Hoveton Little Broad

Last updated August 22, 2024

Hoveton Little Broad, also known as Black Horse Broad, is a secluded broad of fairly open aspect, in the middle reaches of the River Bure between Hoveton and Horning, Norfolk, in The Norfolk Broads. Privately owned, it was the site of direct action in the mid-20th century by local people hoping to establish the right of free public access to all Broadland waterways.

Situation and access

The broad is closer to Horning than to the village of Hoveton and lies adjacent to the hamlet of Hoveton St John. Inaccessible by road, it is linked to the river by Black Horse Dyke. Another dyke (a narrow waterway) leads from a corner of the broad to the main Hoveton-Horning road B1354. Just up hill towards Hoveton formerly stood the Black Horse pub, which gave the broad its alternative name. A waterlogged footpath to the road was used by the Norfolk wherrymen as they made their way to the pub.^[1] Like Martham Broad and Horsey Mere, this broad is closed for navigation in the winter months, to enable the waterbirds to breed. There are no staithes on the shore of the broad for public mooring and no shore based facilities.

Pound End Broad

One end of the broad is partially enclosed by projecting spits of land and known as Pound End Broad. It is a mixed coarse fishery^[2] and is closed permanently to watercraft. A bird exclosure was built here in the mid 1990s to protect an area of marginal vegetation, preventing water plants being damaged by coots. Keeping the birds out of this area had the incidental effect of creating a fish refuge, heavily used by all the resident species of fish, numbers of which increased compared to fish in the main broad.^[3]

'The Invasion of Black Horse Broad', 1949

In the mid-20th century, Hoveton Little Broad played a role in the historical dispute between landowners and the public over rights of access to private broads. Since time immemorial, all Broadland waters had been considered part of the King's River and thus freely accessible to all. However, in the 19th century, several Norfolk landowners prevented access to broads in their ownership from the main river network under the inclosure acts. Boatbuilder Herbert Woods led a public campaign against the landowners' action, culminating in the 'invasion of Black Horse Broad' in March 1949. Woods and 30 local men dismantled the barrier that the landowner had placed across Black Horse Dyke. This direct action resulted in an agreement with the broad's owner, who agreed to open the broad to the public each year between Easter and mid-September. However, this campaign did not lead to the re-opening of other closed broads.^[4]

52°42′20″N1°27′0″E / 52.70556°N 1.45000°E / 52.70556; 1.45000

Related Research Articles

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">Wroxham</span> Human settlement in England

Wroxham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Wroxham has an area of 6.21 square kilometres, and in 2001, had a population of 1,532 in 666 households. A reduced population of 1,502 in 653 households was noted in the 2011 Census. The village is situated within the Norfolk Broads on the south side of a loop in the middle reaches of the River Bure. It lies in an elevated position above the Bure, between Belaugh Broad to the west, and Wroxham Broad to the east and south east. Wroxham is some eight miles north-east of Norwich, to which it is linked by the A1151 road. The village and broad lie in an area of fairly intensive agriculture, with areas of wet woodland adjoining the broad and river. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of Broadland although the river, broad and their immediate environs fall within the executive area of the Broads Authority. On the northern side of the Bure is the village of Hoveton, often confused with Wroxham.

Horning is an ancient village and parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 11 km² and had a population of approximately 1,100 in the 2021 census. Horning parish lies on the northern bank of the River Bure south of the River Thurne and is located in The Broads National Park. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of North Norfolk, although areas alongside the rivers and broads fall into the executive area of the Broads Authority.

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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 and a pub which closed in late 2015. In 2020, an adjacent property opened as a bistro. The area is not accessible by public road.

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The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in the Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, 11 miles (18 km) upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is 10 miles (16 km) downstream at Coltishall Bridge. After Aylsham Lock and Burgh Bridge, the Bure passes through Buxton Lammas, Coltishall, Belaugh, Wroxham, Horning, past St. Benet's Abbey, through Oby, Acle, Stokesby, along the northern border of the Halvergate Marshes, through Runham and Great Yarmouth where it meets Breydon Water and flows into the sea at Gorleston.

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The River Ant is a tributary river of the River Bure in the county of Norfolk, England. It is 27 kilometres (17 mi) long, and has an overall drop of 27 metres from source to mouth. It is said that the Ant was formerly known as the River Smale and that this is the origin of the name of the village of Smallburgh.

The North Walsham and Dilham Canal is a waterway in the English county of Norfolk. It was authorised by Parliament in 1812, but work on the construction of a canal which ran parallel to a branch of the River Ant did not start until 1825. It included six locks, which were sized to accommodate wherries, and was officially opened in August 1826. It was 8.7 miles (14.0 km) long and ran from two bone mills at Antingham to a junction with the River Ant at Smallburgh. It carried offal for the bone mills and agricultural products, as it proved cheaper to land coal on the beach at Mundesley and cart it overland than to use the canal.

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Castle Marshes is a 71 hectare nature reserve west of Lowestoft in Suffolk. It is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Barnby Broad and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest the Broadland Ramsar internationally important wetland site, the Broadland Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation.

Broad Fen, Dilham is a 38.4-hectare (95-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-east of Norwich in Norfolk. It is part of the Broadland Ramsar site and Special Protection Area and The Broads Special Area of Conservation.

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Crostwick Marsh is an 11.6-hectare (29-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Crostwick, north of Norwich in Norfolk. It is part of the Broadland Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation.

Limpenhoe Meadows is a 12-hectare (30-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Reedham in Norfolk. It is part of the Broadland Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation.

Poplar Farm Meadows, Langley is a 7.5-hectare (19-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Loddon in Norfolk. It is part of the Broadland Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation.

Burgh Common and Muckfleet Marshes is a 121.5-hectare (300-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Fleggburgh in Norfolk. It is part of the Broadland Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation.

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References

↑ "Canal and river network | Canal & River Trust".
↑ http://www.globalnature.org/bausteine.net/file/showfile.aspx?downdaid=7106&domid=1011&fd=2 ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-05-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

http://www.broadsnet.co.uk/riverbure2/

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[1] "Canal and river network | Canal & River Trust".

[2] ttp://www.globalnature.org/bausteine.net/file/showfile.aspx?downdaid=7106&domid=1011&fd=2 ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}

[3] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-05-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[4] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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