Syderstone is 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 ...

, near the town of Fakenham. It has an area of . The population of 532 in 224 households at the 2001 census fell to 445 at the 2011 Census.

Governance

For the purposes of local government, Syderstone falls within the Norfolk

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 ...

King's Lynn and West Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in the town of King's Lynn. The district also includes the t ...

Churches

St Mary's, the parish church, is one of 124 round-tower churches in

, as is the nearby church at Barmer. St Mary's has a service every Sunday at various times. In its present form the church has its origins in the Norman period, but may date from earlier. It was remodelled and reduced in size in 1785, and underwent major restoration and refurnishing in 1859. The initials "A. R." on the church gates refer to Amy Robsart, whose family were lords of the manor. She and her husband, Robert Dudley, later Earl of Leicester, lived for a time at Syderstone Hall, which no longer stands. She died young amid rumours that her husband had poisoned her. She provided the basis for a novel, ''

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District of Warwickshire, England, southwest of Coventry and north of both Warwick and Leamington Spa. Situated at the centre of t ...

'', by Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

. The village hall is named after her.

Wildlife

It is famous for the

natterjack toad The natterjack toad (''Epidalea calamita'') is a toad native to sandy and heath (habitat), heathland areas of Europe and the United Kingdom. Adults are in length, and are distinguished from common toads by a yellow line down the middle of the b ...

s which have been seen near the popular but overgrown duck pond. Syderstone is also known for its large common, which spans roughly . Much wildlife can be seen there including snakes, hares, rabbits and foxes. In a field alongside the road that passes the duck pond there is a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

pill box. On a bright spring day in 1944 or 1945 two P-51 Mustangs collided over Barwick Hall Farm near Stanhoe. One of the Mustangs crashed on Syderstone Common, killing the pilot.Wartime. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
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References

External links

Village websiteSt Mary's on the European Round Tower Churches website
{{authority control Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk