Berney Arms

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The Berney Arms public house, which closed in late 2015 Berney Arms public house, 2007.jpg
The Berney Arms public house, which closed in late 2015
The Berney Arms windmill Berney Arms Reach - geograph.org.uk - 808677.jpg
The Berney Arms windmill
Berney Arms Mill Berney Arms Mill.jpg
Berney Arms Mill

Berney Arms is a settlement on the north bank of the River Yare, close to Breydon Water in the English county of Norfolk. It is part of the civil parish of Reedham, in the district of Broadland, and lies within The Broads. It comprises a railway station, a windmill, a farmhouse [1] and a pub which closed in late 2015 (though permission for conversion to a dwelling was refused, and campaigners are seeking to reopen it as a pub). [2] In 2020, an adjacent property opened as a bistro. [3] The area is not accessible by public road.

Contents

Geography

Berney Arms is in an area of marshland, much of which is at or below sea level. It lies on the River Yare just to the west of Breydon Water. The area is part of Berney Marshes RSPB reserve [4] and within the Halvergate Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest. These provide important habitats for a range of plant and invertebrate species as well as providing important wintering grounds for bird species such as Bewick's swan. [5] The area is also a Ramsar Site and part of the Broadland Special Protection Area. Ashtree Farm is used by the RSPB as a series of dwellings and as its base for the marshes. [6]

Berney Arms can be reached only by train, by boat or on foot and has no public road access, with only a private track running to it. Berney Arms railway station is a request stop on the Norwich–Great Yarmouth line via Reedham. It is served by a limited number of services each day, with a more frequent service on Sundays. In 2019 it was the least used station in Britain. [7] Berney Arms is on the Weavers' Way and Wherryman's Way footpaths.

History

Berney Arms takes its name from The Berney Arms public house, which is situated by the staithe on the north bank of the River Yare and served walkers and boaters who pass through the area. [8] It was closed in 2015 and the owner proposed to turn the pub into a private house, but planning permission was refused. [9] The public house was named after the landowner Thomas Trench Berney who owned the Reedham Cement Works centred on the Berney Arms Windmill. The mill was built in 1865 and is the tallest windmill in Norfolk at 21.5 metres (71 ft) tall. It was used to grind cement clinker and was later converted into a drainage mill. It closed in 1948 and is now a Scheduled Monument in the care of English Heritage. [10] [11] At one point the mill supported a small settlement of 11 domestic dwellings and a chapel. [6] Berney sold the land on which the railway was built, on the condition that a stopping place was built to serve the settlement in perpetuity. [1] [12] [13]

Berney Arms was mentioned in Arthur Ransome's children's book Coot Club , which is in the Swallows and Amazon series.

In 1960 BBC reporter Fyfe Robertson made a short black and white documentary covering Berney Arms Station and interviewed two residents. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Broads</span> Network of rivers and lakes in East Anglia

The Broads is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used to identify specific areas within the two counties respectively, the whole area is frequently referred to as the Norfolk Broads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Waveney</span> River in east England

The River Waveney is a river which forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads. The "ey" part of the name means "river" thus the name is tautological.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reedham, Norfolk</span> Human settlement in England

Reedham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk and within The Broads. It is on the north bank of the River Yare, some 12 miles (19 km) east of the city of Norwich, 7.5 mi (12.1 km) south-west of the town of Great Yarmouth and the same distance north-west of the Suffolk town of Lowestoft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halvergate Marshes</span>

The Halvergate Marshes are an area of grazing marsh in the east of the English county of Norfolk. They form part of the area of The Broads and lie between the River Bure and the River Yare, bordering Breydon Water on the east. The marshes cover an area of around 2,642 hectares An area of 1,432.7-hectare (3,540-acre) is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Some areas are also in the Breydon Water Local Nature Reserve, the Broadland and Breydon Water Ramsar sites, The Broads Special Area of Conservation, and The Broads and Breydon Water Special Protection Areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berney Marshes & Breydon Water RSPB reserve</span>

Berney Marshes and Breydon Water RSPB reserve is a nature reserve managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Berney Marshes is situated south of the River Bure while Breydon water is the combined estuary of the River Waveney and the River Yare inland from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breydon Water</span>

Breydon Water is a 514.4-hectare (1,271-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It is a Local Nature Reserve, a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is part of the Berney Marshes and Breydon Water nature reserve, which is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halvergate</span> Human settlement in England

Halvergate is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, north of Reedham, between the Rivers Bure and Yare, within The Broads. To the east of the village is the hamlet of Wickhampton and the Halvergate Marshes, an area of drainage marsh which was the site of the first Environmentally Sensitive Area in the United Kingdom in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haddiscoe Cut</span>

The Haddiscoe Cut or New Cut is a canal in the English county of Norfolk and in The Broads National Park.). The cut was conceived as a way to provide a more direct route from Lowestoft to Norwich, and was built as part of a larger scheme which included the linking of the River Waveney to Oulton Broad and Lake Lothing. It was opened in 1833, but the new route was not a financial success, and it was sold to a railway developer in 1842. It remained in railway ownership until Nationalisation in 1948, and was damaged by floods in 1953. An attempt to close it in 1954 was resisted by local interests, resulting in it being repaired. It is now managed by the Environment Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Yare</span> River in England

The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches it is one of the principal navigable waterways of The Broads and connects with the rest of the network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wherry Lines</span>

The Wherry Lines are railway branch lines in the East of England, linking Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. There are 14 stations including the three termini. They form part of Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and are classified as a rural line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berney Arms railway station</span> Railway station in Norfolk, England

Berney Arms railway station is on the Wherry Lines in the East of England, serving the settlement of Berney Arms on the Halvergate Marshes in Norfolk. It is located 15 miles 71 chains (25.6 km) east of Norwich and is the only station on a short stretch of single line between Reedham and Great Yarmouth. The station is managed by Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains serving it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thurlton</span> Human settlement in England

Thurlton is a small village in South Norfolk, located 14 miles (22 km) south-east of the city of Norwich, and 9 miles (15 km) west of the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wherryman's Way</span> Long-distance footpath in Norfolk, England

Wherryman's Way is a long-distance footpath in the English county of Norfolk.

Mutton's Mill is a windpump located on the Halvergate Marshes in the detached parish of Freethorpe within The Broads in the English county of Norfolk. The mill is a Grade II* listed building and is 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the village of Halvergate and 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Berney Arms. It lies close to the route of the Weavers' Way long-distance footpath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockgate Mill</span>

Lockgate Mill also referred to locally and historically as Freethorpe Mill, 'Banham's Black Mill' and 'Duffel's Mill' is a windpump located on the Halvergate Marshes in the detached parish of Freethorpe within The Broads in the English county of Norfolk. It is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Great Yarmouth, and 3 miles (4.8 km) north-east of Berney Arms on the northern edge of Breydon Water. The structure is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berney baronets</span> Title in the Baronetage of England

The Berney Baronetcy, of Park Hall in Reedham in the County of Norfolk, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 5 May 1620 for Richard Berney, Sheriff of Norfolk in 1622.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berney Arms Windmill</span> Windmill in Norfolk, England

Berney Arms Windmill is a tower mill located at Berney Arms alongside the River Yare at the south-western end of Breydon Water in the English county of Norfolk. The windmill is in an isolated spot in The Broads around 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of the village of Reedham and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Great Yarmouth. The mill has no road access but can be accessed by boat, by foot or from Berney Arms railway station. It is a scheduled monument under the care of English Heritage.

This is a list of places of interest in the county of Norfolk, England. See List of places in Norfolk for a list of settlements in the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acle Straight</span> Road in England

The Acle Straight, also known as the Acle New Road, is a major road between Acle and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. It is part of the A47 trunk road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantley Marshes</span>

Cantley Marshes is a 272.1-hectare (672-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-east of Norwich in Norfolk. It is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, It is part of the Broadland Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, The Broads Special Area of Conservation and the Mid-Yare National Nature Reserve.

References

  1. 1 2 Dunford, M.; Lee, P. (2012). The Rough Guide to Norfolk and Suffolk. Rough Guides UK. pp. 107–109. ISBN   978-0241238592.
  2. ↑ "Home page". Berney Arms Web. Retrieved 9 November 2018. The current situation with the pub is that it remains closed until further notice, but local efforts to purchase, restore to a working pub are slowly being looked at. The planning authority (The Broads Authority) have refused an application for it to be converted to a dwelling.
  3. ↑ "Berney Arms Bistro". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "About Berney Marshes and Breydon Water". RSPB. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "Halvergate Marshes" (PDF) (SSSI citation). Natural England. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Local character area 19 – Halvergate marshes (excluding Bure loop and the west of Tunstall dyke)" (PDF). Broads Landscape Character Assessment. Broads Authority. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Lawrence-Jones, Charlie (27 August 2021). "Eerie train station 2.5 hours from London that only 42 people used last year". MyLondon. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "'Remote' Berney Arms pub set for new business". BBC Look East. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "Application for Determination" (PDF). Broads Authority Planning Committee. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  10. ↑ Historic England. "Berney Arms Windmill (133775)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  11. ↑ Historic England. "Berney Arms windmill (1003957)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  12. ↑ McKie, David (11 July 2010). "The rail to nowhere". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  13. ↑ Mitchell, Laurence (2010). Slow Norfolk and Suffolk. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 130–131. ASIN   B009XQA69C.
  14. ↑ James, Derek (n.d.). "Life in the rural Norfolk hamlet of Berney Arms in the 1950s". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 16 December 2023.

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