West Beckham 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 authorit ...

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 ...

The village is west south west 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 ...

, north north west 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 ...

and north north east of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

. The village lies east of the town of Holt. The village is inland from the North Norfolk Coast to the north. The village is 0.8 miles to the south of the A148 King’s Lynn to

road. The nearest railway station is at

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 ...

for the Bittern Line which runs between

and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport.

History

The villages name means 'Becca's homestead/village' or 'Becca's hemmed-in land'. 'West' to distinguish from

East Beckham East Beckham is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.''OS Explorer Map 252 – Norfolk Coast East''. . The village is north of Norwich, south-west of Cromer and north-east of London. The nearest railway station is in ...

. West Beckham has an entry in the

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

of 1085. In the great book West Beckham is recorded by the name ‘’Becham’’. The main tenant is Walter Giffard.

The Parish Church of St Helen and all saint’s

The Parish Church of St Helen and All Saint’s was built during the second half of the 19th century to replace a medieval church.Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East, By

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

and Bill Wilson, West Beckham entry. The church’s construction is unusual in that it is not only shingled on the outside, it is shingled on the inside as well. The shingle of the interior walls are banded with red brick in the Puginesque style. On the upper banding of brickwork there is fading evangelical text. Much of the building material was re-cycled from the remains of two early churches - the Church of St Helen in

, and All Saints Church in West Beckham. At the western end of the church there is a clear rose window. Below the window can be found the font reminiscent of a wedding cake.

Village amenities

The one village pub is called ''The Wheatsheaf'' and was formerly the 'Old Manor Farmhouse', a historic building, which was converted into the pub in 1983. The pub serves a wide range of food and real ale. It also has monthly quizzes and occasional karaoke nights, in aid of charity. In the summer months entertainment is often in the garden.

Bodham and Beckham Village Hall

Bodham and Beckham Village Hall was built in the late 1980's, and is fully heated. It is regularly used by church events and a film club. Regular quiz night fundraisers are held during the winter months.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk North Norfolk