A plaque remembering one of Dereham’s largest employers has been unveiled. 

On the wall of the High Street building now occupied by Wilko and the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, the plaque pays tribute to J.J. Wright and Sons, an important part of the town’s industrial heritage. 

Fred Milk, who worked for Wright’s for 25 years and organised a ceremony to unveil the plaque, said: “It was one of Dereham’s largest employers and in the 1960s owned several garages, selling Ford cars and tractors. 

Dereham Times: A picture of the former J.J. Wright and Sons in DerehamA picture of the former J.J. Wright and Sons in Dereham (Image: Newsquest Library)

“Attending the unveiling was the mayor of Dereham and the Dereham Heritage Council, who we would like to thank for their help in obtaining and erecting the plaque, as well as ex-employees and partners.”

The business began in 1889 when John James Wright and Joseph James Wright set up a bicycle shop, which became a Ford dealership in 1912. By 1973, Wright's of Dereham had been sold.

Similar plaques around town commemorate famous Dereham figures such as John and Ellenor Fenn and William O’Callaghan.