Surrounded by farmland, Thwaite St Mary is a rural hamlet (and civil parish) in the English county of Norfolk, it sits just a few miles north of the Suffolk border. Thwaite – sometimes pronounced ‘twayt’ by locals – has approximately thirty-five dwellings and a population of around seventy-nine.
Because of its rural location and minimal air and light pollution, Thwaite is home to an astronomical observatory run by the University of East Anglia. The village also backs on to the tiny Seething Airfield which utilises part of the runway from an old American wartime airbase. The 1941 control tower still stands and serves as a museum to the war years and to the 488th bomber group in particular. Its unchanged control tower and the fact that it is still an active airfield means that Seething is often used as a location for wartime-themed charity events and air-days. It is also one of the staging posts for the popular Lowestoft summer air-show.
The community in Thwaite is active in organising social and fund-raising events. These events regularly draw a crowd from the wider South-Norfolk and Suffolk area. Together with the appearance of the village and its position in the picturesque Norfolk/Suffolk-borders countryside, this social cohesion contributes to a reputation as a highly desirable place to live.
Thwaite's church of St Mary has an active congregation, and also draws attendees from outside the parish. Its well kept churchyard and striking Norman arch attract sightseers from the wider area too. Families who have once lived in the village sometimes return to use this pretty church for weddings and memorial services.
In the pleasant climate of East Anglia and against the backdrop of rolling farmland, sleepy Thwaite has more than its fair share of long sunny days. The birdsong, wispy clouds and the distant buzzing of small planes in the blue skies makes Thwaite a very pleasant place to spend time. There is something about the houses (and their gardens), the fields of lazy sheep, the community spirit, and the layout of the village and surrounding countryside that attracts visitors to picnic in the neatly-mown churchyard, walk the local footpaths and cycle or drive on the surrounding roads. Thwaite retains much of the charm of English villages from bygone years.