Holt

Holt is a lovely rural Georgian North Norfolk town with plenty of unusual shops and surrounded by well-wooded parks. Having been burnt down in 1708, Holt presents a comparatively modern appearance, with a spacious market place, dominated by a fine cross of Clipsham stone to commemorate the war dead. A jumble of streets and alleyways fanout from the main High Street, offering plenty of facilities including pubs, cafes, galleries, and shops to enjoy. There is a lovely country park just to the south of Holt and the North Norfolk Railway (the poppy line) runs from Holt station to Sheringham. Holt is particularly attractive at Christmas, when all the shops adourn themselves in pretty white fairy lights, making for a really festive wonderland.

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We start our tour of Holt at Byfords, a famous cafe, deli and posh B&B. If you enjoy people watching, its a great place to have a coffee and just sit and watch people wander by! The building is thought to be one of the oldest buildings in the town and pre-dates the great fire in Holt of 1708. The premises traded as a hardware store and ironmonger’s for over 100 years under the ownership of the Byford family, from which the building took its name. The building was restored during the later part of the 20th century, when much of its character and features were re-instated.

We are now in the main shopping centre of Holt and there are shops everywhere, selling all kinds of items. All the shops are small independent traders, many hidden away in yards, alleys and lanes. See for yourself by browsing the different shops below - or even better, come to Holt and discover this shoppers paradise.

Holt contains many hidden yards, which contain a fascinating mix of shops and cafe's. Make sure you get to explore these or you may miss some of Holt's best kept secrets!

In the centre of Holt is the Market Place, dominated by a fine cross of Clipsham stone, dedicated to the towns war dead. The London red bus takes passengers to the North Norfolk Railway station, which is a little way out of the town centre. Adjacent to the Market Places is the Gresham School and is named after Sir John Gresham, a wealthy Tudor merchant, who became Lord Mayor of London and was born and lived nearby. In 1555, when Henry VIII’s suppression of the Monasteries forced the only local school to close, Gresham persuaded the Fishmongers Company of London to finance and manage a school in Holt. This responsibility has been kept to the present day and the school still has strong links with the City of London.

Around Holt you will see names and images of an owl. This refers to a local legend that tells of an owl that was disturbing the residents of Holt and whenever they tried to stop it, somehow the owl would escape! one story describes how workmen building the local church, stuffed the owl up a water spout and left it to drown, but the owl managed to escape by flying out of the top.

When most of the town was burnt down in 1708, the buildings were rebuilt in stone and in the style of the day, which was Georgian. Many of these buildings exist in one form or another today and Holt is one of the best places in England to see Georgian architecture. The buildings have been converted to accommodate various local businesses, including a gentleman's barbers and solicitors!

At one end of the High Street you will come to Obelisk Plain, containing two curious structures. The first is a pineapple topped obelisk, which was once a gatepost at Melton Constable Park. No one knows why the obelisk was moved here to Holt, but notice the distances marked on the obelisk are all wrong, as they refer to its original location! Standing next to the obelisk is a gas lamp, which for some reason was rarely lit and therefore became known as "Blind Sam" The lamp used to stand at the other end of the High Street in the Market Place, but was moved here when the war memorial was erected.

Returning to the other end of the High Street, a lime tree avenue leads from the Market Place to the lovely parish church of St. Andrew. Originally dating from the 13th century, the church was gutted in the fire of 1708, when its thatched roof caught fire. It was repaired in 1727 and then restored in 1864 and is well worth a visit.

A little way out of the centre of Holt is the North Norfolk Railway station. This is the "poppy line" which runs steam and diesel train services to Weybourne and Sheringham. A bus runs visitors from the station to Holt market place.

About a mile to the south of the town is Holt Country Park. The wood extends to almost 100 acres and contains Scots Pine, Oak and Silver Birch. Throughout the Country Park there are interesting features such as a totem pole, carved stile, play area and viewing tower.

At Christmas time, Holt becomes a winter wonderland as all the shops adourn themselves with pretty white fairy lights. It makes a lovely festive atmosphere.

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Holt summary of what to SEE and DO

Tour Index

Introduction
Map
Byfords
Holt Shopping
Town Centre
Parish Church
North Norfolk Railway
Holt Country Park
Christmas Lights

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