Wereham is a small 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

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 ...

Location

Wereham lies in the Wissey valley and is on the main

A134 road This is a list of A roads in zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. ...

; it is some five miles to the east of the town of

Downham Market Downham Market, sometimes simply referred to as Downham, is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, approximately 11 miles south of King's Lynn, 39 ...

and thirteen miles from

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

. Neighbouring villages include Boughton,

Fincham Fincham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Fincham is located south of King's Lynn and west of Norwich. History Fincham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a homestead or settlem ...

, Crimplesham,

West Dereham West Dereham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 450 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk ...

, Wretton and

Stoke Ferry Stoke Ferry is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, 6.5 miles southeast of Downham Market. The village lies on the River Wissey, previously known as the River Stoke. It covers an area of and had a population of 896 i ...

History

The villages name means 'Homestead/village on the River Wigor' or 'hemmed-in land by the River Wigor'. Wigor may be an older name for the

River Wissey The River Wissey is a river in Norfolk, eastern England. It rises near Bradenham, and flows for nearly to join the River Great Ouse at Fordham. The lower are navigable. The upper reaches are notable for a number of buildings of historic int ...

. The former Benedictine

alien priory Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as monasteries and convents, which were under the control of another religious house outside England. Usually the Motherhouse, mother-house was in France.Coredon ''Dictionary of Mediev ...

of St

Winwaloe Winwaloe (; ; or ; – 3 March 532) was the founder and first abbot of Landévennec Abbey (literally " Lann of Venec"), also known as the Monastery of Winwaloe. It was just south of Brest in Brittany, now part of France. Life Winwaloe was th ...

is now Winnold House. It lies a mile north of the village. A large fair was held on St Winnold's Day (3 March); the fair moved to Downham Market in 1798. In the centre of the village is the pond - known locally as the pit. Nearby on the village green, the

village sign In many parts of England, an ornamental village sign is erected to announce the village name to those entering the village. They are typically placed on the principal road entrance or in a prominent location such as a village green. The desig ...

depicts 'Billy the Seal', one of Wereham's most famous residents from the 1920s.

Facilities

Wereham once had four pubs: the George and Dragon, The Crown, The Nags Head and The Chequers; however, only the George and Dragon remains. The village also had a school which closed in the 1980s. The Parish Church, dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, is in the centre of the village. 2018 will see the completion of the 1st UK

Passivhaus Passive house () is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building that reduces the building's carbon footprint. Conforming to these standards results in ultra-low energy buildings that require less energy for space heating or coo ...

village hal
www.werehamvillagehall.co.uk
Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort while using very little energy for heating and cooling.

References

External links

GENUKI page
*Th

of the ''Group 4 News'' Website. *Th
Wereham Category
of the Stoke Ferry Website includes Parish Council meeting minutes. King's Lynn and West Norfolk Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk {{Norfolk-geo-stub