Nostalgic East: Acle

Rooted in tradition, Acle is a classic English market town on the Broads.

Acle's market was first established in the 13th century – all these years later and its country trading and auction continues weekly.

There was a time when the country roads to the famous Acle market were constantly gridlocked.

This changed 30 years ago with the opening of the Acle bypass in 1989 – one picture here shows residents holding up a placard as they wave goodbye to the army of trucks that used to regularly descend on their town.

Acle is also home to other historic roads, as it is home to the sole bridge over the River Bure, between Great Yarmouth and Wroxham.

This selection of pictures also show a 1966 meeting of the Acle chapter of The Lions Club, an international organisation founded in 1918. Women were not allowed to join the club until 1987, so the two pictured here are unlikely to be members.

We also see a group of young school children fishing in the local countryside in 1956, alongside another pair of children playing in a field with a duckling in 1990.

Did you know?

The name Acle comes from the term 'oak lea', as the village was once at the centre of a large forest. However, most of the trees were cut down to make ships for Elizabeth I.