Burston, Norfolk
| Burston | |
| Norfolk | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Church, Burston | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TM137831 |
| Location: | 52°24’18"N, 1°8’28"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 568 (2011) |
| Post town: | Diss |
| Postcode: | IP22 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Norfolk |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Waveney Valley |
Burston is a village in Norfolk, in the south of the county two and a half miles north-east of Diss and 16 miles south-west of Norwich.
History
Burston's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin.[1] In the Domesday Book the village is recorded as a settlement of 41 households in the Diss Hundred and that it was part of the estates of the King and Robert Malet.[2]
The local pub, The Crown, dates to the 17th century.[3][4]
Burston railway station on the Great Eastern Main Line between Norwich and London Liverpool Street closed in 1966.
From 1914 to 1939, Burston was the scene of the longest strike in history, when schoolteachers Tom and Annie Higdon went on strike in protest over unhygienic and inadequate schooling conditions for the local children. The children were instead invited to attend Burston Strike School, which was originally located on the village green before moving to the new school building in 1917. The building was funded by public subscription, with the patrons' names (including Leo Tolstoy) carved into bricks used to build the school.[5] In 1949, the school building was registered as an educational charity and is currently operated by a board of trustees as a museum, visitor centre, village amenity and educational archive.
St Mary's Church
Burston's parish church, St Mary, dates from the 15th century. The tower collapsed in 1753 and was never rebuilt. The church is Grade II listed.[6] The church was restored in the 19th century and again in 2013, and has a set of royal arms from the reign of King James I. Tom and Annie Higdon, leaders of the Burston Strike School, are buried side-by-side in the churchyard.[7]
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Burston, Norfolk) |
References
- ↑ Place-Names
- ↑ Burston in the Domesday Book
- ↑ National Heritage List 1373592: The Crown Public House, Burston (Grade II listing)
- ↑ The Burston Crown
- ↑ National Heritage List 1171245: The Strike School (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1305672: Church of St Mary (Grade II listing)
- ↑ "Norfolk Churches". http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/burston/burston.htm.