| Belaugh | |
|---|---|
 St Peter's church | |
  Belaugh Location withinNorfolk | |
| Area | 3.56 km2 (1.37 sq mi) |
| Population | 134 (2011)[1] |
| • Density | 38/km2 (98/sq mi) |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORWICH |
| Postcode district | NR12 |
| Dialling code | 01603 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| 52°42′58″N1°23′13″E / 52.716°N 1.387°E /52.716; 1.387 | |
Belaugh is a small village[2] on theRiver Bure inNorfolk, England.[3] The village is withinThe Broads National Park and is accessible by road fromHoveton andColtishall. Most of the land around Belaugh - about 850 acres (344 ha) - is owned by the Trafford family, who areLords of the Manor.
TheDomesday Book of 1086 contains one of the earliest recorded mentions of the village, at the time known as Belaga. Other records from around the time name it as Belihagh, Belaw, Bilhagh or Bilough, names based on combinations ofNorse,Danish andAnglo-Saxon words that collectively mean 'a dwelling place by the water'.
Belaugh St Peter is aChurch of England church located at the top of a steep slope above the village. It was built in the 14th century and contains an ornaterood screen decorated with images of theapostles from the early 16th century. In the 17th century a Parliamentarian soldier scraped away the faces of the apostles. The font of the church is shaped in the Norman style as a cauldron made of a blue stone. The church organ was built between 1886 and 1904 by the Reverend George Buck, who was rector between 1880 and 1907 and son of Dr Zephaniah Buck, organist ofNorwich Cathedral. George Buck also built church organs forEdingthorpe andLittle Melton.
John Betjeman stated that it was the view of St Peter's from the river that began his lifelong passion for churches.[4]
In 2023, raw sewage was pumped into theRiver Bure at Belaugh for around 2,000 hours.[5] This was caused by a storm overflow, designed to prevent blockages in sewer systems by releasing sewage into bodies of water during periods of heavy rainfall. The surge in sewage outflows at Belaugh nearly tripled compared to the preceding year, marking it as the most severely impacted locale in the region.[6]
Media related toBelaugh at Wikimedia Commons