Norfolk () is a

ceremonial A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin ''Glossary of ancient Rom ...

and

non-metropolitan county A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a county-level entity in England that is not a metropolitan county. The counties typically have populations of 300,000 to 1.8 million. The term ''shire county'' is, however, an unoffi ...

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 Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24,340 ...

(25,000).

The Broads The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly use ...

is a network of rivers and lakes in the east of the county, extending south into

. The area is protected by the

Broads Authority The Broads Authority is the agency which has statutory responsibility for the Broads in England. Originally, the Nature Conservancy Council (now Natural England), pressed for a special authority to manage the Broads which had been neglected for ...

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 Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...

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 The Angles ( ang, Ængle, ; la, Angli) were one of the main Germanic peoples who settled in Great Britain in the post-Roman period. They founded several kingdoms of the Heptarchy in Anglo-Saxon England. Their name is the root of the name ' ...

, 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 Hengist and Horsa are Germanic brothers said to have led the Angles, Saxons and Jutes in their invasion of Britain in the 5th century. Tradition lists Hengist as the first of the Jutish kings of Kent. Most modern scholarly consensus now rega ...

'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 la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

. 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, 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 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 (disease), plague epidemic of 1579, and in 1665 the Great Plague of London, Great Plague again killed around one-third of the population. During the English Civil War Norfolk was largely Roundheads, Parliamentarian. The economy and agriculture of the region declined somewhat. During the Industrial Revolution Norfolk developed little industry, except in Norwich which was a late addition to the railway network. Early military units included the Norfolk Militia. In the 20th century the county developed a role in aviation. The first development in airfields came with the First World War; there was then a massive expansion during the Second World War with the growth of the Royal Air Force and the influx of the American USAAF 8th Air Force which operated from many Norfolk Airfields, Norfolk airfields. Norfolk_boundary

The local British Army regiments included the Royal Norfolk Regiment (now the Royal Anglian Regiment) and the Norfolk Yeomanry. 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 rapeseed, oilseed rape.

Economy and industry

In 1998 Norfolk had a Gross Domestic Product of pound sterling, £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. The principal arable crops are sugar beet, wheat, barley (for brewing) and oil seed rape. The county also boasts a saffron grower. Over 20% of employment in the county is in the agricultural and food industries. Well-known companies in Norfolk are Aviva (formerly Norwich Union), Colman's (part of Unilever), Lotus Cars and Bernard Matthews Farms. 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; the BBC does however provide BBC Radio Norfolk 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 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 low-lying section of coast between Kelling and Lowestoft Ness in Suffolk is currently managed by the British Environment Agency 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 and post-glacial rebound, 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 Coastal management, sea defences may have to be managed retreat, 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.

Education

Primary and secondary education

Before 2011, Norfolk had a completely Comprehensive school, comprehensive state education or "maintained" system managed by Norfolk County Council, with secondary school age from 11 to 16 or in some schools with sixth forms, 18 years old. Since then,a number of schools formerly in the "maintained" system have left it to become Academy (English school), academies, or members of academy groups. Others have become Free school (England), 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 colleges are found in larger towns. There are twelve Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, or private schools, including Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk, Holt in the north of the county, Thetford Grammar School in

which is List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, Britain's fifth oldest extant school, Langley School, Loddon, Langley School in Loddon, Norfolk, Loddon, and several in the city of Norwich, including Norwich School and Norwich High School for Girls. The King's Lynn district has the largest school population. Norfolk is also home to Wymondham College, the UK's largest remaining state boarding school.

Tertiary education

The University of East Anglia 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 and the College of West Anglia are colleges covering Norwich and King's Lynn as well as Norfolk as a whole. Easton & Otley College, west of Norwich, provides agriculture-based courses for the county, parts of

and nationally. The University of Suffolk also runs higher education courses in Norfolk, from multiple locations including Great Yarmouth College.

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 Norfolk County Council. Below Norfolk County Council the county is divided into seven second tier district councils: Breckland (district), Breckland District, Broadland, Broadland District, Great Yarmouth (borough), Great Yarmouth Borough, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough, North Norfolk, North Norfolk District, Norwich, Norwich City and South Norfolk, 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 (UK), Conservative Party control six of the seven District Councils: Breckland District, Broadland, Broadland District, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough, North Norfolk, North Norfolk District, Great Yarmouth Borough and South Norfolk District while Norwich, Norwich City is controlled by the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. Norfolk County Council has been under Conservative Party (UK), 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 Conservative Party (UK), Conservatives and two by the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats. The Labour Party (UK), 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 Charles Clarke was a high level casualty of that election. In the 2015 General Election seven seats were won by the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, with Labour Party (UK), Labour winning Norwich South and the Liberal Democrats (UK), 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 Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party 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 University of East Anglia, 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), Sheringham (7,367) and Swaffham (7,258). There are also several smaller market towns: Aylsham (6,016), Harleston, Norfolk, Harleston (4,458) and Holt, Norfolk, Holt (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 City College Norwich (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 Norwich School * 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 Holt, Norfolk, Holt 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 * Robert Kett, 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 Holt, Norfolk, Holt * 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 Sheringham * 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