C O N T E X T 1 4 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 31 includes a mix of old buildings, conversion (a school to residential) and modern infill. Colour and public art (mock packs ‘discharged from barges’) contribute to an attractive public realm next to the river.The NR1 flats are impressive. In a step towards using the river, a canoe-hire business is to start using the St George’s Bridge pontoon. Sensitive development and a unifying strategy promise well for the future. Christian Brady Norfolk and the Brecks: conflicts of interest David Eve of Historic England started the tour of the Brecks with some background history. Breckland is a loosely defined area of south Norfolk and north Suffolk. The word breck is probably Norse, meaning ‘land newly broken for settlement’. Heathland was the dominant feature of the area until the early 20th century, whenThetford Forest was planted to combat shortages of timber and reliance on foreign imports. Thetford Forest is now the largest lowland forest in the UK, mainly consisting of Scots Pine grown in large forest blocks or single rows on field margins. First planted as wind breaks at the time of enclosure, the twisted trunks and branches of these older trees are a distinctive feature of the area. Historically sparsely populated, most settlements are in the shallow river valleys. Flint was the only durable local building material and chalk ‘clunch’ a less durable alternative, both obtained from the seam of chalk that underlies the whole area. First stop was the Grade II* church of St Andrew and St Patrick in Elveden. A village in the centre of a large country estate, it is now the seat of the Earl of Iveagh of the Guinness family. From 1865 it was the family home of the Maharajah Duleep Singh, last ruler of the Sikh Empire, who was exiled in Britain. The Maharajah is buried in the churchyard and his interesting life story well worth further investigation. St Andrew’s is the original medieval village church, with a 12th-century nave, and 15th-century tower and south porch. The 1st Earl of Iveagh appointed St Patrick, Elveden, constructed between 1904 and 1906 in a style described by Nikolaus Pevsner as ‘Art Nouveau Gothic’ (Both photos: Tom Hunter)
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