| content | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Pickenham | |
  North Pickenham shown within Norfolk |
|
| Population | 495 UK census 2001 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Breckland |
| Shire county | Norfolk |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Swaffham |
| Postcode district | PE37 |
| Dialling code | 01760 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | South West Norfolk |
| List of places: UK • England • Norfolk | |
North Pickenham is a village in the Breckland district1 of mid-Norfolk, East Anglia, England in the United Kingdom. Named after its leader Pinca2, Pica34 or maybe Piccea with ham meaning homestead, it became a pagan Anglo Saxon settlement in the 5th century AD. It remained part of a Saxon kingdom until the Norman Conquest in 10665 when it became part of the honour of the Earl of Richmond, Yorkshire. The village sign6 shows a Saxon (left) and a Norman (right) warrior (see Great Britain in the Middle Ages) with Richmond Castle and the river Wissey in the background; The sign was designed by Ben Ripper, a local historian, and carved by Steve Eggleton7.
North Pickenham has an area of 1015 hectares (3.92 square miles) with an estimated population of 495 as of UK census 2001. Norfolk (pop. 832,400) has about a 30th the population density of Central London, the tenth lowest density county in the country, with 38% of the county’s population living in the three major built up areas of Norwich (194,200), Great Yarmouth (66,400) and King's Lynn (40,700).8
It has a Parish Council Tax (Band D) 1st April 2007 of £38.65.9
It was once in the Hundred of South Greenhoe.101112
North Pickenham is three miles, as the crow flies, from the Georgian market town of Swaffham. The River Wissey cuts through the village at Houghton Lane (52°37'35.18"N 0°45'19.63"E) close to its source at Bradenham. Its sister village South Pickenham is two miles away through pretty, narrow country lanes.
North Pickenham has a newly extended school13 with its own wind turbine14. Its namesake, at the centre of the village, is St Andrew's church 15 1617 in the Benefice of Necton 18
Adjacent to the church is a freehouse pub called the Blue Lion19 which, with recent surveys and listed buildings visits, suggest it dates from the late 1700s with documented licensees from the mid 19th century.20.
North Pickenham is near to the lost village of Houghton on the Hill with the restored church of St Mary's, with its amazing 11th century wall paintings21 22, instigated with tireless devotion by Bob Davey MBE23 24 25,
The former Royal Air Force base, RAF North Pickenham, was located nearby hosting American B-24 Liberator bombers during World War II.26 In the late 1950s and early 1960s three PGM-17 Thor nuclear missiles were based here2728 with early cases of CND acts of civil disobedience2930 . The airbase is now the site of a turkey farm owned by Bernard Matthews31, a karting circuit 32and an eight-turbine wind farm run by Enertrag UK Ltd.33
The 46 mile Peddars Way footpath runs through the village, 19 miles34 from its south eastern start in Suffolk. The Peddars Way35 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.
The annual local village show was reinstated in 2007 with great success. It not only raises funds for the church but highlights the growing and making skills of local residents whilst also being a great community event.36
Local action group Johnsons Community Action Group is endeavoring to improve the local playing field and surrounding environment. 37
The Pickenhams' Parish Voice is a monthly community magazine servicing the 290 homes of both North and South Pickenham. parishvoice[at]gmail[dot]com
Ordnance Survey Benchmark at Manor Farm38
Circular village walk 39 and somewhere to sit on the way round. 40
Informative .pdf files of the Breckland area 41 and central Norfolk. 42
Old postcards of both North and South Pickenham.43
Local topographical photographs. 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52
Gallery
Click on the thumbnails to enlarge:
 Turbine at the old airfield site |
 St. Mary's at Houghton on the Hill |
 Local view with turbines in the mist |
 Traditional Norfolk local direction sign |
 The Blue Lion pub, North Pickenham |
 St. Andrew's church, North Pickenham |
 Village sign |
 Big Norfolk skies |
 East Anglia |
References and external links
Links to related websites:
- ^ Visit Breckland
- ^ Pinca
- ^ Institute for Name Studies. Search Pickenham, ignore new map window and click on result
- ^ INS result
- ^ Doomsday Book
- ^ Village sign
- ^ Steve Eggleton
- ^ Norfolk Government Statistics
- ^ Breckland Yearbook
- ^ GenUKI
- ^ The Beauties of England and Wales
- ^ A General History of the County of Norfolk
- ^ St Andrew’s C of E Primary School, North Pickenham
- ^ Tiny turbine gives school the power
- ^ St.Andrew's
- ^ Diocese of Norwich
- ^ Norfolk churches
- ^ Necton Benefice
- ^ Blue Lion PH
- ^ Blue Lion history
- ^ Saint Mary's
- ^ Comprehensive St. Mary's .pdf file
- ^ Bob Davey MBE
- ^ Mr Davey Versus The Devil
- ^ Heritage Lottery Fund
- ^ 32 Copilots By Charles R. Bastien
- ^ YouTube contemporary missile footage
- ^ The day Feltwell stood on nuclear brink
- ^ Yours Faithfully, Bertrand Russell By Bertrand Russell, Ray Perkins
- ^ Against the Bomb By Richard K. S. Taylor
- ^ Google Earth Community: The world's largest turkey farm
- ^ Anglia Karting
- ^ Enertrag UK
- ^ Peddars Way Distant Chart
- ^ Pedlar of Swaffham animation
- ^ Village show report
- ^ Johnsons Community Action Group
- ^ Flush Bracket G1543
- ^ EDP walks
- ^ Lynn News
- ^ Breckland
- ^ Central Norfolk
- ^ Old postcards
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
- ^ Geograph
