Northwold

Northwold ("North forest"[1]) is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 19.72 km² (7.61 sq mi) and had a population of 1,070 in 448 households at the 2001 census,[2] increasing to 1,085 at the 2011 Census.[3] For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. The civil parish also includes the hamlets of Whittington[4] and Little London.

Northwold
Northwold
Northwold Location within Norfolk
Area	19.72 km^2 (7.61 sq mi)
Population	1,085 (2011)
• Density	55/km^2 (140/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TL751971
• London	153 km (95 mi)
Civil parish	Northwold
District	King's Lynn and West Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	THETFORD
Postcode district	IP26
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England

The village is 12 km (7.5 mi) north of Brandon which is also the closest railway station on the Thetford to Ely line, and 153 km (95 mi) from London. It lies just to the north of the A134 between Thetford and King's Lynn and on the river Wissey, in the Western division of the county, Grimshoe hundred, Thetford union and county court district, Cranwich rural deanery, Norfolk archdeaconry and Norwich diocese.

Northwold is mentioned in the Domesday Book and traces of human settlements there from the Neolithic era have been recorded. Hugh of Northwold was Abbot of Bury St Edmunds from 1215 to 1229 and afterwards Bishop of Ely. Between 1279 and 1301 John of Northwold was Abbot of Bury St Edmunds.

Northwold is surrounded by farmland and some of the inhabitants work on farms in the district. This area of England cultivates sugar beet and there are several factories producing sugar in the region. Residents not working in the immediate area travel to the nearby larger towns or cites for work, such as King's Lynn, Swaffham, Downham Market or Norwich.

The Norman Church of England Primary School is the only school in the village. It was known as The Norman School after local benefactor Caroline Amelia Norman.[5] Northwold has no general store or post office. In earlier times the village boasted several public houses but now (since 2017) has no pub after its remaining pub "The Crown Inn" was closed. Members of the local community are fundraising to buy The Crown from the current owner and run it as a community-owned business.

The village is not served by a regular bus service.

St Andrews Anglican church, Northwold

Former Primitive Methodist chapel, Northwold

Churches

The church of St Andrew dominates the village. In its oldest parts, it dates from the early thirteenth century.[6] It was built in the Perpendicular and Early English styles,[7] having chancel, nave and aisles, and tower built in the fourteenth century, containing 8 bells and a modern clock. The tower and church are built principally of flint and the tower has various devices inlaid in this material.

References

1. "Northwold". English Place-Name Society database. the University of Nottingham. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
2. Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine. Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Retrieved 20 June 2009.
3. "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 28 August 2015.
4. "History of Northwold in Kings Lynn and West Norfolk". A Vision of Britain through Time. Great Britain Historical GIS Project, Department of Geography, University of Portsmouth. 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
5. "The Norman Church of England Primary School - Homepage". Norfolk County Council. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
6. J. A. Norris, ed. (1988), "Northwold's Greatest Son – A Benedictine Monk", St Andrew Church, Northwold: Church History & Guide, archived from the original on 3 March 2016, retrieved 2 July 2010
7. J. A. Norris, ed. (1988), "From Early English to Decorated", St Andrew Church, Northwold: Church History & Guide, retrieved 2 July 2010

External links

Media related to Northwold at Wikimedia Commons