Homelea Farm in the distance centre of the photograph. June 2026 Homelea Farm is tucked away along a ‘driftway’ off Penhill Road. The road has also been known as Penhill Lane and Pen Hill. In Part I, we established that the farmhouse was probably built between 1843 and 1861. The property has also been known…
Category: Howchen
The Owners & Occupiers of Homelea Farm – Part IV
Extract from the map attached to a Conveyance dated 11 October 1964Courtesy J & A Hughes Homelea Farm is tucked away along a ‘driftway’ off Penhill Road. In Part I, we established that the farmhouse was probably built between 1843 and 1861. We took the history forward to 1879, when the property was occupied by…
Stephen Houchen taken into Custody by the Norwich Police
In the Autumn of 1863, Great Ellingham born Stephen Houchen became embroiled in a case of robbery in Norwich. It involved his association with widow Susan Bayes. The Guildhall, Norwich. 23 September 1934. George Plunkett. georgeplunkett.co.uk The case was brought before the Magistrates at the Guildhall in Norwich. On the 20th February 1864, the Norfolk…
Great Ellingham born Harry Houchen appointed Headmaster at the Londonderry School of Art
Great Ellingham born Harry Houchen 1870-1914.Courtesy Christian Humphries. (Harry’s 1st cousin 3x removed) I am always thrilled to hear from anyone with family connections to the past people of Great Ellingham. A recent email dropping into my inbox is no exception. I learnt from the email that in 1869, Great Ellingham born James Houchen married…
The Prince of Wales & the Cottages in Watton Road
The three pairs of semi-detached cottages with the former Prince of Wales Inn to the right along the Watton to Attleborough Road. March 2026Courtesy Alison Crowter The Prince of Wales Inn and the three pairs of semi-detached cottages (six in all) may have been built at a similar time i.e. between 1843 and 1868. Extract…
Francis Colman Negus’s Tenure of Great Ellingham Hall
Great Ellingham Hall 1960sCourtesy of Susan Fay Great Ellingham Hall and the ‘Ellingham estate’ came into the ownership of the Coleman family in 1712. Francis Coleman purchased the estate from the Potts family. Francis Coleman’s Children The surnames ‘Coleman’ and ‘Colman’ are consistently interchangeable in records. However on the most part, ‘Colman’ seems to be…
Hingham Road Dwellings at the turn of the 19th Century
At the beginning of the 19th century, Great Ellingham had around 655 inhabitants. These villagers were housed in some 97 dwellings. That’s an average of 6.75 persons per household! However, some dwellings will be occupied by one or two persons, with others accommodating much larger households. Dwellings The main clusters of houses were in Church…
Smallholder & General Dealer, William Dove, buys 3 Dwellings in Long Street
On the 25th October, 1920, Great Ellingham farmer, William Edward Victor Dove purchased three dwellings in Long Street, Great Ellingham. He also bought a nearby acre and a half of land. The sellers were the executors of the late James Houchen, who had died in Great Ellingham on the 29th December, 1916. The three dwellings…
Great Ellingham Property Owner & Carpenter James Houchen
James Houchen was a Great Ellingham man ‘born and bred’. From his birth in 1847 until his death in 1916, James Houchen lived his entire life in Great Ellingham – and, quite possibly, in Long Street. At one time, James’s parents, Francis and Matilda Houchen lived at a farm towards the southern end of Long…
The Baptist’s Meeting House in Long Street
Members of the Baptist Church have met together in Great Ellingham since at least 1699. The semi-circular tablet in the front wall of the chapel gives the year ‘1699’. However this is the year of the formation of a Baptist Church in Great Ellingham, and not when the building was built. The chapel was built…