East Dereham: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 24 - 30 MJB Apartments Dereham
 Just 5 minutes’ walk from Dereham´s centre, this modern, serviced apartment includes a fitted kitchen and a living area with a flat-screen TV/… MoreGBP 25 - 95 Hill House
 In the heart of the charming market town of Dereham, this handsome Queen Anne property offers en suite rooms, free parking and generous breakfasts. R… MoreGBP 40 - 88 George Hotel
 The George Hotel is an 18th-century coaching inn situated in the market town of Dereham offering private bathrooms, free Wi-Fi, and an á la carte res… More | ||||||||||||||||||
East Dereham: Guide
East Dereham, also known simply as Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the England|English county of Norfolk.It is situated on the A47 road, some 1 E4 m|15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 1 E4 m|25 miles (40 km) east of King's Lynn. The town should not be confused with the Norfolk village of West Dereham, which lies about 1 E4 m|25 miles (40 km) away.Ordnance Survey (1999). OS Explorer Map 237 - Norwich. ISBN 0-319-21868-6.
The civil parish has an area of 1 E7 m²|21.51 km² and in the United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 census had a population of 15,659 in 6,941 households. For the purposes of local government, East Dereham falls within, and is the centre of administration for, the Non-metropolitan district|district of Breckland (district)|Breckland.Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). . Retrieved December 2, 2005.
The town lies on the site of a monastery founded by Saint Withburga in the seventh century. A holy well in the town supposedly began to flow when her body was moved from the town to Ely. In the 18th Century an attempt was made to turn Dereham into a new Buxton or Bath, Somerset|Bath by building a bath house over Withburga's Well. It was described at the time as a hideous building of brick and plaster and was never popular. In 1880 the local vicar, Reverend Benjamin Armstrong obtained permission to pull the building down. The spring was then protected by iron railings, but fell out of use and became choked with weeds. Since 1950, however, it has been kept clear of weeds - although the railings still prevent access to the waters.
Notable buildings in the town include the pargeting|pargetted Bishop Bonners Cottage, built in 1502, the Norman architecture|Norman parish church, a windmill and a large mushroom-shaped water tower. The Gressenhall Museum of Rural Life is nearby. The town also hosts the headquarters of the Mid-Norfolk Railway, which runs trains over an 11.5 mile railway to Wymondham, as well as owning the line 6 miles north to North Elmham and County School Station.
Famous people from the town include George Borrow, Brian Aldiss, Beth Orton and William Hyde Wollaston. It is also known as the place where William Cowper died.
Dereham was the home to the "Metamec" clock factory. "Hobbies of Dereham" produced wooden fretwork models and toys which were popular in the days before moulded plastic. The Fruehauf trailer company was a major employer in the town for many decades. The town also boasted several large maltings. Almost all this large scale industry has drifted away since the 1980s.
Dereham labels itself "The Heart of Norfolk" due to its central location in the county. In the spring of 1978, the "Heart" was given the seven-mile £5m part-dual-carriageway A47 road|A47 bypass. A section of this road, towards King's Lynn was built along the former railway line towards Swaffham and King's Lynn. This section of railway had been used as a location for the filming of Dad's Army, where Captain Mainwaring is left dangling from a railway bridge after a flight on a barrage balloon.
Since 1983 Dereham has been town twinning|twinned with the town of Rüthen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
On 26 April 2006, bird flu was reported - after dead birds tested positive. Some 35,000 chickens at a nearby farm in North Tuddenham are to be culled. Early tests suggested the H7 strain. This can kill chickens but is less of a risk to humans than H5N1, which can be fatal.
Schools and Colleges
Infant Schools
There are three infant schools in East Dereham: King's Park Infant School, Grove Infant School and Dereham St. Nicholas Infant School (formerly Dereham Church First School).
Secondary Schools
There are two secondary schools in the town: and .
Dereham Sixth Form
Also of note is the well-achieving , which serves as the main sixth form centre for both aformentioned high schools as well as an alternative destination for many other school leavers, sometimes as afar as Reepham, Norfolk|Reepham. The sixth form draws upon teacher staff from both Neatherd and Northgate. In the recent OFSTED inspection the sixth form was classified as 'good' with 'outstanding features'.
References
External links
on East Dereham.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "East Dereham". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.