A History of Hemp in the Waveney Valley
Wed 08 Jul
|Masonic Rooms
Hemp was once used for rot-resistant sails, rope and nets. It was so important that in 1533, Henry VIII made hemp cultivation compulsory by law. The Waveney Valley once produced one eighth of the country's output of hemp.
Time & Location
08 Jul 2026, 14:00
Masonic Rooms, Off Redenhall Road, Harleston IP20 9EN
About the event
Before imported cotton, poly cotton and polyester and fleece the people of this nation weren't walking about naked, no, they were clothed in the natural fibres and textiles produced right here. Textiles woven from wool, from flax and from hemp.
Claire O'Sulivan, from the Contemporary Hempery project at Wakelyns Farm. Wakelyns is one of the longest established agroforestry site in Europe, and organic since 1993. It is located in the centre of the historic hemp growing area, we bringing back this once thriving and economically important industry.
Claire will explore the fascinating history of hemp as a textile fibre, although of course the plant has many other ways to help humans. She will touch on its ancient uses and its introduction to the UK, before focusing on the thriving hemp industry that shaped the Waveney Valley from the 1500s to its decline in the early 1800s. She will then introduce wor…