Below is a record of some the the historical and recent reports of farmed silver fox in Norfolk.
Stratton Strawless: Watch Tower (1540-1945)
"A more unusual trade to be recorded by the archaeological record is that of silver fox farming. A brick tower (NHER 8023) that stands south of Heath Farm on the Short-Thorn Road supposedly belonged to a post medieval silver fox farm, with the farmer sitting in the tower to watch the foxes"
"NHER 8023 - 'Tower' according to the Ordnance Survey.
According to neighbouring cottagers this was a silver fox farm whose owner used to sit up the tower and watch the foxes. The tower was erected 'before anyone can remember' and demolished in about 1945. No trace of it remains in the pasture field. E. Rose (NAU) 3 March 1977"
Grid Reference: TG 2031 (Postcode: NR11 7EX)
A Young British Industry (1931)
"The breeding of silver foxes in great Britain is proving to be quite a successful industry, thanks to the demand of fashion which cannot be supplied by nature unaided. This is one of a series of interesting photographs taken on the Regis Silver Fox Farm established by Mr. J.A P Stuart, a retired official of the Indian Police, in hilly woodland near the Norfolk coast in conditions approximating as nearly as possible to those in which these beautiful animals live in the wild state.
One pair for stock purposes can demand £150, whilst the pelts fetch considerable sums. It is now that the breeding season starts, and in order that the animals shall not be disturbed more than is absolutely necessary Mr. Stuart has constructed a watch tower from which supervision of the farm can be kept. As will be seen in the pictures, silver foxes are in the main fairly tame, if timid although when cubs they are amusing pets."
Grid Reference: TG 1676841542 (Postcode: NR26 8RX)
The Silver Fox Farm, Sheringham (1932)
According to @Sherington, many years ago along what is now know as the 'Top Road' Cromer - Holt, there was a Zoo. It was called Sheringham Zoo and Silver Fox Farm and as the name suggests the specialty was the rearing of Silver Foxes, truly beautiful creatures.
Not much information is available about the zoo, but allegedly it housed a wide variety of different species, including lions and elephants. Visitors were able to purchase 'suitable' food for the zoo animals and many a child spent the day blissfully watching the exotic animals on show. In those days, all of the exhibits would have been exotic, only pictures in books before the zoo opened it's gates. It overlooked the sea and was surrounded by woodland.
The Zoo Cafe served Teas and Light Lunches and according to the copy of the brochure below, you could get a cup of tea for one shilling (5p).
Sheringham Zoo and Silver Fox Farm Flyer
This is a personal account from a lady who worked at the Silver Fox Farm one summer. Her name is Doris Louisa Bohannan nee Pegg who is now living in Chelmsford.
"I was 20 years old in 1932 and I lived in a house called Hebron which my father had had built in Nuttalls Meadow on the Common. I only worked on the farm for a few months during the summer of that year. I used to walk from my home through the Spring Woods to work. The Farm was on the site of the old waterworks which led down to the tower in the High Street.
The Farm was owned by a Mr & Mrs Stuart, they must have been in their late 30s, they had three children, 2 boys and later on a girl, she was called Felicity (maybe she still lives in Sheringham). The bungalow had 5 rooms and I was employed as a general help for the sum of 12 shillings a week.
A driveway along side of the bungalow led down to the Fox Kitchen and the Offices, the kitchen was used for the fox's food, which as far as I can remember consisted of a lot of eggs and baby turkeys, there were a lot them about, and I do remember that the kitchen was spotlessly clean. I had to feed the baby turkeys with crushed stinging nettles which I had gathered from round about the farm.
The foxes themselves were housed in pens completely made up of chicken wire both round the sides and on the floor, presumably to stop them digging their way out. They were beautiful creatures with black and silver fur. I supposed they were bred for their fur. There must have been just under a hundred as far as I can remember.
There was a Canadian who worked for the Stuarts, he looked after the foxes and he took me up to the top of an outlook built purposely to overlook the fox pens. He lived in a small cottage on the common somewhere near Brittens Lane.
I presume the foxes were transported for slaughter, I don't remember it happening on the farm. I hope this is of some interest to you, and wish I could remember more."
This information was very kindly sent to @Sheringham by Doris's daughter Penny Jay.
© Anon. Norfolk Fur Farm
Grid Reference: TG 1676841542 (Postcode: NR26 8RX)
Norwich Fox Farm (1945)
Sheringham / Beeston Regis are not the only areas of Norfolk documented to have once bred silver foxes, Hyde Silver Fox Farm in Norwich was another.
Grid Reference: TG 1753610687 (Postcode: NR5 0PT)
Recent Sightings In Sheringham (2021)
"A rare black fox has been spotted on the North Norfolk coast.
The sighting has been likened to that of Black Shuck - the mythical beast which is said to prowl the East Anglian coastline and appears in numerous ghost stories.
The elusive melanistic fox was spotted on Sheringham golf course in the early hours of Tuesday morning by photographer Chris Taylor...
According to the group Black Foxes UK which campaigns to promote awareness of black foxes, the animals are extremely rare and are estimated to make up 0.1pc of the UK fox population.
Also known as silver foxes, the animals' dark coloured coats are caused by a melanistic gene, which is recessive.
Mr Taylor said while he had heard of previous sightings of black foxes in North Norfolk, seeing one for himself had been an amazing moment.
"It was brilliant. I was feeling fairly drowsy after having a rubbish night's sleep but that just made the whole thing worthwhile, it made my day.
"It wasn't aware of me at all for the first few seconds, it was a magical moment," he said"
Found this photo on eBay possibly from the same farm;
Valuable history well worth knowing about