Reepham, Norfolk

Reepham (/ˈriːfəm/) is a small market town in the English county of Norfolk, situated on the B1145 road between the Bure and Wensum valleys. The town is 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Norwich.[2] At the time of the 2001 census the civil parish (including Pettywell) had a population of 2,455 residents in 970 households, occupying an area of 1,909 hectares (4,720 acres).[3] increasing to a population of 2,709 in 1,169 househoids at the 2011 census.

Reepham

The town sign
Reepham
Location within Norfolk
Area19.09 km2 (7.37 sq mi)
Population2,709 (2011 census)[1]
• Density142/km2 (370/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTG100228
• London118 miles (190 km)
Civil parish
  • Reepham
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNORWICH
Postcode districtNR10
Dialling code01603
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

History

The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, in which it is listed as Refham meaning the bailiff's or reeve's manor from the Old English gerafa (bailiff) and ham (homestead).[4] Reepham has had market town status since 1277; a sign to mark this has recently been erected. The town has undergone significant development throughout its life, with the housing in the area showing a mix of vintages, styles and purposes.

Today

Recent housing developments have mostly been on brownfield land so have not significantly expanded the perimeter of the town.

The town has both a secondary school Reepham High School and College, which achieved the highest grade—Outstanding—in every category in its 2008 Ofsted inspection,[5] and a primary school.

The Reepham Society[6] is a registered charity, set up in 1976 to stimulate public interest in Reepham, Hackford, Kerdiston, Salle and Whitwell. The town was one of the filming locations of Agatha Christie's Poirot episode The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor.[7]

Religion

Twin churches

Reepham is one of only two places in Europe to have three churches on the same site. Reepham's church of St. Mary is joined by its choir vestry to St. Michael’s, Whitwell. The third church (All Saints') belonged to Hackford but burned down in 1543 and now only a fragment of the tower wall remains on the left of the path leading towards the market place. The three churches were built on their parish boundaries.[8]

Reepham church contains the fine tomb of Sir Roger de Kerdiston, 1337; Whitwell church has a Jacobean pulpit.[9]

Shrine of Our Lady of Reepham

In medieval times, Reepham Church was an important place of pilgrimage. Although it was less famous than the shrine at Walsingham, people came on pilgrimage to Reepham to visit the image of Our Lady of Reepham, which had many miracles attributed to it. What form this image took is unknown. It may have been a statue, or perhaps a wood carving. There is evidence to suggest its importance and it is mentioned in the 15th-century will of Alice Cook of Horstead, who wrote that after her death, in order to smooth her passage from this world to the next, she would "Have a man goo a pilgrimage to our Lady of Reifham".[10]

Town sign

The town sign was designed by the local high school and installed in 1992. Carved by the then head of Craft Design & Technology Mr. Geldard, and painted by male student Kerry Daniels, it depicts three of each of the following elements: churches, villagers, farm labourers, sheep, lambs and "sisters" and refers to a myth that three sisters were each responsible for building a church. In fact, the three churches were built over several generations.[2]

Transport

The B1145[11] runs between King's Lynn and Mundesley.

Railway history

By 1882, the town had two stations, located on different tracks and each managed by a separate railway company. Whitwell station was on the M&GN's Norwich City to Melton Constable branch line. Reepham station was on the GEN's Wroxham to County School station line. In 1960, the tracks were joined by the construction of the Themelthorpe Curve. The work was carried out by British Rail to facilitate the movement of concrete products from Lenwade. Today, the railway trackbed forms the Marriott's Way long-distance footpath. Both former stations are notable stops on the footpath.[12]

Public transport

Sanders Coaches provide bus services to and from the town.[13]

Cycling

National Cycle Route 1 passes through the town.

Sport

The Reepham and Salle Cricket Club have their home ground in Salle, a village 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the north of the town.[14]

Notable residents

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  2. Towns and villages of Broadland Retrieved 17 November 2008
  3. 2001 Census Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 17 November 2008
  4. Rye, J. (1991). Popular Guide to Norfolk Place Names. Larks Press. p. 30. ISBN 0-948400-15-3.
  5. "Reepham High School". Ofsted. 24–25 September 2008. Archived from the original on 27 January 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  6. "The Reepham Society". www.reepham.org.uk. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  7. "Investigating Agatha Christie's Poirot: Episode-by-episode: The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor". investigatingpoirot.blogspot.ch. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  8. Betjeman, John, ed. (1968) Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches; the South. London: Collins; p. 316
  9. Betjeman (1968), p. 316
  10. "Our Lady of Reepham". Our Lady of Reepham.yolasite.com. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  11. County A to Z Atlas, Street & Road maps Norfolk, page 230 ISBN 978-1-84348-614-5
  12. "Norfolk heritage- Railways". www.norfolkheritage.org.uk. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  13. Bus services Retrieved 25 November 2008
  14. Reepham and Salle Cricket Club
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