Unlocking memories of the Broads
Do you have memories of Geldeston Lock near Beccles which would bring Broads history alive?
The Lock, straddling the clear waters of the River Waveney, is the best preserved of three locks which enabled trading wherries to reach Bungay for 150 years until its closure in 1934.
Now the Norfolk and Suffok Broads Charitable Trust and the Broads Authority want to record oral histories from people who worked on the lock, knew it or used it.
The films will form part of a permanent exhibition in Beccles Museum and be used in podcasts which will be downloadable from the Broads Authority’s new website, www.enjoythebroads.com for use when the visitor arrives.
Broads Authority Communications Manager Clare Weller, who will be carrying out the interviews said: “There has been a longstanding ambition from the Broads Authority to do up Geldeston Lock, and the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Charitable Trust and Beccles Museum have been wanting to explain the history of the lock for a long time. So we are working together to develop the idea and are looking for about 12 people to interview.”
The project has been made possible through a grant from the Geoffrey Watling Charity. Some of the memories gathered will be used in an information pack for schools, which will tie in with the National Curriculum.
Information boards will carry pictures of wherries using the lock and explain how it worked.
Bryan Read, a trustee, said: "Geldeston Lock is part of the heritage of the Broads and a very attractive and peaceful area. At the moment few people have any idea what the structure is or where it is and many people are keen to know more about the history. The charity is pleased to be working with the Broads Authority to ensure that the history of the lock is properly recorded and the site is adequately interpreted for visitors arriving by water, on foot or by bicycle."
Geldeston Lock, by the Locks Inn, now at the head of navigation on the Waveney, is on a footpath network and cycle trail from Beccles and is easily reached by boat.
If you have memories to share please email thecurator@becclesmuseum.org.uk or call 01502 715722.
24/11/10
