About the booklets

How it all started

Late in 1995 Chris Crease & Carol Carpenter were asked to research & write the text for the local history display boards in the Heritage Centre to be set up in the Priest's Room in Holy Trinity Church, Loddon.

They began by approaching a local man, Michael Gunton, who had been collecting photographs of old Loddon for many years. He was very helpful and lent them many pictures to copy.

Having decided on themes for the display boards they began hunting out elderly people who might remember the 'old times' and things just grew! The 'old timers' suggested others who could tell a thing or two or who had old photos or postcards they could use. Everyone was keen to chat and happy to lend pictures for them to copy.

Having finished the display boards and seen the Priest's Room opened, they were left with lots of pictures and stories not used, particularly of Chedgrave, the village adjoining but separate from Loddon, which didn't feature in the church display. So they checked their facts and details and wrote their first little Local History Booklet, 'Chedgrave Street'.

Several of the old ladies Chris & Carol had talked to whilst researching would get carried away with the story, then stop and say, sympathetically, "well, 'cos you 'ont remember, it were before your time, dear" and so the overall title of what became a series of booklets was born - Before Your Time.

Twelve short books in the Before Your Time series were produced, they are:

Chedgrave Street Down by the Riverside          Medical Matters 

Accidents & Disasters

Aspects of War & More Aspects of War         When the Old Town Hall was New

School Days & Beyond                                             Whose Name is it Anyway

Lady Dionisis Williamson                    Our Noble Hero Aelfric Modercope

Loddon A Guided Historical Walk.

The Guided Historical Walk has been edited and reprinted several times.

Chedgrave Street and Down by the Riverside have been updated in the book:

The Changing Face of Chedgrave and the Riverside.

Aspects of War has replaced the two books on wartime.

Langley with Hardley a trip through time in this Norfolk village is a new book.