Lenwade
Encyclopedia
Lenwade is a hamlet
in the civil parish
of Great Witchingham
, Norfolk
. Located in the Wensum Valley
and adjacent to the A1067 road
and being 14 miles (22.5 km) south-east of Fakenham
and some 11 miles (17.7 km) north-west of Norwich
.
dialect sense of 'scarcely moving river'. The second element of the name is the Old English gewæd (ford
).
Much of the surrounding land is given over to agriculture. However, due to its geographical location Lenwade became the centre of the sand and gravel extraction and the manufacturing of concrete products in the Wensum valley during the middle to late 20th century. The legacy of this activity can be seen with the many flooded gravel pits
in the area. Today, these now mature lakes are popular with anglers, naturalists and bird watchers.
Industry today is concentrated to the south east of Lenwade between the A1067 road and the former railway line. Concrete products, metal recycling, joinery and double glazing items are produced in the area.
Local tourist attractions include a replica dinosaur
theme park and the Lenwade country house hotel features in its grounds the only licensed zoological garden in the UK.
Amenities in the hamlet include a primary school, post office
, general stores, garage, tea-rooms and a range of family owned shops.
Located close to A1067 and the River Wensum is the late 18th century The Bridge Inn public house
. The pub's garden adjoins The Bridge Lakes (former gravel pits) and a section of the river where angling is available. Builder, Matthew Brettingham
's c.1741 triple arched brick bridge is depicted on the pub's sign. The bridge was demolished in 1993 and replaced by today's steel bridge.
There has been a watermill on the river at Lenwade for many centuries. The present building, dating from the late 19th century has been converted to homes
Lenwade railway station
was built in 1882 with direct trains to Norwich
and King's Lynn
. Passenger traffic ceased in 1959, but due to Lenwade's important Anglian cement and concrete works the freight line was kept open to 1985. The former station today is a private residence and the track bed forms part of the Marriott's Way
long distance footpath.
Services are provided by the following companies and connect to Norwich and Fakenham.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Great Witchingham
Great Witchingham
Great Witchingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk about north-west of Norwich.It covers an area of and had a population of 564 in 235 households as of the 2001 census....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Located in the Wensum Valley
River Wensum
The River Wensum is a chalk fed river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare despite being the larger of the two rivers. The complete river is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation ....
and adjacent to the A1067 road
A1067 road
The A1067 is an English A road entirely in the county of Norfolk. It runs from Fakenham Northern By-Pass to Norwich inner ring road .-A47 to A1067 Link Road:...
and being 14 miles (22.5 km) south-east of Fakenham
Fakenham
Fakenham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north east of King's Lynn, south west of Cromer, and north west of Norwich....
and some 11 miles (17.7 km) north-west of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
.
Etymology
The name may mean 'ford of the slowly moving river'. The first element has been the subject of much debate possibly meaning lane in the ScottishScots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
dialect sense of 'scarcely moving river'. The second element of the name is the Old English gewæd (ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
).
Industry and the local economy
Gravel pit
Gravel pit is the term for an open cast working for extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may fill naturally with water to form ponds or lakes. Old, abandoned gravel pits are normally used either as nature reserves, or as amenity areas...
in the area. Today, these now mature lakes are popular with anglers, naturalists and bird watchers.
Industry today is concentrated to the south east of Lenwade between the A1067 road and the former railway line. Concrete products, metal recycling, joinery and double glazing items are produced in the area.
Local tourist attractions include a replica dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
theme park and the Lenwade country house hotel features in its grounds the only licensed zoological garden in the UK.
The Church of St Faith
Located on the busy A1067 Fakenham Road. The building started life as a Victorian mission church originally dedicated to All Saints. Despite its central location-the church was little used and became redundant. Today, the church is fenced off and planned to become a residential development (July 2008).Amenities
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, general stores, garage, tea-rooms and a range of family owned shops.
Located close to A1067 and the River Wensum is the late 18th century The Bridge Inn public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. The pub's garden adjoins The Bridge Lakes (former gravel pits) and a section of the river where angling is available. Builder, Matthew Brettingham
Matthew Brettingham
Matthew Brettingham , sometimes called Matthew Brettingham the Elder, was an 18th-century Englishman who rose from humble origins to supervise the construction of Holkham Hall, and eventually became one of the country's better-known architects of his generation...
's c.1741 triple arched brick bridge is depicted on the pub's sign. The bridge was demolished in 1993 and replaced by today's steel bridge.
Lenwade mill
Railway history
Lenwade railway station
Lenwade railway station was a railway station in North Norfolk, England. It was built by the Lynn and Fakenham Railway Company in 1882 and taken over by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway in 1893, to serve the small hamlet of Lenwade. Despite the settlement's size, the railway provided...
was built in 1882 with direct trains to Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
. Passenger traffic ceased in 1959, but due to Lenwade's important Anglian cement and concrete works the freight line was kept open to 1985. The former station today is a private residence and the track bed forms part of the Marriott's Way
Marriott's Way
The Marriott's Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway which forms part of the National Cycle Network and is open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders between Hellesdon and Aylsham, Norfolk, England...
long distance footpath.
Public transport
BusServices are provided by the following companies and connect to Norwich and Fakenham.