The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.
This film is part of Free
Here and There in East Anglia
Three local history stories about boats – a racing yacht built 1827, locks giving boats access along the River Stour, and the herring drifters fishing from Great Yarmouth.
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Overview
Three stories remembering past ways of life. The first is about the lateen-rigged Norfolk Broads racing yacht ‘Maria’ built 1827 and rediscovered 1969. The second concerns access for small boats along the River Stour between Manningtree and Flatford Mill on the Essex/Suffolk border with construction of the Cattawade Barrage. In the third story, Charlie Moll, retired fisherman and lightshipman, remembers the herring industry at Great Yarmouth in its heyday.
The yacht ‘Maria’ is now on display at the Museum of the Broads at Stalham, Norfolk. In her heyday, she was so fast that other yacht owners refused to compete with her. The Cattawade Barrier continues to provide flood and tidal defence. The shallower water is popular for canoes and other small craft, but through passage for boats was lost. The herring fishing from Great Yarmouth declined, ending in the 1960s. Charlie Moll gives his opinion that neglect of the spawning grounds during the Second World War led to the decline of the herring shoals.
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