Buxton, Norfolk Explained

Buxton, Norfolk should not be confused with Buxton, Derbyshire.

Country:England
Coordinates:52.75°N 1.3°W
Official Name:Buxton
Population:1,295
Population Ref:(2021 census)
Area Total Km2:0.7700
Region:East of England
Postcode District:NR10
Postcode Area:NR
Post Town:NORWICH
Hide Services:true
Static Image Name:St Andrew, Buxton, Norfolk - geograph.org.uk - 316144.jpg
Static Image Caption:St Andrew's Church, Buxton

Buxton is a village in the parish of Buxton with Lamas, in the Broadland district of the county of Norfolk, England. It is located between Norwich and Aylsham, and is separated from Lamas by the River Bure. In 2021, it had a population of 1,295.[1]

History

Buxton is of Anglo-Saxon and Viking origin; it derives from an amalgamation of Old English and Old Norse for a settlement, either named for 'Bucca' or deer.[2]

In the Domesday Book, Buxton was recorded as a settlement of 34 households in the hundred of South Erpingham. The principal landowner was Ralph de Beaufour.[3]

In 1931, the parish had a population of 490.[4] On 1 April 1935, the parish was abolished to form Buxton with Lamas.[5]

Buxton Watermill has stood in the village in some form since before the Domesday Book and was last rebuilt in 1754 by the local merchant, William Pepper.[6]

Nearby Dudwick Park is listed building and was built for John Wright, a Quaker banker, in the eighteenth century. Wright's charitable donations to the village resulted in the construction of what is now Buxton Primary School and an institution for young offenders, where the Rowan House currently stands. By the nineteenth century, Dudwick Park had passed to the Sewell family, another Quaker family, who further extended the village school; in 1927, they funded the construction of the village hall. In 1937, the house was passed to Percy Briscoe, a tea-planter from Ceylon, who significantly remodeled the exterior.[7]

The village was home to a workhouse during the eighteenth century due to the provisions of the English Poor Laws. The foundations of the building still exist on the Buxton-Horstead road.

St. Andrew's Church

Buxton's parish church is of Norman construct and is dedicated to Saint Andrew. It was significantly remodelled in the nineteenth century with new stained glass being installed by Charles Edmund Clutterbuck, Thomas Willement and Ward and Hughes; however, many of the corbels date from the fourteenth century.[8]

A new bell that commemorates the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was hoisted in April 2023. It is the only one in the United Kingdom that carries the Queen's Platinum Jubilee dedication.[9]

Transport

Buxton Lamas railway station was opened in July 1879 by the Great Eastern Railway, which connected the village to Aylsham, and beyond. It was closed to passengers in September 1952 and then to freight in April 1965.[10]

The Bure Valley Railway now runs a heritage miniature line through the village. A new station, Buxton railway station, provides services to and .[11]

Bus routes that serve Buxton are operated by Sanders Coaches, Our Bus and Feline Executive Travel. Destinations include Norwich, Aylsham, Wroxham and North Walsham.[12]

Notable residents

War memorial

Buxton War Memorial takes the form of a Celtic cross and is located in St. Andrew's Churchyard. It lists the following names for the First World War:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Buxton (Broadland). City Population. 27 November 2022.
  2. Web site: Key to English Place-names . 2 June 2023 . kepn.nottingham.ac.uk.
  3. Web site: Buxton Domesday Book . 2 June 2023 . opendomesday.org.
  4. Web site: Population statistics Buxton AP/CP through time. A Vision of Britain through Time. 29 September 2022.
  5. Web site: Relationships and changes Buxton AP/CP through time. A Vision of Britain through Time. 29 September 2022.
  6. Web site: Norfolk Mills - Buxton watermill . 2 June 2023 . www.norfolkmills.co.uk.
  7. Web site: Buxton . 2 June 2023 . Visit East of England . en-GB.
  8. Web site: The Norfolk Churches Site . Norfolk Churches . 2023 . 2 June 2023.
  9. News: 20 April 2023 . Late Queen honoured with new bell at Buxton church . en-GB . BBC News . 2 June 2023.
  10. Web site: Norfolk's disused railway stations that you can still visit today . Norfolk Live . 2023 . 25 October 2023 .
  11. Web site: Bure Valley Railway | Aylsham Norfolk . Bure Valley Railway . 2023 . 25 October 2023.
  12. Web site: Stops in Buxton . Bus Times . 2023 . 25 October 2023 .
  13. Web site: Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Buxton . 2023-06-02 . www.roll-of-honour.com.