Ranworth Broad
Ranworth Broad is one of the famous Norfolk Broads; an expanse of water lying in the valley of the River Bure in Norfolk. Like other broads, it is believed to have been formed by the flooding of mediaeval peat workings. It is joined to neighbouring Malthouse Broad by a narrow channel.[1]
The broad is a short distance from the village of Ranworth and is overlooked by the tower of the parish church of St Helen. A traditional reed lighter (a vessel used to transport reeds, harvested for use as thatch) called the 'Helen' now ferries visitors between Ranworth Broad and Malthouse Broad.
Nature reserve
Ranworth is one of the nature reserves in the care of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.[2]
The reserve consists of 7.4 acres of open water, wet grassland, alder carr (wet woodland) and scrub; it has a floating visitor centre, a boardwalk and a bird observation hide.
Miscellany
The poet and critic Edward Thomas spent a holiday on a houseboat on Ranworth Broad with his son and a group of friends in the summer of 1913 at the invitation of the poet and writer Eleanor Farjeon, while Thomas's wife Helen was in Switzerland.[3]
References
- ↑ Page, Mike: A Broads-Eye View, Halsgrove 2005 p21, p84
- ↑ Norfolk Wildlife Trust - Ranworth Broad
- ↑ Hollis, Matthew: Now All Roads Lead to France - The Last Years of Edward Thomas, Faber & Faber 2011
52°41′6″N 1°28′53″E / 52.685°N 1.48139°ECoordinates: 52°41′6″N 1°28′53″E / 52.685°N 1.48139°E
