Mundesley /ˈmʌndz.li/ is a coastal village and a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the English county of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. The village is north-north 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 ...

, south east of

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are Nor ...

and north east of London. The village lies north-north east of the town of

North Walsham North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England, within the North Norfolk district. Demography The civil parish has an area of and in the 2011 census had a population of 12,634. For the purposes of local government, the pa ...

. The nearest railway station is at

, for the

Bittern Line The Bittern Line is a railway branch line in Norfolk, England, that links to . It passes through the Broads on its route to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the north Norfolk coast. It is named after the bittern, a rare bird found in t ...

which runs between

Sheringham Sheringham (; population 7,367) is an English seaside town within the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban Distr ...

and Norwich. The nearest airport is

Norwich Airport Norwich Airport is an international airport in Hellesdon, Norfolk, England, north of Norwich. In 2017, Norwich Airport was the 28th busiest airport in the UK and busiest in the East Anglia region. Norwich Airport has a CAA Public Use Aero ...

. The village sits astride the B1159 coast road that links

and

Caister-on-Sea Caister-on-Sea, also known colloquially as Caister, is a large village and seaside resort in Norfolk, England. It is close to the large town of Great Yarmouth. At the 2001 census it had a population of 8,756 and 3,970 households, the populati ...

, and is at the eastern end of the B1145 a route which runs between

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 Mundesley. Mundesley is within the

Norfolk Coast AONB The Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a protected landscape in Norfolk, England. It covers over 450 km2 of coastal and agricultural land from The Wash in the west through coastal marshes and cliffs to the sand dunes at Wi ...

. It has a resident population of around 2,695 (parish, 2001 census), measured at 2,758 in the 2011 Census. The

River Mun The River Mun or Mundesley Beck is a river in the north of the county of Norfolk, England. The source of the river can be found in the Parish of Northrepps. The river finally runs into the North Sea in the village of Mundesley. The source ...

or Mundesley Beck flows into the sea here. On 5 September 2022 Mundesley beach won the North Norfolk District Council Battle of the Beaches to be recognised as the top beach in North Norfolk in a close run off against West Runton beach.

History

The villages name means 'Mul's/Mundel's wood/clearing'.

Mundesley has an entry in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086, with the town's name recorded as ''Muleslai''. The main landholder was William de Warenne, and the survey also lists a church.

Second World War

The Mundesley memorial(Bomb) is dedicated to Army teams who removed mines after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. There is a War memorial inside the Church and on the seafront at the Coastwatch station and museum. Near to the church is a World War II gun emplacement, which now stands near the edge of the cliff, due to

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

in the same name exists. This ward includes Bacton and had had total population at the 2011 Census of 4,191.

Tourism

Mundesley is a popular seaside holiday destination due to its sandy beaches and has a number of holiday chalet and caravan parks and hotels. Just to the south of Mundesley on the road to Paston is a popular windmill, Stow Mill. The village was a popular seaside resort in Victorian times, benefiting from its own railway station which closed in 1964.

Golf course

The village has an historic golf course in the Mun Valley, designed with the help of six-times Open Champion

Harry Vardon Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...

. Vardon convalesced at the nearby

sanitorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

while recovering from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and his association with the course spanned many years. It is said that he scored his only

hole-in-one In golf, a hole in one or hole-in-one (also known as an ace, mostly in American English) occurs when a ball hit from a tee to start a hole finishes in the cup. A ball hit from a tee following a lost ball, out-of-bounds, or water hazard is not a ho ...

on what is now the sixth. The course was reduced to nine holes when land was required for wartime farming, which was very important in that era.

Village amenities

Parish church

All Saints' Church is located on the cliffs above the sea. It was fully restored between 1904 and 1914.

Village centre

The village centre offers shops including a butchers, clothing, arts and crafts, chemist and convenience stores. Mundesley also has its own medical centre and primary school. There is an adventure island

crazy golf Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...

park close to the seafront. There is a very small maritime museum which is also the local lookout of the

National Coastwatch Institution The National Coastwatch Institution is a voluntary organisation and registered charity providing a visual watch along the UK's coasts, and is not to be confused with HM Coastguard. History The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) was founde ...

, a charity offering 365 days' lookout in over 50 stations along the British coast.

Public houses and hotels

There are two pubs in Mundesley. One of the oldest is the Ship Inn situated on the sea front. Its first landlord is listed as being Paul Harrison in 1836. Its flint construction is characteristic of the older parts of the village. A little inland, on the road to Paston, is the Royal Hotel, where

Lord Nelson Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British people, British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strate ...

is said to have lived for a while. Plentiful lodging is available. The Link's and Seaward Crest chalet parks are very close and are very popular.

Notable residents

* Ian Thornton OBE - Chief Executive Officer of the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation

References

External links

Coastwatch MundesleyMundesley Maritime MuseumLive Weather in MundesleyMundesley on Sea Parish CouncilMundesley village websiteMundesley Free Church
{{authority control Villages in Norfolk Populated coastal places in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk Seaside resorts in England Beaches of Norfolk North Norfolk Tuberculosis sanatoria in the United Kingdom