Normal for Norfolk

Famous local people

It was an entertaining evening at Old Buckenham Social and Wine Circle when one of the regular speakers, Chris Weston, came to talk about “East Anglian sons and daughters”. It was amazing to hear about local people who became famous and did great things.
There was Robert Bond who opened a drapery shop in Ber Street, Norwich, in 1879, claimed to have sold a thousand hats on just one Sunday’s trading, whose shop was bombed in 1942 and has now become John Lewis.
George Formby was someone with a love of the Norfolk Broads, lived and sailed near Wroxham and reputedly was paid £3000 a week at the height of his career.
Sarah Glover was born in Norwich in 1786. In trying to teach music to children, she hit upon a system of notation she called 'the Norwich Sol-fa'. It came to the notice of John Curwen, who made certain alterations to it, and his Tonic Sol-fa gained wide popularity - not least in The Sound of Music!
Richard Lewis Hearne, born in Norwich during 1908, was an English actor, comedian, producer and writer. He was famous for his stage and television character Mr Pastry. Some of the audience at the meeting could remember him putting on entertainment in Old Buckenham during their youth.
Eminio William Louis Marchesi, who died in 1968, founded the Round Table, a fellowship and community charitable organisation for young businessmen which now exists worldwide..
On August 25, 1804, York racecourse hosted the first know horserace to feature a female jockey competing against a male jockey. This was Alicia Meynell, who also came from Norfolk.
Most local of these famous people was Lionel Robinson, born in Australia but who lived at Old Buckenham Hall and installed the cricket ground that once hosted the famous game between an English XI and the Australian team.
The October meeting will be about local history with Cliff Amos of the Attleborough Heritage Group coming to talk about Attleborough fire station through the ages. Why not come along to the Church Rooms at 7.45pm on Thursday 14 October for an entertaining and educational evening.