North Pickenham
| North Pickenham | |
|---|---|
| Population | Expression error: "495 UK census 2001" must be numeric |
| OS grid reference | TF8646606864 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Swaffham |
| Postcode district | PE37 |
| Dialling code | 01760 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
North Pickenham is a village in the Breckland district[1] of mid-Norfolk, East Anglia, England in the United Kingdom. Named after its leader Pinca[2], Pica[3][4] or maybe Piccea with ham meaning homestead, it became a pagan Anglo Saxon settlement in the 5th century AD. It remained part of a Saxon kingdom until the Norman Conquest in 1066[5] when it became part of the honour of the Earl of Richmond, Yorkshire. The village sign[6] shows a Saxon (left) and a Norman (right) warrior (see Great Britain in the Middle Ages) with Richmond Castle and the river Wissey in the background; The sign was designed by Ben Ripper, a local historian, and carved by Steve Eggleton[7].
North Pickenham has an area of 1015 hectares (3.92 square miles) with an estimated population of 495 as of UK census 2001. Norfolk (pop. 832,400) has about a 30th the population density of Central London, the tenth lowest density county in the country, with 38% of the county’s population living in the three major built up areas of Norwich (194,200), Great Yarmouth (66,400) and King's Lynn (40,700).[8]
It has a Parish Council Tax (Band D) 1st April 2007 of £38.65.[9]
It was once in the Hundred of South Greenhoe.[10][11][12]
North Pickenham is three miles, as the crow flies, from the Georgian market town of Swaffham.
The River Wissey cuts through the village at Houghton Lane bridge[13], following the course of Meadow Lane, close to the river's source at Bradenham.
Its sister village South Pickenham is two miles away through pretty, narrow country lanes.
North Pickenham has a newly extended school[14] with its own wind turbine. Its namesake, at the centre of the village, is St Andrew's church [15] [16][17] in the Benefice of Necton [18]
Adjacent to the church is a freehouse pub called the Blue Lion[19] which, with recent surveys and listed buildings visits, suggest it dates from the late 1700s with documented licensees from the mid 19th century.[20].
North Pickenham is near to the lost village of Houghton on the Hill with the restored church of St Mary's, with its amazing 11th century wall paintings[21] [22], instigated with tireless devotion by Bob Davey MBE[23] [24] [25],
The former Royal Air Force base, RAF North Pickenham, was located nearby hosting American B-24 Liberator bombers during World War II.[26] In the late 1950s and early 1960s three PGM-17 Thor nuclear missiles were based here[27][28] with early cases of CND acts of civil disobedience[29][30] . The airbase is now the site of a turkey farm owned by Bernard Matthews[31], a karting circuit [32]and an eight-turbine wind farm run by Enertrag UK Ltd.[33] In February 2009 Bernard Matthews detailed plans to put two turbines at the airfield site[34], an independent development to the eight turbines already there.
The 46 mile Peddars Way footpath runs through the village, 19 miles[35] from its south eastern start in Suffolk. The Peddars Way[36] starts at Knettishall Heath Country Park and follows the route of a Roman road to Holme-next-the-Sea on the Norfolk coast north of Hunstanton. At Holme the Peddars Way meets the Norfolk Coast Path as it runs east along the north Norfolk coast, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to the Victorian seaside resort of Cromer.
The annual local village show was reinstated in 2007 with great success. It not only raises funds for the church but highlights the growing and making skills of local residents whilst also being a great community event.[37]
Local action group Johnsons Community Action Group is endeavoring to improve the local playing field and surrounding environment. [38]
The Pickenhams' Parish Voice is a monthly community magazine servicing the 290 homes of both North and South Pickenham. parishvoice[at]gmail[dot]com
Ordnance Survey Benchmark at Manor Farm[39]
Circular village walk [40] and somewhere to sit on the way round. [41]
Informative .pdf files of the Breckland area [42] and central Norfolk. [43]
Old postcards of both North and South Pickenham.[44]
Local topographical photographs. [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52]
Gallery
Click on the thumbnails to enlarge:
-
The Blue Lion pub -
Traditional Norfolk sign -
St. Andrew's church -
Village sign -
Sign on Houghton Lane -
St. Mary's chapel of ease at Houghton on the Hill -
Counties of East Anglia -
Village magazine cover with Village Show winners
-
Turbine at the old airfield -
Big Norfolk skies -
Turbines in the mist -
Aerial photograph of the airfield 2009
References and external links
Links to related websites:
- ^ Visit Breckland
- ^ Pinca
- ^ Institute for Name Studies. Search Pickenham, ignore new map window and click on result
- ^ INS result
- ^ Doomsday Book
- ^ Village sign
- ^ Steve Eggleton
- ^ Norfolk Government Statistics
- ^ Breckland Yearbook
- ^ GenUKI
- ^ The Beauties of England and Wales
- ^ A General History of the County of Norfolk
- ^ River Wissey at Houghton Lane 52°37'35.18"N 0°45'19.63"E
- ^ St Andrew’s C of E Primary School, North Pickenham
- ^ St.Andrew's
- ^ Diocese of Norwich
- ^ Norfolk churches
- ^ Necton Benefice
- ^ Blue Lion PH
- ^ Blue Lion history
- ^ Saint Mary's
- ^ Comprehensive St. Mary's .pdf file
- ^ Bob Davey MBE
- ^ Mr Davey Versus The Devil
- ^ Heritage Lottery Fund
- ^ 32 Copilots By Charles R. Bastien
- ^ YouTube contemporary missile footage
- ^ The day Feltwell stood on nuclear brink
- ^ Yours Faithfully, Bertrand Russell By Bertrand Russell, Ray Perkins
- ^ Against the Bomb By Richard K. S. Taylor
- ^ Google Earth Community: The world's largest turkey farm
- ^ Anglia Karting
- ^ Enertrag UK
- ^ Bernard Matthews turbine proposal
- ^ Peddars Way Distant Chart
- ^ Pedlar of Swaffham animation
- ^ Village show report
- ^ Johnsons Community Action Group
- ^ Flush Bracket G1543
- ^ EDP walks
- ^ Lynn News
- ^ Breckland
- ^ Central Norfolk
- ^ Old postcards
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph