Wimbotsham 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...

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 ...

. It is situated close to the

River Great Ouse The River Great Ouse ( ) is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the ...

, north 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 ...

, south of the town of

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 ...

, and west of the city 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 ...

. It covers an area of and had a population of 558 in 262 households at the 2001 census, the population including Bexwell and increasing to 664 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 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 ...

. The villages name means 'Winebaud's homestead/village' or 'Winebaud's hemmed-in land'. It has a primary school, a local shop and a public house called "The Chequers". Also located in the village are two churches: the Church of St Mary and the Wimbotsham Methodist Church.

Governance

Wimbotsham 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 ...

called Wimbotsham with Fincham. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 2,504.

Church of St Mary

The Grade II* listed St Mary's Church is the

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

. The parish is part of the West Norfolk Priory Group. The church is believed to have been built in 1175, with some late 13th century work, and both north and south doors are believed Norman, dating from the 12th century. A medieval wall painting of St Christopher is recorded in the nave. In 1853/4 the roof of the nave was altered from thatch to slate with the walls raised to suit. The original chancel was rebuilt complete with an apse over what was thought to be a prior structure. The church's bench ends, although in the Suffolk style of the 15th century, are actually the work of

James Rattee James Rattee (1820 – 29 March 1855) was an English woodcarver and mason, especially noted for his skill in church ornamentation and restoration, for which his services were sought worldwide. Life Rattee was born at Ashwellthorpe and Fund ...

in the 19th century. It has three bells. On 4 September 2019, the church was severely damaged by a large fire. The roof of the nave collapsed and wooden fittings inside the building including carvings by Rattee were destroyed. The bells, which had cracked in the fire, were taken down from the tower in August 2020. Plans for a full restoration were approved in May 2024.

Methodist Church

As well as the Church of England St Mary's, there is also Wimbotsham Methodist Church. The chapel was opened in 1894 with additions being made in 1896 in the form of a Sunday School. Further alterations were made in 1950 and 1970. The Minister is Reverend Maurice Stafford.

Wimbotsham and Stow Community School

The village primary school is called the Wimbotsham and Stow Community School, which is a community school under the Bridges Federation, along with two other local primary schools located in Magdalen and St Germans. The executive headteacher is Ms Alison Hughes, but the head of this school is Louise Arrowsmith.

Fenman Classic Bike Show

Since 1990, Wimbotsham has been the location of the Fenman Classic Bike Show, an annual bike show held on the last Monday of every August, to coincide with a United Kingdom bank holiday. The logo depicts a farm-hand with smock and floppy hat, holding a mug of ale and standing in front of a bike's silhouette. Overall the Fenman Classic Bike Show offers 27 prizes, including the "Best Bike in Show" prize.

Notes

External links

.
Information from Genuki Norfolk
on Wimbotsham. *Fenman Classic Bike Sho
website
{{authority control Villages in Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk