Low Tharston
Low Tharston is a tiny village which lies on the
River Tas approximately one
mile west of Tasburgh. The
name probably derives from 'Therir's enclosure'. Despite
its small size, the village has been home to two
significant modern poets: Anthony Thwaite and Edwin
Brock.
Tharston Mill
Anthony Thwaite (1930 - 2021)
In the 1970s the poet and editor Anthony Thwaite moved into the Mill House here
along with his wife, the literary biographer, Ann
Thwaite. (The Mill
House is the pink building in the background.)
It provided them with a refuge from London life and
they soon fell in love with the building and life in
South Norfolk. Admittedly, Norfolk was not a major
influence on Thwaite's poetry, but he did write a fine poem about the lost village of
Eccles.
Thwaite was educated at Christ Church College Oxford
and held academic posts in Japan, Libya and Kuwait. He
was also Philip Larkin's editor and literary executor
and Larkin visited The Mill House. In fact, there is a
wonderful photograph of Larkin reclining
in a punt on the river which appeared in his volume of
Selected Letters 1940-1985.
Philip Larkin and Anthony Thwaite on the River Tas
(Photograph by Ann Thwaite)
While staying with the Thwaites - Larkin also visited
Forncett St Peter -
no doubt because of its connection with William
Wordsworth.
Edwin Brock (1927-1997)
Originally based at
Brundall, the poet Edwin Brock
moved into 'The Granary' - next door to the Thwaites -
when it came up for sale.
Born in South London, Brock worked as a
policeman and an advertising executive while pursuing
his own poetry. He was also the editor of Ambit
for 40 years.
Edwin Brock: Poet He moved to Norfolk with his second
wife Elizabeth Skilton and the landscape and, in
particular, the River Tas
provided him with inspiration for his work. In 1993 he
suffered a stroke and for a number of weeks was unable
to speak or remember anything. He gradually recovered
his health and spent time convalescing on the north
Norfolk coast. The final years of his life proved to be
very productive and his final collection And
Another Thing (1998) - published posthumously -
contains poems that were inspired by locations such as
Cromer, Winterton, Burnham Overy Staithe, Wells
and Morston.
Here is the opening verse of his poem
The Ghost Dancer:
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