Swanton Morley

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Swanton Morley
Swanton Morley shown within Norfolk
OS grid reference	TG015165
District	Breckland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DEREHAM
Postcode district	NR20
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
European Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Mid Norfolk
List of places: UK • England • Norfolk

Coordinates: 52°42′31″N 0°58′53″E / 52.70864, 0.98131

Swanton Morley is a picturesque village situated in the heart of Norfolk. It is a village steeped in history which is documented back to the Domesday Book. Today the village exists as a tranquil village community of about 2,500 people.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Notable Buildings and Facilities 4 Military Links 5 References

[edit] Geography

Located centrally between the market towns of Dereham, Swaffham and Fakenham, Swanton Morley is a self sufficient village, located only three miles away from larger amenities.

[edit] History

Swanton Morley was the home of Richard Lincoln, local churchwarden (1599-1620) who built the mansion known today as The Angel Free House. Lincoln was the wealthy grandfather of Samuel Lincoln and Richard's seal can be seen today in the east window of All Saints Church in Swanton Morley. Richard Lincoln disinherited Samuel's father Edward from his will in favor of his fourth wife, thus throwing the Lincoln family into penury and forcing young Samuel to flee to Hingham, Massachusetts.^[1] His great-great-great-great-grandson was Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States.

[edit] Notable Buildings and Facilities

On the top of a hill to the North of the village lies All Saints Church, a large church in comparison to the size of the village built to ambitious design, in particular the aisles of the nave extend to ‘embrace’ the tower, which is supported on three sides by massive arches. Also of great historical interest is the Mill Bakery, which has been in business since 1645, and is now Norfolk’s only organic bakery.

The village has two public houses, The Angel, and Darbys, both of which serve authentic real ale. The village hall, a relatively new building, is centrally located and used for community events within the village. It is regularly used by the Swanton Morley Entertainers, the Under 5’s Group and the Women’s Institute as well as other village groups.

There are several areas to walk and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the village, including two large areas of common land and several footpaths suitable for pleasant walks. There are also areas with good opportunities for fishing on the nearby River Wensum.

Swanton Morley is home to Hunter’s Hall, a large Victorian converted barn that hosts conferences and celebrations such as wedding receptions, along with bed and breakfast facilities on the Park Farm Estate on which the hall stands. In addition there are a number of holiday accommodation lets available within the village.

[edit] Military Links

Swanton Morley is proud to have strong links with the armed forces. The village was home for many years to RAF Swanton Morley, but this was formally handed over to the army in 1996. The RAF base was renamed Robertson Barracks and is home to the Light Dragoons.

[edit] References

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