Holme-next-the-Sea is a small village and
civil parish in the
English county of
Norfolk. It is situated on the north Norfolk coast some
5 km north-east of the seaside resort of
Hunstanton
Hunstanton () is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, which had a population of 4,229 at the 2011 Census. It faces west across The Wash, making it one of the few places on the east coast of Great Britain where the sun sets over the sea. Hunstant ...
,
30 km north of the town of
King's Lynn
King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...
and
70 km north-west of the city of
Norwich.
[Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 250 - Norfolk Coast West''. .]
The village's name means 'Island' next to the sea.
The civil parish has an area of and in the
2001 census had a population of 322 in 177 households, falling to 239 at the 2011 Census. For local government, the parish falls within the
district of
King's Lynn and West Norfolk
King's Lynn and West Norfolk is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in the town of King's Lynn. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 Census was 147,451.
History
The district was ...
.
Its position on the
North Sea coast makes it a prime site for migratory
birds in autumn. It consequently is home to two adjoining nature reserves, one owned by the
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts covering Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Alderney. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest of all the trusts. It has over 35,500 members and eight local groups and it mana ...
and the other by the Norfolk Ornithological Association. A pair of
black-winged stilts bred at the Wildlife Trust's Holme Dune
in 1987, raising three young.
The eastern end of
Hunstanton
Hunstanton () is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, which had a population of 4,229 at the 2011 Census. It faces west across The Wash, making it one of the few places on the east coast of Great Britain where the sun sets over the sea. Hunstant ...
golf links reach to Holme, and public
rights of way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by Easement#Easement by prescription, prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' ...
mean that
birders and golfers have learned to co-exist. It is the meeting point of the
Peddars Way and
Norfolk Coast Path
The Norfolk Coast Path is a long-distance footpath in Norfolk, running 83 miles (133.5 km) from Hunstanton to Hopton-on-Sea. It was opened in 1986 and covers the North Norfolk Coast AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).
It links with ...
which together form a
National Trail.
It is the nearest village to
Seahenge
Seahenge, also known as Holme I, was a prehistoric monument located in the village of Holme-next-the-Sea, near Old Hunstanton in the English county of Norfolk. A timber circle with an upturned tree root in the centre, Seahenge, along wi ...
, the
Bronze Age timber circle.
The parish church of
St Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
was first mentioned in 1188, but the oldest remaining part of the building is the tower which dates from the fifteenth century. The main church building was demolished and rebuilt in 1888, although some
memorials
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, Tragedy (event), tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objec ...
and an ancient stone
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mod ...
survive from the earlier structure. The church has a
peal of five bells which are still rung, the earliest is dated 1677. In the churchyard are the graves of various members of the
Nelson family, who lived at
Holme House.
References
External links
*
*
Holme-next-the-Seafrom origins.org/Genuki Norfolk
from NorfolkCoast.co.uk
Holme-next-the-Seavillage Website.
{{Authority control
Villages in Norfolk
King's Lynn and West Norfolk
Populated coastal places in Norfolk
Civil parishes in Norfolk
Beaches of Norfolk