Kirby Bedon is a hamlet in

South Norfolk South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Long Stratton. The population of the Local Authority District was 124,012 as taken at the 2011 Census. History The district was formed on 1 April 197 ...

which lies approximately 3½ miles (5½ km) south-east of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

on the road to Bramerton. It covers an area of and had a population of 186 in 77 households at the 2001 census, the population increasing to 198 at the 2011 Census. The villages name means 'church farm/village'. The village was held by the Bidun family in the 12th century. It has two churches, the ruined round-towered St Mary's Church and, standing opposite, St Andrew's church, which is still in use. St Andrew's contains a plaque erected by parishioners in memory of four crew members of "Broad and High", an American

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

bomber who were killed when it crashed near the church on 18 August 1944 as it returned to Rackheath from a raid on

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. For one hundred years Kirby Bedon had a village school, which opened on 24 June 1878 and closed for the last time on 26 July 1978, a victim of the drive to close small village schools. Kirby Bedon has a historic link to the transatlantic slave trade through Sir John Berney (1757-1825) of Kirby Bedon Hall. He was the owner of Hanson Plantation, Barbados. The village no longer has a pub; the ''Stracey Arms'' on the main road from Norwich to Bramerton closed in 1967. It is now a

Caravan Club The Caravan and Motorhome Club is an organisation representing caravan and motorhome users in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and now represents nearly one million members (caravanners, motorhomers and campervanners). Hi ...

certified location. Kirby Bedon Church Hall was the home venue of Kirby Bedon Short Mat Bowls Club from the late 1980's to 2017 when it disbanded. They were a very successful side which won the Norfolk Summer League on many occasions as well as many other cups and titles. They were the winners of the first ever National Club Championships in 2009. Kirby Bedon is linked to Norwich by bus route 85 operated by Our Bus providing nine services a day into

and to the neighbouring villages of Bramerton, Surlingham and Rockland St Mary.our-hire , Our Bus
retrieved 2019-02-01.

References

http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Kirby%20Bedon

External links

St Mary's on the European Round Tower Churches website

St Andrew's Church, Kirby Bedon

Kirby Bedon
on

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{{Civil Parishes of South Norfolk Hamlets in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk