History
History of Patteson Lodge Estate
Beth Patteson ended her role as county Commissioner in 1971. No one was found to be her successor, so a caretaker committee consisting of Mrs Hall-Smith from Burnham Market, Mrs Beattie from Norwich, Mrs Macmillian from Knapton near North Walsham and Mrs Savory from Saxlingham near Holt and Mrs Woodrow as the secretary. In November 1971 there was a party in Norwich Castle to thank Beth and 500 leaders attended.
In 1973, Mrs Denise Beattie agreed to become county commissioner and stayed until Patteson lodge was opened in 1982. While Guides had always enjoyed camping, Brownies were only allowed to take part in indoor sleeping events – so mostly widely used venues were school halls. Patteson lodge soon became THE place for a Brownie holiday in Norfolk!
An extension to keep all of our achieves was added upstairs, and the Indaba room became storage for many international treasures. Indaba is South African for a council or conference with indigenous tribes.
Leaders came together to create a Friends of Patteson lodge group, to ensure that they could continue to support the importance of this purpose built centre.
Millefleur gardeners created a small conservation garden in one corner – this now boasts some plants which would have been in the original garden.
We celebrated 25 years in July 2007 and over £1000 was raised during the May Fayre. Claire Weller (Anglia TV Newsreader) opened the celebrations with Denise Beattie (County Commissioner 1973 – 1982) cutting the special cake. There are still some of the woodland noticeboards with Denise’s name on them in the grounds.
The archives soon expanded beyond the capacity of the lodge and now has it’s very own temperature storage building within Patteson Lodge estate. Built in 2006 and named the ARC, the appeal has grown beyond our expectations. Units visits for a chance to wear ‘old’ uniforms – with the uniforms from 80’s holding a special interest for leaders. Please see the separate website for the full (and very impressive!) range of what the ARC can offer – click on the icon at the bottom of the page.
During 2020, when COVID prevented normal visits, Girlguiding Norfolk suffered another set back when the GGN office at Eaton Vale burnt down. Mrs Christine Martin, county commissioner, decided that Patteson Lodge should become the official home to Girlguiding Norfolk. Current plans include holding more county or training events here, so that every leader gets to see more of the lodge and grounds.
Patteson Lodge celebrated its 40th birthday on 3rd July 2022, many organisations joined in the celebrations with stalls/stands for our visitors.
In 2023 the ARC achieved museum accreditation – an amazing achievement by all the dedicated volunteers who weekly attend to help with recording and storage of items.
Many members of Girlguiding Norfolk have seen Patteson grow from an empty field to a thriving Patteson Lodge Estate. If you have enjoyed visiting, or finding out more, please consider joining any of the groups which provide support to the site – please use the contact us page, and let us know who you want to contact.
Friends of Patteson lodge – the original group who help raise funds for the lodge and campsite – contact directly on FriendsofPL@btinternet.com
Millefleur – gardeners who are working towards restoring some of the original gardens
Friends of the ARC – supporting the work to record our heritage
