Horsford
| Horsford | |
| Norfolk | |
|---|---|
 Horsford Village Sign | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TG195165 |
| Location: | 52°42’3"N, 1°14’28"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 4,937 (2021) |
| Post town: | Norwich |
| Postcode: | NR10 |
| Dialling code: | 01603 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Broadland |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Broadland and Fakenham |
Horsford is a village in Norfolk six and a half miles south of Aylsham and six miles north-west of the county town, Norwich.
The 2021 census recorded a population of 4,937.
The name 'Horsford' means exactly what it seems to mean: it is the Old English hors ford, meaning 'horse ford'.[1]
History
In the Domesday Book, Horsford is listed as a settlement of 33 households in the Taverham Hundred. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Robert Malet.[2]
Horsford Castle was a motte-and-bailey castle built by Robert Malet immediately after the Norman Conquest. The castle has been abandoned since the fifteenth century and is, today, a scheduled monument.[3]
All Saints' Church
Horsford's parish church dates from the fifteenth century. All Saints' is located on Church Street and has been Grade II listed since 1961.[4][5]
All Saints' was restored in the Victorian era but still features a thirteenth century font and stained-glass windows installed by the Zetter workshop of Munich.[6]
About the village
Horsford Woods is a 306-acre site of woodland which is cared for by the Woodland Trust.[7] The woods are the habitat of the silver-studded blue butterfly.[8]
The Public Pits are small areas of woodland which were formerly public pits awarded to the parishioners of Horsford under the Horsford Inclosure Act 1800. In 1913 the Horsford Publics Pits Charity was formed to administer these pits in the parish: initially income was from shooting and grazing rights, but in the late 20th century they were let to civil contractors who filled them with spoil from construction sites and the Trustees then planted them with trees.
Since 1997 the pits have been leased by the Horsford Parish Council who have undertaken to manage and maintain them as havens for wildlife and as amenity areas for the parishioners of Horsford.
Sport and leisure
- Cricket: Horsford Cricket Club, which plays home games at Manor Park; also the home ground of Norfolk County Cricket Club from 2001 to 2024.
- Football: Horsford Football Club
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Horsford) |
References
- ↑ Place-Names
- ↑ Horsford in the Domesday Book
- ↑ National Heritage List 1003998: Horsford Castle (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1170781: Parish Church of All Saints (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ "Horsford: All Saints" (in en). https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/10023/service-and-events/events-all/.
- ↑ All Saints, Horsford: Norfolk Churches
- ↑ Trust, Woodland. "Horsford Woods" (in en-GB). https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/horsford-woods/.
- ↑ Norfolk Biodiversity. "Action Plan Silved-Studded Blue". https://norfolkbiodiversity.org/assets/Uploads/Sliver-studded-blue-butterfly2.pdf.