Barton Turf

Barton Turf is a lovely, small, unspoilt broadland village. It has its own staithe and boatyard giving direct access to Barton Broad. The village itself has many pretty cottages and there is a village green with pond. The village has no shop or pub, which helps to keep the village quiet and peaceful. The village church is about a mile out of the village and well worth a walk on a fine day. The closest shop and pub are in Neatishead, about a 25 minute walk way (about one mile).

View a detailed tourist information map of the Norfolk Broads

We start our tour of Barton Turf at the public staithe, which is a peaceful place to moor your boat. All kinds of boats call in at the staithe, including wherries, yachts and cruisers, and its a great place to enjoy a picnic or a quiet evening fishing. There is only room for a handful of boats, but there is plenty of public mooring at Paddy's Lane (further up the dyke, closer to Barton Broad). The building on the staithe was once used to store cargo to be transported by wherry, it is now owned by the parish and used for meetings and events. Adjacent to the staithe is Cox's boatyard and marina, providing moorings and associated services for private boats.

Moving up into the village centre, you will find many pretty cottages dating from different periods. One interesting row is Coronation Cottages, which were built during the Queen's coronation year of 1953. The architect decided to shape the roof-line of the row of 4 cottages into the outline of a crown. The cottages were once owned by Barton Hall, but have since been sold off. In the centre of the village is the village green, pond and village sign. The sign was made of wrought iron in 1953 and shows a Norfolk Wherry.

The village church is nearly a mile from the village and staithe, but makes a lovely walk on a nice day. The church of St Michael and All Angels dates from the 14th century and possibly replaces a Norman structure. Extensive alterations were made during the 15th centruy, including the construction of the 87 foot tower. Further restoration work was carried out during the late 19th century, including the installation of some of the stained glass windows. The highlight of the interior of the church is the wonderful painted rood screen. It is one of the finest in the country! The church is usually open on weekdays during daylight hours.

A Memorial to a Local Disaster
Take a look at the memorial, found on the exterior of the back porch of the church. The memorial is to four brothers who sadly drowned in Barton Broad on Boxing Day 1781. It appears that the brothers were all drowned, with 6 other local men, when they were crossing the broad on their way to work in Great Yarmouth (in those days they would have travelled by river). The memorial reads "In memory of 4 sons of John & Eliz Doyley who were unfortunately drowned in Barton Broad the 26th Dec 1781. John aged 23, Bob 20, Will 16, James 10 years."

Barton Hall is privately owned and not usually open to the public, but once a year in early June, a village fete is held in the grounds, allowing public access to the hall grounds. Barton Hall was built in the 17th century and was once the home of Admiral Horatio Nelson's sister Catherine and brother-in-law George Matcham. Nelson often visited them as he was very fond of his sister. It is said that while visiting his sister, Nelson would often go sailing on Barton Broad.

The countryside around the village is very picturesque and there are some great walks and cycle rides along the quiet country lanes. Try heading towards the tiny village of Pennygate or walk across the fields towards the church.

In winter Barton Turf looks very pretty after a fall of snow or on a frosty morning. All the visitors have gone home and rarely see Broadland villages looking like this!

Barton Turf Summary of what to SEE and DO

Introduction

Norfolk Broads

Barton Broad

Catfield

Horning

Irstead

Ludham

Neatishead

River Ant

Stalham

Wroxham

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