NORWICH IN ITS REGIONAL SETTING 17 
pendent Norsemen. Arthur Young was full of praise of the state of the 
agriculture here and the rich loamy soils with their associated sands and 
gravels. Nowadays it is one of the most productive agricultural districts 
of Norfolk, and has added to its wealth by the successful cultivation of 
soft fruits and sugar-beet. Its connections with Yarmouth are intimate, 
two being especially noteworthy: (1) the good roads connecting Yar- 
mouth with Norwich, Wroxham and North Walsham, and (2) the provision 
of a good water supply for the town. 
The Loam Lands of North-East Norfolk.—These lands have much in 
common with the Flegg Hundreds, the soils are similar, crag deposits 
are found between the chalk and glacial drifts, and the surface wells yield 
a good supply of water ; on the other hand, the chalk does not yield its 
water as readily as in the more western sub-regions. The area includes 
Norwich and extends northwards to the Cromer ridge with two eastern 
extensions ; the one in the north stretches as far as the coast from Cromer 
to Happisburgh ; and the other may be described as a tongue of land 
extending to Acle and dividing the western part of Broadland into two 
arms. (The boundaries of this district, the Flegg Hundreds and the size 
of the Caister—Yarmouth sand spit are easily traceable on the 1-in. Land 
Utilisation Map, No. 67.) The good soils, a number of streams and 
rivers, a good supply of water from shallow wells, the proximity of the 
salt marshes, the wealth won from the sea by local fisheries and smuggling, 
the energy of the people descended from the Norse folk, and the know- 
ledge brought by the Dutch and the Huguenots—all contributed to the 
prosperity and development of this region. Here the lands were occupied, 
agriculture and weaving went ahead of many parts of Great Britain. 
Villages are numerous, Worstead being noteworthy for its connection 
with the woollen industry. Of recent years great developments have 
taken place in the more intensive kinds of land culture. For example, 
many acres under glass produce large quantities of tomatoes, early flowers, 
early vegetables, etc. Fruit growing has made considerable progress, 
especially at Westwick, Wroxham and Burlingham. Poultry farms, 
nurseries, market gardens and small-holdings are to be found in many 
parishes, and five out of the seven silver fox farms in the country are 
situated either within or close to the borders of this sub-region. These 
activities combined with the varied and healthy industries centred around 
and within Norwich have attracted a large population amounting to over 
half the total for the whole county. 
South Norfolk—Between Broad and Breck the land of South Norfolk 
_ presents rather a flat appearance with an average altitude of about 150 ft., 
rising to over 200 ft. at Ashwellthorpe, and falling to under 50 ft. along 
the borders of Broadland and the valley of the Waveney. The Thet 
valley in the west, the Waveney trough in the south, the deep valley of the 
Yare in the north and the Broadland depression in the east receive the’ 
water from the radial drainage which has its source in a centre near 
_ Tivetshall station. The streams are much smaller and their valleys 
_somewhat less pronounced in both steepness and width than those of the 
sub-region to the north. These boulder clay districts were covered with 
light undergrowth and forest in the days of the Iceni, and the vegetation 
B 
