4.2 Celebrating River Heritage

To engage local communities and visitors in the rich heritage of the Brecks Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape through a series of exhibitions that bring to life little know aspects of the area’s history

To celebrate the little-known aspects of the Brecks heritage, including the story of the Vikings in the Brecks

To unlock the vaults and make archives available to communities by supporting local museums to exhibit fragile artefacts.

To deliver a series of 5 local mobile exhibitions celebrating the Fen Edge and River corridors, working in partnership with museums in the project area

During the period of East Anglia’s Viking contact from the 9th to 11th centuries, Thetford prospered. Straddling the Thet and Little Ouse rivers, the town became one of the largest settlements in the country, later acquiring the soubriquet ‘Ancient Capital of East Anglia’.

This project will deliver a series of exhibitions and activities that unlock the historical archives in Norfolk and Suffolk to celebrate lost stories from the history of the Brecks Fen Edge & Rivers LP area.

By working in partnership with Museums in the Scheme area as well as Norfolk and Suffolk Counties’ Records Centres, Historic Environment Services and Archaeological Services, it will engage with local interest group such as the Teenage history Club in Thetford, the Hockwold History Group and The Breckland Society, the project will explore the little-known story of how Vikings came to the Brecks using the main rivers, to bring new awareness of this and other stories to local communities.

If you’d like to get involved in this project contact us for more information or to be added to the project mailing list: bfer.admin@suffolk.gov.uk