WROXHAM HOVETON

Wroxham and Hoveton St. John are two connected villages, split by the River Bure. Most of the village facilities are actually in Hoveton, but are generally known as Wroxham - the capital of the Norfolk Broads. Boats of all kinds are for hire and there are also an abundance of hotels, pubs, restaurants, shops and a large department store. Most of the shopping is dominated around the Roys brand, claiming to be the worlds largest village store! Wroxham contains many visitor attractions including a riverside park, the Bure Valley steam railway and Hoveton Hall gardens and Wroxham Barns craft centre. The village certainly is a busy spot in high season, but is open all year round and is well worth a visit at any time of the year. A little way out of the village centre is Wroxham Broad, home to the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club.

We start our tour of Wroxham and Hoveton at the bridge over the River Bure, separating Hoveton (North) from Wroxham (South). The bridge itself is a semicircular road bridge and has only an average high water headroom of 7 ft 3 in; making it one of the most difficult bridges to navigate on the Broads and a bridge pilot is available for nervous skippers! The old footbridge was replaced with a new one in 2002.

The two parts of this connected village are Wroxham and Hoveton, but collectively they are known as simply Wroxham. The two parts however, do have their own village signs!

Wroxham is known as the "Capital of the Broads" and this means BOATS! you can holiday on all shape and size of boat, take an organised cruise or hire your own for the day (or hour).

The first person known to have made a living out of hiring boats to holidaymakers was John Loynes who founded his Wroxham business in 1878. The following 50 years saw many others follow his example as the popularity of the Norfolk Broads grew and boating became a recognised leisure interest for the ordinary person. By the late 19th century, boating on the Broads by the Victorians had mushroomed into a substantial tourist trade, with boatyards offering for hire craft of all description. Although visitor numbers have now fallen back from the pre-war heyday, hiring boats on the Broads is still a major industry.

For holidaymaker's wishing to be land based, there are many attractive waterside houses, cottages and lodges for hire. They make a good base for your holiday, since they are at the heart of the Norfolk Broads and both the sandy beaches of the coast and the city of Norwich are less than 30 minutes drive away.

One shopping brand dominates the centre of Wroxham - Roys. Roys was founded in 1895 when brothers Alfred and Arnold Roy opened their first general store at Coltishall, Norfolk. In 1899, a second store was opened 3 miles away at Wroxham to meet the needs of the holiday makers visiting the Norfolk Broads. During the early years of the 20th century, the business expanded due to the increasing volumes of holiday traffic, and this helped Roy’s to win it’s accolade in a widely publicised competition as “The World’s Largest Village Store” – a title that has yet to receive serious challenge.

But there are plenty of other shops! including a small precinct, containing a grocery store, newsagent and Estate Agent.

Wroxham contains a lovely riverside park with public moorings, bridges, paths and seating areas. The path leads under the railway viaduct to the moorings opposite the entrance to Belaugh Broad. It makes a lovely spot for a stroll or to feed the ducks!

Wroxham is one end of the line of the Bure Valley Railway. Opened in 1990, the Bure Valley Railway offers an 18 mile round trip through picturesque countryside which is as varied, interesting and beautiful as any to be found on a railway journey in England. Norfolk's longest fifteen inch gauge line runs between the ancient market town of Aylsham and Wroxham. There are also intermediate stations at Brampton, Buxton and Coltishall. The line run regular steam and diesel train services and see the BVR website for more details and running times.

The church of St Peter at Hoveton is about a mile North of Wroxham bridge. This tiny, very pretty little church dating from 1624, is built of red brick, with stepped gables and a roof of Norfolk Reed. Inside the church has a fine array of hatchments hung from the walls from the 18th and early 19th Centuries.

Not far from the little church of St Peter is Wroxham Barns. Here you will find a working craft centre, where craftsmen demonstrate their skills in individual studios and you can chat to them as they work. Studios include stained glass, pottery, colourful children's clothes and real Norfolk cider! You can purchase a range of unique products exclusive to Wroxham Barns and many of the crafts people undertake private commissions. Wroxham Barns also contains a Junior Farm, a Children's Funfair as well as a country food shop and a lovely tearoom.

Almost adjacent to the church is Hoveton Hall Gardens, a delightful 15 acre garden mixing both formal and informal planting across the seasons. See our separate tour of the Gardens for more details.

Wroxham church of St. Mary, is about a mile South of Wroxham Bridge and is much larger and more traditional than the tiny church in Hoveton.