East Dereham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Map sources for East Dereham at grid reference TF9812
Map sources for East Dereham at grid reference TF9812


East Dereham, also known simply as Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It is situated on the A47 road, some 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40 km) east of King's Lynn. The town should not be confused with the Norfolk village of West Dereham, which lies about 25 miles (40 km) away.[1]

The civil parish has an area of 21.51 km² and in the 2001 census had a population of 15,659 in 6,941 households. For the purposes of local government, East Dereham falls within, and is the centre of administration for, the district of Breckland.[2]

The town lies on the site of a monastery founded by Saint Withburga in the seventh century. A holy well in the town supposedly began to flow when her body was moved from the town to Ely. In the 18th Century an attempt was made to turn Dereham into a new Buxton or Bath by building a bath house over Withburga's Well. It was described at the time as a hideous building of brick and plaster and was never popular. In 1880 the local vicar, Reverend Benjamin Armstrong obtained permission to pull the building down. The spring was then protected by iron railings, but fell out of use and became choked with weeds. Since 1950, however, it has been kept clear of weeds - although the railings still prevent access to the waters.

Notable buildings in the town include the pargetted Bishop Bonners Cottage, built in 1502, the Norman parish church, a windmill and a large mushroom-shaped water tower. The Gressenhall Museum of Rural Life is nearby. The town also hosts the headquarters of the Mid-Norfolk Railway, which runs trains over an 11.5 mile railway to Wymondham, as well as owning the line 6 miles north to North Elmham and County School Station.

Dereham was the home to the "Metamec" clock factory. "Hobbies of Dereham" produced wooden fretwork models and toys which were popular in the days before moulded plastic. The Fruehauf trailer company was a major employer in the town for many decades. The town also boasted several large maltings. Almost all this large scale industry has drifted away since the 1980s.

Dereham labels itself "The Heart of Norfolk" due to its central location in the county, the Tesco car park being sited as the exact centre. In the spring of 1978, the "Heart" was given the seven-mile £5m part-dual-carriageway A47 bypass. A section of this road, between Scarning and Wendling was built along the former railway line towards Swaffham and King's Lynn. This section of railway had been used as a location for the filming of Dad's Army, where Captain Mainwaring is left dangling from a railway bridge after a flight on a barrage balloon.

Since 1983 Dereham has been twinned with the town of Rüthen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Contents

[edit] Famous People from Dereham

Famous people from the town include Brian Aldiss, George Borrow, Sir John Fenn, Lady Ellenor Fenn, Beth Orton and William Hyde Wollaston. It is also known as the place where William Cowper, the poet, died. Cowper is buried in St. Nicholas Church, where there is a commemorative stained glass window.

[edit] Schools and Colleges

[edit] Infant Schools

There are three infant schools in East Dereham: King's Park Infant School, Grove Infant School and Dereham St. Nicholas Infant School (formerly Dereham Church First School).

[edit] Junior Schools

There is one junior school situated within East Dereham: Dereham St. Nicholas Junior School.

[edit] Secondary Schools

There are two secondary schools in the town: Neatherd High School and Northgate High School.

[edit] Dereham Sixth Form

Also of note is the well-achieving Dereham Sixth Form College, which serves as the main sixth form centre for both aforementioned high schools as well as an alternative destination for many other school leavers, sometimes as afar as Reepham. The sixth form draws upon teacher staff from both Neatherd and Northgate. In the recent OFSTED inspection the sixth form was classified as 'good' with 'outstanding features'.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ordnance Survey (1999). OS Explorer Map 237 - Norwich. ISBN 0-319-21868-6.
  2. ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Retrieved December 2, 2005.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../e/a/s/East_Dereham_0f72.html"