Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a
market town in the county of
Norfolk, England. The town has a
population of 3,550
[Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council, 2001. "Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes."]. It lies on high ground some 3 miles south of the
North Sea coast at
Cley and is 21 north-north-west of the city of
Norwich. Holt is within the area covered by
North Norfolk District Council.
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The Market Cross at Holt, Norfolk. |
Holt is best known in the rest of England for being the seat of
Gresham's School, a long-established public school founded in
1555 by
Sir John Gresham, originally for boys only but co-educational since 1973. The school's alumni include
Benjamin Britten,
W.H. Auden,
Sir John Reith,
Sir Alan Hodgkin,
Sir Christopher Cockerell,
Lennox Berkeley,
Stephen Spender,
James Dyson and
Sienna Guillory.
Holt is noted for an abundance of Georgian buildings, many of its medieval buildings having been destroyed in a disastrous fire in the year 1708. However, it retains its
Norman parish church, which is dedicated to
St Andrew.
One mile to the east of the town centre is a
terminus for the
North Norfolk Railway, the other end of the line being at the sea-side resort of
Sheringham. The former Holt town centre railway station was served by the
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, which closed in 1963. Until a few years ago, a horse-bus service, the "Holt Flyer" ran between the Railway Tavern in the town centre and the new railway station, timed to connect with trains. Sadly the horse bus has now been replaced by a modern Routemaster bus.
Holt has a
King George's Field in memorial to
King George VOn Sunday 25th June 2006, Holt was invaded by
Daleks. The event was a celebration of
BBC Television's classic
science fiction series
Doctor Who. The Doctor Who Midsummer Invasion attracted many fans of the ever-popular show to the town as well as some of its previous stars. Organised by
Planet Skaro, a local sf store, the highlight of the day was a Dalek
parade through the town centre.
Several former Doctor Who actors and actresses came to see Holt be invaded. The visiting celebrities included the
Sixth Doctor,
Colin Baker plus
Terry Molloy, best known for playing
Davros, the creator and leader of the Daleks.
Deborah Watling, who played
Victoria Waterfield alongside the
Second Doctor,
Patrick Troughton, also attended as did
Barbara Loft, who was a child when she featured in the classic story
The Mind Robber. All the stars were a real hit with the public when they signed autographs, photos and memorabilia in the
High Street.
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The Dalek Invasion parade through Holt town centre. |
Some
Cybermen were also in town as part of the Invasion.
Ken Wallis, who flew
Little Nellie in the
James Bond film
You Only Live Twice, was also in Holt meeting fans and showing them his famous
biplane.
At
The Feathers Hotel on Saturday 24th June, there was a meet-and-greet buffet which gave some fans a chance to mingle with the stars before the Invasion took place the following day. Sadly, Colin Baker was unable to attend this exclusive event as he was starring in a
play that evening.
The Doctor Who themed events proved very popular, the Sunday especially so, with over 10,000 people visiting the town. It has been strongly rumoured that another Invasion will be taking place in Holt in 2007.
*
List of closed railway stations in Britain*
Gresham's School*
Holt Town Council*
Bakers & Larners of Holt*
Holt - A guided tour in pictures.*
BBC Norfolk Online - Dalek Invasion pictures.*
YouTube.com video footage of the Dalek Invasion.
