North Pickenham
| North Pickenham | |
| Norfolk | |
|---|---|
 St Andrew's church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TF865069 |
| Location: | 52°37’39"N, 0°45’13"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 472 (2011) |
| Post town: | Swaffham |
| Postcode: | PE37 |
| Dialling code: | 01760 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Breckland |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
South West Norfolk |
North Pickenham is a village in Norfolk, found three miles from the Georgian market town of Swaffham.
The River Wissey cuts through the village at Houghton Lane bridge, following the course of Meadow Lane, close to the river's source at Bradenham. Its sister village South Pickenham is two miles away through pretty, narrow country lanes.
The 2011 Census recorded a population of 472.
History
The village is after an otherwise unrecorded Anglo-Saxon leader named Pinca,[1] or maybe Piccea, with ‘ham’ meaning ‘homestead’. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the village became part of the Honour of Richmond, based in Yorkshire. The old village sign showed a Saxon (left) and a Norman (right) warrior, with Richmond Castle and the River Wissey in the background; The sign was designed by Ben Ripper, a local historian, and carved by Steve Eggleton. A new village statue by Tom Yorke replaced the deteriorating old sign and was unveiled by the incumbent MP George Freeman on 22 October 2010.[2] Due to an insect infestation the statue was removed in 2018 and in 2020 the old village sign was refurbished and re-erected in its place.
The former Royal Air Force station, RAF North Pickenham, was located nearby hosting American B-24 Liberator bombers during Second World War.[3] In the late 1950s and early 1960s three PGM-17 Thor nuclear missiles were located here.[4] The airbase is now the site of a turkey farm owned by Bernard Matthews Farms, a karting circuit and a ten-turbine wind farm.
Amenities
North Pickenham had a school with its own wind turbine. It is now closed and became a community hub. Its namesake, at the centre of the village, is St Andrew's church[5] in the Benefice of Necton
Adjacent to the church was a pub called the Blue Lion which, with recent surveys and listed buildings visits, suggest it dates from the late 18th century with documented licensees from the mid-19th century. It closed in 2024 and is now a detached house.
The lost village of Houghton on the Hill is in the civil parish. Houghton includes the restored church of St Mary's, with its outstanding 11th century wall paintings.
The 46-mile Peddars Way footpath runs through the village, 19 miles from its south eastern start in Suffolk. The Peddars Way starts at Knettishall Heath Country Park and follows the route of a Roman road to Holme-next-the-Sea on the Norfolk coast north of Hunstanton. At Holme the Peddars Way meets the Norfolk Coast Path as it runs east along the north Norfolk coast, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to the Victorian seaside resort of Cromer.
Events
The annual local village show was reinstated in 2007. It raises funds for the church and highlights the growing and making skills of local residents.
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about North Pickenham) |
References
- ↑ Place-Names
- ↑ Parish, Pickenham (22 October 2010). "Pickenham Posts". Pickenhamposts.blogspot.com. https://pickenhamposts.blogspot.com/search?q=village+sign.
- ↑ Bastien, Charles R. (2004). 32 CoPilots. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1412017299. https://books.google.com/books?id=K6Z9SQEaZDMC&q=pickenham&pg=PA91.
- ↑ An RAF Thor Missile Station at North Pickenham, Norfolk - YouTube
- ↑ St.Andrew's