East Dereham
Dereham (), also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the Breckland District of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40&nb ...
and WNW of Norwich. For the purposes of local government it falls within the Upper Wensum Ward of
Breckland District Council
Breckland in Norfolk and Suffolk is a 39,433 hectare Special Protection Area (SPA) under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The SPA partly overlaps the 7,544 hectare Breckland Special Area of Conservation. As a la ...
and the Elmham and Mattishall Division of Norfolk County Council. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 65. At the 2011 census the population remained less than 100 and was included in the civil parish of
Sparham
Sparham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 291 in 109 households at the 2001 census,River Wensum. The rest of its people have smallholdings, live in the distant row of three cottages or live in homes in the Bylaugh Hall grounds. Its shape, due to the river bends immediately south, resembles a
molar (tooth)
The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone t ...
. Approximately one sixth of Bylaugh is made up of its northern woodland, Bylaugh Wood, which adjoins
Bawdeswell
Bawdeswell is a small rural village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. At the time of the 2011 census it had a population of 828 and an area of 487 hectares. The village is situated almost in the centre of Norfolk about northwest of Norw ...
Heath, separated by the road between that village and Dereham, the nearest main town. Elevations range from 47 m in the grounds of Bylaugh Hall at its centre, to 22 m above mean sea level in the southwest corner, just above
Elsing
Elsing is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located north-east of Dereham and north-west of Norwich, close to the River Wensum.
History
Elsing's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old E ...
mill. Like much of north Norfolk, the parish has a significant minority of woodland, its other named (and largest) woods being the Elsing Lodge/Jubilee Plantation and Sparhamhole Plantation.Grid square map Ordnance survey website
Buildings
;Medieval Church
The small parish church of St Mary the Virgin lies across the road from the edge of Bylaugh Park, on the north bank of the River Wensum. The
round tower
A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...
, one of 124 in Norfolk, with its hexagonal belfry dates from the early 14th century. Whilst the nave is perpendicular, the transept and chancel date only to the early 19th century. Inside are still very intact, ornate
box pews
A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries.
History in England
Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in chu ...
. It stands out among the area’s buildings being at Grade I architecturally, particularly for its rarity.
A plaque on the west side of the church states:
''The chancel of this church rebuilt, the North and South transepts added. The tower buttress, windows, roof and battlements substantially rebuilt and repaired. And the interior of this church and chancel fitted up at the sole expense of Sir John Lombe
Bart.
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
– Patron''
;Bylaugh Hall
Bylaugh Hall
Bylaugh Hall, also known as Bylaugh Park, is a country house situated in the parish of Bylaugh in Norfolk, England.
History
The estate was acquired by Sir John Lombe Bt (c1731-1817) in 1796. His fortune coming from his family's silk throwing mill ...
, built of stone in 1851, and its estate are immediately above the church.Bylaugh Hall - Grade II* - The house is currently under restoration after it was stripped of its lead and interior fittings, and abandoned in 1950. The hall was the headquarters of 100 Group Royal Air Force during World War II. Its flat ( parapet) roof has "obelisks and heraldic beasts". Its gatepiers, farm-enclosing railings and gazebo are separately listed, as is a farmbuilding and clocktower.
;Other listed buildings
Rustic farmbuildings at Park Farm are listed at Grade II*.
Bylaugh Old Hall remains as a farm in the village. It is a brick building dating from the 17th century.
A sewage treatment works in the south of the village treats primarily the effluent of Swanton Morley and
Bawdeswell
Bawdeswell is a small rural village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. At the time of the 2011 census it had a population of 828 and an area of 487 hectares. The village is situated almost in the centre of Norfolk about northwest of Norw ...
, preventing damage to the canoe-navigable River Wensum.
Demography
The 2011 census statistics for the parish are unavailable due to its small size. It forms the western third or so of the E00134328 Output Area that had 315 inhabitants: of these, 314 lived in a whole house or bungalow and only one lived in a flat. None lived in a caravan, other mobile or temporary structure.2011 Census /ref>
