Thetford Things to Do

Thetford town is the central location for any visitor to the region who wants to pursue an interest in the classic English sitcom Dad's Army. Down near Nun's Bridges, (where the so-called 'bus station' that doesn't actually exist, is located) a bronze sculpture of Captain Mainwaring is situated, & as statues go, this itself is a classic. The likeness is spot-on, & I particularly love how the sculptor has gotten 'little Napolean's' spectatcles just right - it really could be the late Arthur Lowe sitting there. In Cage Lane is the actual Dad's Army museum, & it contains such classic exhibits as the fire engine & now, Jones the butcher's van, but the downside is, it only opens 1 day a week, & not at all out-of-season. Go to Mill Lane, to witness where the platoon were marched as hostages, by Kapitan Muller, in The Deadly Attachment. More marching scenes were filmed in Newtown, in both, The Lion Has 'phones & Museum Piece, & nearby, now derelict, Saint Mary-the-less church, on 0ld Bury Road, was used as a backdrop in both, The Showing Up of Corporal Jones & Shooting Pains. Also, along 0ld Bury Road, Corporal Jones recognises his mugshot, mixed up on the poster for the missing Polish prisoner, in The Face 0n The Poster. 0ff Pike Lane, (no connection to the character) - The Guildhall was used as Walmington-on-Sea Town Hall, in both, The Captain's Car & Time 0n My Hands, while Nether Row, re-named Percy Street, was used repeatedly throughout the series. The Palace Cinema, now a bingo hall, was used for the interior of Eastgate Cinema, in A Soldier's Farewell, & was also where the cast were shown the days rushes, during filming. Many other local locations were also used throughout the 9 series of Dad's Army, mostly in surrounding rural Norfolk, but also on the Suffolk coast, as Walmington-0n-Sea was supposed to be a seaside resort, closed for the duration...

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Thetford is situatated on the Little Ouse River and according to the website there are lots of lovely walks in the area that the visitor can take! We were only there for a weekend but would love to return and have more of a look around this ancient and historic town.

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An early sunny Sunday morning stroll through the old part of Thetford and we stumbled upon the ancient ruins of a Cluniac priory. This is one of the largest and most important monasteries in East Anglia, and was founded by Roger Bigod in 1103-4.

The Priory belongs to English Heritage and is free to enter and open all year!

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Situated on Minstergate, this building was the old paint shop for the steam engines and now houses the Charles Burrell Museum.

Check the website for more details.

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A medieval church situated in Bridge Street. Click on the 2nd photo for more info. Thetford is dotted with these information plaques all over the town - very helpful for visitors :)