STALHAM & SUTTON

Stalham and Sutton are good centre's for exploring the Northern Broads and Stalham is only 4 miles from the nearest sandy beach. They are accessible by river, upstream from Barton Broad, the channel is narrow in places and heavily wooded.

Stalham is a typical country town, with a High Street containing a range of shops and other facilities, plus a nearby Tesco superstore and petrol station. A small market operates on Tuesdays and the town hall hosts various regular sales, including a farmers market on alternative Saturdays. Stalham is major boating centre and many boat holidays start from here. There are also day boats for hire. The staithe at Stalham also hosts The Museum of the Broads, showing the human effect upon the Broadland environment.

Sutton staithe lies at the eastern end of Sutton Broad and has good moorings and a hotel/pub. The village itself, on the opposite side of the A149 road, has a shop with post office and garden centre and a pottery (Sutton Pottery). Sutton Mill is located about a mile from the staithe and is a nine storey corn-mill, currently not open to the public.

STALHAM
We start our tour in Stalham High Street, which has a mixture of shops, pubs and other facilities.

Stalham High Street also has the town church - St Mary - which is set in its own grounds in the middle of town. You can find more information here ... www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/stalham/stalham Inside, the church is quiet and peaceful with some fine examples of stained glass windows.

Love it or hate it, Stalham has its very own Tesco supermarket and petrol station.

Across the busy A149 road is Stalham Staithe. There are boatyards galore here and it is the start of many Norfolk Broads boating holidays.

The Museum of the Broads is located at Stalham Staithe and shows mans influence on the Broadland landscape. See our separate tour of the Museum for more details.

SUTTON
A little further down the A149 road is pretty Sutton Staithe and a much quieter place to moor than Stalham. There is a grassy area and an information board on the staithe.

The staithe at Sutton (and Stalham) is accessible by water from a channel off the River Ant. Most of the channel is heavily wooded, but opens up as you get onto lovely Sutton Broad.

Coming back to Sutton Staithe, there is the Sutton Staithe Hotel situated right next to the moorings. The Hotel is also a pub and restaurant, with a cosy atmosphere and a large dining/function room. Next to the hotel is the Harmony health and beauty salon.

The residential village of Sutton is over the other side of the main A149 road. It has some lovely cottages around a village pond.

Nearby Sutton Mill, a 9 storey corn mill, that has recently re-opened to the public. It is well worth the walk from the staithe, if only to appreciate just how big this mill is - the tallest surviving windmill in the UK. It was built in 1789 after an earlier mill had burnt down. The mill suffered a serious fire in 1861 and was then hit by lightning in 1875. Its final end came in 1940 when it was again struck by lightning, causing a fire. The mill, which by this time had given up grinding corn and was exclusively producing animal feed, ceased to work from that time.

Sutton Pottery is a small studio workshop, established by Malcolm Flatman in 1977. The working workshop can be found just outside the village of Sutton and is an easy walk from the Staithe. Alternatively, there is a small car park at the workshop. For more information see www.suttonpottery.com

Malcolm uses the Potter’s Wheel and the fire of a gas kiln to create a large range of “reduction” stoneware entirely by hand. He has developed an assortment of practical, repeatable, replaceable and affordable tableware and kitchenware in a wide variety of glaze colours which he blends himself in the interests of consistency. Malcolm also produces a multitude of more decorative pieces, including house name plates and other commissions, and some distinctive lamps. He also enjoys the challenge of making orders to customers’ own ideas. The pottery carries the distinctive “windmill” symbol.