HISTORY
History of Diss Here, avid Postcard collector and local
the street. The greatest
historian Dennis Cross shares some of his
event of all came more
historical postcards from his extensive
than 250 years later in
collection…
1891, when the Mere
Farming was the foundation of the area’s wealth and helped build the prosperity of towns like Diss. Diss is mentioned in the Domesday Book as a moderately sized Royal Manor of no great importance. But when a market was established it brought wealth to
completely froze over. The highlight was a carnival on ice when hundreds of skaters
Dennis Cross
donned fancy dress to dance to the strains of a 30strong band playing in the middle of the ice.
the town. Flemish weavers came from across the Channel and for many centuries wool and linen were the chief industries. These continued to flourish throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and many of the town’s historic buildings from the era remain intact, for example the Dolphin Inn in the Market Place and Fair Green houses. A focal point of the town through the years has been the Mere and in fact Diss gets its name from Dic or Disce which is Saxon for ditch of standing water. When a serious fire broke out in Mere Street in 1640, it was only the water from the lake, which covers five and a half acres, that saved the houses in
Gostling’s Oil Stores c1903 Gostling’s Oil Stores was situated opposite the Council Offices at the end of Drapers Row. They sold everyday household items.
© Dennis
Cross Col lection
Diss Town G uide 2 0 2 2 ‐ 2 0 2 3
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