MORE MUSINGS Some things never change!

Simon Eades

Simon qualified as a chartered surveyor in 1980. He started his career in the commercial field, moving to private practice in 1983. In the mid-1990s he joined Great Yarmouth Borough Council and in 2006 moved to Waveney District Council (now East Suffolk Council). He retired in 2018.

Simon continues his recollections and musings. It’s interesting that Simon includes clips from the Times which are not dissimilar to my Estate Gazette snippets also in this issue. 

Local papers 

I stopped travelling to Lowestoft on a daily basis in May 2018 when I had decided it was time for a change and I spent some more time with my father in his final two years. Most of the changes in my life over time were subtle, apart from the changes in 1995 which I outlined in my last article! One thing that did not change was the purchase of a daily paper. I had read the paper at home when young and when I moved into my own home in Norwich, I brought the Eastern Daily Press (EDP) to continue to read what was happening in Norwich. As my career changed and developed, so the role of the newspaper in my life has also changed. 

Sixty years on, some may ask why I still feel the need to buy a physical copy of the paper. Many people over the later years have told me that I can obtain news and newspapers online and why do I still pay for a copy? I have replied that I am well aware of this opportunity but there is nothing to beat the feeling of holding a paper and reading the news [Ed - I’m with you there Simon]. I believe that the printed newspapers still have a role and some people have told me that a printed paper is easier to read than reading on a device! 

When I started work as a chartered surveyor in the late 1970s I bought the EDP most days as I walked to the office. As time went on, the owner of the newsagent on Unthank Road had the paper ready when I walked into the shop. I would read the paper at lunchtime and have a further look when I got home. The benefit of having all, or most of the local news, was a great benefit. The chance to read local news, sports news including the great efforts of Norwich City when they were in the Premier League in the 1990s, theatre reviews, court cases and other local news was both interesting and informative. 

I went to the theatre and to other music concerts and it was interesting to compare my thoughts on the event set out in my diary with the official review in the EDP. Indeed, I often cut out the review and placed it in my diary. Two weeks ago I went to the Theatric Royal in Norwich to see “Midsomer Murders” and we had a wonderful time; the review was clear and precise. 

Time moved on and when I moved into private practice in 1983 the need to read the EDP was essential. There was considerable information in the papers every day. There was no internet in those days. The printed paper was the principal method of advertising residential property for disposal and to advertise the properties in the EDP on a Friday morning. The EDP had a separate property section, and this was the first thing I looked at, to see that the properties that I was responsible for disposal were described and illustrated as best as possible. In addition, the property pages were the opportunity to see the full extent of the local property market. 

Wednesday was the day of the Business Section which dealt with commercial property and contained associated articles which were both interesting and informative; Thursday was the day when the Local Authority Public Notices, including the list of current planning applications, were published. 

When I moved into commercial property in 1985, initially in King’s Lynn, I had to wait until the evening to read the EDP, as often I did not have time to buy it before I left home to drive to King’s Lynn. However, while I worked there, the Kings Lynn News and Advertiser was a suitable substitute. During my time in King’s Lynn, the jobs pages in the EDP were particularly relevant as the newspapers, and printed media generally, were one of the sources of job vacancies. I did not ignore the Estates Gazette, although I did not want to move home unless it was absolutely necessary. 

Over the years I have relied upon using the local media. In one of my earlier articles I described my surprise, in the summer of 2002, seeing a property in Norwich advertised for sale occupying a prominent position adjacent to Norwich Prison. The property had been, in a former life, the residence of the Commanding Officer of the Royal Norfolk Regiment. In 1959 the Royal Norfolk Regiment was amalgamated with the Suffolk Regiment, and Britannia Barracks was closed. The building became the regimental museum and remained in that use until 1995. On reflection, I do not know why I was surprised. Properties are always sold and it was clear from the 2002 brochure that there had been considerable expenditure on the property since it was sold in 1995. I do recall that I was able to assist, with an article for the EDP and also secured a slot on Radio Norfolk to promote the sale. 

It was only in the week before writing this article I noticed two articles in the EDP on the proposed relocation of Norwich Livestock Market - a task being undertaken on behalf of Norwich City Council by an old colleague at East Suffolk Council. 

The Times 

Some of you may be wondering where this is going to end? 

Earlier this year I was reviewing my father’s probate papers. He died six years ago and 3 February 2026 would have been his 100th birthday. At the bottom of the box of probate papers was a copy of the Times for 3 February 1926. It was actually not a copy but rather an original issue that had formally been part of a larger collection. I imagine he acquired it in the past or he had been given it as a present by someone. I could not put it away without looking at it to see what actually happened on the day he was born. 

The Times of 1926 was very different from the Times that I often buy to read what is happening today. Then there was a much smaller text making it slightly difficult to read. There were no pictures on the front page – indeed there was no news at all – instead the front page was completely full of personal announcements – births, marriages and deaths and business propositions. The personal appointments continued until page 4 where there was the Law Report and other legal notices, before a section titled “The Estate Market” reported various property sales that had been completed. It was not until page 8 that the “real news” started to be reported. The principal news was that the King had opened Parliament the previous day and there was a full report. 

What I did find were two pieces of news that I felt were of particular interest and I set them out below. 

The first was: 

“A meeting of the council of the Central and Associated Chambers of Agriculture was held yesterday at the Surveyors’ Institution, Westminster 

Mr. F N Blundell MP presided; Lord Stanley of Alderley was elected vice–chairman. 

The Business Committee reported that they strongly protested against any raid on the Road Fund, and considered that the fund should be used not only for its original purpose, but also for extended grants to rural roads.” 

The second one  

Growth of Sugar beet acreage 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, a preliminary estimate of the area already under contract for the growth of Sugar Beet in 1926 is 128,500 acres as compared with the final total of 56,200 acres in 1925 and 22,600 acres in 1924. This, as the Ministry points out, is a striking development in what promises to be an important branch of agriculture in future years. 

This article has a lot of significance for me. My grandfather ran the Norfolk Agricultural Station for 35 years and while he is not mentioned in the article by name, one of his achievements was adapting the three course rotation system into the four course rotation system, introducing sugar beet as a crop. 

They say that old habits die hard. I have spent some hours reading the 1926 paper but have still to find the article highlighted in the 2026 issue in the section “From the Times a hundred year ago.” I will continue to look!