Michael Brander following in the footsteps of Francois de La Rochefaucauld in  1784 visited Kings Lynn and Reffley Spring in 1963. The following extracts are taken from his book, Soho for East Anglia. ( Soho comes from the word 'sohowe' the cry used to urge hounds on the chase.)

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Lynn in 1963.

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King’s Lynn is still an extremely attractive old town with the familiar East Anglian Dutch influence particularly noticeable.  Some of the old perpendicular facades are just like those of canal-side houses in Amsterdam.  On the other hand there is a noticeable neglect which is not visible in Holland. Many lovely old buildings are being allowed to rot unchecked.

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In the opposite corner of the square to  “The Globe” there is a “Walls” sign immediately beside a fine but dilapidated Tudor house.  The contrast between  the modern sign and the crumbling oversailing façade is glaring and this was only one of many similar signs of neglect and near vandalism.   The Town Council may boast of its Music Festival  and its architecture but clearly lacks policy or interest  in preserving its fine old buildings.  I understand that King’s Lynn with a population of 25,000, has agreed to accept a further 10,000 overspill from London.  The town has sprawled unattractively and how it is proposed to increase its size so much without completely ruining its character I cannot see. From Soho for East Anglia Michael Brander 1964. P.158-9.

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Riffley Springs 1963.

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On the other side of the main road to Lynn, at the end of a sandy track between two villas there is a small copse of trees with a spring of water known as Riffley Springs. A Friendly Society was founded here in 1651 which still exists.  It was formed by a group of Royalists in Cromwell’s time, when meetings of more than thirty were forbidden.  In the wood by the spring they could meet privately, smoke and drink punch, also, presumably, discuss ways of restoring the monarchy.  After the Restoration no doubt they felt it was worthwhile carrying on their pleasant custom.  The President today is Bernard Folkes, a direct descendant of the first president and the numbers are still restricted to thirty members from the neighbourhood of King’s Lynn.

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Round the spring itself a small circular wooden bench has been built and in 1789 a “temple” was added, which bears a strong resemblance to the Athol Hermitage in Scotland built about the same period.  The “temple” nestling amid a small glade of trees in the middle of a field provides a perfect sylvan setting for a pleasant evening in summer with a glass and a pipe.  We were fortunate in seeing it on one of the few days in the year when the “temple” was open for a “Fete Champetre” (a popular entertainment in the 18th century, taking the form of a garden party.).  Nowadays meetings are apparently more in the nature of a cocktail party with guests and wives invited and marquees erected for them, but one can imagine it in Georgian days when the “temple” was first built. Wives were probably the exception then.

Among the old customs of the society, ”churchwardens” are still provided for members if they want them.  “It is quite difficult to get them nowadays, you know,” the secretary of the society told us, “ It’s a cottage industry and there’s only a limited output.”  I was surprised to learn this as I had in the past smoked them from time to time and never had any difficulty in obtaining them.  They are an extremely cool smoke as may be imagined, but not the most practical of pipes.

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When taking some refreshment at the nearby “Swan Inn” we met the farmer on whose land the “temple” stands.  We learned that he was automatically a member, qualifying as: “A man of repute”.

An older worthy present told us that he remembered fairs being held regularly at Riffley Springs before the First World War.  He added nostalgically that whenever a fair was held there the children  used to skip all the way from Lynn to see the fun….. from Soho for East Anglia Michael Brander 1964 pp 156-7.

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Raymond Wilson in one of his ‘LYNN LETTER’ articles for the ‘NORFOLK FAIR’ Magazine July 1972 edition, wrote about the Reffley Society:

CHURCHWARDEN PIPES lit from a special lantern; a brandy punch prepared from a secret recipe; meetings held by flickering candlelight; all form part of the ancient ritual still conducted each July in a secluded temple on the outskirts of Lynn.

   Few of the local residents are probably aware of the existence of the Reffley Society which meets usually only once a year in a wooded retreat beyond the new housing estate. The Society was formed about 1650 by Lynn Royalists, as a protest against Cromwell’s Law forbidding public meetings of thirty or more men. After the Restoration it continued with its object of “conviviality and good fellowship,” membership being restricted to 30 men of good repute from the county of Norfolk.

   The annual gathering takes place in a red brick octagonal temple built in 1789.  Close by is the spring of chalybeate water which forms the main ingredient of the celebrated brew.  The spring bubbles out from the side of an inscribed obelisk, erected in 1756 and dedicated to “Bacchus and Venus, the Gods of this place.”  The members or “Sons of  Reffley,” pay an annual subscription towards the cost of keeping the temple and grounds in good order, and for the traditional fare, this is usually Yorkshire pudding, saddle of mutton and boiled beef.

   Members are not allowed to enter the temple until they have drunk from the spring and imbibed two glasses of the punch-prepared by the society’s brewer and ladled from a large willow patterned punchbowl into old china drinking pots.  Each member has his own churchwarden pipe with his name engraved upon the stem which is smoked only on this occasion.

Festivities commence at 3p.m. and traditionally until 10p.m. Seated at old oak tables within the temple, the members conduct their meeting by flickering candlelight; after feasting toasting and much punch drinking they devote their time to singing traditional songs and to playing old English games such as quoits, bowls and “bumble puppy”- this last being whist played in an unscientific way.

   An outstanding feature of the annual gathering is the speechmaking, to which each member must contribute. A rule requires no member ever to be offended at anything said about him at the annual meeting.  Betting was prevalent in days past and the bets book dates back to 1789, and still in the Society’s possession includes entries such as, “I bet 2/6 that I can drink 12 glasses of punch in a minute.”  The bet was won – fortunately before the advent of the breathalyser.

   During its long existence the Temple has been visited by many distinguished visitors including Royalty, and much tribute has been paid to the charm and the potency of the celebrated punch.  At the close of this unique annual gathering, the members having wined and dined in convivial company surrounded by rustic splendour, proceedings are drawn to a close by the President’s solemn announcement, “Gentlemen, the tide has gone out.” From LYNN LETTER by Raymond Wilson published in the July 1972 edition of the Norfolk Fair magazine.

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In the 1960’s:  The Bretheren were concerned about the growing encroachment of urbanisation upon their ‘sacred grove’. It took another twenty years before they were finally forced to give up their Temple although they had not been able to use it for some years, when it was finally demolished. The ornaments and obelisk were removed to safer locations.  Although Reffley Spring is no more a resort for the enjoyment of the inhabitants of Lynn, the Reffley Society is said to be very much still in existence, having since found an alternative source for its chalybeate water and a new venue for its meetings.

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In 1962 it was agreed that Kings Lynn should become an overflow town for London, and the following item appeared in The Electrical Review (1962).~;

1962 – The following item appeared in The Electrical Review 
 

                       Accepted Tenders and Prospective Electrical Work
                      Kings Lynn – Development of Fairstead, Marsh Lane and Reffley estates with over 
                      2000 dwellings and garages and other buildings for TC: borough architects. The
                      Electrical Review - Volume 171, Issues 1-9 - Page 48

                                                                   Planners cast their shadow 
                                                                      across Reffley temple

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