HOUSES
Like most parishes Flordon has had its share of stately homes and humble cottages.
The most prestigious and oldest house is only just within the parish boundary, the 16th Century Rainthorpe Hall, whose grounds are mostly within neighbouring Newton Flotman and Tasborough. Towards the end of the 16th Century, Flordon Hall was built and owned by the Kemp family but rented out to tenants most of the time until the sale of the Kemp estate in 1948. The other large and historic houses that still stand in the parish are the Rectory and Flordon Mill house - although both a resident Rector and the mill have long gone!
At the other extreme were the clay lump and thatched houses in The Street, which may look picturesque in old postcards, but were damp and draughty with rickety floors and stairs and few facilities. One is named 'Clay Lump Cottage' today! A typical example, on the corner of The Street and Long Lane appears in several photos and sketches looking towards the Black Horse pub, but has been demolished and replaced by a modern bungalow. Donald Calton lived as a boy in a cottage opposite what is now the mushroom farm which was damp from repeated flooding. The pair of cottages were condemned by the Council and his family was moved first to Hethel Camp and then back to one of the Flordon Council houses. The renovated old cottages opposite the former pub have also suffered flooding, despite efforts to improve the Broadwater, the former mill stream.
In between are the brick houses. Some are local brick, but Flordon had the advantage of having bricks brought in to the station yard. The two pubs, most of the farm houses, and Harvey House are all examples of substantial brick houses. And then there were the Council Houses, built from 1921 onwards as St Michael's View was extended, and included homes for pensioners as well as families. They were not the only homes to be built before and after WW2. The majority of houses in the village now are modern bungalows and houses - some replacing old properties and some on 'greenfield' sites. But up to now Flordon has been spared any development that could be described as a 'housing estate'.
Take a virtual walk through the village to see the variety of houses that still exist!
From the census
Houses, families & population statistics:
Census Inhabited
Year Houses Families Population
1801 16 19 118
1811 20 25 142
1821 23 35 159
1831 31 33 164
1841 34 -- 193
1851 34 -- 167
1861 36 -- 163
1871 35 43 165
1881 38 42 178
1891 39 39 169
1901 46 46 192
1911 -- 44 190
Facilities
Besides a station on the main line to London, Flordon once had two pubs, Post Office, a shop, blacksmith, carpenter, and a coalyard. Although some such services were replaced by mobile facilities, today residents have to go elsewhere for almost everything.... Water came from pumps until after WW2; electricity arrived in the after the Queen's coronation, and some houses went onto mains sewerage in the late '50s or early '60s.
It is interesting to hear how people moved into a Council House and found it amazing to have electricity at the flick of a switch and hot and cold running water - all within living memory. To some extent census questions reflect expectations: from 1891 to 1921 the census returns asked for number of rooms as well as number of people in a house. In 1951 there were questions about amenities - piped water, a cooking stove, kitchen sink, water closet (i.e. flush toilet) and a fixed bath (i.e. not one hung on the wall). By 2011 the only amenity people were asked about was central heating!