Jenny Hancock - Homeowner Liaison Team
Born and raised in Norfolk, Jenny Hancock spent the first 14 years of her working life in London working first as a secretary in the City, before moving to the West End to work in various capacities for a number of advertising and production companies. Although she enjoyed working in London, gradually the lure of Norfolk grew too strong and, in the year 2000, drew her back to country life for good. After running her own flower shop in partnership with a friend for 3 years in Burnham Market, Jenny worked for the Holkham Estate for a number of years prior to joining Norfolk Country Cottages in April 2011, at the same time as the new office opened in Burnham Market.
Favourite Place: Aylsham
One of my favourite places in Norfolk is Aylsham. Oozing with history, this lovely market town is believed to have been founded around 500 AD by an Anglo Saxon thane named Aegel, and is recorded in the Doomsday Book as both Ailesham and Elesham. Much of the town’s affluence can be attributed to the linen and wool industries that thrived in Aylsham until the 15th century, and even supplied cloth to the courts of Edward II and Edward III.
How fitting then that one of Aylsham’s most important landmarks (in my opinion) is also one of its oldest surviving buildings – The Black Boys Hotel. This excellent, establishment serves delicious, reasonably-priced food both at lunchtime and in the evening. However, by no means is it the only purveyor of fine foods in Aylsham, there are 3 delightful tea rooms to choose from, and there’s a delicatessen, a baker and a family-run butcher (to name but a few outlets). Aylsham also offers boutiques, gift shops, and shops selling everything from antiques, books and jewellery to dog leads, electrical items and plants.
Situated on the River Bure, about 10-12 miles north of Norwich and approximately the same distance south from the coast, Aylsham is a superb base from which to explore the surrounding area. Blickling Hall (formerly home to the young Anne Boleyn) is a fine example of a Jacobean manor house and is 5 minutes down the road by car; Marriott's Way is an off-road cycle and walking path, and Aylsham is also home to the Bure Valley Railway which provides an 18-mile round trip by steam train through picturesque countryside to Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads.
