Down to the Dark Waters

As part of the Corn Hall’s DissCover Book Festival, Diss Museum Actors will lead a 

lively and imaginative walk.

Inspired by the theory that Mere Street’s original name, Tem Street, came from the Celtic for “dark waters”, Down to the Dark Waters will feature actual literary and historical connections with Diss, reflecting the dates of particular sites.

The guided walk down and back up Mere Street brings the town’s past to life — some empty premises have some unexpected stories to tell.

Expect an afternoon full of surprises featuring connections to Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, J.B. Priestley, John Betjeman, Mary Wilson, and more — alongside stories of the 1945 general election, 18th-century conspiracies, Thomas De Quincey, Matilda Fitz Walter, the medieval cross, and the Diss Book Club of the 1700s, whose sharp opinions on Thomas Paine still echo today.

The walk lasts around an hour and concludes with light refreshments…