A brief history of The Broads

They may have the appearance of a very natural environment, but the Norfolk Broads are totally man-made, having evolved over 2,000 years. During Roman times, much of East Anglia was under the sea and in the dark ages, when the waters had receded, peat deposits were dug from the area and used for fuel. Such abundant resources saw the area thrive and it became an established centre for farming and wool.

However, in medieval times, the peat pits began to flood and had to be abandoned. This left a network of waterways ideal for transport and commerce and industry boomed, making Norwich the second largest city in 16th century Britain.

In the 1700s, drainage windmills were built to drain the surrounding fens, leaving marshland which was ideal for grazing cattle. Fishing, wildfowling and reedcutting also flourished. The distinctive wherry, a barge-type sailing vessel with huge black sails, dominated the Norfolk Broads in the 19th century with several hundred navigating the shallow, narrow channels of the Broads to ship goods to and from the coast.

As railways were built, visitors also came from the cities to enjoy the area and pleasure wherries began to replace those built for trade.

By the dawn of the 20th century, marshmen worked on the land, maintaining the dykes and water levels, grazing cattle and making a living from the abundant resources of reed, hay, fish and wildfowl. However, many of them left to fight in the two world wars, never to return, and large areas of the Broads fell into neglect and decline.

Today, a careful management programme is in place to ensure the remaining wetlands are properly cared for.

The Broads are the most species rich fenlands in lowland Britain with more than 250 plants species, many of which cannot be found anywhere else in the country. There are also many rare animals such as the Norfolk hawker dragonfly, the leopard reed moth, swallowtail butterfly, water vole, bearded tit and marsh harrier.

As a man-made landscape, if left to its own devices the Broads would revert to trees and eventually the waterways would fill in and valuable habitats would be lost, so the Broads Authority has developed a restoration and conservation strategy with its partners to keep the scrub down and the waterways and fens open.