Retracting our footsteps through history
Let's Talk|May 2020
What do a maharajah and a TV captain have in common? Before having to stay at home, Derek James and his grandson Gabriel went to Thetford to find out.
Derek James
Retracting our footsteps through history

When I was growing up in the Norfolk of the 1950s the last place I wanted to be was in a museum.

I remember a school visit to Norwich Castle where a large gentleman in a uniform kept telling us to keep moving and not to touch anything.

It was many years later when I returned . . . what a difference!

Today our museums across Norfolk and Suffolk really have got their act together and are places where the young and young at heart get a warm welcome. They come in all shapes and sizes and they have wonderful stories to tell – and tell them in a way which will interest people of all ages.

On the borders of Norfolk and Suffolk is a place called Thetford. Back in the 1970s we lived there and I have always had a soft spot for this town like no other.

Our daughter Verity visited the Ancient House Museum when she was at school there so, when her son Gabriel said he wanted to go to what he called the Tudor house, it was a good excuse to head back to the town.

On the journey Gabriel, who is seven, was telling me things about the Great Fire of London and the Second World War which I didn’t know. And he added: “A Tudor house is quite old.” That’s true.

Denne historien er fra May 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA LET'S TALKSe alt
STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford
Let's Talk

STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford

It’s something we all recall with delight. “Mum, it’s the ice cream man!” Let’s Talk’s motoring man David Clayton meets someone happy to be the owner of a Bedford ice cream van. Bring on the Strawberry Mivvis, choc ices and 99s ...

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning
Let's Talk

Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning

Let’s Talk’s surnames expert Derek Palgrave, from Suffolk, researches three more of our readers’ names, the first of which probably stems from the geographical presence of a beautiful hill.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2020
Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love
Let's Talk

Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love

Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox has been trawling through some books to find words of wisdom from so many people about gardening and farming. Here she shares just a few.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2020
Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto
Let's Talk

Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto

For actress Vicki Michelle, Christmas usually means performing in panto. But, due the coronavirus pandemic, this year will be different. Vicki speaks to Rachel Banham about her plans for the festive season, her outlook on life and her fond memories of filming in East Anglia.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2020
Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS
Let's Talk

Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS

He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2020
TURNING 50
Let's Talk

TURNING 50

Here at Let’s Talk we recognise that our magazine is targeted at those aged 50 and older. So we hope we are always fair to our readers and to the older generation in general. But it seems many believe other media and businesses do not treat older people in the best way.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2020
THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh
Let's Talk

THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh

He is one of the most popular celebrities on television at the moment. He’s a comedian, singer, actor, personality and probably the best quiz show host doing the rounds. David Clayton looks back to when Bradley Walsh came to Cromer.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE
Let's Talk

The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE

Claire Manion, of Norfolk-based Broadsky Astrology, looks at how we have always honoured the winter solstice, our shortest day.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2020
PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow
Let's Talk

PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow

In view of such uncertainty hanging over the rest of this year – and possibly well beyond – it was hard to come up with a suitable offering for December in his usual style, says Keith Skipper. So, he has decided to settle for a festive story set in 1951, that he wrote some time ago.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2020
Friends
Let's Talk

Friends

Readers of our short stories don’t have to have long memories to recall work by Anne Maxwell, who had a previous short story entry published in the summer.

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2020