Norway House, Bedford Bank East, Welney

Introduction

A mile and three-quarters north-east of Old Bedford Bridge, and just a short distance north of Cock Fen Pumping station, is a house that is unique. It's late Victorian and of no great architectural merit apart from some fancy brickwork in places, set on a very long strip of land with landscaped gardens and intensive fruit and vegetable plots, all nestling below the bank of the Old Bedford River.

It's uniqueness is being the only inhabited building in the world with the postcode PE14 9TE.
Revising this page in early 2026, I found that postcode was 'terminated' by Royal Mail in Feb 2008, but no substitute code alloted. It appears even more unique being postcode-less.

photo: Peter Cox (under alias Eddy Edwards) June 2010, Olympus E-410
Norway House in June 2010, seen from the river bank, with window shutters closed.

I didn't know about the house when I first came upon it in June 2010, and was surprised to learn later that this was Norway House, which I had previously thought was a derelict house half a mile south that I visited in 2007.

History

I discovered the true identity of the property from on an on-line article by accomplished Welney ice skater Adam Giles who had also posted a photo of the house. It seems it was built by Bernie Sutton in 1892 for another Welney ice skater, James Smart, who was professional world speed-skating champion in 1895, and one of several members of the Smart family to excel at the sport.

The building materials were transport by barge from Welney as there was no road access. I understand the present metal window shutters were installed by Sean Booth sometime in the 1970s.

While skating in Europe, James Smart met the Nowegian national champion, Harald Hagen (see further down for name spelling correction) and they became good friends. Harald was largely responsible for designing a new form of skate which impressed James so much that he set up business at his new house importing and selling them. They proved very popular with fen skaters and eventually replaced the local 'Fen Runners'.

James named his new home Norway House, and gave his second son, born in the same year the house was built, the name Hagen, after his friend Harald.

After James died in 1928, aged only 62, Hagen ("Hargy") Smart, a great Washes wildfowler, continued to live in Norway House until the 1950's. To get to the Washes fom the house, he would have to cross both the Old Bedford and Delph rivers. An irrigation slacker on the bank of the Hundred Foot River a little way north is named after him.

At a church fete in May 2007 my wife and I got in conversation with a woman who turned out to be a great-granddaughter of James Smart. That chance meeting with Julie Morgan, and her interest in her relative's old home, Norway House, prompted me to find the house and photgraph it for her. Unfortunately I didn't walk far enough along Bedford Bank (nor ask those who would have known) and mistook another, almost derelict, house for it. It was three years before I realised my error, and another two before I posted it (on my Welney Website) and later copied/transferred it here.

The house was on the market in 2007, and I understand it sold in September that year for £150,000. I wondered back then whether Julie Morgan or one of her relatives may have bought it.

Later note, 27th April 2011: Kevin Morgan e-mailed:
"Hi, I am brother of Julie Morgan, no we did not buy Norway house sadly, we would love to though! I am now living in Australia, James Smart was my great Grandfather, and Harrald Hagen Smart my great Uncle, we used to stay at Norway House as children. After "Hargy" died in 1957 his wife Anne Sneath remained until too elderly to cope there on her own"

Thanks Kevin for adding these details and correcting your great-uncle's name.

Photo Gallery

photo: Peter Cox, June 2010, Olympus E-410
entrance drive at the southern end

photo: Peter Cox, June 2010, Olympus E-410
viewed from the south through the inner gates

photo: Peter Cox, June 2010, Olympus E-410
seen from the field on the west

photo: Peter Cox, June 2010, Olympus E-410
name/date plaque is now illegible

photo: Peter Cox, June 2010, Olympus E-410
extensive fruit and veg plots

photo: Peter Cox, June 2010, Olympus E-410
this long view looking southwest shows the extent of the plot north of the house