Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It borders

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

to the north-west,

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

to the west and south-west, and

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

, with

The Wash The Wash is a rectangular bay and multiple estuary at the north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk, England, Norfolk meets Lincolnshire and both border the North Sea. One of Britain's broadest estuaries, it i ...

to the north-west. The

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

is the city 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 ...

. With an area of and a population of 859,400, Norfolk is a largely rural county with a population density of 401 per square mile (155 per km²). Of the county's population, 40% live in four major built up areas:

(213,000),

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...

(63,000),

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 ...

(46,000) and Thetford (25,000). The Broads is a network of rivers and lakes in the east of the county, extending south into

. The area is protected by the Broads Authority and has similar status to a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

History

The area that was to become Norfolk was settled in pre-Roman times, (there were Palaeolithic settlers as early as 950,000 years ago) with camps along the higher land in the west, where

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

s could be quarried. A Brittonic tribe, the

Iceni The Iceni ( , ) or Eceni were a Brittonic tribe of eastern Britain during the Iron Age and early Roman era. Their territory included present-day Norfolk and parts of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and bordered the area of the Corieltauvi to the we ...

, emerged in the 1st century BC. The Iceni revolted against the

Roman invasion The Roman conquest of Britain refers to the conquest of the island of Britain by occupying Roman forces. It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the southern half of Britain by 87 when the Stane ...

in AD 47, and again in 60 led by

Boudica Boudica or Boudicca (, known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh as ()), was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She ...

. The crushing of the second rebellion opened the area to the Romans. During the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

roads and ports were constructed throughout the area and farming was widespread. Situated on the east coast, the homelands of the Iceni were vulnerable to attacks from continental Europe and other parts of Britain, and forts were built to defend against raids by the

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

and the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...

. A period of depopulation, which may have been due to these threats, seems to have followed the departure of the Romans. Soon afterward, Germanic peoples from the North Sea area settled in the region. Though they became known as Angles, they were likely not affiliated to any tribe in particular at the time of their migration. It is thought that the settlement here was early (possibly beginning at the start of the fifth century, thereby preceding the alleged date of Hengist and Horsa's arrival in Kent) and that it occurred on a large scale. By the 5th century the Angles had established control of the region and later became the "north folk" and the "south folk"; hence "Norfolk" and "

". Norfolk, Suffolk and several adjacent areas became the kingdom of East Anglia (one of the

heptarchy The Heptarchy were the seven petty kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England that flourished from the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in the 5th century until they were consolidated in the 8th century into the four kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria, Wess ...

), which later merged with

Mercia la, Merciorum regnum , conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia , common_name=Mercia , status=Kingdom , status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879)Client state of Wessex () , life_span=527–918 , era=Heptarchy , event_start= , date_start= , ye ...

and then with Wessex. The influence of the early English settlers can be seen in the many place names ending in "-ham", "-ingham" and "-ton". Endings such as "-by" and "-thorpe" are also fairly common, indicating Danish toponyms: in the 9th century the region again came under attack, this time from

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

who killed the king,

Edmund the Martyr Edmund the Martyr (also known as St Edmund or Edmund of East Anglia, died 20 November 869) was king of East Anglia from about 855 until his death. Few historical facts about Edmund are known, as the kingdom of East Anglia was devastated by t ...

. Several place names around the Fenland area contain Celtic elements; this has been taken by some scholars to represent a possibly significant concentration of Britons in the area. In the centuries before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

the wetlands of the east of the county began to be converted to farmland, and settlements grew in these areas. Migration into East Anglia must have been high: by the time of 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 ...

survey it was one of the most densely populated parts of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. During the high and late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

the county developed arable agriculture and woollen industries. Norfolk's prosperity at that time is evident from the county's large number of medieval churches: out of an original total of over one thousand some 659 have survived, more than in any other county in Britain and the greatest concentration in the world. The economy was in decline by the time of the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

, which dramatically reduced the population in 1349. Kett's Rebellion occurred in Norfolk during the reign of Edward VI, largely in response to the enclosure of land by landlords, leaving peasants with nowhere to graze their animals, and to the general abuses of power by the nobility. It was led by

Robert Kett Robert Kett (c. 1492 – 7 December 1549) was the leader of Kett's Rebellion. Kett was the fourth son of Thomas Kett, of Forncett, Norfolk and his wife Margery. He is thought to have been a tanner, but he certainly held the manor of Wymondha ...

, a yeoman farmer, who was joined by recruits from Norwich and the surrounding countryside. His group numbered some 16,000 by the time the rebels stormed Norwich on 29 July 1549 and took the city. Kett's rebellion ended on 27 August when the rebels were defeated by an army under the leadership of

John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Ja ...

at the Battle of Dussindale. Some 3,000 rebels were killed. Kett was captured, held in the Tower of London, tried for treason, and hanged from the walls of Norwich Castle. By the late 16th century Norwich had grown to become the second-largest city in England, but over one-third of its population died in the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

epidemic of 1579, and in 1665 the

Great Plague The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

again killed around one-third of the population. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

Norfolk was largely Parliamentarian. The economy and agriculture of the region declined somewhat. During the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

Norfolk developed little industry, except in Norwich which was a late addition to the railway network. Early military units included the

Norfolk Militia The Norfolk Militia was formed under the Militia Act of 1757, replacing earlier less formal arrangements. From this date, better records were kept, and the men were selected by ballot to serve for longer periods. Proper uniforms and better weapo ...

. In the 20th century the county developed a role in aviation. The first development in airfields came with the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

; there was then a massive expansion during 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 ...

with the growth of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and the influx of the American USAAF 8th Air Force which operated from many

Norfolk airfields This is a list of current or former military airfields within the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. They may have been used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), Royal Air Force (RAF), Army Air Corps (AAC), Fle ...

The local

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

regiments included the Royal Norfolk Regiment (now the

Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating i ...

) and the

Norfolk Yeomanry The Norfolk Yeomanry was a volunteer cavalry (Yeomanry) regiment of Britain's Territorial Army accepted onto the establishment of the British Army in 1794. After seeing action in the Second Boer War, it served dismounted at Gallipoli, in Palest ...

. During the Second World War agriculture rapidly intensified, and it has remained very intensive since, with the establishment of large fields for growing cereals and

oilseed rape Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...

Economy and industry

In 1998 Norfolk had a

Gross Domestic Product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...

of £9,319 million, which represents 1.5% of England's economy and 1.25% of the United Kingdom's economy. The GDP per head was £11,825, compared to £13,635 for East Anglia, £12,845 for England and £12,438 for the United Kingdom. In 1999–2000 the county had an unemployment rate of 5.6%, compared to 5.8% for England and 6.0% for the UK. Data from 2017 provided a useful update on the county's economy. The median hourly gross pay was £12.17 and the median weekly pay was £496.80; on a per year basis, the median gross income was £25,458. The employment rate among persons aged 16 to 64 was 74.2% while the unemployment rate was 4.6%. The Norfolk economy was "treading water with manufacturing sales and recruitment remaining static in the first quarter of the year" according to research published in April 2018. A spokesperson for the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce made this comment: "At a time when Norfolk firms face steep up-front costs, the apprenticeship system is in crisis, roads are being allowed to crumble, mobile phone and broadband 'not-spots' are multiplying, it's obvious that the key to improved productivity and competitiveness lies in getting the basics right". The solution was seen as a need for the UK government to provide "a far stronger domestic economic agenda ... to fix the fundamentals needed for business to thrive here..." In 2017, tourism was adding £3.25 billion to the economy per year and supported some 65,000 jobs, being the fifth most important employment in Norfolk. The visitor economy had increased in value by more than £500 million since 2012. Important business sectors also include energy (oil, gas and renewables), advanced engineering and manufacturing, and food and farming. Much of Norfolk's fairly flat and fertile land has been drained for use as

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the ...

. The principal arable crops are

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...

, wheat,

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

(for brewing) and

oil seed rape Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...

. The county also boasts a

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...

grower. Over 20% of employment in the county is in the agricultural and food industries. Well-known companies in Norfolk are

Aviva Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It has about 18 million customers across its core markets of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. In the United Kingdom, Aviva is the largest general ...

(formerly Norwich Union), Colman's (part of

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

Lotus Cars Lotus Cars Limited is a British automotive company headquartered in Norfolk, England which manufactures sports cars and racing cars noted for their light weight and fine handling characteristics. Lotus was previously involved in Formula One r ...

and

Bernard Matthews Farms Bernard Matthews Holdings Ltd., trading as Bernard Matthews Foods Ltd, is a British farming and food products business with its headquarters in Great Witchingham, Norfolk, England, which specialises in turkey products. Founded by Bernard Matt ...

. The Construction Industry Training Board is based on the former airfield of RAF Bircham Newton. The BBC East region is centred on Norwich, although it covers an area as far west as

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

; the BBC does however provide

BBC Radio Norfolk BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Norfolk. It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Forum in Norwich. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 1 ...

solely for the county. Brewer Greene King, food producer Cranswick and feed supplier ForFarmers were seeing growth in 2016–2017. A Local Enterprise Partnership was being established by business leaders to help grow jobs across Norfolk and Suffolk. They secured an enterprise zone to help grow businesses in the energy sector, and established the two counties as a centre for growing services and products for the green economy. To help local industry in Norwich, the local council offered a wireless internet service but this was subsequently withdrawn as funding has ceased. The fishery business still continued in 2018, with individuals such as John Lee, a fifth generation crabman, who sells Cromer Crabs to eateries such as M Restaurants and the Blueprint Café. The problem that he has found is attracting young people to this small industry which calls for working many hours per week during the season. Lobster trapping also continued in North Norfolk, around

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 Cromer, for example.

Management of the shoreline

Norfolk's low-lying land and easily eroded cliffs, many of which are composed of chalk and clay, make it vulnerable to weathering by the sea. The most recent major erosion event occurred during the

North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...

. The low-lying section of coast between

Kelling Kelling (also known as ''Low Kelling'' and as ''Lower Kelling'') is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west of Cromer, north of Norwich, and northeast of London. The village straddles the A149 Coast ...

and

Lowestoft Ness Ness Point, also known as Lowestoft Ness, is the most easterly point of England, Great Britain, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. It is located in Lowestoft in the East Suffolk district of the county of Suffolk. The site is located to ...

in Suffolk is currently managed by the British

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

to protect the Broads from sea flooding. Management policy for the North Norfolk coastline is described in the "North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan" published in 2006, but has yet to be accepted by local authorities. The Shoreline Management Plan states that the stretch of coast will be protected for at least another 50 years, but that in the event of

sea level rise Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cry ...

and post-glacial lowering of land levels in the South East, there may a need for further research to inform future management decisions, including the possibility that the

sea defences The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

may have to be realigned to a more sustainable position. Natural England have contributed some research into the impacts on the environment of various realignment options. The draft report of their research was leaked to the press, who created great anxiety by reporting that Natural England plan to abandon a large section of the Norfolk Broads, villages and farmland to the sea to save the rest of the Norfolk coastline from the impact of any adverse

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

Education

Primary and secondary education

Before 2011, Norfolk had a completely comprehensive state education or "maintained" system managed by

Norfolk County Council Norfolk County Council is the top-tier local government authority for Norfolk, England. Its headquarters are based in the city of Norwich. Below it there are 7 second-tier local government district councils: Breckland District, Broadland Distr ...

, with secondary school age from 11 to 16 or in some schools with

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

s, 18 years old. Since then,a number of schools formerly in the "maintained" system have left it to become academies, or members of academy groups. Others have become free schools. Both academies and free schools are still publicly funded by the Department of Education, but are not with County Council management. In many of the rural areas, there is no nearby sixth form and so

sixth form college A sixth form college is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A Levels, Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the International Baccalaureate Di ...

s are found in larger towns. There are twelve

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, or private schools, including

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) in Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Bac ...

Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

in the north of the county, Thetford Grammar School in Thetford which is Britain's fifth oldest extant school, Langley School in

Loddon Loddon may refer to: *Loddon, Norfolk in England, UK *Shire of Loddon in Victoria, Australia (since 1995) **Bridgewater On Loddon, Victoria in Australia *River Loddon, flows into the River Thames near Reading *Loddon River, flows north from south of ...

, and several in the city of Norwich, including

Norwich School Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is a selective English independent day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 as a ...

and Norwich High School for Girls. The King's Lynn district has the largest school population. Norfolk is also home to

Wymondham College Wymondham College is a coeducational day and boarding school in Morley, near Wymondham, Norfolk, England with academy status. A former grammar school, it is one of 36 state boarding schools in England and the largest of its type in the country, ...

, the UK's largest remaining state

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

Tertiary education

The

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

is located on the outskirts of Norwich and Norwich University of the Arts is based in seven buildings in and around St George's Street in the city centre, next to the River Wensum. The

City College Norwich City College Norwich is a college of further and higher education in Norfolk, England. It is one of the largest colleges in the country. The College has expanded in recent years following mergers with Easton College in 2020 and Paston Colleg ...

and the College of West Anglia are colleges covering Norwich and King's Lynn as well as Norfolk as a whole.

Easton & Otley College Easton College is a college of further and higher education in Norfolk, located on a campus in the village of Easton. The college has specialist facilities for training in agriculture, horticulture, arboriculture, countryside, animal studie ...

, west of Norwich, provides agriculture-based courses for the county, parts of

and nationally. The

University of Suffolk The University of Suffolk is a public university situated in Suffolk and Norfolk, England. The modern university was established in 2007 as University Campus Suffolk (UCS), the institution was founded as a unique collaboration between the Univer ...

also runs higher education courses in Norfolk, from multiple locations including

Great Yarmouth College East Coast College is a Further Education (FE) college which has campuses in Lowestoft, Suffolk and Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Following a six-month pilot area review in 2014, it was proposed that the merger of Great Yarmouth College and Lowestoft C ...

Politics

Local

Norfolk County Council election 2013 map

Norfolk is administered by Norfolk County Council which is the top tier local government authority, based at County Hall in Norwich. For details of the authority click on the link

. Below Norfolk County Council the county is divided into seven second tier district councils: Breckland District, Broadland District, Great Yarmouth Borough, King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough, North Norfolk District, Norwich City and South Norfolk District. Below the second tier councils the majority of the county is divided into Parish and Town Councils the lowest tier of local government, (the only exceptions being parts of Norwich and King's Lynn urban areas). As of 2018 the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

control six of the seven District Councils: Breckland District, Broadland District, King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough, North Norfolk District, Great Yarmouth Borough and South Norfolk District while Norwich City is controlled by the Labour Party.

has been under Conservative control since 2017. There have been two periods when the council has not been run by the Conservative Party, both when no party had overall control, these were 1993–2001 and 2013–2017. For the full County Council election results for 2017 and previous elections click on the link Norfolk County Council elections.

National

The county is divided into nine parliamentary constituencies: In the 2010 General Election seven seats were held by the Conservatives and two by the Liberal Democrats. The Labour Party no longer held the urban constituencies they once held in Norwich North and Great Yarmouth, leaving them with no MP's in the whole of

; the former Labour

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

Charles Clarke was a high level casualty of that election. In the 2015 General Election seven seats were won by the

, with Labour Party (UK), Labour winning Norwich South and the Liberal Democrats winning North Norfolk. In the 2017 General Election the 2015 result was repeated.

Norwich Unitary Authority dispute (2006–2010)

In October 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government produced a Local Government White Paper inviting councils to submit proposals for unitary restructuring. In January 2007 Norwich submitted its proposal, but this was rejected in December 2007 as it did not meet the criteria for acceptance. In February 2008, the Boundary Committee for England (from 1 April 2010 incorporated in the Local Government Boundary Commission for England) was asked to consider alternative proposals for the whole or part of Norfolk, including whether Norwich should become a unitary authority, separate from Norfolk County Council. In December 2009, the Boundary Committee recommended a single unitary authority covering all of Norfolk, including Norwich. However, on 10 February 2010, it was announced that, contrary to the December 2009 recommendation of the Boundary Committee, Norwich would be given separate unitary status. The proposed change was strongly resisted, principally by Norfolk County Council and the Conservative opposition in Parliament. Reacting to the announcement, Norfolk County Council issued a statement that it would seek leave to challenge the decision in the courts. A letter was leaked to the local media in which the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Communities and Local Government noted that the decision did not meet all the criteria and that the risk of it "being successfully challenged in judicial review proceedings is very high". The Shadow Local Government and Planning Minister, Bob Neill, stated that should the

win the 2010 United Kingdom general election, 2010 general election, they would reverse the decision. Following the 2010 United Kingdom general election, 2010 general election, Eric Jack Pickles, Eric Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 12 May 2010 in a Cameron–Clegg coalition, Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government. According to press reports, he instructed his department to take urgent steps to reverse the decision and maintain the status quo in line with the Conservative Party manifesto. However, the unitary plans were supported by the Liberal Democrat group on the city council, and by Simon Wright (politician), Simon Wright, LibDem MP for Norwich South (UK Parliament constituency), Norwich South, who intended to lobby the party leadership to allow the changes to go ahead. The Local Government Act 2010 to reverse the unitary decision for Norwich (and Exeter and Suffolk) received Royal Assent on 16 December 2010. The disputed award of unitary status had meanwhile been referred to the High Court of Justice, High Court, and on 21 June 2010 the court (Mr. Justice Ouseley, judge) ruled it unlawful, and revoked it. The city has therefore failed to attain unitary status, and the two-tier arrangement of County and District Councils (with Norwich City Council counted among the latter) remains as of 2017.

Emergency services

*Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service *East of England Ambulance Service *East Anglian Air Ambulance *Norfolk Constabulary *British Transport Police *HM Coastguard

Settlements

Norfolk's county town and only city status in the United Kingdom, city is

, one of the largest settlements in England during the Normans, Norman era. Norwich is home to the

, and is the county's main business and culture centre. Other principal towns include the port-town of

and the seaside resort and Broads gateway town of

. Based on the 2011 Census the county's largest centres of population are:

(213,166),

(63,434),

(46,093), Thetford, Norfolk, Thetford (24,883), Dereham (20,651), Wymondham (13,587), North Walsham (12,463), Attleborough (10,549), Downham Market (9,994), Diss, Norfolk, Diss (9,829), Fakenham (8,285), Cromer (7,749),

(7,367) and Swaffham (7,258). There are also several smaller market towns: Aylsham (6,016), Harleston, Norfolk, Harleston (4,458) and

(3,810). Much of the county remains rural in nature and Norfolk is believed to have around List of lost settlements in Norfolk, 200 lost settlements which have been largely or totally depopulated since the medieval period. These include places lost to coastal erosion, agricultural enclosure, depopulation and the establishment of the Stanford Training Area in 1940.

Transport

Roads

Norfolk is one of the few counties in England that does not have a motorway. The A11 road (Great Britain), A11 connects Norfolk to Cambridge and London, via the M11 motorway (Great Britain), M11. From the west, there are only two routes from Norfolk that provide a direct link with the A1 road (Great Britain), A1: the A47 road (Great Britain), A47 to the East Midlands and Birmingham, via Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, and the A17 road (Great Britain), A17 to the East Midlands, via

. These two routes meet at

, which is also the starting point of the A10 road (Great Britain), A10, providing West Norfolk with a direct link with London, via Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely, Cambridge and Hertford.

Railways

There are two main railway lines that link Norfolk with London. The Great Eastern Main Line hosts inter-city services from Norwich railway station, Norwich to Liverpool Street Station, Liverpool Street, via Ipswich railway station, Ipswich and Colchester railway station, Colchester. The Fen line provides regular services between King's Lynn railway station, King's Lynn and London King's Cross railway station, King's Cross, via Ely railway station, Ely and Cambridge railway station, Cambridge. In addition, the Breckland line provides access from Norwich and Thetford railway station, Thetford to destinations to the west including Peterborough railway station, Peterborough, Nottingham railway station, Nottingham, Sheffield railway station, Sheffield, Manchester Piccadilly railway station, Manchester and Liverpool Lime Street railway station, Liverpool.

Air

Norwich International Airport provides flights to various European destinations, including a link to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam which offers onward flights throughout the world.

Dialect, accent and nickname

The Norfolk dialect is also known as "Broad Norfolk", although over the modern age much of the vocabulary and many of the phrases have died out due to a number of factors, such as radio, TV and people from other parts of the country coming to Norfolk. As a result, the speech of Norfolk is more of an Accent (dialect), accent than a dialect, though one part retained from the Norfolk dialect is the distinctive grammar of the region. People from Norfolk are sometimes known as Dumpling, Norfolk Dumplings, an allusion to the flour dumplings that were traditionally a significant part of the local diet. More cutting, perhaps, was the alleged pejorative medical slang term "Normal for Norfolk", alluding to the county's perceived status as a quirky rustic backwater due to a high level of inbreeding among residents.

Tourism

Norfolk is a popular tourist destination and has several major holiday attractions. There are many seaside resorts, including some of the finest British beaches, such as those at

, Cromer and Holkham. Norfolk contains the Broads and other areas of outstanding Natural history, natural beauty and many areas of the coast are wild bird sanctuaries and reserves with some areas designated as

s such as the Norfolk Coast AONB. File:ElmHill.jpg, File:Mundesleybeachnorth.jpg, File:WroxhamBridge.jpg, File:Peddars Way - Holkham Bay.jpg, The Elizabeth II, Queen's residence at Sandringham House in Sandringham, Norfolk provides an all-year-round tourist attraction whilst the coast and some rural areas are popular locations for people from the conurbations to purchase weekend Vacation property, holiday homes. Arthur Conan Doyle first conceived the idea for ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' whilst holidaying in Cromer with Bertram Fletcher Robinson, after hearing local folklore tales regarding the mysterious hound known as Black Shuck.

Amusement parks and zoos

Norfolk has several amusement parks and zoos. *Thrigby Hall near Great Yarmouth was built in 1736 by Joshua Smith Esquire and features a zoo which houses a large tiger enclosure, primate enclosures and the swamp house which has many crocodiles and alligators. *Holkham Hall is an 18th-century stately home and Tourist attraction, visitor attraction, constructed in the Palladian architecture, Palladian style and at the centre of a 3,000 acre deer park on the North Norfolk coast with a woodland play area, walled garden and farming exhibition. *Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure (formerly Dinosaur Adventure) is a dinosaur themed adventure park in Lenwade. It is set in 85 acres of parkland and has a dinosaur trail, indoor play area, high ropes course and outdoor water play area. *Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach is a free-entry theme park, hosting over 20 large rides as well as a crazy golf course, water attractions, children's rides and "white knuckle" rides. *BeWILDerwood is an adventure park situated in the Norfolk Broads and is the setting for the book ''A Boggle at BeWILDerwood'' by local children's author Tom Blofeld. *Britannia Pier on the coast of Great Yarmouth has rides which include a ghost train. Also on the pier is the famous Britannia Pier Theatre. *Banham Zoo is set amongst of parkland and gardens with enclosures for animals including big cats, birds of prey, siamangs and shire horses. Its annual visitor attendance is in excess of 200,000 people. *Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, near the town of Fakenham in north Norfolk, is a nature reserve with many captive birds and animals. Such species include native birds such as lapwing and Eurasian crane, to much more exotic examples like Marabou stork, Greater flamingo, and Manchurian crane. The site played host to BBC's 'Springwatch' from 2008 until 2010. A number of man-made lakes are home to a range of wild birds, and provide stop-off points for many wintering ducks and geese. *The Sea Life Centre in Great Yarmouth is One of the biggest sea life centres in the country. The Great Yarmouth centre is home to a tropical shark display, one resident of which is Britain's biggest shark 'Nobby' the Nurse Shark. The same display, with its walk-through underwater tunnel, also features the wreckage of a World War II aircraft. The centre also includes over 50 native species including shrimps, starfish, sharks, stingrays and conger eels. *The Sea Life Centres#Sanctuaries, Sea Life Sanctuary in Hunstanton is Norfolk's leading marine rescue centre and works both as a visitor attraction as well as a location for rescuing and rehabilitating sick and injured sea creatures found in the nearby The Wash, Wash and

. The attractions main features are similar to that of the Sea Life Centre in Great Yarmouth, albeit on a slightly smaller scale.

Theatres

The Pavilion Theatre, Cromer Pier, Pavilion Theatre (Cromer) is a 510-seater venue on the end of Cromer Pier, best known for hosting the 'end-of-the-pier' show, the Seaside Special. The theatre also presents comedy, music, dance, opera, musicals and community shows. The Britannia Pier Theatre (Great Yarmouth) mainly hosts popular comedy acts such as the Chuckle Brothers and Jim Davidson (comedian), Jim Davidson. The theatre has 1,200 seats and is one of the largest in Norfolk. The Theatre Royal, Norwich, Theatre Royal (Norwich) has been on its present site for nearly 250 years, the Act of Parliament in the tenth year of the reign of George II having been rescinded in 1761. The 1,300-seat theatre, the largest in the city, hosts a mix of national touring productions including musicals, dance, drama, family shows, stand-up comedians, opera and pop. The Norwich Playhouse (Norwich) hosts theatre, comedy, music and other performing arts. It has a seating capacity of 300. The Maddermarket Theatre (Norwich) opened in 1921 and was the first permanent recreation of an Elizabethan theatre. The founder was Nugent Monck who had worked with William Poel. The theatre has a seating capacity of 312. The Norwich Puppet Theatre (Norwich) was founded in 1979 by Ray and Joan DaSilva as a permanent base for their touring company and was first opened as a public venue in 1980, following the conversion of the medieval church of St. James in the heart of Norwich. Under subsequent artistic directors – Barry Smith and Luis Z. Boy – the theatre established its current pattern of operation. It is a nationally unique venue dedicated to puppetry, and currently houses a 185-seat raked auditorium, 50 seat Octagon Studio, workshops, an exhibition gallery, shop and licensed bar. It is the only theatre in the Eastern region with a year-round programme of family-centred entertainment. The Garage studio theatre (Norwich) can seat up to 110 people in a range of different layouts. It can also be used for standing events and can accommodate up to 180 people. The Platform Theatre (Norwich) is in the grounds of

(CCN), and has a large stage with raked seating for an audience of around 200. The theatre plays host to performances by both student and professional companies. The Sewell Barn Theatre (Norwich) is the smallest theatre in Norwich and has a seating capacity of 100. The auditorium features raked seating on three sides of an open acting space. The Norwich Arts Centre (Norwich) theatre opened in 1977 in St. Benedict's Street, and has a capacity of 290. The Princess Theatre, Hunstanton, Princess Theatre (Hunstanton) stands overlooking the Wash and the Village green, green in the East Coast resort of Hunstanton. It is a 472-seat venue. Open all year round, the theatre plays host to a wide variety of shows from comedy to drama, celebrity shows to music for all tastes and children's productions. It has a six-week summer season plus an annual Christmas pantomime. Sheringham Little Theatre (Sheringham) has seating for 180. The theatre programmes a variety of plays, musicals and music, and also shows films. The Gorleston Pavilion (Gorleston) is an original Edwardian era, Edwardian building with a seating capacity of 300, situated on the Norfolk coast. The theatre stages plays, pantomimes, musicals and concerts as well as a 26-week summer season.

Demography

According to estimates by the Office for National Statistics, the population of Norfolk in 2018 was 903,680, split almost evenly between males and females. Roughly 24.3% of the population was aged 65 or older, compared to 18.2% for the whole of England. Source:

Notable people

From Norfolk

* George VI, King/Emperor of the United Kingdom. Born and died on the Sandringham estate, Sandringham Estate. * Joseph Ames (naval commander), Joseph Ames, naval commander. Born and lived in Great Yarmouth * Joseph Ames (author), Joseph Ames, bibliographer and antiquary. Born in Great Yarmouth * Hannah Diamond, Hannah Amond, pop singer from Norwich. * Diana Athill, literary editor and author, South Norfolk and Ditchingham * Alexander Baker (Jesuit), missionary to India * Peter Bellamy, folk singer and musician, who was brought up in North Norfolk * Henry Blofeld, Cricket commentator * Henry Blogg, the UK's most decorated lifeboatman, who was from Cromer * Francis Blomefield, Anglican rector, early topographical historian of Norfolk * James Blunt, English acoustic folk rock singer-songwriter who was raised in Norfolk during his childhood *

, scourge of the occupying Roman Army in first century Britain and queen of the

, British tribe occupying an area slightly larger than modern Norfolk * Martin Brundle, former Auto racing, motor-racing driver and now a commentator was born in King's Lynn * Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, writer, born at Heydon, Norfolk, Heydon * George Russell (racing driver), Formula 1 driver, born in Kings Lynn, and educated at Wisbech grammar school. * Dave Bussey, former BBC Radio 2 and current BBC Radio Lincolnshire presenter * Michael Carroll (lottery winner), Michael Carroll (29 March 1983–) lottery winner * Howard Carter, archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb; his childhood was spent primarily in Swaffham, Norfolk, Swaffham * Edith Cavell, a nurse executed by the Germans for aiding the escape of prisoners in World War I * Sam Claflin, actor, grew up in Norwich and studied at Costessey High School * Sam Clemmett, actor, from Brundall known for starring in West End stage play ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', Haribo Tangfastics television advert and the BBC documentary ''Murder Games: The Life and Death of Breck Bednar'' where he played Breck Bednar the teen murdered by Lewis Daynes * Edward Coke, 17th-century jurist and author of the Petition of Right was born in Mileham and educated at

* Olivia Colman, actress, born and educated in Norfolk * Jamie Cutter, co-founder of Cutter & Buck, America's largest golf apparel providers, born in Norwich * Cathy Dennis, singer and songwriter, from Norwich * Diana, Princess of Wales, first wife of Charles III of the United Kingdom, Charles, Prince of Wales, was born and grew up in Park House near the Sandringham House, Sandringham estate * Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer brother of Diana, Princess of Wales and maternal uncle to H.R.H. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex * Anthony Duckworth-Chad, landowner and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk * James Dyson, Sir James Dyson, inventor and entrepreneur, was born at Cromer, grew up at

and was educated at Gresham's School * Bill Edrich, Bill (1916–1986), Brian Edrich, Brian (1922–2009), Eric Edrich, Eric (1914–1993), Geoff Edrich, Geoff (1918–2004), John Edrich, John (1937–), and Justin Edrich, Justin (1961–) Edrich, cricketers * Nathan Fake, electronic dance music producer/DJ * Pablo Fanque, equestrian and popular Victorian circus proprietor, whose 1843 poster advertisement inspired The Beatles song, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!, born in Norwich * Natasha Firman, Natasha and Ralph Firman, racing drivers, were both born and brought up in Norfolk and educated at Gresham's School * Caroline Flack, television presenter, who grew up in East Wretham and went to school in Watton, Norfolk, Watton * Margaret Fountaine, butterfly collector, was born in Norfolk, and her collection is housed in Norwich Castle Museum * Elizabeth Fry, prominent 19th century Religious Society of Friends, Quaker prison reformer pictured on the Banknotes of the pound sterling#Bank of England notes, Bank of England £5 note, born and raised in Norwich * Stephen Fry, actor, comedian, writer, producer, director and author who was born in London and was brought up in the village of Booton, Norfolk, Booton near Reepham, Norfolk, Reepham. He now has a second home near King's Lynn * Samuel Fuller (Mayflower physician), Samuel Fuller, signed the Mayflower Compact * Claire Goose, actress who starred in Casualty (TV series), ''Casualty'', was raised in Norfolk * Ed Graham, drummer of Lowestoft band The Darkness (band), The Darkness, was born in Great Yarmouth * Sienna Guillory, actress, from north Norfolk, who was educated at Gresham's School * Sir Henry Rider Haggard, novelist, author of ''She'', ''King Solomon's Mines'', born Bradenham, Norfolk, Bradenham 1856 and lived after his marriage at Ditchingham * Lilias Rider Haggard, daughter of Henry Rider Haggard and author of books about Norfolk * Lauren Hemp, footballer for England, part of the squad that won the UEFA Women's Euro 2022, was born in North Walsham and played for Norwich City Women FC * Jake Humphrey, BBC presenter, spent most of his childhood in Norwich * Andy Hunt (footballer), Andy Hunt, Association football, footballer, grew up in Ashill, Norfolk, Ashill. * Julian of Norwich, mediaeval mystic, born probably in Norwich in 1342; lived much of her life as a recluse in Norwich *

, leader of Kett's Rebellion in East Anglia 1549, from Wymondham * R. W. Ketton-Cremer, Norfolk historian and former owner of Felbrigg Hall * Sid Kipper, Norfolk humourist, author, songwriter and singer * Myleene Klass, former Hear'Say singer, comes from Gorleston * Holly Lerski, singer and songwriter, former member of the band Angelou (band), Angelou, grew up and resides in Norfolk * Henry Leslie (playwright), Henry Leslie, actor and playwright, born 1830 at Walsoken * Samuel Lincoln, ancestor of US President Abraham Lincoln * Matthew Macfadyen, actor who starred in ''Spooks (TV series), Spooks'', was born in

* Kenneth McKee, surgeon who pioneered hip replacement surgery techniques, lived in Tacolneston * Danny Mills, footballer, born in Norwich * Sir John Mills, actor, born in North Elmham * R. H. Mottram, author and former Lord Mayor of Norwich * Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, Horatio, Lord Nelson, Admiral and British hero who played a major role in the Battle of Trafalgar, born and schooled in Norfolk * Nimmo Twins, sketch comedy duo well known in Norfolk * Olav V of Norway, King Olav V of Norway, born at Flitcham, Norfolk, Flitcham on the Sandringham House, Sandringham estate * Beth Orton, singer-songwriter, was born in Dereham and raised in Norwich * Thomas Paine, philosopher, born in Thetford, Norfolk, Thetford * Ronan Parke, Britain's Got Talent 2011 finalist and runner up * Margaret Paston, author of many of the Paston Letters, born 1423, lived at Gresham, Norfolk, Gresham * Barry Pinches, snooker player who comes from Norwich * Matthew Pinsent, Olympic champion rower, was born in

* Prasutagus, 1st-century king of the

, who occupied roughly the area which is now Norfolk * Philip Pullman, author, born in Norwich * Miranda Raison, actress, from north Norfolk, who was educated at Gresham's School * Anna Sewell, writer, author of ''Black Beauty'', born at

, lived part of her life at Old Catton near Norwich and buried at Lamas, Norfolk, Lamas, near Buxton * Thomas Shadwell, playwright, satirist and Poet Laureate * Allan Smethurst, 'The Singing Postman' who sang songs in his Norfolk dialect, was from

* Hannah Spearritt, actress and former S Club 7 singer, who is from Gorleston * Roger Taylor (Queen drummer), Roger Taylor, drummer of the rock band Queen (band), Queen was born in King's Lynn and spent the early part of his childhood in Norfolk * Adam Thoroughgood, colonial leader in Virginia, namer of New Norfolk County, which later became Norfolk, Virginia * Peter Trudgill, sociolinguist specialising in accents and dialects including his own native Norfolk dialect, was born and bred in Norwich * George Vancouver, born King's Lynn. Captain and explorer in the Royal Navy * Stella Vine, English artist, spent many of her early years in Norwich * Robert Walpole, Sir Robert Walpole, first Earl of Orford, regarded as the first British prime minister * Tim Westwood, rap DJ and BBC Radio 1, Radio 1 presenter, grew up in and around Norwich * James Woodforde, Parson Woodforde, 18th century clergyman and diarist * Nick Youngs (1959–) and his two sons, Ben Youngs, Ben (1989–) and Tom Youngs, Tom (1987–) were both raised close to the town of Aylsham on their father's farm Youngs is a former rugby union player for Leicester Tigers and England national rugby union team, England. Both sons went on to represent the national rugby union team. *William Gooderham Sr. (29 August 1790 – 20 August 1881) was an England, English distiller, businessman, and banker. He was a founder of the Gooderham and Worts distillery in Toronto,Canada.

Associated with Norfolk

The following people were not born or brought up in Norfolk but are long-term residents of Norfolk, are well known for living in Norfolk at some point in their lives, or have contributed in some significant way to the county. * Verily Anderson (1915–2010), writer, lived in North Norfolk * Stuart Ashen, comedian, animator, actor and online reviewer, born and lives in Norfolk * Julian Assange, Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer, Internet activist and editor in chief of WikiLeaks, lived since 16 December 2010 in Ellingham Hall, Norfolk, Ellingham Hall, the mansion of Vaughan Smith, under house arrest whilst fighting extradition to Sweden, before relocating to Kent in December 2011 * Peter Baker (British politician), Peter Baker (1921–1966), British Conservative MP for South Norfolk *Mary Bristow (1781–1805), landscape gardener, owner of Quidenham Hall * Bill Bryson, writer, has lived in the county since 2003 * Adam Buxton, comedian and one half of Adam and Joe, moved to Norfolk in 2008 * Richard Condon (impresario), Richard Condon (1937–1991), Theatre Royal, Norwich and Pavilion Theatre, Cromer Pier manager * Richard William Enraght, Revd Richard Enraght (1837–1898), 19th century clergyman, religious controversialist, Rector of St Swithun, Bintree * Liza Goddard TV and stage actress, lives in the village of Syderstone * Trisha Goddard, TV personality, lives in Norwich and writes a column in the local newspaper the ''Eastern Daily Press'' * Roderick Gordon, writer of ''Tunnels'' series, lives in North Norfolk * Adriana Hunter, translator of French novels, lives in Norfolk * John Major, British Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997, has a holiday home in Weybourne, Norfolk, Weybourne * Alan Partridge, fictional tongue-in-cheek media personality portrayed by Steve Coogan. His feature film ''Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa'' was set, filmed and had its world premiere in Norwich in 2013 * Pocahontas (c. 1596–1617), who lived at Heacham Hall for part of her life when she was married to John Rolfe * Martin Shaw, stage, television and film actor, is based in Norfolk * Delia Smith, cookery writer and major Norwich City Football Club shareholder * John Wilson (angler), John Wilson (1943–2018), Fisherman, angler, writer and broadcaster

Gallery

File:Wells-next-the-Sea 1.jpg, Wells-next-the-Sea File:The Wensum under trees.JPG, River Wensum, Norwich File:Norwich Cathedral 2015.jpg, Norwich Cathedral: spire and south transept File:NorwichRCC.JPG, St John the Baptist Cathedral, Norwich

References

External links

*
Norfolk County Council

Norfolk tourism (official site)

Photos of Norfolk

Norfolk E-Map Explorer – historical maps and aerial photographs of Norfolk

– Government agency that collects and preserves records of historical significance for Norfolk and makes them publicly accessible – useful for genealogical research
Guide to the Norfolk County, Collection of English Deeds ca. 1409-ca.1826
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{coord, 52, 40, N, 1, 00, E, region:GB_type:adm1st, display=title Norfolk, Kingdom of East Anglia Non-metropolitan counties Counties of England established in antiquity