The

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 ...

of Tharston and Hapton lies in the south of the

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 ...

, England. It encompasses the two villages of Tharston and Hapton, covering . The parish had a population of 599 in 231 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 793 at the 2011 census.

Notable population changes

A more than 20% increase in local population within 10 years reflects new housing on uninhabited land by Tharston's southern limit (by

Long Stratton Long Stratton is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It historically consisted of two villages; the larger, Stratton St. Mary, is to the south, and the other, Stratton St. Michael, is to the north. It had a population of 4,424 in the ...

) (approximately 2001 to 2005). Its other notable population changes in Tharston were a shift from for decades of early censuses from a range of 352 to 392 to a range about 35% lower for the early 20th century, followed by a bounce back beyond original levels to 428 in 1951 by which time further housing had been built.

Extent of Tharston and of Hapton

The scope of Tharston unusually changed, from in 1831, in two changes to in 1891. Hapton changed from 670 to in a similar period. These figures are borne out in the size of today's ecclesiastical parishes in the Church of England.Parish maps
Church of England

Elevation and drainage

The

River Tas The River Tas is a river which flows northwards through South Norfolk in England - towards Norwich. The area is named the Tas Valley after the river. The name of the river is back-formed from the name of village of Tasburgh (E. Ekwall, English-R ...

including tributaries all rise in the same district, and flows to the north, discharging into the east flowing rivers of the county's city:

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 ...

. Its source is at above sea level and the district is relatively flat in line with all but the west of the county, Norwich varying more considerably but lying in places at above sea level.

Facilities

Churches of England

*Saint Margaret's, Hapton *Saint Mary's, Tharston.

School

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 ...

supported and ethos

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

is in the village of Hapton.

Local economy and leisure

Redwings Horse Sanctuary Redwings Horse Sanctuary is a registered charity that provides a home for rescued horses, based in Norfolk, England. Aims According to RHS, their "primary purpose is to provide and promote the welfare, protection and care of horses, ponies, d ...

purchased Hapton Hall several years ago and much associated land. A small

industrial estate An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...

/distribution estate is in Tharston land, more immediately adjacent to Long Stratton.

Railways

During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

, a small loop line was constructed from nearby Forncett village to the town of

Wymondham Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, south-west of Norwich off the A11 road to London. The River Tiffey runs through. The parish, one of Norfolk's largest, includes rural areas to ...

. The line, some remains visible, crossed the River Tas, Tas at Tharston so a short viaduct was built.

Culture events

Julia Thomas Memorial Concert

In July 2008, a Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Jubilee Events Committee organised a "Proms in the Park" for Tharston. All profits made went to the Priscilla Bacon Lodge at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Colman Hospital in

. Newton Flotman ARTS Choir, South Norfolk Youth Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Mike Booty and many other soloists performed. A North American P-51 Mustang, Mustang and Supermarine Spitfire, Spitfire flew over; a flight in the mustang was a prize auctioned. The concert was broadcast live on British Atlantic Radio, an internet station (now defunct) by certain villagers.

Notes

External links

*Tharston Village Website
Tharston Village Online
" *Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council, 2001.
Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes
" {{Civil Parishes of South Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk