North Walsham churchyard sculptures unveiled

Two ploughshare sculptures have just been installed in the grounds of St Nicholas Church in North Walsham, along with a descriptive interpretation board. Tony Rothe reports.

The sculptures are the work of local artist Berni Marfleet, and tell the history of North Walsham and its surrounding area - one, pictured above, is about the early history before the Industrial Revolution and the other, below, is about the last 200 years, and the interpretation board explains the significance of the old tools and machinery parts featured on the ploughs.
 
Tools and other "found" objects have been welded to two large ploughshares to represent events and activities in the town through the ages. There's a brief description of each item on the board and their significance together with a QR code to link with other local websites such as the Heritage Centre, the Paston Society, the Archive Group, the Town Council etc where more detailed information is available.
 
Berni said, “The aim is to provide an entertaining way of learning about the history of the town we live in both for residents, visitors and also for those who will be joining us here in the future especially given the major expansion of the town planned for the next 15 years. It is particularly focused at younger people, hopefully giving them a sense of place and belonging to a rich and proud local tradition and heritage and also an opportunity to find out and explore more.”
 
David Warner, the vicar, hosted the launch at the church on Thursday 19 October, which was also attended by Bob Wright, North Walsham Mayor, and several other local residents.
 
This project is sponsored by the town council, funded by a grant from the Community Shop and supported by the church and other community bodies in the town such as the Heritage Centre. The sculptures were commissioned by North Walsham Town Council/ Regenerate North Walsham CIC, as a part of the Market Towns Initiative funded works to the area. They were intended to signpost the steps down to St Nicholas Court and to highlight and help promote the community's ownership of North Walsham's rich and ancient heritage.
 
Mr Wright said, “We hope that the sculptures will encourage residents and visitors, especially younger generations, to explore our past through the QR code on the board that links to the Heritage Group's website. I think it's been a great example of how different organisations and groups such as the Church, Heritage Group, Archive Group and Paston Society have come together to help deliver this. In particular, the Community Shop, whose founder, the late Paul Oakes, had the initial idea, has generously funded much of the work.”

The top picture shows Berni Marfleet, left, with North Walsham vicar, David Warner. Both photos are courtesy of Berni Marfleet.
 

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