Keswick () is a village and former
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 ...
, now in the parish of
Keswick and Intwood, 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 ...
.
Keswick is located east of
Wymondham
Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It lies on the River Tiffey, south-west of Norwich and just off the A11 road (England), A11 road to London. The pari ...
and south-west 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 ...
.
History
Keswick's name is of
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
origin and derives from the
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
for the farm specialising in cheese.
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 ...
, Keswick is listed as a settlement of 38 households in the
hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101.
In mathematics
100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
of Humbleyard. In 1086, the village was divided between the
East Anglian
East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included.
The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
estates of
Roger Bigod and Godric the Steward.
A watermill is recorded in Keswick since the time of the
Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
, along 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 ...
. The current building was built in the Nineteenth Century and has now been converted into private residences.
Keswick Hall was built in the Nineteenth Century by
William Wilkins in the
Regency style
Regency architecture encompasses classical buildings built in the United Kingdom during the Regency era in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to earlier and later buildings following the same style. The period co ...
for the
Gurney family. The hall was requisitioned during the
Second World War
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 ...
and was later used as a teacher training college.
All Saints' Church
Keswick's church is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining
round-tower churches, dating from the Twelfth Century. All Saints' is located close to Low Road and has been Grade II listed since 1987. The church is open once a month for Sunday service.
All Saints' holds a stained-glass window designed by
William Morris
William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...
in the 1950s which depicts
Saint Hope.
Notable Residents
*
Sir Thomas Gresham
Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder (; c. 151921 November 1579) was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 Gr ...
- (1519-1579) merchant and financier, link to Keswick unknown.
*
Hudson Gurney- (1775-1864) antiquary and politician, lived in Keswick.
*
Anna Gurney- (1795-1857) geologist and philanthropist, lived and died in Keswick.
*
Darren Huckerby
Darren Carl Huckerby (born 23 April 1976) is an English football coach and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a forward who notably played in the Premier League for Newcastle United, Coventry City, Leeds United, Manchester Ci ...
- (b.1976)
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
and
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
footballer, lives in Keswick.
*
Jake Humphrey
Jacob John Humphrey (born 7 October 1978) is an English television presenter, best known for formerly hosting Champions League football on BT Sport, CBBC's '' Bamzooki'' and BBC Sport's coverage of Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Early life
Born i ...
- (b.1978) television presenter, grew-up in Keswick.
Governance
Keswick is part of the
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
of Cringleford for local elections and is part of 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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
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 ...
.
The village's national constituency is
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 ...
which has been represented by the
Labour's Ben Goldsborough MP since 2024.
War Memorial
Keswick's war memorial is a marble plaque affixed to the exterior of All Saints' Church which lists the following names for the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
:
The following names were added after the
Second World War
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 ...
:
Gallery
File:All Saints Church and surrounding churchyard - geograph.org.uk - 1348125.jpg, All Saints
File:All Saints Church - geograph.org.uk - 1348129.jpg, All Saints
File:Keswick Hall - geograph.org.uk - 27729.jpg, Keswick Hall
File:Keswick Old Hall, across the pond - geograph.org.uk - 232238.jpg, Keswick Old Hall
References
External links
All Saints on the European Round Tower Churches WebsiteInformation from Genuki Norfolk on KeswickWebsite dedicated to the former teacher training college at Keswick Hall
{{authority control
Villages in Norfolk
Former civil parishes in Norfolk
South Norfolk