The authors of this website invite anyone with memories of Necton Cafe or Garage , to email us with their recollections and photographs. We will post these on this ‘Feedback’ page, or in the ‘Memories’ section on the page to which the story relates.
We do reserve the right to adjudicate content (without changing the essence of the story), or not to post feedback that we consider to be inappropriate, or that is not about Necton Cafe and/or Garage.
Please send your comments and photos to:
Alternatively, messages can be posted using the ‘Leave a reply’ form at the bottom of this page. However, the same adjudication restriction (detailed above) will apply.
Enjoyed reading about the Cafe and went to Necton School with Elizabeth and Bobby.
Played with Bobby at the Cafe.
Recognised some of the girls at Brownies – one of them being my sister Christine Cooper.
Remember the Birthday Parties at the old Cafe.
My Dad knew Mr Rudge and he left his Trailer on the premises and took the Bedford tractor unit to our house on Ketts Hill when he drove for Jewsons.
We left Necton 1966 and I most certainly enjoyed reading the website.
Thank you for your comments, Andrew. We are always pleased to receive feedback from people who remember those days at the cafe. I’m glad you found it interesting, and hope it brought back some happy memories. Mike.
My father was in the RAF at Marham, We lived in Cambridge Cottage, for a year, in Necton. I was at school with Elizabeth. In the same class but a form below. She was a very pretty girl and the lead in the school Christmas play “The New teacher”. I was the first dunce; Sarah? Copsey the 2nd dunce. I remember the whole class was invited to Elizabeth’s 11th birthday party in the garage cafe. Very Grand. I loved my time at Necton.
Hello Brian. Thank you for your kind words and fond memories. I am really sorry but I can’t place you, maybe because I was in the year above. In fact I can’t remember being in “The New Teacher”. I do remember Linda Copsey and my birthday party in 1961. How did you come across the website? Are you still living in Norfolk? Kind regards. Elizabeth Betts (nee Rudge)
We have very fond memories of Necton Café. My very first link to the Rudge family was through the youth club in the village around 1960 when I became friendly with John and John Bengeyfield. The two johns went to Hammonds and I was at Swaffham Secondary. All three of us eventually had scooters and used to ride out together. In 1964 I was going out with Mary ( from Mundford ) and John with Monica.
We used to go out together weekends usually to Norwich in any vehicle we could get our hands on from Thames vans to Land Rovers.
Also in 1964 I started work at Perkins in Peterborough coming home weekends to my parents in Holme Hale. ( and was still working there to 2005 when I retired )
In the summer months when the café was busy at weekends Mary and I used to work, Mary in the café and I serving at the petrol pumps. Saturdays would be very busy with all the buses of holiday makers from the midlands making there way to Gt Yarmouth.
Because John and I were all things mechanical we also helped out in the garage with Dave Willis repairing trucks and engines.
In 1968 Mary and I were married and then lived in Peterborough but still remained friends with John and Monica until Johns untimely tragic death.
Peter and I bought the original garage and bungalow in 1968 and we remember John and Mrs.Rudge.We have only just become aware of your website and we were very interested to read it. What a lovely aerial photo – it was nice to see how tidy and pretty it looked in those days. We moved from Bradenham so we knew most of the local Necton people and the history of the Garage. As children we used to come to The Old Tuns for fish and chips!! The old cafe, which was attached to the garage as you know, we eventually demolished and built an additional workshop. We lived there over 30 years and we were very happy there. Sadly the whole site looks very neglected now.
Thank you for your comments. We were not aware (or had forgotten) that the original cafe had been demolished and replaced with a workshop. I had assumed that the building had been modified/converted. A re-build could explain one or two anomalies when comparing the present building with the first (extended) cafe.
I remember playing with Elizabeth and my sister Lin at the Cafe. We performed a play for Mrs. Rudge. I was dressed as a Dutch girl and sang There once was a windmill in old Amsterdam. I thought I was the bee’s knees. I also remember the winking game and birthday parties.
I went to primary school and Dereham High school with Elizabeth Rudge, I am also one of the brownies in the photos! I worked in the cafe at the weekend when I was 13/14 years old and clearly remember all those coaches arriving at the cafe. I can also remember playing the ‘winking game’ at Elizabeth’s birthday party! Happy Days!!!
Enjoyed reading about the Cafe and went to Necton School with Elizabeth and Bobby.
Played with Bobby at the Cafe.
Recognised some of the girls at Brownies – one of them being my sister Christine Cooper.
Remember the Birthday Parties at the old Cafe.
My Dad knew Mr Rudge and he left his Trailer on the premises and took the Bedford tractor unit to our house on Ketts Hill when he drove for Jewsons.
We left Necton 1966 and I most certainly enjoyed reading the website.
Thank you for your comments, Andrew. We are always pleased to receive feedback from people who remember those days at the cafe. I’m glad you found it interesting, and hope it brought back some happy memories. Mike.
My father was in the RAF at Marham, We lived in Cambridge Cottage, for a year, in Necton. I was at school with Elizabeth. In the same class but a form below. She was a very pretty girl and the lead in the school Christmas play “The New teacher”. I was the first dunce; Sarah? Copsey the 2nd dunce. I remember the whole class was invited to Elizabeth’s 11th birthday party in the garage cafe. Very Grand. I loved my time at Necton.
Hello Brian. Thank you for your kind words and fond memories. I am really sorry but I can’t place you, maybe because I was in the year above. In fact I can’t remember being in “The New Teacher”. I do remember Linda Copsey and my birthday party in 1961. How did you come across the website? Are you still living in Norfolk? Kind regards. Elizabeth Betts (nee Rudge)
We have very fond memories of Necton Café. My very first link to the Rudge family was through the youth club in the village around 1960 when I became friendly with John and John Bengeyfield. The two johns went to Hammonds and I was at Swaffham Secondary. All three of us eventually had scooters and used to ride out together. In 1964 I was going out with Mary ( from Mundford ) and John with Monica.
We used to go out together weekends usually to Norwich in any vehicle we could get our hands on from Thames vans to Land Rovers.
Also in 1964 I started work at Perkins in Peterborough coming home weekends to my parents in Holme Hale. ( and was still working there to 2005 when I retired )
In the summer months when the café was busy at weekends Mary and I used to work, Mary in the café and I serving at the petrol pumps. Saturdays would be very busy with all the buses of holiday makers from the midlands making there way to Gt Yarmouth.
Because John and I were all things mechanical we also helped out in the garage with Dave Willis repairing trucks and engines.
In 1968 Mary and I were married and then lived in Peterborough but still remained friends with John and Monica until Johns untimely tragic death.
Peter and I bought the original garage and bungalow in 1968 and we remember John and Mrs.Rudge.We have only just become aware of your website and we were very interested to read it. What a lovely aerial photo – it was nice to see how tidy and pretty it looked in those days. We moved from Bradenham so we knew most of the local Necton people and the history of the Garage. As children we used to come to The Old Tuns for fish and chips!! The old cafe, which was attached to the garage as you know, we eventually demolished and built an additional workshop. We lived there over 30 years and we were very happy there. Sadly the whole site looks very neglected now.
Thank you for your comments. We were not aware (or had forgotten) that the original cafe had been demolished and replaced with a workshop. I had assumed that the building had been modified/converted. A re-build could explain one or two anomalies when comparing the present building with the first (extended) cafe.
I remember playing with Elizabeth and my sister Lin at the Cafe. We performed a play for Mrs. Rudge. I was dressed as a Dutch girl and sang There once was a windmill in old Amsterdam. I thought I was the bee’s knees. I also remember the winking game and birthday parties.
I went to primary school and Dereham High school with Elizabeth Rudge, I am also one of the brownies in the photos! I worked in the cafe at the weekend when I was 13/14 years old and clearly remember all those coaches arriving at the cafe. I can also remember playing the ‘winking game’ at Elizabeth’s birthday party! Happy Days!!!