 200 years wherries worked throughout the Broads, supplying villages with goods, as well as carrying imports and exports to and from the coast.
Changes in economic conditions and the coming of the railways were the main factors which brought about a gradual but fundamental shift away from commerce and trade to recreation and pleasure in the region. Local people had been sailing for pleasure on the rivers for many years, but the arrival of the railways in the 1870s opened up the Broads to visitors from further afield. The area became the destination for the upper and upper-middle classes seeking an 'adventure' holiday.
Wherrymen swept the holds of their wherries and slung hammocks to cater for their new type of cargo. Eventually special pleasure wherries and wherry yachts were built as floating holiday homes, gradually superseding the black-sailed trading wherry, which by the second world war was becoming a rare sight. Today, it is still possible to experience the thrill of sailing aboard one of these magnificent craft. Our Visiting section has more information.
Commercial cargo traffic was at its height on the Broads in the 19th century. The 20th century brought an explosion in this new commerce, based on recreation. The pioneer of the boat hiring business, John Loynes, founded his business in 1878. Other firms soon followed his example and in 1908 H Blake & Co was founded, to handle bookings on an agency basis for a number of firms. By this time the railways were established in Norfolk, and what they had taken away in commercial cargoes they made up for in the number of visitors they brought to the area. For the first time the Broads was within the reach of thousands of ordinary day-trippers and holiday-makers.
With the exception of the war years, each season saw a steady growth in the boat hire industry with a gradual shift from sailing to motor cruisers, which visitors needed no prior experience to drive. In the 1950s, with the increase in paid holidays and car ownership, many flocked to the Broads. In the 1960s fibreglass hull mouldings were developed for boat building, allowing the rapid production of large fleets for hire. Today, tourism is still an important part of the local economy.
The history of the Broads is marked by its links with humanity. A man-made landscape to start with, it has provided a source of sustenance and fascination for centuries.
