Martham is a 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 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 A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 ...

. It is situated some north-west of the town of Great Yarmouth and north-east of 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 ...

. The villages name means 'marten homestead/village' or 'weasel/marten hemmed-in land'. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 3,126 in 1,267 households, the population including Cess and increasing at the 2011 Census to 3,569. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

of Great Yarmouth. In recent years the population has expanded with considerable housing being constructed. Bus service to Great Yarmouth is regular. There was a station in the village adjacent to a level crossing on Rollesby Road Martham railway station, but this closed in 1959, when the entire line from Great Yarmouth to

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 ...

was eliminated. The station buildings stood for another 30 years. Education is available in the village from Early Years to aged 16. Martham Primary & Nursery caters for children up to year 6, with

Flegg High School Flegg High Ormiston Academy (formerly Flegg High School) is an 11–16 mixed secondary school with academy status in Martham, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Description It was built in the 1960s for boys and girls aged 12–16. Much of ...

taking students from year 7 to year 11. Post 16 education is available at other establishments outside of Martham. The village has several Georgian houses, a large village green, covering three areas of greensward and two duck ponds. Near St Mary's church

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, Ferrygate Lane leads to Martham Ferry, where an unusual floating

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

crosses the

River Thurne The River Thurne is a river in Norfolk, England in The Broads. Just long, it rises from the coast near Martham Broad and is navigable from West Somerton. It flows southwest and is linked by Candle Dyke and Heigham Sound to both Horsey Mere ...

. The bridge leads to Heigham Holmes, an island

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, which can only be accessed by the public on special occasions. About to the north of the village is

Martham Broad Martham Broad is a national nature reserve north of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. It is managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, and is part of the Upper Thurne Broads and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is also part of the Broadland ...

, a

, which is not navigable by boat. The Saxons settled in Martham around AD601 and gave the village its name, "the ham of the martens", the home of the polecats. The Anglican

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

Anna Hinderer Anna Hinderer or Anna Martin (1827–1870) was a British missionary to Ibadan, Yoruba Country which is now part of Nigeria. She is celebrated by a stained-glass window in Liverpool Cathedral. Life Hinderer was born in Hempnall in Norfolk in 1827 ...

died in the village in 1870.

Notes

External links

.
Information from Genuki Norfolk
on Martham.
Martham Parish Council websiteMartham Local Weather website
Martham Primary & Nursery

Flegg High School

The History of Martham *http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Martham {{authority control Martham, Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk Borough of Great Yarmouth