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Alby History

The craft centre comprises of a set of traditional North Norfolk farm buildings built in 1850 by William Howe Windham of Felbrigg Hall (Now a National Trust Property). The Windhams owned a large estate centred on Felbrigg and WH Windham carried out extensive modernisation of his tenanted farms of which Grove Farm was one.

It was traditional to build with local materials so stone was used in North Norfolk. Near the coast this came from the beach but inland it came from sand quarries (the red stone) and lime pits (the grey stone). Bricks and tiles were also made on most local estates.

John Alston who already owned the next door farm, bought Grove Farm in 1959 with sitting tenants. these tenants retired in 1972 and the land from the two farms was amalgamated. The buildings, however were in a poor state and their shape and size made them unfit for modern agriculture.

A decision had to be made to either find a use for the buildings or knock them down. John and Valerie Alston went through all the possibilities but eventually decided on a craft centre. they then spent two years travelling through the UK and Ireland looking at other centres to find out the problems and finances. They spent another two years renovating and converting. At that time it was difficult to find a man that could work with stone but eventually they found one and employed him for the full two years, to complete the job. The official opening carried out by the builder, took place on 2nd June 1976.

In the beginning Valerie and John ran the tea room, the Gallery, the Gift shop and another, called the 'Honey Pot', themselves. The individual workshops were soon all let and the centre was in business.

One of the objectives in letting the Workshopd was to gibe craftsmen, yound and old, the opportunity to be self employed. Consequently only two months notice is required so that the new craftsman is not tying him/her self to a long cost if it does not work out. Conversely, the centre needs a slow turnover to keep regular visitors interested.

Over the last eight years Valerie and John have gradually stepped back and now all the shops, tea room and workshops are individually run with the two proprietors concentrating on the 4½ acres of gardens.

Although there have always been gardens round the centre, the main area was not started until 1987. Prior to that date they had been a meadow and a poplar plantation. Today they have become well known throughout the country for their tranquillity and the collection of unusual plants and shrubs.