Farming our Land (Volume 1)

The town of King’s Lynn lies on the banks of the River Ouse and is surrounded by rich farming land.  Its key position, as a market for farm produce and as a centre for export, meant it was at the heart of the local agricultural industry.  It is also uniquely placed between the loamy soils of the uplands and the dark peat of the Fen.

Over the years the landscape has changed dramatically, most notably during the large-scale drainage of the fenland.  This made previously un-usable swamp land into the most productive agricultural land in the country.  However, whilst the draining of the fen brought more land into production, it also created problems for farmers to overcome.

There have been many changes in the farming industry.  Working methods have moved from hand worked strip farming during the medieval period, to the intensive mechanical methods we use today.  Transportation has also changed, from horses dragging wagons across rutted droves, to trains taking milk to the London markets. There were opportunities for farming innovation, such as crop rotation developed by Turnip Townsend, and the production and use of fertilisers developed by the West Norfolk Fertiliser factory.

Over the years agriculture has continually developed and changed.  Processes have become mechanised and workers' roles have had to evolve.  Transportation has developed and the markets have expanded.  However, through local innovation and far sightedness, Lynn and its surrounding farmland have always managed to bring the harvest home. Narrated by Roy Marsden.

Land of Tradition (Volume 2)

This is the story of some of the farming traditions passed down by rural communities surrounding the Norfolk town of King’s Lynn. Using archive film, photographs and dramatised sequences this DVD follows the lives of those who attempted to make a living from the land.

Traditional skills and crafts featured in this programme include wildfowling, the gathering of reeds for thatching, the making of wicker objects and rugs and the digging of peat for fuel. Women would sell butter they had churned or cider they had brewed at the local markets. Poachers supplemented their family’s meals by trapping game, risking severe punishment if caught. Also featured are the blacksmith and the miller whose skills underpinned the rural communities.

Pioneering businesses, such as the canners Beaulahs and Lin-Can, provided employment for local families. Archive film of the full canning process in the 1960s is featured. The factory’s fieldsman is seen making the necessary quality checks on the carrots and strawberries before they were harvested and transported to the factory. It was a precision operation with every effort made to ensure the produce was canned at its freshest.

Many other rural traditions were enjoyed by the men and women. As the fen land froze over, workers would put on skates and compete for prizes by racing each other on the ice. The seasons of the year were marked and celebrated with events like Plough Monday and the harvest festival, which signified the end of the agricultural year. Narrated by Roy Marsden.