Focus: Harleston
Photo: Pete Mason
Harleston is an historic Market Town located in
400 anniversary year, Pilgrims Way; Mayflower
the heart of the Waveney Valley. If you look
Way; Speedwell Industrial Estate and Fuller
up, you can see some strange shaped tiled
Road, reflect our links with the Mayflower.
roofs that have replaced the original thatch.
Four member of the Fuller family from
Beneath the “modern” facades, old timber
Redenhall with Harleston, were amongst the
frame buildings are hidden, step inside and
102 passengers that sailed to America on the
you can get a feel for just how old they are.
Mayflower in 1620.
We are working on a heritage trail with
Harleston offers a good range of easily
plaques that will provide easily accessible
accessible independent shops selling a wide
information telling the stories of these old
range of products. There is a good selection of
buildings.
coffee shops, pubs and restaurants, many with
The road names give clues too, Exchange
outdoor tables. The temporary pedestrian
Street, which leads up to the old corn
priority zone in the Thoroughfare, together
Exchange (now Cornucopia), look out for the
with the attractive new trees and planters, has
old weigh bridge, which still has its full
made a real difference to the Town. There is
workings inside the adjacent Coop Funeral
free parking in the Town’s two car parks. So
Care building.
come and wander around, do some socially
On some of the more recent estates around
distanced shopping, relax and enjoy the
town there are also references to Harleston’s
Town’s new “café culture”.
past, for example Bullock Fair which used to
More information about Harleston can be
be the cattle market. More topically, in this
found on www.visitharleston.org.uk
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