A settlement has existed at Stiffkey since at least the Roman times.  Stiffkey is pronounced ‘Stewkey’.  The earliest record of Stiffkey is in the Dooms Day book,1085/86.  Here it is called Stivecai which means ‘Island of tree stumps’.  It is believed that this refers to the remains of an ancient wooden structure dating back 8,000 years that was found sticking out of the nearby salt marshes.

The name Stewkey is echoed in its famous ‘Stewkey Blues’ which are cockles gathered on the nearby salt marshes.  Stiffkey is one of the few coastal villages in North Norfolk that has no tradition as a fishing port, but it has always been home for cocklers and bait-diggers.  Its main enterprise is farming.

The houses that follow the narrow stretch of coast road that winds through the village are mainly of brick, flint and red pantile and are vernacular to the area.  Some of these buildings date back to the Tudor times.

Stiffkey Old Hall was built in 1576-81 for Sir Nicholas Bacon, who was then the Keeper of the Privy seal to Elizabeth I.  The Hall had six circular towers at the corners.  In 1604 a Gatehouse was added.  The Hall which is Grade II listed suffered damage in a fire in the 18th century.  Today the Hall is occupied.

Stiffkey is also famous for a disreputable vicar!  In the 1930s the Rev Harold Davidson hit national news when he became involved in a scandal concerning London prostitutes!
Calling himself ‘The prostitutes' padre’ he spent six days a week ministering to the scarlet women of London.  He would return to Stiffkey for Sunday service.  The Church of England soon grew tired of complaints from the locals of Stiffkey about tarts parading around on the rectory lawn and Davidson was put trial for sexual misconduct.   Davidson revelled in the following court case and the newspapers loved his defence that we was utterly innocent .  He quickly became a celebrity.  The court found him guilty of all counts.

To fund an appeal he turned to show biz.  First of all he exhibited himself in a barrel on Blackpool prom for tuppence a look.  Soon he was telling his story to crowds of thousands, so he took the show to theatres, fairs, cinemas and the odd nudist camp!
Although it was a hit, the crowds soon dwindled and he took to increasingly dramatic publicity stunts.  His most inspired and extreme stunt was to proclaim his innocence Daniel-like from the lion's den in Skegness Zoo... until he was mauled to death by a normally docile lion, Freddie, while preaching from the Bible.

The village was also home to Henry Williamson who is mainly known as the author of ‘Taka the Otter‘, a book praised by Thomas Hardy, John Galsworthy and Lawrence of Arabia. The book won him the prestigious Hawthornden Prize for Literature in 1928.

Stiffkey today has about 300 residents and it keeps the charm of an earlier time.  There is a village store and Post Office, an antique shop and lamp shop.  The public house is The Red Lion which has served pints since the 17th Century when it was a Coaching Inn.

 

 


The nearest town to Stiffkey is Wells-next-the-Sea, which is four miles west.  Wells has a variety of shops, a bank, an assortment of pubs and restaurants.  It also boast a narrow gauge railway, amusements and the traditional fish and chip shop. To the east is Blakeney which has always been a favourite with holiday makers in North Norfolk.  Inland is Little Walsingham, which has been an important centre for pilgrimages since the Middle Ages.

 

 

Travelling west from Wells is Holkham Hall, home of the Coke family.  Holkham was built between 1734 and 1764 by Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester.  This Palladian-style mansion reflects Thomas Coke's appreciation of classical art developed during his "Grand Tour" of Europe.  Holkham is also home to The Bygones Museum and History of Farming Exhibition. The museum was started in 1979 when Lord Leicester acquired from Dick Joice, (the man who hosted the popular Bygones series on Anglia TV), his vast collection of old agricultural and domestic items, for which he was seeking a permanent home.

 

 

Nearby to Holkham is Burnham Thorpe, the birthplace of Lord Horatio Nelson.  Nelson’s father was the rector of Burnham Thorpe from 1755 to 1802.  In the village is ' The Lord Nelson Pub' which was built in about 1650.  The pub was originally called the ‘The Plough’ and it was here at the Plough that Nelson had his farewell party in an upstairs room before leaving in 1793 to take command of the Agamemnon.  In 1807 The Plough was renamed the The Lord Nelson in honour of Burnham Thorpe’s famous son who had died at the Battle of Trafalgar two years before.

 

 

  

 

Burnham Overy Staithe is north, north-west of Burnham Thorpe and sits on a creek that makes for an ideal harbour for small vessels.  Overy Staithe is a small coastal village with salt-marshes full of wild fowl, a favourite haunt for weekend sailors, walkers and bird watchers. 

 

 

 

At Burnham Overy Staithe there is Lower Mill which was built in 1790 by Edmond Savory who was a tenant of the Walpole Estate.

 

 

 

Burnham Market is south-west of Burnham Overy Staithe and it has a traditional post office, butcher's, baker's, hardware shop, fish and chip shop, chemist's and two country pubs, The Hoste Arms  a 17th century hotel and The Lord Nelson.  There are over 30 independent shops selling a wide range of products from stylish accessories for the home and garden, clothing shops for all members of the family, and a bookshop.  There is also an array of restaurants serving everything from a cheese sandwich to grilled sea bass.

 

Moving west along the coast road you'll arrive at Brancaster which is home to The Royal West Norfolk Golf Course.  Founded in 1892 this is a classic course and well worth a round or two if golf is your sport.  The village has three pubs, The Jolly Sailors, The Ship Inn and The White Horse.  There is also a local art shop and new shops at Dalegate Market.

 

Carry on moving west along the coast road and you pass through Titchwell which is famous for its RSPB Titchwell Marsh Reserve.  Titchwell is the Society's most visited site in the UK.  Just down the road is Thornham, a coastal village that once thrived on smuggling.  Nowadays it's bird watchers and holiday makers that haunt the coastline.  Further west you come to Hunstanton which is a small Norfolk seaside resort that lies at the mouth of the Wash.  Built up by the Victorians as a seaside resort, Hunstanton has become known by many as 'Sunny- Hunny'  due to the amount of sunshine it gets per year.

 

Another place that you must visit while in North Norfolk is Sandringham, home of our monarchs since Edward VII.  Set in 60 acres of gardens which have been called "the finest of  Royal gardens ", Sandringham also has a large gift shop and farm shop selling produce grown on the Estate.

 

These are only a few of the places you can visit while using Mulberry as your base.  And by the way, as we were once an Army Camp, remember to visit the Muckleburgh Collection which is just up the road from us at Weybourne and was the former Weybourne Military Camp, the sister to our Army camp at Stiffkey.  For more information on what's on in North Norfolk, visit our links page

 

 

                                                                                              

ADDRESS

 

Mulberry Cottage, Holly Road, Stiffkey, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk  NR23 1QE

 

 

 

Use the map below to view Stiffkey on Google Maps.  Remember to use the satellite view to see the landscape.  You can also use it to plan your route

 

 
View Larger Map

 

 

 

 

Satellite view of Mulberry and surrounding countryside

 

 

Come off the Wells Rd and turn into Greenways, then take the 2nd turning on the right which is Holly Rd (not signposted)

Go straight up this road and you will find Mulberry Cottage at the end