| South Walsham | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Church, South Walsham | |
 St Lawrence Church, South Walsham | |
  South Walsham Location withinNorfolk | |
| Area | 11.43 km2 (4.41 sq mi) |
| Population | 845 (2011)[1] |
| • Density | 74/km2 (190/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TG364130 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORWICH |
| Postcode district | NR13 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| 52°39′50″N1°29′42″E / 52.664°N 1.495°E /52.664; 1.495 | |
South Walsham is a village andcivil parish in theEnglish county ofNorfolk. It covers an area of 11.43 km2 (4.41 sq mi) and had a population of 738 in 303 households at the2001 census.[2] increasing to 845 living in 345 households at the 2011 Census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within thedistrict ofBroadland. Historically, the village comprised two separate parishes, that of St Mary and of St Lawrence.[3] After fire damage in 1827, the church of St Lawrence slowly fell into disuse and the two parishes were combined in 1889.[4]
The village has a primary school,[5] a pub[6] and the disused St Lawrence's church, the tower of which collapsed in 1971,[4] has been repurposed as the St Lawrence Centre for Training and the Arts, hosting various music concerts, art exhibitions, craft fairs and charity events.[7] The parish is also home to the South Walsham estate, purchased in 1946 byMajor Henry Broughton, 2nd Lord Fairhaven, which remains in the ownership of the family.[8] Large parts of the estate are opened to the public as the Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden. Throughout its history, South Walsham has been linked with the wealthySt Benet's Abbey located just outside the parish.[9]
The parish of South Walsham includes the hamlets of Town Green and Pilson Green, andSouth Walsham Broad lies adjacent to the village.
The villages name means 'W(e)alh's homestead/village' or 'Britons' homestead/village'.
South Walsham is recorded in theCodex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici as Súðwalshám[10] in a document produced during the reign ofEdward the Confessor.[11] Early documents suggest that land in the present parish was owned by a freeman named under Guert, the brother ofHarold Godwinson[12] at the time of theNorman conquest of England, before passing under the stewardship ofGodric the Steward. Its entry in theDomesday Book shows land ownership divided betweenWilliam the Conqueror,William, Bishop of Thetford, Godric the Steward and St Benet's Abbey[13] - in total, there were around 124 villagers excluding women and children.[9] During the Middle Ages, much of the land in the parish was used to producepeat for fuel, and records ofturbary show that around two hundred thousand turves were sold per annum, yielding an average income of around seven pounds per annum.[9][14] These revenues dropped rapidly, from over eight pounds (and 250 000 units) in 1268–69 to around two pounds (and 56 700 units) in 1290–91,[14] as the former peat cuttings began to flood andThe Broads were formed. There are references to flooded land (orBroddinge) as early as 1315.[9][14]
After theEnglish Reformation, the abbey at St Benet's remained in use for some time, but had fallen into decay by the early stages of the reign ofElizabeth I.
In the twentieth century, war memorials list 14 deaths from within the parish duringWorld War I.[9] The tower of St Lawrence's church, damaged by a fire on the 30 May 1827,[9] collapsed on the 18 March 1971, with little damage to the church itself.
http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/South%20Walsham%20St.%20Mary
Media related toSouth Walsham at Wikimedia Commons
