Pulham St Mary
Encyclopedia
Pulham St Mary is a village in Norfolk
, approximately 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Diss
and 18 miles (29 km) south of Norwich
. It covers an area of 12.26 km² (4.7 sq mi) and had a population of 866 in 365 households as of the 2001 census
.
It is a small village and part of "The Pulhams" which also includes Pulham Market
. The church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, is believed to date from around 1258.
The name Pulham is thought to mean the farmhouse or enclosure by the pools or streams. The earliest recorded spelling is Polleham. The Romans may have had a settlement in Pulham St Mary as pieces of Roman tile, coin and oyster shells have been found in the area.
The village was well known in medieval times as a centre for hat-making, and the ancient Guild of St James the Lesser established the Guild Chapel, now in the centre of the village as part of Pennoyer's school.
Pulham St Mary railway station
was a stop on the Waveney Valley Line
which closed in 1953.
programme looking to restore the village school, known as Pennoyer's. The school has a Victorian frontage that conceals a medieval Guild Chapel dating from 1401. In 1670 William Pennoyer
, a puritan merchant, left money to pay for a schoolmaster to teach poor children. When the school finally closed in 1988, it was the longest running elementary free school in the country.
William Pennoyer also left money to establish a scholarship at Harvard University in the USA, which remains in place today.
Although Pennoyer's School did not make the final of Restoration Village, the project has remained on track. It has received almost £1m in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £210K from Norfolk's Investing in Communities programme. The construction work began in February 2009, with the aim of opening the Village Centre for education, business, social and recreational use, and it has been in partial use since July 2010.
, was constructed for the operation of airships. The airships were locally given the nickname of "Pulham Pigs". RNAS Pulham operated as a Royal Navy
base until 1918 when it was transferred to the new Royal Air Force
. In 1917 two large steel-framed sheds were erected and in 1919 a 120 feet (36.6 m)-high mooring mast joined them. Following its historic both-way Atlantic crossing the R34 returned to Pulham Market. The large rigid airships R33, R36 and R38 also visited. Its airship hangar
was dismantled in 1928 and re-erected at Cardington
. The base became disused in the early 1930s after the crash of the R101
when all work stopped in Britain on airships, although it continued as an RAF property until 1958. During World War II it was a dump for crashed aircraft from all over the east of England; parts were salvaged for reuse. Munitions testing was also conducted on the site.
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...
, approximately 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Diss
Diss
Diss is a town in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.The town lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere that covers . The mere is up to deep, although there is another of mud, making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes...
and 18 miles (29 km) south 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...
. It covers an area of 12.26 km² (4.7 sq mi) and had a population of 866 in 365 households as of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
It is a small village and part of "The Pulhams" which also includes Pulham Market
Pulham Market
Pulham Market and its sister village Pulham St Mary are situated approximately 9 miles north of Diss in Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 999 in 443 households as of the 2001 census....
. The church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, is believed to date from around 1258.
The name Pulham is thought to mean the farmhouse or enclosure by the pools or streams. The earliest recorded spelling is Polleham. The Romans may have had a settlement in Pulham St Mary as pieces of Roman tile, coin and oyster shells have been found in the area.
The village was well known in medieval times as a centre for hat-making, and the ancient Guild of St James the Lesser established the Guild Chapel, now in the centre of the village as part of Pennoyer's school.
Pulham St Mary railway station
Pulham St Mary railway station
Pulham St Mary was a station in Pulham St Mary, Norfolk on the Waveney Valley Line which is now closed. The station has been demolished.Former Services-External links:*...
was a stop on the Waveney Valley Line
Waveney Valley Line
The Waveney Valley Line was a branch line running from in Norfolk to Beccles in Suffolk connecting the Great Eastern Main Line at Tivetshall with the East Suffolk Line at . It provided services to Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Ipswich and many other smaller towns in Suffolk with additional...
which closed in 1953.
Pennoyer's school
Pulham St Mary became notable through its inclusion in the BBC's Restoration VillageRestoration (TV series)
Restoration, Restoration, Restoration is a set of BBC television series where viewers decided on which listed building that was in immediate need of remedial works was to win a grant from Heritage Lottery Fund...
programme looking to restore the village school, known as Pennoyer's. The school has a Victorian frontage that conceals a medieval Guild Chapel dating from 1401. In 1670 William Pennoyer
William Pennoyer
William Pennoyer was a British puritan merchant born in 1603. In 1657 he was elected as Master of the Clothworkers' Company and he became a Governor of Christ's Hospital in 1659. As a merchant he was involved in trading of cloth, tobacco and gunpowder. William Pennoyer was involved in the...
, a puritan merchant, left money to pay for a schoolmaster to teach poor children. When the school finally closed in 1988, it was the longest running elementary free school in the country.
William Pennoyer also left money to establish a scholarship at Harvard University in the USA, which remains in place today.
Although Pennoyer's School did not make the final of Restoration Village, the project has remained on track. It has received almost £1m in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £210K from Norfolk's Investing in Communities programme. The construction work began in February 2009, with the aim of opening the Village Centre for education, business, social and recreational use, and it has been in partial use since July 2010.
Pulham Pigs
In 1912 under conditions of secrecy a large base, RNAS PulhamRNAS Pulham
RNAS Pulham was an Royal Navy Air Service airship station, south of Norwich, UK. Though land was purchased by the Navy in 1912 the site was not operational until 1915...
, was constructed for the operation of airships. The airships were locally given the nickname of "Pulham Pigs". RNAS Pulham operated as a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
base until 1918 when it was transferred to the new Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. In 1917 two large steel-framed sheds were erected and in 1919 a 120 feet (36.6 m)-high mooring mast joined them. Following its historic both-way Atlantic crossing the R34 returned to Pulham Market. The large rigid airships R33, R36 and R38 also visited. Its airship hangar
Airship hangar
Airships are sheltered in airship hangars during construction and sometimes also for regular operation, particularly at bad weather conditions. Rigid airships always needed to be based in airship hangars because weathering was a serious risk.- History :...
was dismantled in 1928 and re-erected at Cardington
Cardington, Bedfordshire
Cardington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, EnglandPart of the ancient hundred of Wixamtree, the settlement is best known in connection with the Cardington airship works founded by Short Brothers during World War I, which later became an RAF training station...
. The base became disused in the early 1930s after the crash of the R101
R101
R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airship completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry-appointed team and was effectively in competition...
when all work stopped in Britain on airships, although it continued as an RAF property until 1958. During World War II it was a dump for crashed aircraft from all over the east of England; parts were salvaged for reuse. Munitions testing was also conducted on the site.