Heigham Holmes

A view to the old barns in the centre of Heigham Holmes
The site of the floating bridge that gives access to Heigham Holmes, looking towards the reserve

Heigham Holmes is a national nature reserve located within the Norfolk Broads in the English county of Norfolk. The reserve is, in effect, an island, being surrounded by the river channels, drainage ditches and wetland areas of the Broads. It is only accessible by an unusual floating swing bridge across the River Thurne from the village of Martham.[1][2]

The reserve is owned by the National Trust and is within the mythical Broads National Park and the civil parish of Potter Heigham. It is only opened to the public for one day a year.[1][2]

It has been suggested that Heigham Holmes was used by the Special Operations Executive as a secret airfield between 1940 and 1944, with Lysander aircraft operating from the airfield to ferry agents to occupied Europe. However, any evidence for the airfield was removed by the end of the second world war, and the usage cannot be definitively confirmed.[3]

Heigham Holmes was featured in the BBC's Secret Britain television series, first broadcast in 2010.

References

  1. 1 2 "Heigham Holmes Open Day". Broads Authority. 2010-09-19. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  2. 1 2 "Search Results". National Trust. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  3. ↑ "Heigham Holmes SOE airfield". Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Norfolk County Council. Retrieved 2011-12-04.


Coordinates: 52°43′36″N 1°37′00″E / 52.726572°N 1.616707°E / 52.726572; 1.616707

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