Chalet on Norfolk Broads made from old helter-skelter receives listed status
It has been listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, alongside four other waterside chalets.
A former end-of-the-pier helter-skelter that was converted into a holiday cottage is among five “characterful” waterside chalets on the Norfolk Broads to receive listed status.
The fairground ride started life on Britannia Pier in Great Yarmouth and, following a fire in 1909, its remains were transported to Potter Heigham.
Its lower section was used to create the two-storey holiday cottage Dutch Tutch in 1910, and winding timber stairs in an enclosed stair tower are reminiscent of its original use as a helter-skelter.
It has been listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, alongside four other waterside chalets.
These include prefabricated structures by the company who created Scott’s Antarctic expedition huts, and one of the only remaining eel setts – a place for eel catchers to put out nets at night – in England.
Duncan Wilson, Historic England chief executive, said: “These characterful buildings are special to the Broads National Park and it’s important that they are protected and celebrated.”
Waterside chalets were initially built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for an expanding holiday market consisting mainly of affluent city dwellers who sought refuge from urban life within the wild and undeveloped Broads.
Pleasure boating had become increasingly popular by this time, and the Broads also offered the opportunity to fish and shoot.
Some of the most popular areas for waterside chalets were around villages with links to major towns and cities, and those which offered existing recreational facilities.
Kayleigh Judson, Broads Authority heritage planning officer, said: “We are delighted that these well-loved Broads chalets have met the national criteria for listing due to their historic and architectural significance.
“Each one tells its own unique story about bygone eras in the Broads.
“The waterside is a harsh environment, and these structures are particularly vulnerable to change.
The bungalow Tower View is thought to have been erected in the first decade of the 20th century.
It was created using prefabricated materials produced by Boulton & Paul Limited, a Norwich-based firm which created the huts for Scott’s Antarctic expedition.
There is evidence that the current building began life as two huts that were bolted together end to end.
The tradition of eel catching in the Broads dates to the medieval period and there were many setts along the rivers in Norfolk, but numbers dramatically started to dwindle in the 20th century.
Staithcote in Wroxham was originally built in 1911 as a boathouse and was extended with the addition of a waterside chalet above by 1913.
Much of the furniture present in The Holt is originally from Mr Boning’s shop.
