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East Dereham
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General information
Dereham, also known historically as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. There is some confusion caused by the use or non use of the East in the town name, especially to “newcomers” to the town, who find the signs that mostly still state “East Dereham” rather misleading. It is situated on the A47 road, some 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40 km) east of King’s Lynn. The town should not be confused with the Norfolk village of West Dereham, which lies about 25 miles (40 km) away. The previous discovery of West Dereham may well be what have led to the mis-naming of the town by the first cartographer (map-maker) travelling from West to East: Having already written down West Dereham on his new map, he came across Dereham & decided to mis-label the town, a mistake that has unfortunately endured since. (Reference required!)
The civil parish has an area of 21.51 km² and in the 2001 census had a population of 15,659 in 6,941 households. For the purposes of local government, Dereham falls within, and is the centre of administration for, the district of Breckland.
The town lies on the site of a monastery founded by Saint Withburga in the seventh century. A holy well in the town supposedly began to flow when her body was moved from the town to Ely. In the 18th century an attempt was made to turn Dereham into a new Buxton or Bath by building a bath house over Withburga’s Well. It was described at the time as a hideous building of brick and plaster and was never popular. In 1880 the local vicar, Reverend Benjamin Armstrong obtained permission to pull the building down. The spring was then protected by iron railings, but fell out of use and became choked with weeds. Since 1950, however, it has been kept clear of weeds—although the railings still prevent access to the waters.
Notable buildings in the town include the pargetted Bishop Bonners Cottage, built in 1502, the Norman parish church, a windmill and a large mushroom-shaped water tower. The Gressenhall Museum of Rural Life is nearby. The town also hosts the headquarters of the Mid-Norfolk Railway, which runs trains over an 11.5 mile railway to Wymondham, as well as owning the line 6 miles north to North Elmham and County School Station.
Dereham was the home to the “Metamec” clock factory. “Hobbies of Dereham” produced wooden fretwork models and toys which were popular in the days before moulded plastic. The Fruehauf trailer company was a major employer in the town for many decades. The town also boasted several large maltings. Almost all this large scale industry has drifted away since the 1980s.
Dereham labels itself “The Heart of Norfolk” due to its central location in the county, the Tesco car park being cited as the exact centre. In the spring of 1978, the “Heart” was given the seven-mile £5m part-dual-carriageway A47 bypass. A section of this road, between Scarning and Wendling was built along the former railway line towards Swaffham and King’s Lynn. This section of railway had been used as a location for the filming of Dad’s Army, where Captain Mainwaring is left dangling from a railway bridge after a flight on a barrage balloon.
Since 1983 Dereham has been twinned with the town of Rüthen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is also twinned with Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf - France
Famous People from Dereham
Famous people from the town include novelist Brian Aldiss, author George Borrow, footballer Harry Cripps, Sir John Fenn, Lady Ellenor Fenn, electronic musician Paul Madsen, Beth Orton and William Hyde Wollaston. It is also known as the place where William Cowper, the poet, died. Cowper is buried in St. Nicholas Church, where there is a commemorative stained glass window. Another famous resident is the promising young chef Ben Meen, who has participated in several county-wide cook offs.
Schools and Colleges
Infant Schools
* Grove House Nursery and Infant Community School
* Dereham CE VA Infant School & Nursery
* Dereham St. Nicholas Junior School
* King’s Park Infant School
Secondary Schools
* Neatherd High School
* Northgate High School
* S+J Musical High School
Sixth Form Colleges
* Dereham Sixth Form College
Chamber of commerce
Dereham and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce was formed in 1945. Since then we have been involved in the forefront of advising and campaigning for local businesses. Over the years many of the members of the Chamber have fought against various government departments and private firms who wanted to change the character of the area with ill-advised development and proposed closure of public facilities.
The Chamber today is a modern organisation with a view that we should be at the leading edge of business in mid Norfolk, advising and promoting our members interests for the benefit of the wider community.
To find out more please visit: http://www.derehamchamber.com
© media8 2007