The green track starts from the
farmyard opposite Martham Hall at TG460175 and goes
east, measuring about 16 feet wide. On the south
side there is a hedge of hawthorn and on the north a
hedge of ash, hawthorn, ivy and blackthorn – once a
layered hedge. A lane about 16 feet wide
branches off to the north at TG467177 towards Hemsby
Road. The main green lane continues east in an
almost straight line with the remains of hedgerows very
evident in places. A lane 16 feet wide branches
off to the south at TG469178 to Dairy Barn farm with a
hawthorn hedge on the west side of it. The main
green lane continues eastwards and becomes about 12 feet
wide, grassy and slightly raised above the adjoining
fields. There were prunus trees on the north side,
on the site of a former hedgerow.
Near to the start of this track in
Hall Road is a very ancient pollarded oak tree.
Martham Hall was a manor belonging to the Bishop of
Elmham in pre-Norman times. The Bishopric also
held Hemsby Manor, and both manors became the
possessions of the Bishopric of Norwich until the
Dissolution of the Monasteries. In the 14th
century an enormous barn which is still standing, was
built at Hemsby to store the crops from both
manors. The route from Martham Hall to Hemsby
would therefore have been an important and well-used one
for many centuries. The 1884 O.S. map shows hedges
each side of the lane throughout its entire length.
The Enclosure Map of 1812 shows this
as ‘Private Road No.6’. That surely indicates that
is was already a well established route which it was
important to retain.
1. The very ancient pollarded oak tree
in Hall Road
2. Leaving Martham Hall
3. The track going east from Hall Road
4. The track going off northwards at
TG467177
5. Looking east at the junction
TG468178 with the old track going south to Dairy
Barn Farm
6. The track continuing east towards
Hemsby Road
7. Looking back along the track at the
junction with Hemsby Road