Sidestrand is a village and a

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

on the coast of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

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

. The village is north of

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

, south east of

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

and north-east of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The nearest railway station is at

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

for the

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

which runs between

and Norwich. The nearest airport is

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

. From the Census 2011 the population was included in the civil parish of

Trimingham Trimingham is a coastal village and a civil parish in the North Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. The village is north of North Walsham, east of Cromer, north of the city and county town of Norwich, and is on the B1159 coastal road be ...

History

The name Sidestrand is thought to derive from the old English word "sid", meaning broad or spacious, and the Danish "strond", meaning shore. The area was immortalised as "Poppyland" in the writings of the Victorian journalist

Clement Scott Clement William Scott (6 October 1841 – 25 June 1904) was an influential English theatre critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' and other journals, and a playwright, lyricist, translator and travel writer, in the final decades of the 19th century ...

Coastline

The section of cliffs at Sidestrand is one of the wildest parts of the Norfolk coast due to its rapid erosion. Its beaches and dramatic cliffs are less accessible than most others along this part of the coastline. The 50m high cliffs contain glacial sediments and structures and its beach is popular with

petrologist Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rocks and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are commonly taught together ...

s and fossil hunters.

Saint Michael's church

Sidestrand parish church, which is dedicated to Saint Michael, is one of 124 round tower churches in

. It was erected in 1881 to replace an earlier church, closer to the cliff, that was threatened by

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

. The earlier church was demolished, apart from the tower, which was left as a landmark and finally fell into the sea in 1916. The tower and graveyard had become known as the "Garden of Sleep", after Clement Scott's poem. Notable burials in Sidestrand churchyard include: *

Verily Anderson Verily Anderson (12 January 1915 – 16 July 2010) was a British author, best known for writing the screenplay of the 1960 film '' No Kidding'',Eloise Miller"Verily Anderson obituary" ''The Guardian'' (London), 29 July 2010. based on her 1958 book ...

(1951–2010), author *

Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood Samuel John Gurney Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood, (24 February 1880 – 7 May 1959), more commonly known as Sir Samuel Hoare, was a senior British Conservative politician who served in various Cabinet posts in the Conservative and National g ...

(1880–1959), politician * Paul Paget (1901–1985), architect

Other items of interest

Sidestrand Hall was owned by the Flaxman and

Spurrell Spurrell is a surname found in Norfolk, Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in various countries around the world. Origins It has been suggested that the name of the Norfolk family is derived from the village of Sporle, near ...

families before being sold in 1880 to Samuel Hoare (later MP for

). Now known as Sidestrand Hall School, it caters for boys and girls aged 8 to 16 years with moderate learning difficulties. The

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...

in the village was blown over in a gale in 1921.Sidestrand windmill history
Retrieved 24 July 2012 was a railway station on the

Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway The Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway (NSJR) was a British joint railway company. The NSJR was owned by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (MGNJ) and consisted of two distinct sections: a line betwee ...

which briefly served the Norfolk village from 1936 to 1953. The line ran between Cromer and

Mundesley Mundesley /ˈmʌndz.li/ is a coastal village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is north-north east of Norwich, south east of Cromer and north east of London. The village lies north-north east of the town of Nort ...

. The

Sidestrand Sidestrand is a village and a civil parish on the coast of the English county of Norfolk. The village is north of Norwich, south east of Cromer and north-east of London. The nearest railway station is at North Walsham for the Bittern Line whi ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

was named after the village; being made at the

Boulton & Paul Boulton & Paul Ltd was a British general manufacturer from Norwich, England that became involved in aircraft manufacture. Jeld Wen Inc. bought Boulton & Paul (along with another joinery company John Carr) from the Rugby Group plc in 1999 to ...

aircraft factory in Norwich in the late 1920s.

Gallery

References

External links

St Michael's on the European Round Tower Churches websiteSidestrand Hall School
British Geological Survey {{commons category, Sidestrand North Norfolk Populated coastal places in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk