Norfolk (pop. 916,120) is a county in eastern England. The Broads—long, reedy waterways and lakes popular with tourists—stretch across Norfolk. Another distinctive feature is the Fens, an area of low, marshy land. Norfolk has many windmills, magnificent churches, and cottages built of flint. Agriculture is important in the county. Its farmers in the 1700’s were among the first to use new farming methods, such as crop rotation.
People and government
Local customs and legends.
The annual fair at King’s Lynn, the Lynn Mart, was first held about 800 years ago. Norfolk’s legends include the story of the Swaffham Tinker. John Chapman, a peddler in medieval times, dreamed that if he went to London he would find wealth. In London, Chapman met a man who had had a dream of gold buried under a tree in Swaffham. Chapman hurried to Swaffham and found the gold. With his fortune, Chapman paid all the costs of building the north aisle of Swaffham church.
Recreation.
Sailing and fishing are both popular pastimes. Hunters shoot ducks and geese along the salt marshes and mud flats. The county also has a number of nature reserves. The heathland is ideal for horse riding. There are packs of foxhounds, harriers and other hounds. Snettisham has an automobile-racing track. Norwich’s soccer team plays in the Football League.
The county’s cultural events include King’s Lynn Festival of Music and Arts. The festival, held in July, attracts musicians from many countries.
Local government.
Norfolk is divided into seven local government districts: Breckland, which includes Thetford; Broadland, which includes Aylsham; Great Yarmouth; King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, which also includes Downham Market; North Norfolk, which includes North Walsham; Norwich; and South Norfolk, which includes Wymondham. The crown court meets at King’s Lynn and Norwich. The police force is the Norfolk Constabulary, with headquarters at Norwich.
Economy
Agriculture.
Norfolk is one of England’s most important grain-growing counties, producing much barley, oats, rye, and wheat. Sugar beets are an important crop, and there are beet processing factories at Cantley, King’s Lynn, and Wissington. Farmers supply much fruit and vegetables to canning or freezing factories. Attleborough has a long-established cider factory. Livestock in Norfolk include sheep and both beef and dairy cattle. Farmers in many parts of the county raise poultry, especially turkeys and ducks.
Fishing.
The Wash, a shallow bay between Norfolk and Lincolnshire, has an important fishing industry based in King’s Lynn. It produces cockles (a type of clam), mussels, and shrimps. Cromer and Sheringham sell local crabs and lobsters. Brancaster produces mussels, and Stiffkey is famous for cockles.
Manufacturing.
In recent years, light industries have moved into former market towns such as East Dereham and Thetford. East Dereham’s factories manufacture such varied products as electric clocks, furniture, toys, and automobile parts. Four industrial parks at Thetford produce mobile homes, clothing, food products, and scientific instruments.
King’s Lynn has food-processing industries and factories that produce freezers and refrigerators, furniture, glass, pencils, and various kinds of heavy and light engineering products. Manufacturers in Norwich produce boots and shoes, clothing, and pharmaceutical products. Great Yarmouth is a base for companies drilling for gas or oil in the North Sea.
Tourism.
Tourism is an important part of Norfolk’s economy. There are a number of resorts along the coast, including Great Yarmouth and Cromer. The Broads and the city of Norwich are also major tourist areas.
Transportation and communication.
Main railroad lines link London with King’s Lynn and with Norwich. These two main lines are linked by a branch line from Norwich to Ely, in Cambridgeshire.
Two daily newspapers are published in Norwich, which also has the studios of an independent television company, a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) local radio station, and an independent local radio station, Radio Broadland. The county has many weekly newspapers.
Land and climate
Location and size.
The Wash and the North Sea mark the northern and eastern boundaries of the county. The Waveney and Little Ouse rivers separate Norfolk from Suffolk in the south. The Little Ouse and the Nene divide it from Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire in the west. For the location of Norfolk, see the England Counties map.
Land features.
Much of Norfolk is flat. Some of the land is below sea level. Western Norfolk is a region of low, marshy land known as the Fens. But the northern part of the county has hills. Marshland, a region lying mainly west of the Great Ouse, in western Norfolk, is part of the Fens.
Northern Norfolk, a hilly area, extends from The Wash along the coast to Cromer and Mundesley. Cliffs line the coast at Hunstanton, Sheringham, and Cromer. Wide salt marshes, formed by the estuaries of such streams as the Stiffkey, cover the central area.
The banks of the Rivers Nar, Tas, Wensum, Wissey, and Yare are wooded. Pine forests grow on the sandy heathlands of the Breckland region.
Lakes and rivers.
There are meres (lakes) at Ring Mere and Langmere in Breckland. The Broads are a series of lakes and marshes. Hickling Broad is the largest lake. The Rivers Yare and Bure link the Broads and reach the sea through the tidal estuary Breydon Water. Other rivers include the Nar, Nene, Ouse, Tas, Thet, Waveney, Wensum, and Wissey.
The climate
is dry, with an average rainfall of about 24 inches (61 centimeters) a year. Temperatures in January average 39 °F (4 °C). In July, they average 63 °F (17 °C). Winds blow mostly from the east.
History
Prehistoric flint mines in Grimes Graves near Brandon show that human beings have lived in Norfolk for thousands of years. The ruins of the Roman town of Venta Icenorum are in Caistor St. Edmund, near Norwich.
Norfolk is part of the area known as East Anglia because it was once occupied by the Angles. Its peoples were the north folk of Anglia, as distinct from the south folk who lived farther south. The town of Thetford was once the capital of East Anglia. People who farmed in the Broadland area in the early Middle Ages dug peat (decayed vegetable matter) for fuel. High tides and floods from the North Sea in the 1300’s created the Broads.
Norfolk has many connections with the United States. John Rolfe left Heacham to go to Virginia, where he married Pocahontas, the daughter of an American Indian chief. The ancestors of President Abraham Lincoln lived in Hingham, near Wymondham. The political philosopher Thomas Paine was born in Thetford. Other famous people associated with Norfolk include the British politician Sir Robert Walpole and the naval hero Horatio Nelson.
