Chaos Collective - The Assembly Rooms - 7.30pm - tickets £12 - available from The Green Parrot (01760 724704), The Community Centre (01760 722800), and on the door

Chaos Collective, formed in 2022, is a Norfolk based string quartet. Violinists Fran Mattishent and Rebecca Scott-Smissen, violist Rachel Stacy and cellist Ivan McCready met whilst performing together in a variety of ensembles in East Anglia. The aim of the ensemble is to embrace many different disciplines and encompass many different forms of music. Their programmes have included disparate works including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Roger Eno and Susie Self amongst others. They have reworked songs by Queen, film music including James Bond and folk music, giving their programmes an eclectic appeal.

After a year of events, funded by Historic England, we present the finale!

Family mosaic workshop with Carolyn Ash - The Assembly Rooms - 10.00am - 2.00pm - free entry

Feel the Finds - an opportunity to handle archeological finds, from the Bronze Age to the Modern Age - The Assembly Rooms - 10.00am - 2.00pm - free entry

Mapping the Market Place (Swaffham History Group) - a pictorial depiction of Swaffham over the years, plus children’s activities, displays, slide show of events from the last year - The Assembly Rooms - 10.00am - 2.00pm - free entry

Norfolk Rock Choir - The Buttercross - 10.30am - 11.15am - free entry

Keith Skipper (Norfolk Journalist) with Pat Nearney - Methodist Church - 11.30am - 12.30pm - free entry

Keith attended Hamond’s Grammar School from 1955 to 1962, biking from his home in Beeston to catch the train at Fransham. Swaffham is a special place for him, and he has many stories to tell!

Chaos Collective - The Assembly Rooms - 7.30pm - tickets £12 - available from The Green Parrot (01760 724704), The Community Centre (01760 722800), and on the door

Chaos Collective, formed in 2022, is a Norfolk based string quartet. Violinists Fran Mattishent and Rebecca Scott-Smissen, violist Rachel Stacy and cellist Ivan McCready met whilst performing together in a variety of ensembles in East Anglia. The aim of the ensemble is to embrace many different disciplines and encompass many different forms of music. Their programmes have included disparate works including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Roger Eno and Susie Self amongst others. They have reworked songs by Queen, film music including James Bond and folk music, giving their programmes an eclectic appeal.

Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the USAAF at North Pickenham Airfield, there will be a display of wartime vehicles outside The Assembly Rooms, courtesy of the Wartime and Vintage Store and the Museum.

The Harvest Horkey was a key part of August and September for many years in the 19th and 20th centuries and probably began with the three annual statute fairs dating from the 17th century, particularly with the May Fair.

“For the juvenile portion of the pleasure-seekers… there were the usual attractions in the shape of sweet-stands and gingerbread stalls etc, with an endless variety of amusements for children of larger growth.” (Norfolk News 16 May 1863)

“The pleasure fair was not up to the average, there not being any roundabouts present and the organ was greatly missed.” (Thursday 14 May 1896 Eastern Evening News)

At some time the pleasure fairs morphed into a Harvest Horkey and by 1951 show-woman Mrs Bell could say that her family had set up stalls on Market Hill for over 50 years at harvest time for a period of between 4 and 6 weeks. By then, however, the length of time was beginning to cause concern, partly because of late at night noise, but particularly from the market traders whose pitches were shunted from the Marketplace with the arrival of the fairground rides. In 1958 the real debate began when the then Chamber of Trade launched an appeal to the Urban District Council about the length of the Fair, its effect on businesses around the Marketplace and the difficulty of coach parking for visitors.

In 1961 the venue was switched to Campingland for just two weeks and with modern amusements. It was there again in 1964.

It was not to last, however. Despite pleas from residents for its return to Market Hill the Harvest Horkey succumbed shortly afterwards and apparently, going by the lack of newspaper reports, quite silently.

The 2023 Horkey will be a marketplace full of rides – from gallopers to robots and the normal fair sweetmeats.

Cost per person will be £3 for unlimited rides between 11am and 3pm.

Always associated with farming and food, Swaffham celebrates its agricultural history with a day of food and makers’ stalls and demonstrations.

A cookery theatre will be hosted by Norfolk cookery writer Mary Kemp, and demonstrations will include both local cuisine and food from far away.

The artisan exhibitors have been hand-picked to provide a broad spectrum of the best in the locality, showcasing a wide range of skills, personal journeys and stories.

Amongst the extras, there will be music by local and popular shantymen crew, Pot of Gold, plus a climbing wall for children and adults who dare!

Some History

Without agriculture Swaffham would have developed into an entirely different place – or maybe it would have remained a village?

It probably began with sheep. In 1084 Domesday tells us that there were 1½ mills, a fishery (interesting in a town with no water) and 200 sheep.  It was not a large place – nearby Dunham, for example had ½ market, 1 mill, 3 beehives, 19 cattle and 17 pigs – but no sheep.

However, over the medieval period Swaffham soon had the privilege of being attached to The Honour of Richmond with its many taxation and tolls advantages for traders. The pilgrim route to Walsingham as well as to Castle Acre and other nearby priories was also bringing in many visitors.  And so the market itself developed and the town became known on documents as “Swaffhammarket”.

By the 17th century there were three livestock fairs on or near the Marketplace and these continued into the 19th century.

When the railway arrived in 1847 things began to change. Little by little the population decreased as young people sought their fortune elsewhere; factory goods replaced the handmade ones of artisans, and eventually the sheep fairs moved to a meadow near the railway station.

Nevertheless, it was Swaffham who hosted the early Norfolk Agricultural Shows with Norwich turn and turn about.

The Plowright family brought agricultural engineering to Swaffham. From a blacksmith’s shop in the 18th century the firm developed into one of the best known agricultural businesses in the eastern region and were the main employers in the town for many years into the 20th century.

Reading through the censuses we find that the vast majority of men were agricultural labourers. We know from school absence records that children played an important part in bringing income to families – whether stone picking, bird scaring, acorn picking or beating for pheasants.

Newspaper reports over the 19th and 20 centuries record many instances of agricultural labourers

protesting and striking about poor pay and working conditions, although in the early 19° century

they appear to have been paid 2 shillings more a week than elsewhere. There is little evidence of

Swing Riots.

Agricultural workers came from all over the country to Swaffham as late as 1993 to protest against

the decision to withdraw the agricultural wages board.

Why Swaffham?

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at the time was local MP Mrs Gillian Shephard.

This is the beginning of a high profile and ambitious project funded by Historic England as part of the High Street/Historic Action Zone initiative and led by Swaffham History Group with the support of Swaffham and District Camera Club and the Swaffham Heritage Archive.

The target is to create a dedicated website on which a building may be chosen, showing an old and a new photograph, along with details of the building and the people associated with it.

The goal is that the website can be added to over time, such that, with the help of members of the whole community, we build a free-to-view archive of Swaffham history right up to present day times.

Pop in to the Assembly Rooms on Monday, 12 June between 10:00 and 15:00 to view a collection of old photos and maps. The pop in workshop showcases the work already undertaken by the Swaffham History Group and features the maps and images from the Swaffham Heritage Archive.

Come and see what we have done so far and help us fill the gaps.

If you have a story to tell – please allow us to capture it through the written word, orally, or via video.

If you have questions – please ask.

If we don’t know the answer we will endeavour to find out!

The world record for a cream tea event is 1088 people. Join our attempt to beat the record and help Swaffham make history! We ask for help from the following volunteers:

• Scone bakers

• Stewards

• Setter-uppers (12pm)

• Servers

• Taker-downers (4pm)

• Plus over 1089 people of all ages to enjoy a scone (gluten-free and vegan options will be available) and beverage!

  Bring your own chair and a brolly in case of inclement weather!

  Volunteer! Volunteer forms - and the scone recipe - are also available to collect from Swaffham Museum. Please complete paper copies and return to the Museum by 30 April.

  The rules - all participants (children are included) to eat a scone and have a drink, all between the hours of 1pm and 3pm.

  A shuttle bus service to take people to and from the Market Place will operate from Nicholas Hammond Academy and the Norwich and Pickenham Road junction between 12pm and 4pm.

Scone Recipe

• 450g/1lb self-raising flour

• 2 level tsp baking powder

• 50g/1.75 oz butter, softened, cut into pieces

• 2 free-range eggs

• a little milk

• handful sultanas (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 220c/200c fan/gas 7. Lightly grease two baking trays. Put the flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Crack the eggs into a measuring jug, then add enough milk to make the total liquid up to 300ml/10fl.oz. Stir the egg and milk into the flour - you may not need it all - and mix to a soft, sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead lightly and work in the sultanas if using. Roll out to a rectangle about 2cm/three quarter inch thick. Cut into as many rounds as possible with a fluted 5cm/2in cutter and place them on the prepared baking trays. Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk, or any egg and milk left in the tub. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the scones are well risen and a pale, gold-brown colour. Lift onto a wire rack to cool.