Nostalgic East: Swaffham and Watton

Separated by a little less than 10 miles, Swaffham and Watton are both agricultural towns with plenty of delights to keep visitors coming back again and again.

The surrounding area is filled with open spaces, quiet walks, peaceful lanes, rolling farmland and secretive woods. It's a natural paradise and perfectly encapsulates everything that's great about the English countryside.

Watton can be dated back to 1204 when it was granted its market charter and Swaffham can similarly be traced all the way back to the Saxons.

The high streets of both towns are tightly packed with independent stores well worth a poke around alongside charming little cafes and tearooms that are sure to satisfy any palate.

Of course, both have vibrant and active marketplaces with stallholders sandwiched together, each selling interesting and unique wares.

It would be false to claim you've seen Norfolk without first dedicating a sunny weekend to these two picturesque English market towns.

Our photographers have captured the best of these two towns through the years. We have scenes from Watton of a school play in 1973 and a group of female factory workers in 1966, while from Swaffham we see the busy town centre market in 1986 and a historical vehicle parade in 1992.

Did you know?

Howard Carter, Egyptologist and discoverer of Tutankhamen's tomb, grew up in Swaffham; his story is told in the town's museum.