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Publications

Over the years serveral books have been written and published by local authors relating to the history of Thorpe St Andrew.
Some of them are still available to purchase.

Thorpe St Andrew - A Revised History by Trevor Nuthall

Thorpe St Andrew - A Revised History.

TREVOR NUTHALL
PRICE £10
This is a newlrevised version of Trevor’s book, first published in 2002, It takes the form of an imaginary two mile journey along the Yarmouth Road, starting at Harvey Lane and ending at Boundary Lane. 
In taking this journey It tells the story of the growth of Thorpfrom the mediaeval period up to the nineteenth century andescribes many of the buildings  some of which are  No longer there – that lined the road.
It is available from  local book shops.
Thorpe St Andrew War Memorial by John Balls

Thorpe St Andrew War Memorial.

JOHN BALLS
PRICE £5
Published in 2014 to coincide with the centennial commemorations of the outbreak of the First World War John’s Lavishly illustrated book is a carefully researched tribute to the men who died during that conflict and whose names are recorded on the Thorpe war memorial on River Green. It includes servicemen of many different backgrounds such as Captain Frank Haldenstein, son of wealthy shoe manufacturer Alfred Haldenstein of Thorpe Lodge, killed in France in 1917, and Claude Kysh, who died of wounds after the end of the war in November 1918.
Thorpe St Andrew War Memorial can be obtained direct from John Balls on 01603 433712 or email john1912@btinternet.com

Origins of the Street and Road Names of Thorpe St Andrew.

DALE WISEMAN & ROGER POINTER
SOLD OUT but a second hand copy may be found online or in local book shops.
Written by Thorpe men Dale Wiseman and Roger Pointer this new book is a gazetteer of the town’s road and street names in a handy volume. 
Their research has enabled them to provide the detail behind the signs we pass every day. It also includes essays on some of the more interesting names linked to Thorpe such as Boulton and Paul and the Caston Family.

Thorpe People.

VARIOUS AUTHORS
PRICE £8.50 or £10 delivered

Thorpe People is a cooperative venture containing articles written by John Balls, Lesley Barrett, Pam Harwood, Richard Johnson, Malcolm Martins, Nick Williams, and Dale Wiseman. It features 24 biographies of people who over the past 350 years have played an important part in the life of Thorpe St Andrew as it has grown and changed, from Mary Chapman, the founder of the Bethel Hospital to Janet Smith, the founder of the first Thorpe History Group. It includes many of the so called ‘great and good’ who owned much of the area such as John Harvey and William Birkbeck, but also includes those who made their own way in life such as the Hobrough family and Charles Fox.

Available from Nick Williams spinney72@aol.com 

From a Wagon to the Web.

DALE WISEMAN & ROGER POINTER
PRICE £5 plus £2 P&P.
This book by Dale Wiseman and Roger Pointer is about some of the shops and shopkeepers that have served the Thorpe area since the times of Queen Victoria. There have been many large families of shopkeepers, some of which have been around for over sixty years. The development and change in shopping habits also plays an important part of this story. Many shops are featured including butchers, bakers, newsagents and post offices. The impact of rationing and the delivery service became another important cog of the everyday shop. Who could forget the impact of the supermarket style of shopping, but this appears to have made the Thorpe picture more diverse and interesting.
The book is available from Dale Wiseman dale.wiseman@ntlworld.com
Snippets 1895 - 1995

Snippets 1895 - 1995.

HARRY BARBER MBE, JANET SMITH & VIVIENNE ROBERTS
PRICE £3.50
This illustrated book records events from the Parish Council minutes from 1895-1995. It also records events from 1844 to 1892 prior to the formation of the council. The information in the book was put together by Harry Barber, MBE (a previous Clerk to the Council), Miss Janet Smith and Mrs Vivienne Roberts of Thorpe History Group. It is interesting to see the massive changes made in Thorpe St. Andrew since 1844 when it was a tiny village mainly centred on the riverside to the much more densely populated Town of 14,000 people we have today. The council minutes record in an honest way all the civic events of those years. 
The book is available from the Town Council. Tel: 01603 701048. Email: office@thorpestandrew-tc.gov.uk
Snippets 1995 - 2012

Snippets 1995 - 2012.

MALCOLM MARTINS
PRICE £3.50
This book compiled by Malcolm Martins follows on from the original Snippets and covers the years when further development took place and Thorpe St. Andrew became a town. It starts with phase 3 of Dussindale and ends with proposals to develop Pinebanks and Griffin Lane. At the rear is a reprint of the original illustrated sales catalogue of Caston & Son, the builders who built a large part of the North of Thorpe. Thanks to Paul Caston for giving us the copy. Find out how much your house cost when new and what was included. 
The book is also available from the Town Council. Tel: 01603 701048. Email: office@thorpestandrew-tc.gov.uk

Thorpe St Andrew 1939-45. The War Memorial.

JOHN BALLS & DALE WISEMAN
PRICE £9
War memorials are an important part of the history of a place. They give us details of the names on them, but they are a permanent reminder of a time and a sacrifice by many individuals and their families. These individuals have a place in our thoughts and remembrance is just as important today as it was when this particular tablet was placed on the Rrver Green 85 years ago. Some of the stories that have been uncovered are extraordinary and the response of many current families has been remarkable. Their dedication through photographs and information supplied has been highly valued in this project.These stories will now live on to the next generations of families and the people of Thorpe. 
The book is available from Dale Wiseman dale.wiseman@ntlworld.com

The Public Houses and Pleasure Gardens of Thorpe St Andrew.

NICK WILLIAMS
SOLD OUT but may be available in the local library.
Public houses have been an important part of life in Thorpe St Andrew since the seventeenth century or earlier.Several that exist today have welcomed customers for hundreds of years. Over the decades the nature of those pubs has changed-most now concentrate on providing food. No longer are they the venues where inquests are held, where the churchwardens enjoy a feast or where water frolics are held. Pubs have come and gone-fallen into disuse and awaiting demolition or converted to alternative use.New ones were built with great expectations but struggled to survive and closed. However, Thorpe retains a nucleus of public houses which serve beer and food and provide a warm welcome. This is their story – the events that took place in them, the landlords that ran them and the customers who used them. Cheers.

The Great Thorpe Railway Disaster 1874.

PHYLLIDA SCRIVENS
PRICE £14.99
At Norwich Thorpe Station on 10 September 1874, a momentary misunderstanding between the Stationmaster, Night Inspector and young Telegraph Clerk, resulted in an inevitable head on collision. The residents of the picturesque riverside village of Thorpe-Next-Norwich were shocked by a “deafening peal of thunder” sending them running through the driving rain towards a scene of destruction. Surgeons were summoned from the city, as the dead, dying and injured were taken to a nearby inn and boatyard. Every class of Victorian society was travelling that night,including ex-soldiers, landowners, clergymen, doctors,seamstresses, saddlers, domestic servants and a beautiful heiress.