FRANSHAM FORGE
Tel 01362 687116
Workplace of Artist
Blacksmith Nigel Barnett.
A vast range of workpieces
from public art commissions-
large restoration projects, to
unique forgework for home
and garden.
FORGE
GALLERY
& MUSEUM
(take Beeston turning off A47,
halfway between Dereham and
Swaffham)
OPEN MON - SAT
9am - 5pm
www.artist-blacksmith.co.uk
email:
franshamforge@uwclub.net
The Woad CentreThe Woad CentreThe Woad CentreThe Woad Centre
Woad Barn, Rawhall Lane, Beetley,
Dereham, Norfolk, NR20 4HH
44 (0) 1362 860218
www.woad-inc.co.uk
Free dyeing
demonstrations
Free exhibition on
woad production and
processing
Bookable monthly
workshops
Bookable talks and
guided visits
A DAY OUT at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse
is always fun and you'll need a whole day to
explore its wonders.
A working farm and superb rural life museum
are set in fifty acres of beautiful Breckland coun-
tryside, with riverside walks, orchard and cot-
tage gardens.
The museum is set in a lovely courtyard,
behind elegant wrought iron gates, festooned
with miniature reproductions of agricultural tools.
Cross the courtyard and enter the magnificent
workhouse building, to be taken on a journey
back to the time of Queen Victoria.
The workhouse ensured survival for poor
Norfolk workers, who fell on hard times.
Uncover the stories of the people who were
housed there and the harsh regime that preced-
ed our modern welfare state.
You can dress up as one of the inmates or, in
the school holidays you may even find your-
selves taking part in a re-enactment that vividly
brings their story to life.
Upstairs, the museum houses a vast array of
everyday objects, dating back over the past 200
years. From kitchen appliances, to farming, car-
pentry, plumbing, thatching and veterinary tools
� the range is simply mind-boggling.
Many of you will recognise household items
from your parents, or even grandparents' homes.
They are a sober reminder of how much harder it
was to live, before the luxury of our modern
electrical appliances.
On leaving the workhouse, you can have
lunch in the attractive Mardlers Rest caf�. Or
watch your children let off steam in the fantastic
woodland playground, with its tree-houses,
slides and huge swings.
The Gressenhall farm is home to a number of
rare breed animals, including working Suffolk
Punch horses. There are regularly black piglets
cavorting in the pigsty
and poultry running
about the farmyard.
And each bank holi-
day, Gressenhall hosts
a special event.
On Easter Monday
you can join in a
mass Easter bonnet
parade. On May 25
you can see the East
Norfolk Militia and
Backwoods Falconry,
demonstrating their
skills at the Norfolk
History Fair. And on
August 30-31 you can
step back to the
1940s and join the
Land Army girls in a
Village at War.
WOAD is a blue dye with green credentials!
Grown and processed in Norfolk, this natu-
ral pigment from the woad plant is eco-friend-
ly and used to colour a range of quality tex-
tiles created by local craftspeople for Woad-
inc.
The Woad Centre is in the heart of
Boudicca's Iceni countryside. It houses a free
exhibition on woad production and a shop
showcasing beautiful textiles dyed with natu-
ral woad pigment.
The Origins of Woad
Woad has been grown in Europe since the
Stone Age and has a long association with
East Anglia, notably with Boudicca and the
Iceni tribe who, it is said, used it to colour
their faces before going into battle.
It was thought they used the colour to
scare off the opposition. However, as it has
antiseptic properties, it is now suggested that
woad could have been painted onto their skin
to help heal potential wounds.
The Magic of Woad
Woad has its own alchemy in the dyeing
Tourist Information
Dereham Tourist Information Centre:
Church House, Church Street, tel 01362
698992
Market Days: Tuesdays and Fridays
YOUR WOAD-INC SUMMER
SAVER VOUCHER IS
ON PAGE 73
process and is fascinating to see. The blue
pigment changes to a brownie-green colour
when mixed with water and additives and
brought up to the appropriate temperature.
The item for dyeing is immersed in the mix-
ture and, when lifted out, it turns from yellow
to green and, finally, blue when it oxidises in
the air! Dyeing demonstrations are held at
2pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at
the Woad Centre, from April to Christmas.
The Woad Centre is at Woad Barn, Rawhall
Lane, Beetley, Dereham, off the B1146.
Call 1362 860218, www.woad-inc.co.uk
Demonstrations at the Woad Centre.
Woad magic
Youngsters discover the technology of yesteryear at Gressenhall.
Ancient crafts prove fascinating for visitors to Gressenhall.
WONDERS OF YESTERYEAR
� Woodland Adventure Playground � Experience
workhouse life � Working farm with rare breed animals
� 50 acres of beautiful open space � Fascinating collections
and displays � Regular special event days
Open daily Easter to October.
Brown signs from Dereham and the A47
For details 01362 869263
or www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk
ACRES OF SPACE FOR A GREAT DAY OUT
GRESSENHALL FARM AND WORKHOUSE

Page 1Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6Page 7Page 8Page 9Page 10Page 11Page 12Page 13Page 14Page 15Page 16Page 17Page 18Page 19Page 20Page 21Page 22Page 23Page 24Page 25Page 26Page 27Page 28Page 29Page 30Page 31Page 32Page 33Page 34Page 35Page 36Page 37Page 38Page 39Page 40Page 41Page 42Page 43Page 44Page 45Page 46Page 47Page 48Page 49Page 50Page 51Page 52Page 53Page 54Page 55Page 56Page 57Page 58Page 59Page 60Page 61Page 62Page 63Page 64Page 65Page 66Page 67Page 68Page 69Page 70Page 71Page 72Page 73Page 74Page 75Page 76Page 77Page 78Page 79Page 80Page 81Page 82Page 83Page 84Page 85Page 86Page 87Page 88Page 89Page 90Page 91Page 92Page 93Page 94Page 95Page 96 Produced by PageSuite