These were the words of the former Rector, the Revd. ‘Sandy’ Sanderson, when he unveiled the Village Sign in July 1979.

In one sense he was right: Mulbarton has had NO battles, NO revolutions, and NO national headlines.

And yet..... Mulbarton is FULL of history: the ordinary, everyday history of ordinary people. Every bend in every road tells a story. So does every hedge and every road-name. We are the inheritors of two thousand years of history - and we will be the makers of the future history of our village.

Over 900 years ago, in 1086, Mulbarton was recorded in another book - the Domesday Book. This is what the Domesday Book tells us about our village:

NAME: MOLKEBARTUNA—MEANING..probably “outlying dairy-farm”

PEOPLE: 7 ‘villans’ (not villains!) 16 ‘bordars’ 1 slave 6 tenants;1 freeman..

LAND: includes meadow and woodland (with pigs); crops would be grown; a MILL is recorded.

But there is so much that the book doesn’t tells us.....

We can be sure that there were women and children as well.

We can assume that then, as now, the church would be one of the finest buildings in the village - probably on or near the site of the present church. We can imagine that villagers built their homes near the church..... and heated their homes with log fires.

The following was written by David Wright in 2000...

MULBARTON - in the past century ....AD 2000 was a good moment to "look back" as well as forward - Mulbarton has over 1000 years of history

MULBARTON 100 years ago ....   a memory reported in the EDP 1.1.1900 (reprinted 1.1.2000) :  "MULBARTON: Through the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Edy, about fifty children of this parish were entertained in the club-room at the World's End Inn with a tea, and an enjoyable evening was spent.

MULBARTON 50 years ago.... There were fewer than 600 people in the village in the 1951 census - now Mulbarton has about  3000 people; a 500% growth .                                  
Would it be possible to collect memories of Mulbarton 50 years ago?  The words could be added to the Mulbarton Millennium Photo-collection that is now being developed.   Please write down any memories you have; a sentence or paragraph about what you remember of Mulbarton - it could be a valuable piece of village history.

MULBARTON 25 years ago... by 1975 the new estates were just beginning, and the population had reached about 1000.  So only a minority of Mulbarton's people remember Mulbarton in 1975 - some of the present inhabitants weren't born and most didn't live here then...                  
Many things have "changed for the better" since 1975; perhaps others could add to this list?

• we have a speed limit - at last.  The Parish Council requested one for 60 years before we got one.

• We have a much more frequent bus service.  In 1975 there were 2 hour gaps.

• Pavements: in 1975 Birchfield Lane had none; nor did the narrow "Hall Corner" in Long Lane.

• The fine Village Hall and field - worthy successor to the old school building that had just been purchased in 1975.

• The Scout and Guide HQ - built and maintained entirely by voluntary labour.

• No poles and wires round and over the pond to spoil the view.

• Gas

• A good comprehensive school for our teenagers

• Fewer smoky bonfires, and fewer smoky chimneys - though the ash was useful for the icy roads.

• Floodlighting of the church tower.

• A good Village Directory by the WI as mentioned before (not the first, but the best-produced)

• Signposting of our 12 rural footpaths.

There have been some sad losses in the past 25 years too:-

The Methodist Chapel; the shop by the pond; 3-figure telephone numbers!  Sky Larks in the fields and coal tits in the gardens; The direct daily coach service southwards along the B1113 to London; A baker who brought bread to the door - and a knife-grinder called too.  Deep snow - often (but not everyone is sad at losing hard winters)

So - is Mulbarton a better or worse place than it was 25 years ago?  That should keep the conversation going ....