Official Guide to North Walsham 2023-2024

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110 North Walsham Town GuidePainting of old Market Street, North Walsham by Henry Bright (late 1800s) from the Stanley Watts collection. Thanks to Jonathan Watts.
Historical North Walsham 111serpent of the Fens. Waels was the father ofSigemund the Waelsing who slayed a hoardkeepingdragon.It is conjectured that other settlements suchas Walsham-le-willows, South Walsham andWalsingham may also come from the sameAnglo-Saxon name root.With the coming of Christianity to East Anglia,the village was provided with a church, andto that church a portion of land and a priest.When the Vikings later raided the shores ofeastern England many a village fell to theirhands, including Walsam. It is recorded thatduring the reign of King Canute, a Norsemannamed Skiotr gave the village of Walsam alongwith its church and estates to the Abbey ofSaint Benet at Holme, then sited on an islandin the Bure marshes near Horning. This Abbeywas to become one of the richest BenedictineMonasteries in the land. Much of this wealth wasobtained from Walsam, being its principal andmost prosperous holding. The Abbot of SaintBenet’s as Lord of the Manor held the rights toall tithes, and as the weaving industry of thearea flourished these tithes became lucrative.It was upon this great wealth that the AbbeyChurch of Saint Benet along with the ParishChurch of North Walsham were enlarged on agrand scale in the fourteenth century. Throughthis the town can now boast the largest churchin Norfolk that has always been solely a parishchurch.(Note: Both King’s Lynn Minster and GreatYarmouth Minster are larger buildings but wereoriginally conceived as priory churches. GreatYarmouth Minster holds claim to being the largestparish church in England.)Records throughout the ages mention the townas Walsham Market and Walsham, the ‘North’being added within the last few hundred years.The Domesday book tells us that a church existedin North Walsham and that it belonged to SaintBenet’s Abbey. The tower of this ancient churchstill exists today, being the oldest building inthe town at well over a thousand years old.It was incorporated into the present churchbuilding and stands to the immediate north ofthe present tower ruin. Most of the town wasbuilt of wood at this time, being thatched withthe reed that grew in the water meadows ofthe River Ant on the east side of the town. Thetown’s arable land was divided into three fields;Southfield, Millfield and Northfield, and weresubdivided into strips allotted to the townsfolk.This was a system common throughout thecountry, with one field sown in wheat, anotherin beans, with barley for brewing, and the thirdleft fallow for sheep to re-fertilize the land. Yearby year this system was rotated so that all fieldshad equal usage. The outskirts of the town werewell wooded and provided rough grazing forwild boar.The battle of the Peasants’ Revolt as depicted by John Speed on hisMap of Norfolk 1611.Weaving and ‘Walsham’Flemish weavers came to England in thetwelfth century and settled in Norfolk, thelow lying landscape being reminiscent of theirhomelands. Their weaving capitals were sitedat the twin-towns of Worstead and Walsham;weaving the country’s finest cloths of ‘Worsted’,still famed for its quality worldwide, and‘Walsham’; which was a lighter cloth for summeruse. By the beginning of the fourteenth centurya market of these cloths was well establishedin Walsham. This new prosperity was proudlyflaunted with the building of vast new churches
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The Local Environment 47Bacton Wood
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The Local Environment 49Local Walks
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The Local Environment 51Weavers’
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North Walsham Town Guide 53Memorial
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The Local Environment 55Bluebell Po
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The Local Environment 57Town SignNo
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Page 63 and 64: Leisure & Entertainment 61Green Roo
Page 65 and 66: Leisure & Entertainment 63Local Par
Page 67 and 68: Leisure & Entertainment 65North Wal
Page 69 and 70: Leisure & Entertainment 67The Cat P
Page 71 and 72: Leisure & Entertainment 69M.i. Nort
Page 73 and 74: Leisure & Entertainment 71Local pla
Page 81 and 82: Leisure & Entertainment 79Regular E
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Page 85 and 86: Health & Fitness 83Mike Thurston Wa
Page 87 and 88: Health & Fitness 85Victory Swim and
Page 89 and 90: Local Community 87North Walsham Com
Page 91 and 92: Local Community 89“Unprecedented
Page 93 and 94: Worship 91METHODIST CHURCHThe Circu
Page 95 and 96: Clubs and Societies 93Clubs and Soc
Page 97 and 98: Clubs and Societies 95BOOGIE BOUNCE
Page 99 and 100: Clubs and Societies 97COMMUNITY FIR
Page 101 and 102: Clubs and Societies 99GOOD COMPANIO
Page 103 and 104: Clubs and Societies 101LEAGUE OF FR
Page 105 and 106: Clubs and Societies 103NELSON QUILT
Page 107 and 108: Clubs and Societies 105RIFLE & PIST
Page 109 and 110: Clubs and Societies 107TOTSNew Life
Page 111: Historical North Walsham 109North W
Page 115 and 116: Historical North Walsham 113through
Page 117 and 118: Historical North Walsham 115months.
Page 119 and 120: Historical North Walsham 117The Pas
Page 121 and 122: ley3PASTON HALL1paston churchknapto
Page 123 and 124: Historical North Walsham 121Ship Ya
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Page 127 and 128: Historical North Walsham 125Fun & G
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Page 131 and 132: Historical North Walsham 129Lings C
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Page 137 and 138: Petticoat LaneHistorical North Wals
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Page 145 and 146: Historical North Walsham 143to East
Page 147 and 148: Historical North Walsham 145£1,800
Page 149 and 150: Historical North Walsham 147A Brief
Page 151 and 152: Historical North Walsham 1491892 Pa
Page 153 and 154: Historical North Walsham 1511960 Gr
Page 155 and 156: Historical North Walsham 1531999 Oa
Page 157 and 158: Historical North Walsham 155The Arc
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The Norfolk Cleaning Group was esta
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Official Guide to North Walsham 2023-2024

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