The Broads are man made shallow lakes, which were hand dug in medieval times as a source of peat for fuel. Man has managdthe land for several thousand years, by farming, draining the marshes, building flood defences and manipulating river courses. For many years the fens and marshes around the Broads were cut for reed and sedge, which was used for thatching and animal fodder and bedding.

However as demand for reed and sedge declined, large areas were left to over grow. This process is called natural succession. If left, the Broads would gradually silt up, changing from reed bed, to alder carr(wet woodland), to Oak woodland. All of these habitats are extremely valuable for wildlife, supporting rare species such as the Bittern, the swallowtail butterfly and the fen orchid.

It is therefore necessary for people to work in the Broads to preserve the species rich wetland habitats. As the thatching industry declined, and rail replaced the waterways for haulage, and opened up the Broads to visitors from further afield, the tourism industry began to take off. Wherriesthat used to carry cargo to Norwich were converted in to ‘pleasure craft’ for upper classes seeking ‘adventure’holidays, and the first boat hire company, John Loyneswas set up in 1878.

Today these unique habitats attract thousands of visitors each year, and the tourism industry supports hundreds of livelihoods. Salhouse Broad is amongst the most heavily visited sites. Peoplecome by boat, by car and by foot, and partake in activities such as bird and wildlife watching, picnicking, walking, jogging, fishing, sailing, canoeing or just relaxing and taking in the beautiful scenery. However, along with tourism comes problems for the environment such as, eroding banks caused by boat wash, propellers churning up sediments, and pollution from sewage. Various groups are now working to combat these effects by making craft that create less wash, are electrically powered and making people slow their boats down, so that tourism can be a sustainable future for the Broads.

At Salhouse Broad we charge for people to moor their boats, and the money we raise is put directly back in to conserving the area. We also have a community group who carry out the work and organise educational and fun events so that people can learn about the Broads for the future.

Help to piece together a history of Salhouse Broad; if you have any fond memories of the Broad and would like to share them with other people, please email or post me your memory. I shall endeavour to put them onto this website, bringing the history of Salhouse Broad alive! Memories can be short stories or pictures- if they are the good old fashioned type of photograph, there are ways to turn them into a computer generated image. I am more than happy to help with this!