Trunch
Trunch is a small village which lies a few miles
inland of Mundesley. The
name may be derived from Le Tronchet Abbey (which had
possessions in Norfolk) or from the Celtic for 'wood on
a promontory'.
Trunch Village Sign
Sid Kipper and his father Henry Kipper (one time
double act - The Kipper Family) hail from the mythical
village of St. Just-near-Trunch. After
Henry retired from show business Sid, the self-styled
Norfolk megastar, continued to ply
his trade as story teller, folk singer, comedian, occasional actor
and player of the walnut shells. Unfortunately, at present, there is no monument in
the village to commemorate these famous Trunchians - or
should that be 'Truncheons'?
Father and Son
In 1994 Sid Kipper (alias Chris Sugden) published
Prewd and Prejudice which is the diary of a lady
called Miriam Prewd who moves from London to St. Just-near-Trunch
in an attempt to bring civilisation to the villagers.
Here she encounters many strange Kipper family ancestors
including the three-legged Albert Kipper.
Sid Kipper
Sid Kipper has
also written Cod Pieces and The Crab Wars.
Cod Pieces is a fine collection of short stories
(all with a Kipper twist) and includes: David
Kipperfield, the St. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipper
and Dot Kipper's Handy Household Hints. Another
fascinating piece of Kipper literature is Man of
Convictions - the autobiography of Sid's nefarious
uncle George.
Norfolk champion Keith Skipper describes
Sid as someone who 'captures the true spirit of Norfolk,
teaches it tricks, then sends it to run riot across the
land'.
There is obviously something in the water in this
part of Norfolk as another great folk singing talent -
Walter Pardon - was born at nearby Knapton. Pardon was
discovered in the 1970s by Peter Bellamy and then took
his Norfolk songs as far afield as the USA. In 1983 he
was awarded a Gold Badge by the English Folk Dance and
Song Society. It would be interesting to know how much
he influenced his Kipper neighbours.
The hammerbeam roof of St. Botolph's Church in Trunch
provided the inspiration for Rev Whitwell Elwin's
spectacular creation at Booton.
St. Botolph's Church,
Trunch
There is also a old Norfolk rhyme which mentions
Trunch:
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