Swannington 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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the

English county The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

, United Kingdom. The villages name means 'Farm/settlement connected with Swan'.

Location

The village is located approximately north-west of Norwich between the villages of Taverham, Felthorpe,

Brandiston Brandiston is a small village and civil parish near the centre of the county of Norfolk, England, about two miles south-east of the small market town of Reepham, five miles south-west of the larger town of Aylsham and 10 miles north-west of th ...

and Cawston. It covers an area of .

Population

Swannington had a population of 287 in 120 households at the 2001 census, including Alderford and increasing to a population of 366 in 149 households at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, it 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 counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

of Broadland.

Buildings and amenities

As it is a very small village it has very few amenities. There is a farm butchery and garden centre/nursery. The parish church and children's play area complete the facilities. The parish church of St Margaret has a massive west tower and an extension, built in 1980, on the north side. Features of interest include the 15th-century chancel roof, the stained glass of the east window, the Purbeck marble font and a Norman pillar piscina.

Tourism

Large house by Swannington village sign - geograph

Visitors to the village may be confused by the split nature of the village, some may first arrive in Swannington (Upgate), a collection of larger houses around Upgate Common, but this is separated from the main village by a short stretch of farmland. Swannington itself is spread around a village green split by a small stream (or beck) on which can be found a former pump and the recent addition of a contemporary village sign. The village holds an open gardens event every two years. Both are well attended and raise money for the church. The village is crossed by the Norwich Fringe Project footpathsNorwich fringe project
Retrieved 5 March 2009 and is within easy reach of Marriott's Way, a path on the former railway line running from Aylsham to

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

. RAF Swannington, a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

airfield, now dismantled, was constructed to the north of the village.

Notes

http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Swannington

External links

Village WebsiteSt.Margaret's Church Website
Broadland Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk {{Norfolk-geo-stub