Bacton 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
, England. It is on the Norfolk coast, some south-east of
Cromer
Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the North Norfolk district of the county of Norfolk, England. It is north of Norwich, northwest of North Walsham and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline.
The local ...
, north-west of
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
and north of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
. Besides the village of Bacton, the parish includes the nearby settlements of Bacton Green, Broomholm, Keswick and Pollard Street.
It also includes Edingthorpe, which was added to Bacton civil parish under the County of Norfolk Review Order, 1935.
The seaside village, whose name is derived from 'Bacca's farm/settlement', is located on the North Norfolk coast between
Mundesley (a
blue flag beach
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a Not-for-profit organi ...
) and
Walcott, Norfolk. Bacton is known for its very quiet sandy beaches offering miles of walking along the beach and cliffs. The
England Coast Path
The King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP), originally and still commonly known as the England Coast Path, is a long-distance National Trail that will follow the coastline of England. When complete, it will be long.
Various parts of t ...
passes through the village and also the
Paston Way
The Paston Way is a Trail, footpath. It is entirely within the England, English county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. The footpath is twenty miles in length, the Portal (architecture), portals to the Trail, path are Cromer at its northwester ...
long-distance footpath linking
Cromer
Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the North Norfolk district of the county of Norfolk, England. It is north of Norwich, northwest of North Walsham and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline.
The local ...
and
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Norfolk district of the county of Norfolk, England. The town is located south of Cromer and Norwich is south.
Demography
The civil parish has an area of ...
.

In the east of the parish can be found the ruined
Cluniac
Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul.
The abbey was constructed ...
Bromholm Priory.
The civil parish has an area of and in the
2001 census had a population of 1,130 in 474 households the population increasing to 1,194 at the 2011 Census. 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, municip ...
of
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer, and the largest town is North Walsham. The district also includes the towns of Fakenham, Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Shering ...
.
Amenities in the village include: a village shop, a hotel, two cafes, a Chinese restaurant and kebab house, as well as a recreation ground. In addition there are several caravan parks and estates consisting of privately owned holiday chalets, giving holidaymakers access to the beach. During the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
there was also an airfield located nearby,
RAF Bacton.
Coastal erosion
The village and adjoining coastline has extensive sea defences, erected to prevent
coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...
. Part of this sea wall in nearby
Walcott, Norfolk was damaged in the storm surge in December 2013, which caused damage to several caravans and chalets.
North of Bacton lies the village of Paston where the
Bacton Gas Terminal is located. In July 2019 a scheme commenced to deposit almost two million cubic metres of sand, forming a artificial dune. Costing £20 million, the scheme will protect the gas terminal, as well as the villages of Bacton and
Walcott. The sea defences are expected to protect the area for between 15 and 20 years.
Bacton Gas Terminal

The
Bacton Gas Terminal is at one end of a gas pipeline connecting England to the Netherlands. The pipeline runs from a compressor station at the Balgzand Gas Plant at
Den Helder
Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base.
From here the Royal TESO fe ...
, North Holland, to a coastal terminal near Bacton. It began to be laid in July 2006 and became operational on 1 December 2006.
War memorial
Bacton War Memorial takes the form of a stone cross in St. Andrew's Churchyard. It commemorates the following from the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
:
* Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur P. Mack (1863–1916), 9th Battalion,
Suffolk Regiment
The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment Line infantry, of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including the World War I, First and ...
* Lieutenant Jack C. Barnes (d.1915), Plymouth Battalion,
Royal Naval Division
* Lieutenant Harold S. F. Cosens (1889–1914), 1st Battalion,
East Yorkshire Regiment
The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...
* Sergeant Cyril R. Leathes (d.1915), 9th Battalion,
Royal Norfolk Regiment
The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...
* Gunner Charles Punchard (1886–1917), 291st Siege Battery,
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse ...
* Private Edward H. Denton (d.1917), 905th Maintenance Company,
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...
* Private Henry J. Allison (d.1917), 6th Battalion,
Royal East Kent Regiment
* Private Arthur W. Noad (1893–1915), 2nd Battalion,
Lincolnshire Regiment
The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regim ...
* Private Arthur Bean (1885–1916), 10th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
* Private Marshall F. Gotts (d.1916), 9th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
* Deck-hand Christopher West (d.1916), ''HM Drifter Tuberose''
* William Daniels
References
http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Bacton
External links
*
Information from Genuki Norfolkon Bacton
*
Village News - local newsletter for Bacton, Edingthorpe, Ridlington and WittonBacton Beach House with photos of the area
Villages in Norfolk
Populated coastal places in Norfolk
Civil parishes in Norfolk
North Norfolk
{{Norfolk-geo-stub