“Somerton Broad, with its reed-bed and trees, makes a picturesque spot in midsummer, but the narrow Dungeon Dike makes the water difficult of approach, so this broad is not so frequently visited as the others, and indeed I do not think a visit will repay the ordinary tourist.” ⎯On English Lagoons, Old Friends on Somerton Broad: Chapter XXXVII, p. 210

This view is believed to show an outlying tributary: “Dungeon Dike” of Somerton Broad, with this plate appearing opposite the above quote by Emerson dated March 24 (1891) from his log book.

Learn more about Somerton Broad from the Broadland Memories Blog: “West Somerton – Land of Black Sails and Giants” Interestingly, the author notes guide books from the 1870s on (including Emerson’s account in On English Lagoons) maligns the area, as Emerson did above: “but a search for information on West Somerton to accompany the photos revealed that it seems to have been a much maligned destination on the Broads over the years. The village is most famously known as the birthplace of Robert Hales, “The Norfolk Giant”, and there will be more on him later, but one of my first ports of call for historic information is often the various guide books which have been written about the Norfolk Broads from the 1870s onwards. It’s always fascinating to compare how the descriptions and views on the towns and villages have changed through the years. In the case of West Somerton, it seems that there has been little to say which was particularly favourable, although I do wonder how much of it might have been the writers trying to keep this peaceful spot to themselves!”