By becoming a sponsor there are a couple of other paths around High Ash Farm that we can now walk and enjoy and so another visit is definitely on the cards.
Today we made the short journey to the back of Ketteringham to walk in the Ladybelt Country Park. It's a short drive from Hethersett (2.8 miles to be precise so you could walk from the village if you would like a long ramble, although quite a bit of it is on roads without paths). I think if we had walked there and back we wouldn't have had enough energy to enjoy the park. As it was, we walked round twice and through some nooks and crannies and that made a distance of just over three miles.
The Ladybelt is an interesting piece of parkland. It was once part of the Ketteringham Hall Estate and, during the walk, you can look across at Ketteringham Hall, although there is no access. It was owned by Sir John Boulieau, an eminent Victorian figure from a family that, should we say, have a few skeletons in their cupboards (more about that at a later date). During the 18th and 19th centuries a landscape park was created and Ladybelt Wood on the southern boundary is thought to have been named after Sir John's wife Lady Catherine.
In the 1970s the area was part of Ketteringham Quarry which ceased trading in the late 1990s and the area was filled in and the quarry was given to East Carleton and Ketteringham Parish Council in 2013 and work started to enhance the site for public access and wildlife. Trees were planted, paths and mown grassland areas established and native shrubs and a wildflower meadow were planted to encourage wildlife.
The park also includes a Grade Two listed icehouse and two ponds which can be accessed by a small amount of exploration.
Details above were taken from the Ladybelt website which can be accessed at:
https://ladybeltcountrypark.wordpress.com/
I hope you enjoy the photographs at the top of the page.
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As promised this morning a few more details for football fans on the trio of Norwich City players I was photographed with.
As mentioned I didn't really remember Gary Rowell which is not surprising as he was one of those players who came to the club with a big reputation that didn't really work out (we seem to have had a number of those over the years the name Steven Naismith springs to mind).
Gary Rowell came to Norwich from Sunderland for whom he made 257 appearances. He played just six times for Norwich, scoring one goal, before moving to Middlesbrough. He is still a cult hero in Sunderland and has been voted their most influential player of all time and is in their football hall of fame.
David Watson (not to be confused with another David Watson who is probably better known and who also played for England) joined Norwich for £50,000 from Liverpool in November 1980 at the age of 19. He played 212 times for Norwich, scoring 11 goals, before signing from Everton for whom he made 419 appearances. He also gained 12 full England caps and went on to manage both Everton and Tranmere.
Steve Bruce played 141 times for Norwich and scored 14 goals. He came to the club from Gillingham for whom he made 205 appearances, scoring 29 goals. He left Norwich for Manchester United for whom he played 309 games. He also played for Birmingham and Sheffield United making a total of 737 appearances in all. He has successfully managed numerous teams and is currently in charge at Newcastle United.