Thetford town centre, which is blighted by empty shop units (Image: Andrew Papworth)
Thetford’s most famous son, Thomas Paine, famously opened his bombshell pamphlet The American Crisis by saying: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” He was writing about the darkest days of the fierce battle for American independence in 1776, but his words could just as easily apply to his Norfolk birthplace 250 years later.
Thetford, which massively expanded with London overspill after World War 2, should be absolutely thriving. In many ways, it has everything going for it – deep-rooted history, a picturesque riverside setting by the Little Ouse, and a monumental tourist attraction in the 45,000-acre Thetford Forest. It has an enviable association with Dad’s Army, which was filmed nearby, with a famous statue of Captain Mainwaring adorning Anchor Place and a museum in nearby Cage Lane dedicated to the legendary BBC comedy. It is close to the major cities of Norwich and Cambridge, and it boasts not just a railway station but free parking. That is like gold dust for modern-day high streets, where you can be charged an arm and a leg just to leave your car.
A statue commemorating Thomas Paine in King Street, Thetford (Image: Andrew Papworth)
Yet when I visit Thetford, it is utterly deserted. Sadly, I can straight away see why.
The town centre is blighted by several empty units, including the former TG Jones and Shoezone. There are some well-known names, such as Costa Coffee, Poundland, and Superdrug, but not the blend of clothes stores, boutiques, eateries and everyday services that make up a well-rounded town centre.
According to shopkeepers, it has been a long-running, depressing trend of decline. Even charity shops have abandoned the high street.
Logan Rowland, owner of The Gold Shop, says: “The town is dead.
“We’ve been here four years. In the space of four years, we’ve been watching all these shops get closed down. It seems like landlords were drawing them out, hiking up their rent.
“We’re lucky that our building is owned by a church. Our rent has been the same the whole time. But this has probably been the worst year for us so far.”
The empty shop units include the former TG Jones, Shoezone and Peacocks stores (Image: Andrew Papworth)
Indeed, the 28-year-old believes it is only the buying side of his business that makes his Tanner Street premises worthwhile.
“Sales-wise, we’ve done barely nothing,” he says. “On the retail side of things, I might as well not have the shop. I might as well just have a little window for buy-ins.
“It’s a weird town. It can be pouring with rain some days, and it’ll be busy. Other days, the sun will be out, and it’ll be quiet. It’s a hard town to judge.
“It’s a shame, really. It would be nice if a few shops could open back up and get footfall back up. There are plenty of barber and vape shops.”
Despite that, he says there are “close friendships between the few shops that are still here”.
He adds: “We try to stick together. If I need something, I try to buy it from somewhere in town, just to keep the high street going. It’s hard.”
Tracy Tidy, who has owned Instinctively Mystical in Bridge Street for two years after moving to Thetford from Harlow, echoes Rowland’s words.
“People don’t come into Thetford as much,” she says. “It’s been declining since we’ve been here.
“The rents are quite high around here, and in the middle part, it’s a lot higher than down here. But I’d still say we get a lot of people from surrounding villages.”
Tracy Tidy says Thetford has been in decline (Image: Andrew Papworth)
If there is one thing Tidy and others blame for hastening the decline, it is the closure of the banks.
The town, which had four banks about five years ago, had already lost HSBC and Barclays by 2022. The double closure of Halifax and Lloyds last year has been a devastating blow, leaving Thetford without any high street banks and deterring many people from coming into the town.
The closure of the post office inside the TG Jones was, for many, the final humiliating straw.
Jessica Doe has grown Puddin from selling cakes at her local church to opening her premises at The Shambles in Thetford Market Place three years ago.
It has been such a roaring success that she took on a second unit next door last year to offer customers seating and hold events.
But the 30-year-old says: “This year has definitely been the hardest year. We’ve lost a lot of our high street.
“The post office and banks have gone. Most of the charity shops have closed down.
“This year we’ve really seen the effect of the cost of living. It’s tricky for small businesses to keep going.
“Footfall has dropped. We’re trying to do everything we can to entice people in.
“The way people are shopping is so different to the way it used to be. Unfortunately, people do buy online and don’t come into the town.
“You can’t change people’s spending habits, we just have to move with the times. You can’t wait for footfall because it’s not there.”
Puddin owner Jessica Doe, left, with staff member Rachel Goulding (Image: Andrew Papworth)
The riverside in Thetford (Image: Andrew Papworth)
Another factor often cited for Thetford’s decline is the growth of out-of-town shopping areas.
The Forest Retail Park, for example, is just a few minutes away and has a huge Sainsbury’s, Next, Currys, Pets At Home, Costa and KFC. There are arguably more major retailers there than in the town centre.
“How can you have all these big shops on the retail parks?” Tidy asks. Shopper Marie, who does not want to give her surname, says Thetford town centre is “going down the pan” and fumes: “The main shops have gone out of town to the retail parks. It’s not worth coming into town. You can see from the amount of people.”
One shop owner, who does not want to be named, adds: “People come in and ask: ‘Where is the town centre?’ It’s gone.
“We want better for Thetford, but nothing has changed.”
Yet it is not all doom and gloom. Doe says: “One thing we love about Thetford is we do have supportive customers. We do rely on repeat custom. We find the people who supported us four years ago support us today.
“There is a good town spirit. Everyone is really great, and we’re really well-supported by the customer base.”
Tidy believes that specialist shops such as hers, which offer something unique, have every chance of success.
“We’re something a bit different,” she explains. “There are more shops like this opening up. I think you see many people getting into spirituality and holistic healing.
She also praises Thetford Town Council for trying to support businesses and says events help bring people into the town.
Eileen Smith, 73, visiting from Pembrokeshire, thinks Thetford seems like an “interesting” and historic place, even if parts look run-down.
Visitor Eileen Smith thinks Thetford is an ‘interesting’ place (Image: Andrew Papworth)
Lesley Murray, 60, originally from Scotland, says: “I moved here in 2007. I like it. You’re only a couple of minutes from the country. We’ve got good networks to get to Norwich and a good bus service. We’ve got a train, and you can get anywhere from there.
“My neighbours are good. My street is good. We live in Abbey – it’s got a bad reputation, some parts are not good, but my street is okay.
“It’s got quite good history. There are good walks, and you’ve got the Dad’s Army link. I like the old houses – we don’t have houses like that in Scotland.”
Lesley Murray likes living in Thetford (Image: Andrew Papworth)
Turning Thetford around will be a huge challenge. I worked in the town more than 10 years ago. It was in decline then. With Covid and a cost-of-living crisis, the downturn has only got steadier since.
Yet I can’t help feeling that it is the major retailers, particularly the banks, who have pulled the rug from underneath it. Stores such as Puddin and Instinctively Mystical have shown that independents can still thrive despite the headwinds they face.
Perhaps the town should once again look to Paine, whose bronze statue overlooks the town centre from King Street, for inspiration.
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph,” he once wrote. Thetford’s recovery will be a long, hard road, but its success is very much deserved.