North Walsham
North Walsham
is a market town in East Anglia, at the edge of the Norfolk Broads. The North Sea is only 8 km away, Norwich about 25 km, London 220 km.
North Walsham has a population of about 12,000.
Narrow medieval lanes from the Middle Ages lead through the town, the heart of which is surely the church of St Nicholas. The market place is dominated by the “Market Cross”, a listed wooden rotunda from the 16th century, where the local tax used to be collected. The parish church of St Nicholas dates back to the 13th century. Its most prominent characteristic is without doubt the ruin of the church tower, which used to be 45 metres high, but which fell down in 1724 and today is only 20 metres high. In the church itself are numerous historical sights, such as the carved gothic baldachin over the font or the memorial for Sir William Paston, the founder of the local school (which today is Paston College, a sixth form college). The church stands in the centre of a grassy graveyard and historic gravestones lie dotted here and there.
North Walsham has a train station, which is served by the Norwich – Sheringham line, a lively town centre with various shops, a weekly Market, pubs, different schools, a public library and an indoor swimming pool.
