Staithes of Neatishead, Irstead and Barton Turf

At our meeting in January 2020 we had a talk about some of the history of our village staithes.  A staithe is an old English word for a landing place where passengers can embark or disembark, cargoes be unloaded and boats can be moored.  There are currently four public staithes across our three villages:

• Neatishead Staithe
• Gay’s Staithe, Irstead
• Irstead Staithe
• Barton Turf Staithe

From our research, we know that there were at least five further staithes attached to estates or farms during the 19th century and possibly before. As part of the Broads Hidden Heritage Project more research into the history of all the villages’ staithes is taking place. Some of this research has been published in a new book ‘Broadland: Shaping Marsh and Fen’ by Tom Williamson and Alison Yardy.  More details about the book and how to purchase a copy can be found here. 

If you would like to know more about our research do get in touch.