Hellesdon

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Hellesdon
Hellesdon (Norfolk)
Hellesdon

Hellesdon shown within Norfolk
Population 11,177
OS grid reference TG200105
District Broadland
Shire county Norfolk
Region East
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town NORWICH
Postcode district NR6
Dialling code 01603
Police Norfolk
Fire Norfolk
Ambulance East of England
European Parliament East of England
UK Parliament Norwich North
List of places: UKEnglandNorfolk

Coordinates: 52°38′55″N 1°15′03″E / 52.6485, 1.2509

Hellesdon is a thriving suburb of Norwich approximately 4 miles (6.4 kilometres) north-west of Norwich in Norfolk, England. It has 11,177 inhabitants.[1] The council tax area is Broadland.

Contents

[edit] History

Situated to the north-west of Norwich, Hellesdon is a popular suburb with a large population.

Hellesdon has signs of very early settlement as a variety of flint instruments have been unearthed in and around this suburb; it is thought that they date back at least 4,000 years. A collection of bronze axe heads were found near Hellesdon Hall and a skeleton dating from around 600 AD was discovered next to Hellesdon Lodge in Low Road. It is not clear from where the name Hellesdon originates; suggestions have been made throughout the centuries, but we will probably never know for certain.

In the 1880s the railways reached Hellesdon linking it to nearby Norwich. In 1915 Mann Egerton built H1s, Spads and Type B seaplanes in Hellesdon and, in the 1920s, construction of the Ring Road began, making Hellesdon much more accessible.

Hellesdon was the home of the old Firs raceway (home of the Norwich Stars and of Ove Fundin, who was World Speedway Champion on a number of occasions in the early 1960s). The stadium was sold for housing in 1964 which brought the Norwich Stars Speedway team to an end.

The area has now developed into a major suburb of Norwich.

[edit] Amenities

Hellesdon has a number of small shops, an Asda supermarket, six schools (one high school, two junior schools and three infant schools), and Norwich International Airport, which flies throughout Europe as well as the British Isles and is owned by Omniport. The high school, Hellesdon High, is a specialist Technology College, and shares a Sixth Form partnership with Taverham High and Costessey High. There is also a community centre for use by local clubs such as Hellesdon Horticultural Association, and a library. There are two remaining pubs in Hellesdon: The Bull At Hellesdon and The Firs. Former pub The Man On The Moon is now a doctors surgery and another former pub, The Bignold Arms, is now a fish restaurant and takeaway.

It once had its own Hellesdon railway station, which closed in the 1950s.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Census 2001 Retrieved February 19, 2008


[edit] External links