Hickling 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the English county of

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 ...

. The village is 22 miles 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 ...

, 20.3 miles north-east 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 ...

and 137 miles north-east of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It lies 3 miles east of the Broadlands town of

Stalham Stalham is a market town and civil parish on the River Ant in the English county of Norfolk, in East Anglia. It covers an area of and had a population of 2,951 in 1,333 households at the 2001 census, the population increasing to 3,149 at the ...

. The nearest railway station is at

Worstead Worstead is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Norfolk Non-metropolitan district, district of Norfolk, England. In the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 census the parish had a population of 862 in 365 households ...

for the

Bittern Line The Bittern Line is a railway branch line in Norfolk, England, that links to . It passes through the Broads on its route to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the north Norfolk coast. It is named after the Eurasian bittern, bittern, a r ...

which runs between

Sheringham Sheringham (; population 7,367) is a seaside town and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, England.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District ...

, Cromer and Norwich. The village's name means 'Hicel's people' or perhaps, 'Hicel's place'. It comprises two main parts, Hickling Green and Hickling Heath. Hickling Heath is what usually attracts the most tourists who come on boat trips and moor up at the staithe. Hickling village is situated on the edge of the Hickling Broads. By using the waterways, it is possible to reach Catfield Dyke, Potter Heigham and even

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 ...

. Because it leads to the sea the waters are slightly tidal and, depending on the time of year, the water levels can heavily rise or fall. There are many thatched huts dotted along the broads, one of the oldest being Turner's Hut. Hickling Mill, built on Hickling Heath in 1818, is a grade II* listed windmill which is one of the few to have been preserved in almost original condition, with most of the mechanism, apart from sails and fantail, relatively intact. Adjacent to the village is the site of Hickling Priory, a house of Augustinian Canons which operated from 1185 to 1534. The 18th-century Hickling Hall was destroyed by fire in December 2014.

History

During the

St. Lucia's flood North Holland, 1st-10th century St. Lucia's flood (Sint-Luciavloed) was a storm tide that affected the Netherlands and Northern Germany on 13/14 December 1287 ( OS), St. Lucia Day and the day after, killing approximately 50,000 to 80,000 peop ...

in 1287 180 inhabitants died, when the seawater rose a foot above the high altar in the church.

References

* http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Hickling

External links

Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk North Norfolk {{Norfolk-geo-stub