| Burston | |
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Burston
Burston shown within Norfolk |
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| Area | 9.17 km2 (3.54 sq mi) |
|---|---|
| Population | 538 |
| - Density | 59 /km2 (150 /sq mi) |
| Parish | Burston & Shimpling |
| District | South Norfolk |
| Shire county | Norfolk |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| List of places: UK • England • Norfolk | |
Burston is a village in Norfolk, England, 3 miles (4.5 km) north of Diss. It covers an area of 9.17 square kilometres (3.54 sq mi) and had a population of 538 in 206 households at the 2001 census.[1] Burston is famous as the site of the Burston Strike School, the longest strike in British history.
In 1949 the Strike School building was registered as an educational charity. There are 4 self-perpetuating trustees who manage the school and try to develop it as a museum, visitor centre, educational archive and village amenity. A rally to commemorate the school and the longest strike in UK history has been organised on the first Sunday in September every year since 1984 by the Transport and General Workers' Union and supported by other unions.
St Mary Church, though recognised as not the most exciting or interesting church in Norfolk,[1] is notable for the role played in the Burston strike by its rector, the Reverend Charles Tucker Eland. The tower collapsed in the 18th century, and with the nave and chancel altered in Victorian times, it has something of the appearance of a barn. The church stands in a tree shaded graveyard, in which are the graves of Kitty Higdon and Tom Higdon, the teachers at the centre of the school strike. With a declining congregation, St Mary is now used partly as a school hall. The modern chance is housed in the chancel, behind an iron screen separating it from the nave.
Burston once had its own Burston railway station with services on the Great Eastern Main Line between Norwich and London.