Coordinates: 52°44′48″N 1°01′47″E / 52.746618°N 1.029842°E
| Bawdeswell | |
 All Saints Church, Bawdeswell |
|
  Bawdeswell
 Bawdeswell shown within Norfolk |
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| Area | 4.87 km2 (1.88 sq mi) |
|---|---|
| Population | 766 (2001 census.[1]) |
| - Density | 157 /km2 (410 /sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Breckland |
| Shire county | Norfolk |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DEREHAM |
| Postcode district | NR20 |
| Dialling code | 01362 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Mid Norfolk |
| Website | http://eoe.xarg.co.uk/bawdeswell/ |
| List of places: UK • England • Norfolk | |
Bawdeswell is a small and very pleasant rural village and civil parish in the Breckland district of the county of Norfolk, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 766 and an area of 487 hectares with some 316 households. As of August 2009 there are 354 dwellings some of which are holiday lets (source Village Magazine distribution list) with some 314 in the village itself and a further 40 within the parish boundary. The population is now estimated to be 820+ and possibly as many as 850.
Geography
Bawdeswell Village is situated almost in the centre of Norfolk on the northeastern boundary of Breckland District. It is about 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Norwich, 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Fakenham, 7 miles (11 km) northeast of the Market town of East Dereham (more commonly known just as Dereham) and 3 miles (5 km) west of the small Market town of Reepham which is in Broadland District. The main area of the village is situated immediately to the north of the A1067 road but there are also a few dwellings to the south of the A1067 on Dereham Road, Billingford Road and Elsing Lane. There is also a small amount of development on Reepham Road to the North of the village. The main area of the village varies between 140 and 150 feet above sea level.
Bawdeswell is close to the village of Foxley and to Foxley Wood which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the largest remaining area of ancient woodland in Norfolk, England.
Bawdeswell Parish is adjacent to the Parishes of Foxley to the North, Bylaugh and Sparham to the south, Billingford to the west and Reepham to the east.
Maps of the Village and Parish Boundaries can be found at http://www.projectbawdeswell.org.uk/design/Setlement%20Boundary.htm and http://www.projectbawdeswell.org.uk/design/Parish%20%20Boundary.htm
A map and aerial views of the village can be found at http://www.projectbawdeswell.org.uk/design/StreetMap.htm
History
Bawdeswell is sited on a Roman road that ran from Durobrivae near modern Peterborough, across the Fen Causeway to Denver, followed Fincham Drove and crossed Peddars Way between Castle Acre and Swaffham, thence towards North Elmham and Billingford, to Bawdeswell and Jordans Green, and on to Smallburgh. It was a major east-west route and possibly continued to Caister or an important port since eroded by the sea. The village lies just over 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Billingford that was a Roman settlement and river (Wensum) crossing (wooden Roman Bridge) point. Some Neolithic and Anglo Saxon artifacts found in Bawdeswell are listed by Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service but no Roman items are recorded.
The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and again in the ‘Norwich Domesday Book‘ of 1291. Evidence has been found of a church here since about 1100. The name has probably been spelt variously as Baldereswella, Baldeswell, Badswell, Bawsewella, Baldeswelle. The exact meaning of the name of the village is lost in history with a number of possible origins. Well or wella is an old word for stream or spring and it is clear that there has always been water here with quite a number of wells still surviving, the water table being 12 feet (3.7 m) or less. Baldhere can be found listed as a boy's name. In Old English it meant 'Strong or Courageous Army' and may date back before the 7th century, in Norse it was a mythological son of the God Odin and in Swedish meant 'The God of Light'. In this village name context it is probably from the Old English given name Baldhere and refers to a source of water belonging to or possibly discovered by him. Therefore, the original spelling may have been Baldhereswella or something similar. All we can be fairly sure of is that the village was established before the Norman conquest and it can be conjectured that there has been probably been a settlement on this site for at least a thousand years.
Bawdeswell was the home of Chaucer's Reeve in The Reeve's Prologue and Tale in the Canterbury Tales from which the village magazine 'The Reeve's Tale' gets its name. He was "Osewald the Reeve", "Of Northfolk was this reeve of which I telle, Byside a toun men callen Baldeswelle".
Six roads meet here. From the northwest the road from Fakenham and from the southeast the road from Norwich (A1067). From the west the road from Kings Lynn via Litcham and North Elmham and from the east the road from Mundesley on the coast via Aylsham and Reepham (B1145). From the southwest the road from Dereham via Swanton Morely (B1147). Lastly, and in this case least, is the road south to Elsing that starts as Elsing Lane and after reaching Elsing meanders through various lanes to places south such as North Tuddenham and Mattishall.
In times past there were four coaching inns and a turnpike toll gate and it was a busy stopping off point for the changing of horses and coaches, including the Mail coach, for travellers and for Walsingham pilgrims. As with many villages, all the original pubs closed, mostly in the 1920s, but the Bell Inn stayed until 1970 when it was closed and converted into flats. Surprisingly, Bawdeswell reversed the national trend in 2001 with the opening by Matt Beckett of 'The Old Workhouse' bar in part of the old village workhouse.
The buildings of the Tollhouse and of the four original public houses are now residential dwellings within the conservation area of the village. The Tollhouse was built in about 1823 and by the 21st century was semi-derelict but in 2002 work commenced to restore and extend it as a residential dwelling now known as Tollgate Cottage. Chaucer House is reputedly the oldest building in the village dating to the 14th or 15th century and up until 1920 was The Crown Inn (previously Bear Inn) after which it was Crown Farm (farmhouse) before being given its current name. The Ram Inn closed in 1929 and is now a private house 'The Willows'. The Bell Inn closed in 1970 and was converted into 5 flats. The Black Horse closed in 1926 and is now a private residence. There may have been other pubs in antiquity but there are no firm records - see http://www.norfolkpubs.co.uk/norfolkb/bawdeswell/bawdind.htm for more information about the village pubs.
Conservation Area
The centre of the village has been preserved by the creation of a conservation area in 1975. A map showing the settlement boundary and conservation area boundary can be seen at http://www.projectbawdeswell.org.uk/design/Setlement%20Boundary.htm.
Bawdeswell Hall
Bawdeswell Hall is a Dutch gabled building dating from 1683. Originally built by a Henry Eglington it is now owned by the Gurney family. Gurney's Bank was based in Norwich and connected through marriage to Barclays Bank of London with which it merged along with Backhouse's Bank of Darlington and several other Provincial banks in 1896 to form what is now Barclays Bank. Elizabeth Fry, the famous prison reformer, was born a Gurney and the portrait from which the image on the reverse of the £5 note is taken hangs on the main staircase in the hall.
All Saints' Church
There has been a parish church on this site since circa 1100 but there are no records before 1313 when the current list of some 58 rectors begins. All Saints' is said to be the only Norfolk village church destroyed in World War II having been hit by an RAF Mosquito bomber from 608 Squadron at RAF Downham Market that crashed in the village in November 1944. Sadly, both the crew perished and there is a memorial plaque in the church made from aircraft parts by John Ames (PCC Secretary 1972-1980 and Churchwarden 1980-1994).
The Church was replaced with one of Neo-Georgian design by architect J Fletcher Watson. See http://www.edp24.co.uk/Content/HiddenNorfolk/asp/2003/05/AllSaints1.asp and http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/bawdeswell/bawdeswell.htm for more about the church.
Bawdeswell is one of 6 parishes in the FLEBBS benefice which includes Foxley, Lyng, Elsing, Bawdeswell, Bylaugh and Sparham parishes with one rector (Reverend David Head) based in Lyng. The parish finances are ably supported by 'The Friends of Bawdeswell Church' who, with various fund raising events and appeals, contribute towards the running costs of the church building and have paid for recent rewiring. A fund was set up in 2008 to raise funds for a replacement organ that has now been installed although fundraising continues to meet the full costs. The previous organ dating from about 1901, came from the Dower House Music Room at Shotesham, and was purchased second hand when the church was rebuilt.
Schools
There is a primary school with a roll of 75 as of May 2009 (ref Norfolk County Council) but, with an apparently healthy birth rate in the village, this looks set to rise. The 'Badgers' pre-school group is based next to the school and there is a thriving Mothers & Toddlers group that meets at the village hall on Friday mornings.
A free school for 12 boys from Bawdeswell and 8 from Foxley was endowed by John Leeds esq. in 1728. From about 1828 there was a school in The Old Workhouse building with up to 70 pupils. The building was erected in about 1781 as a Workhouse for the parishes of Bawdeswell, Billingford, Bintree, Bylaugh, Foxley, Lyng, and Sparham but was no longer required when the new Gressenhall workhouse was built to serve all the parishes in the area.
The current village primary school was built in 1875 for Bawdeswell, Bylaugh and Foxley at the sole expense of the Rev Henry Lombe of Bylaugh Hall, who was the Lord of the Manor. His name is on the front with the motto "PROPOSITI TENAX" (Firm of Purpose). See http://www.bawdeswell.norfolk.sch.uk/ for more information. 'The Friends of Bawdeswell School' are a Parent Teacher Association of volunteers who raise funds to provide extras for the children and to give support at school events. They also liase with the school council, the governors, teachers and the local community.
Most secondary school children attend Reepham High School, one of the very best schools in the country, which has just opened (September 2009) Reepham College for years 12 and up with an intake of 125. See http://www.rhschool.myzen.co.uk/ for more information. In 2008 they received another outstanding Ofsted report with the top grade in all 27 categories (EDP 14/10/2008).
Village Development
There has been significant development in the village in the last four decades. The population had declined from 410 at the 1891 census to 331 in 1971 increasing to 574 in 1981, 652 in 1991, 773 in 2001 (all census figures) and to about 810 in 2005 (Breckland Council estimate). This increase was in no small way due to the development of the Hall Road and Two Fields Way area plus Paradise Road. Since 2000 the developments at Saxon Meadows, All Saint's Court and Chaucers Heath plus other infill have added at least 24 new houses and the just completed August 2009 redevelopment of the sheltered housing accommodation at Folland Court has seen 8 larger family houses built. There is considerable opposition within the village to any further large scale development, especially of 60 or so houses on the site near Two Fields Way proposed by the 'Gladedale Group' (reference Annual Parish Meeting May 2007) and the draft Breckland Local Development Framework (LDF) has not listed Bawdeswell for any significant development. The initial LDF Site Specific Document listed 6 sites that have been proposed for development in and around the village but these are all shown as non-conforming. See http://consult.breckland.gov.uk/portal/planningpolicy/site_specific_policies_and_proposals/sspapio and also the meeting minutes on the Parish Council website for details. Gladedale have recently made a submission on Breckland Council's Core Strategy and Development Control Policies which includes a revised plan for 10 houses on the northern boundary of the Two Fields Way site. Details of this can be found at http://consult.breckland.gov.uk/file/627520, http://consult.breckland.gov.uk/file/604459 and http://consult.breckland.gov.uk/file/604305. This scheme may be more acceptable than the one for 60 houses.
There is currently a proposal being worked on (hearsay - two residents have reported being approached by a builder) for infill development off The Street opposite the village shop which has some support but appears to be generally opposed, especially as it is in the conservation area. This is now supported by the LDF additional sites consultation which shows 4 new sites, 2 shown as conforming and 2 as non-conforming. See Breckland Consultation page at http://consult.breckland.gov.uk/portal/planningpolicy/additional_sites/additional_sites_consultation_spring_2009?pointId=1230552539116#section-1230552539116 for map and details of new sites.
There is also concern about traffic levels and parking especially, but not exclusively, in the area near the village shop.
Parish Council Policy is to resist attempts to make Bawdeswell an LSC (Local Service Centre) and to opt for minor development only within the existing development boundary and to accept two small sites to be included in a minor adjustment of the settlement boundary. (See minutes of Parish Council meeting on 7 July 2008 for more details).
Shopping & Facilities
As well as the pub, Bawdeswell has a village shop which used to be privately owned but is now owned by McColls, a very good butcher's shop and a reasonably sized and very popular garden centre. On the south side of the A1067 is 'The Park' which has a Cafe, gift shop and conference facility and the Bawdeswell Garage (repairs and servicing - no fuel). Other local services include hairdressing and reflexology and there is a B&B and some holiday cottages.
The village was without a Post Office since the Postmistress retired in 2007 until January 6 2009. An 'outreach' service is now based at the church for 3 hours on Tuesday and Friday mornings..
Village Hall
The Village Hall was moved from the centre of the village on the site of what is now 5 houses at Old Woods Green to the Recreation Ground north of the village in the early 1990s. This move was controversial at the time and some residents are still unhappy about it. A modern steel and timber structure was designed but was only one third completed with available funding and the actual hall part was never built. It has a high pitched roof and the original plan was for there to be a badminton court in the main hall. Despite these adversities, the hall that is there has reasonable facilities and is well used but its size restricts it to one activity at a time and a new larger hall is planned through Project Bawdeswell. See http://www.projectbawdeswell.org.uk/Village%20Hall/Village%20Hall%20Index.htm for more information.
Bawdeswell Heath
Bawdeswell Heath is all that remains of a huge area of common land following the inclosure acts in the late 18th and early to mid 19th centuries. There are 37 acres (150,000 m2) in total that can be accessed from Dereham Road with parking available about 1/2 mile Southwest of the A1067 or by foot from 'The Layby' in Billingford Road about 1/3 mile West of the A1067. The Heath is administered by a board of trustees except for 2 acres (8,100 m2) administered by the Parish Council as trustees.
See http://www.bawdeswell.net/rtwebsite/villages/Bawdeswell/Heath.htm for more information.
Details of a walk that takes in the Heath can be found at http://www.bawdeswell.net/rtwebsite/villages/Bawdeswell/walks/heath.htm
Transport
Bawdeswell is situated on the X29 bus route between Norwich and Fakenham with a reasonably good service Monday to Saturday and 3 buses each way on a Sunday. However, the only buses to Dereham are on a Friday when there are 2 services that allow a couple of hours in the town. See http://www.travelineeastanglia.co.uk/ for bus information.
Norwich railway station, some 15 1/2 miles (25 km) distant by road, is the nearest accessible although reaching it requires a change of buses in the city centre. There is an excellent service to and from London and frequent trains to Cambridge, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, Cromer and Sheringham plus a cross country service to Liverpool.
Norwich International Airport is 13 miles (21 km) by road from Bawdeswell and can be reached in about 25 minutes by car/taxi.
Parish Council
The Parish Council consists of 7 councillors and a Parish Clerk. The council has 10 meetings each year, normally on the 1st Monday of each month at 7.45pm in the Village Hall. There are no meetings in January or August and the May meeting which includes the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual Parish Council Meeting is on the 2nd Monday of the month. More information is available on the website at http://eoe.xarg.co.uk/bawdeswell/
Project Bawdeswell
Project Bawdeswell has been created to improve facilities in the village. The main issue is the village hall which is not large enough for our community. A subgroup of the project now runs an activities group mainly catering for children during the Easter and summer school holidays as well as during half term breaks. Plans have now been published and fund raising is being started to build a new larger village hall that is estimated to cost upwards of £800,000. Project Bawdeswell has a website at http://www.projectbawdeswell.org.uk/.
Bawdeswell Activities Group (BAG)
The activities group, as part of Project Bawdeswell, was created in 2007, initially to run a program of activities for children during the summer holidays and then to arrange activities for the rest of the community. Recent adult activities include Bridge courses for beginners and Table Tennis/Games evenings. The group has provided activities for children during all school holidays and half terms (except at Christmas) since it was started and relies on a small but dedicated band of volunteers. Initial funding came from the Parish Council, Breckland Council and Norfolk Community Foundation plus their own fundraising. Through continued fundraising and generous donations, most of the activities for children, including materials, are provided free of charge.
One of the new inititiatives for 2009 is to provide film shows through collaboration with 'Creative Arts East' and the first film, a Mamma Mia Singalong, was a great success. Bawdeswell Activities Group (BAG) has a website at http://www.projectbawdeswell.org.uk/BAG/BAG.htm
Other new activities started in 2009 are BAG Bikers, BAG Runners, BAG Walkers and BAG Basketball. See the latest Reeve's Tale Magazine for details on http://bawdeswell.net/reevestale/1a.htm.
A monthly bridge afternoon and table tennis/pool evenings are also being run.
A set of cricket nets was provided on the recreation ground in 2008 and a second bay extension was constructed in May 2009 thanks to a most generous donation from a local resident.
More volunteers are needed so if you live in the area and can spare a little time please contact us - details on website.
All our activities are open to residents of all surrounding villages.
The Reeve's Tale Magazine
The Reeve's Tale started off as a Parish Magazine produced by the Vicar but has now become a community magazine for the villages of Bawdeswell and Foxley and is distributed to every house. There are ten issues a year for February, March, April, May, June, July, August/September, October, November and December/January. Although the magazine covers the whole community there is still a link with the church and the benefice as the magazine is most ably edited and produced by Robin Taylor who is one of the churchwardens. The magazine also has its own website http://bawdeswell.net/rtwebsite/ which has lots more information about the village and its history. Deadline for copy and advertising is the 15th of the month preceding publication. The magazine is distributed free of charge to all dwellings in Bawdeswell and Foxley with costs being covered by advertising revenue and donations from the two parish councils.
Bawdeswell Clubs
The village has a number of sporting clubs and details can be found as follows.
Bawdeswell Football Club - see http://bawdeswellfc.co.uk/default.aspx for more information.
Bawdeswell Table Tennis Club - for further information email JanetCockburn@aol.com - see also Dereham & District Table Tennis League at http://www.ddttl.co.uk/default.asp
Bawdeswell Bowls Club - Venue is behind Village Hall - for further information please contact Paul Digby on (01362) 688615
JayCee Bridge Club - call Roger Fryatt on 01362 688627 for more information.
Notes
- ^ Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Retrieved 20 June 2009.
External links
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Foxley, Foulsham | Themelthorpe | Reepham | |
| North Elmham |  |
Great Witchingham | ||
 Bawdeswell  |
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| Swanton Morley | Bylaugh, Elsing | Lyng |
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