Dad's Army

Bressingham has been the official home to the Dads Army Appreciation Society's collection since 2000. The exhibition comprises a recreation of Walmington on Sea the fictional home to Captain Mainwaring and his men.

Jones' butchers shop and the church hall feature heavily in the scene, whilst you can get a glimpse of Frazer's Funeral Parlour and the Swallow Bank.

Bressingham was happy to lend to the BBC some of its historic collection to feature in the show, Traction Engines and Rollers feature in episodes but probably the most memorable exhibit in the Bressingham collection is the Fire Enginge.

The Television Series 'Dad's Army' ran from 1968 to 1977 with a total of 80 episodes - and you can still catch the repeats to this day, over 30 years after the filming of the very first episode. Who can forget the inimitable characters played by Clive Dunn, Arthur Lower, John Luarie, John Le Mesurier, Jim Beck, Ian Lavender, Arnold Riley, Frank Williams, Edward Sinclair and Bill Pertwee! Not only did the show make household names of these main characters, but it also brought a host of other 'comedy faces' to our television screens for the very first time.

The series was filmed in and around Thetford (including the Stanford training area) and included many local residents from the surrounding countryside. Some of the vehicles at Bressingham Steam Museum were used in the series including the Leyland fire engine in 'Brain versus Brawn' (episode 50, 1972). The steamroller 'Boxer' and traction engine 'Bertha' were also used in the show.