Wereham is a small village and

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

in the

English 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 ...

Location

Wereham lies in the Wissey valley and is on the main

A134 road List of A roads in Great Britain, A roads in List of A roads zones in Great Britain, zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the River Thames, east of the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 (roads beginning with 1). Single- and double-digit road ...

; it is some five miles to the east of the town of

Downham Market Downham Market, sometimes simply referred to as Downham, is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, approximately 11 miles south of King's Lynn, 39 miles west of Norwich and 3 ...

and thirteen miles from

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 ...

. Neighbouring villages include Boughton,

Fincham Fincham is a village and civil parish the English county of Norfolk. The village is located south of King's Lynn and west of Norwich, along the A1122 between Outwell and Swaffham. History Fincham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives fro ...

Crimplesham Crimplesham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated east of the small town of Downham Market, south of the larger town of King's Lynn, and west of the city of Norwich. History Crimplesham's name is of ...

West Dereham West Dereham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 440 in 176 households as of the 2001 census, the population increasing to 450 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of loca ...

, Wretton and

Stoke Ferry Stoke Ferry is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, 6.5 miles south-east of Downham Market. The village lies on the River Wissey, previously known as the River Stoke. It covers an area of and had a population of 896 in 3 ...

History

The villages name means 'Homestead/village on the River Wigor' or 'hemmed-in land by the River Wigor'. Wigor may be an older name for the

River Wissey The River Wissey is a river in Norfolk, eastern England. It rises near Bradenham, and flows for nearly to join the River Great Ouse at Fordham. The lower are navigable. The upper reaches are notable for a number of buildings of historic int ...

. The former Benedictine

alien priory Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as monasteries and convents, which were under the control of another religious house outside England. Usually the mother-house was in France.Coredon ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms'' p. ...

of St

Winwaloe Saint Winwaloe ( br, Gwenole; french: Guénolé; la, Winwallus or ; – 3 March 532) was the founder and first abbot of Landévennec Abbey (literally " Lann of Venec"), also known as the Monastery of Winwaloe. It was just south of Brest in Britt ...

is now Winnold House. It lies a mile north of the village. A large fair was held on St Winnold's Day (3 March); the fair moved to Downham Market in 1798. In the centre of the village is the pond - known locally as the pit. Nearby on the village green, the

village sign In many parts of England, an ornamental village sign is erected to announce the village name to those entering the village. They are typically placed on the principal road entrance or in a prominent location such as a village green. The design ...

depicts 'Billy the Seal', one of Wereham's most famous residents from the 1920s.

Facilities

Wereham once had four pubs: the George and Dragon, The Crown, The Nags Head and The Chequers; however, only the George and Dragon remains. The village also had a school which closed in the 1980s. The Parish Church, dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, is in the centre of the village. 2018 will see the completion of the 1st UK

Passivhaus "Passive house" (german: Passivhaus) is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or coo ...

village hal
www.werehamvillagehall.co.uk
Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort while using very little energy for heating and cooling.

References

External links

GENUKI page
*Th

of the ''Group 4 News'' Website. *Th
Wereham Category
of the Stoke Ferry Website includes Parish Council meeting minutes. King's Lynn and West Norfolk Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk {{Norfolk-geo-stub