Loddon, Norfolk
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Loddon is a town 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, England, about south-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 ...
. The town lies on the
River Chet The River Chet is a small river in South Norfolk, England, a tributary of the River Yare. It rises in Poringland and flows eastwards through Alpington, Bergh Apton, Thurton and Loddon. At Loddon it passes under the A146 through Loddon Mill ...
, a tributary of the
River Yare The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches it is one of the principal navigable waterways of The Broads and connects with the rest of the network. The river rises south of Dereham to the west to the villag ...
within
The Broads The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used ...
. The name "Loddon" is thought to mean ''muddy river'' in
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
in reference to the Chet.


History


Origins

The earliest written mention of Loddon (Lodne) is in the will of
Ælfric Modercope __NOTOC__ Ælfric Modercope (; ), sometimes known as Alfric de Modercope in modern English and as Ælfric Wihtgarsson in the patronymic system, was an Anglo-Norse thegn from East Anglia. While ''Ælfric'' is an Old English name, his nickname '' ...
written in 1042 or 1043. In the will Ælfric split his land holdings in Loddon, Bergh Apton and Barton between the Bishops of Bury, Ely and St Benet of Holme. Ælfric held of land in Loddon and was by far the biggest landowner. His manor house is believed to have been close by the church overlooking the river and the fields are known as Manor Yards. The Parish Council adopted Ælfric for Loddon's town sign in 1961 and the
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
statue still stands on Farthing Green.


Modern times

Although Loddon and Chedgrave have been
flooded A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civ ...
many times through history, the worst or at least the best documented occasions were in August 1912 and September 1968. At about midnight on 27 August 1912 a portion of the roadway was washed away and soon afterwards part of the bridge caved in. The footbridge across the river between the two industrial sites disappeared downstream. The mill was in great jeopardy and forty men worked hard to preserve as much of the road as possible. The piling and the banks of the Chet were washed away and some of the wherries broke their
moorings A mooring is any permanent structure to which a seaborne vessel (such as a boat, ship, or amphibious aircraft) may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to ...
. On 12 September 1968 a great storm followed a very wet summer, so when the heavy rain came that night the ground was too waterlogged to let the rain drain away. According to the ''
Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to ...
'' it had been Norfolk's wettest ever September day. The torrential rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning and many roads were many inches deep in water.


Governance

The first tier of local government is Loddon Parish Council. The parish is within the areas of
South Norfolk South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. The largest town is Wymondham, and the district also includes the towns of Costessey, Diss, Harleston, Hingham, Loddon and Long Stratton. The council was based in Long S ...
District Council and the
Broads Authority The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used ...
.


Landmarks

Loddon has many fine buildings; from the 15th-century parish church of Holy Trinity, through the 18th-century "Loddon House" (originally a
mental institution A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...
), to "Farthing Green House", which is a good example of
Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...
.


Holy Trinity Church

The town centre of Loddon, a designated conservation area, is dominated by the Holy Trinity Church dates from 1490 by Sir James Hobart who lived at Hales Hall, and was
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
to
King Henry VII Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry ...
. The outside of the building is faced with flintwork and the interior contains a hammerbeam roof, Jacobean
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
, early Edwardian pews with carved poppy-head ends, several table-top tombs, an ancient poor-box and a panel on the painted
rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
which shows
William of Norwich William of Norwich (died 22 March 1144) was an apprentice who lived in the English city of Norwich. He suffered a violent death during Easter 1144. The city's French-speaking Jewish community was blamed for his death, but the crime was never so ...
, a boy martyr who was falsely claimed to have been
crucified Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Carthaginians, ...
by Jews in the 12th century in one of the first
blood libel Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canardTurvey, Brent E. ''Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis'', Academic Press, 2008, p. 3. "Blood libel: An accusation of ritual mu ...
s. There is also a
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...
set high on three steps, however despite its shaft and bowl were originally carved and painted, they were defaced during periods of
iconoclasm Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...
. The church is said to have possibly replaced an earlier Norman church and an even older one built by
St Felix Felix is a masculine given name that originates from the Latin word (genitive ), meaning "happy" or "lucky". The feminine forms are Felicia or Felicity. The name was popularized by early Christian saints and Roman emperors. In modern usa ...
,
Bishop of the East Angles The Bishop of Dunwich is an episcopal title which was first used by an Anglo-Saxon bishop between the seventh and ninth centuries and is currently used by the suffragan bishop of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The title takes its na ...
, about 630.


Watermill

There was a mill mentioned at Loddon in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086, and a watermill at Chedgrave in the early 1330s, but there is no evidence for the sites of these mills. The present mill, Loddon watermill near the town centre which is no longer functioning, was built in the 18th century with the river diverted to run underneath it. Loddon watermill was sometimes known as Chedgrave mill and is one of the earliest recorded buildings in the town. It was built of
weatherboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding (construction), siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Cla ...
with a pantiled roof, and was situated quite close to the centre of the town. The mill pool was never very big, but was apparently a widened and deepened Y-shaped section of river up stream of the mill. This produced adequate power for the miller to meet the needs of the local farmers and villagers. The mill still retains 19th-century milling equipment. When the mill was built it was found that the best position for it involved diverting the river Chet to the south of its natural course. This involved considerable effort and expense and in times of severe flood the river attempts to revert to its original channel.


Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall was commissioned by a private company and the
petty session Courts of petty session, established from around the 1730s, were local courts consisting of magistrates, held for each petty sessional division (usually based on the county divisions known as hundreds) in England, Wales, and Ireland. The session ...
hearings were held in there for the first time on 10 August 1870.


Education

Loddon is home to three state schools: Loddon Infant and Nursery, Loddon Junior and Hobart High School, one of the few schools in the country to have a ' classroom of the future'. There is also Loddon nursery school education. An independent school Langley School, lies just to the North of Loddon at Langley Park. The first records about schooling in Loddon mention the school in what is now called the Priest's room in the Holy Trinity Church in 1781. The 19th century saw considerable changes, including a rise in the population and consequently in the number of children. It also saw a rise in the popularity of nonconformist religions and a certain amount of competition in the provision of education for the young. As well as the established schools there were several private schools in the town at one time or another. The 1851/61/71 census figures show a private school on the east side of Bridge Street. By 1856 it was decided to build a new school in Loddon for 180 pupils on the site of the old guildhall on Church Plain. Two-thirds of the cost was to come from the Town Estates, which was revenue derived from the renting of Town Farm and other town lands. The rest came from public subscription and an appeal was set up to raise money from the community. The eventual result was a
flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
faced
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
building which is still used today as the Loddon Branch Library. The school term started in 1858 (although the building does not appear to have been finished until 1859), when 99 children from 3–13 years old were entered. Many would not stay at school long, nor attend regularly as the need to supplement the family income when possible could not be ignored. Many children had a long walk to school, which could be impossible in bad weather. This building was used as a school until 1969.


Industry

Previous industries included egg packing and corn grinding. Loddon also had a gas and brick works. Nowadays the north of the town has many boatyards situated on the River Chet. These provide yachtsmen and hire boat crews during the season and together with the boat-building and letting yards, make an important contribution to the economy of the town. Loddon also has a small industrial area situated at the south of the town. Engineering and other industries sited on this
industrial estate An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or 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 par ...
provide employment for local people. However, Express Plastics, one of the major employers has recently moved to
Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is located along the A145 r ...
. The site is to become a small housing estate. A famous East Anglian company Anglian Bus started in Loddon in 1986 before expansion resulted in moving to
Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is located along the A145 r ...
. The Loddon and District Business Association, which was formed in 2011, represents all businesses in the area both micro and multimillion-pound industry. They work together to enhance the community life and ensure that growth increases and the facilities needed in a community of this size are met.


Tourism

Today the
River Chet The River Chet is a small river in South Norfolk, England, a tributary of the River Yare. It rises in Poringland and flows eastwards through Alpington, Bergh Apton, Thurton and Loddon. At Loddon it passes under the A146 through Loddon Mill ...
is one of the focal points for boating tourism within the southern Broads area and is the only such centre within South Norfolk District. Further downriver still can be found Hardley Flood, a good spot for bird watching.


Village of the Year

In 2005, Loddon was chosen to represent
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 ...
in the National Calor Village of the Year Competition. In December 2005 representatives from Loddon, including local business woman Caroline Dwen and Lady Kate Hartland, went to London to the National Presentation Ceremony where the town had won the first prize for the East Region.


Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by
BBC East BBC East is one of BBC's English Regions covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and parts of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (including the City of Milton Keynes). It is headquartered in The Forum ...
and
ITV Anglia ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
. Television signals are received from the Tacolneston TV transmitter. Local radio stations are
BBC Radio Norfolk BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Norfolk. It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Forum in Norwich. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 1 ...
,
Heart East Heart East was a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to the East of England from studios in Milton Keynes. The station launched on 3 June 2019, following a merger of four Heart station ...
,
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
, and Greatest Hits Radio East (formerly Radio Norwich 99.9). The town is served by the local newspaper, ''Beccles & Bungay Journal'' including the regional newspaper, ''
Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to ...
''.


Transport

The A146 bypasses Loddon heading north-east to
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 south-east to
Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is located along the A145 r ...
and
Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...
. The route east to
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 ...
lies along the B1136 and A143. Both
First Norfolk & Suffolk First Bus East of England is a bus operator that provides services in Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England; it is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. It has five depots in operating areas spread out across East Anglia: Norwich, Ipswich, Great Yarmou ...
and Konectbus provide bus services to
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 Lowestoft via Beccles. Ambassador Travel runs services to
Thurlton Thurlton is a small village in South Norfolk, located 14 miles (22 km) south-east of the city of Norwich, and 9 miles (15 km) west of the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft. The villages name means 'Thorferth's farm/settlement'. Thur ...
, Seething, Norwich and Great Yarmouth.
The Broads The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used ...
system of waterways is connected to the
River Chet The River Chet is a small river in South Norfolk, England, a tributary of the River Yare. It rises in Poringland and flows eastwards through Alpington, Bergh Apton, Thurton and Loddon. At Loddon it passes under the A146 through Loddon Mill ...
and mooring is available to the east of the town.


Nearest places

* Chedgrave – north *
Hales Hales is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Hales is located south-east of Loddon and south-east of Norwich. History Hales' name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for nooks of land. In ...
– south-east *
Thurton Thurton is a village in South Norfolk lying 8½ miles (13½ km) south-east of Norwich on the A146 Norwich to Lowestoft road between Framingham Pigot and Loddon. The A146 effectively divides the village in two; a 40 mph limit is in force ...
– north-west * Mundham – west *
Thurlton Thurlton is a small village in South Norfolk, located 14 miles (22 km) south-east of the city of Norwich, and 9 miles (15 km) west of the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft. The villages name means 'Thorferth's farm/settlement'. Thur ...
– east * Seething – west


Sport

A wide variety of sport is on offer in Loddon and the close surrounding area. The Hobart High School gym is used for many groups as is the Loddon and Chedgrave Jubilee Hall and other halls in the community. There is a local football team called Loddon United. The team plays at The Playing Field, Jubilee Hall (locally referred to as 'The Jub'), Georges Lane, Loddon. There is also a youth football club, Loddon Grasshoppers, with teams for under 8s up to under 16s, including an under 13s girls team. Loddon Ladies Hockey, Loddon Squash Club, White Dolphins Swimming for children, Loddon and Hales Cricket Club, Loddon Bowls Club, Loddon Community Gym, Short tennis, Short Mat Bowls, Badminton, Tumble Tots, Excelsior Keep Fit for over 50s, Tennis Club, Tennis Coaching, Junior Gymnastics, Junior Karate, Fencing, Volleyball, Pilates, Aerobics, Junior Trampoline, Medau Keep Fit, Indoor Bowls, Funky Feet Ballet, Yoga, Running Club, Darts and Walking with the Loddon and Chedgrave District Society.


Notable people

* Rodwell House in Loddon was for many years the residence of the Buxton baronets. * Adam Drury – Footballer for
Norwich City Football Club Norwich City Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football ...
used to reside in Loddon. * Davy Jones from the
Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees'' television series, they were one o ...
lived there briefly as a boy.


References


External links


Parish website
{{authority control Towns in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk South Norfolk