Both human visitors and migrating birds flock to this part of the stunning North Norfolk coast, for every season offers something magical at Wells-next-the-Sea, the Holkham Estate and its glorious surrounding countryside.
Magnificent Holkham estate pioneers nature-friendly farming, following in the footsteps of reforming 18th century owner/farmer Thomas Coke, whose impact on the landscape remains significant to this day. The grazing marshes along Lady Anne’s Drive, from Holkham Park to the beach, are managed to benefit wintering wildfowl, especially Wigeon, Brent and Pink-footed Geese.
Wells-next-the-Sea began as a fishing village and thrived as a seaport. Today the picturesque quayside, whose ancient buildings were associated with the historic barley trade, bustles more with visitors than commercial fishermen. But the Port of Wells still welcomes vessels safely home, as it has done for hundreds of years.
Look out for the old granary, with its impressive gantry (now accommodation) and the old malthouse on Staithe Street, given new life as a fabulous arts, heritage and community centre.
One of the town’s oldest houses was actually built in Hertfordshire! When May Savidge discovered her 500-year-old timber framed home was to be demolished, she moved it brick-by-brick and beam-by-beam over 100 miles to Wells-next-the-Sea. In 1970 she began reconstructing it, by herself. When she died, twenty-three years later, she still hadn’t finished and Ware Hall-House was left to her niece, who completed the task.
