Welcome to The Holt Society
For the Protection of the Georgian Centre of Holt, Norfolk
From the beginning, the Holt Society has seen its main objective as the protection of the Georgian centre of Holt.
To this end, and to achieve the survival of the town as an attractive and thriving commercial and residential community, we work closely with the Town Council, the Chamber of Trade and the Planning Department at the North Norfolk District Council.
We all share a love of Holt as a special place with a distinctive historic character. We believe that sensitivity to good design and maintaining the architectural integrity of our buildings, both historic and contemporary, will ensure that the town continues to thrive.
We are a friendly group with a growing membership approaching 250. Whether you would like to get actively involved or you prefer simply to enjoy the organised visits and lectures, by becoming a member you will be making an important contribution to Holt. Every voice counts.
Explore our website to find out more about us and about Georgian Holt. We hope to see you soon at one of our future events.
Our work
We warmly invite you to discover more about the Society and its activities, events and publications.
Our Projects…
National Corporations stress uniformity of their signage. These often look inappropriate in a Georgian environment. The Holt Society helps negotiate more suitable solutions.
Our Publications…
Designed to help prospective (and existing) businesses to fit new/updated signage with their surroundings and to share the history of Holt.
Our Campaigns…
An unrecorded cellar has recently been discovered on Star Plain. It is believed other discoveries may also appear and we remain devoted to ensuring these are recorded.
The Holt Society, founded 1965
The closing of the railway in 1963 changed the focus of Holt from a market town to a centre of small business, light industry and residential housing, with a weather eye on tourism.
This situation led to a meeting of local worthies, headed by local GP Dr George Neil, to look at the needs and appearance of the town. And so the newly constituted Holt Society was born in December 1965.
In the early days projects identified as pressing included the effects of a possible by-pass, drawing up a Town Plan, problems of litter and street furniture, objections to proposed buildings, the provision of tourist facilities, tree planting and parking – some things never change!
Can you help?
The dream of Dr. Neil and his fellow lovers of Holt lives on. The local author Jane Hales, Lady Harrod of the Norfolk Churches Trust, The Hon. Marjorie Beevers, a long-time and formidable Chairman of the Society, were other early trailblazers and so many others have made their contributions great and small over the decades that have followed.
And there is still a need for the raised voices and commitment of those who care for the beauty of Holt and its heritage.
Holt on film
Over the first six months of 2021 we worked to create a film about Holt and its history. The film is 30-minutes long, or there abouts, and has been described, by those who have already seen it, as ‘Fabulous’, ‘Wonderful’, ‘Outstanding’ with some saying that ‘it got me looking at the buildings in a way I had never done before’.
Glimpses of Holt (2015)
An exhibition ‘Holt People and Stories’ was put together to run at the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt during the Holt Society’s 50th Anniversary week in May 2015.
Intriguing photographs of the town’s past and present inhabitants, long lost buildings and snippets of stories bring to life a thriving town with an interesting history.
Holt Owl Trail
The Holt Owl Trail is designed to take you on a tour of the historic Georgian town of Holt in North Norfolk.
The 24 pavement plaques were installed in Holt town centre in December 2017 as a project associated with Holt Town Council, Holt Chamber of Trade and The Holt Society.
