Flordon Explained

Country:England
Coordinates:52.5264°N 1.2265°W
Os Grid Reference:TM189969
Official Name:Flordon
Population:281
Area Total Km2:3.74
Region:East of England
Civil Parish:Flordon
Postcode District:NR15
Postcode Area:NR
Post Town:NORWICH
Dial Code:01508
Static Image:St Michael's church - geograph.org.uk - 1385378.jpg
Static Image Width:240px
Static Image Caption:St Michael's Church, Flordon

Flordon is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located south-east of Wymondham and south-west of Norwich.

History

Although the certain meaning of Flordon's name is uncertain, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin and directly translates from Old English as 'floor hill'.[1]

In the Domesday Book, Flordon is listed as a settlement of 48 households in the hundred of Humbleyard. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Bishop Odo of Bayeux, Alan of Brittany, Roger Bigod and Godric the Steward.[2]

Flordon Mill stood in the village from the medieval period until its demolition in the 1920s. The mill was powered by water and stood on a small tributary of the River Tas.[3]

Flordon Hall is a timber framed, seventeenth century manor-house that was built on the ruins of an earlier building.[4]

Geography

According to the 2011 census, Flordon has a population of 281 residents living in 120 households; the parish has a total area of 1.44mi2.[5]

Flordon falls within the constituency of South Norfolk and is represented at Parliament by Richard Bacon MP of the Conservative Party. For the purposes of local government, the parish lies within the district of South Norfolk.

Taswood Lakes operate as a set of public fisheries close to the village; the lakes are mainly used for fishing for carp.

St. Michael's Church

Flordon's parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael and was largely rebuilt in the nineteenth century on the site of previous worship.[6]

Rainthorpe Hall

See main article: Rainthorpe Hall. Rainthorpe Hall is located within the Parish of Flordon and was built in its current form in the late sixteenth century by the lawyer Thomas Baxter. Today, the hall is a Grade I listed building and is on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.

Amenities

Tas Valley Mushrooms is based within the parish.

Hethersett and Tas Cricket Club play their home games within the parish boundaries and field four men's teams and one women's team. The first XI competes in the Norfolk Cricket Alliance's Division One and were placed in second place in the 2022 season.[7]

Transport

Flordon railway station opened in 1849, as a stop on the Great Eastern Main Line between London Liverpool Street and . The station closed in 1966, as part of the Beeching cuts, although inter-city services continue to pass through the village.

The nearest railway station today is at, on the Breckland Line; Greater Anglia operates services between Norwich and .[8]

Notable residents

War memorial

Flordon's war memorial takes the form of two brass plaques located inside St. Michael's Church. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:[9]

The following names are listed for the Second World War:[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Key to English Place-names . 2024-07-30 . kepn.nottingham.ac.uk.
  2. Web site: Flordon Domesday Book . 2024-07-30 . opendomesday.org.
  3. Web site: Norfolk Mills - Flordon . 2024-07-30 . www.norfolkmills.co.uk.
  4. Web site: Flordon-(Parish-Summary) - Norfolk Heritage Explorer . 2024-07-30 . www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk.
  5. Web site: Custom report - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics . 2024-07-30 . www.nomisweb.co.uk.
  6. Web site: Norfolk Churches . 2024-07-30 . www.norfolkchurches.co.uk.
  7. Web site: Hethersett & Tas-Valley CC . 2024-07-30 . htvalley.play-cricket.com.
  8. Web site: Greater Anglia . Timetables . 10 December 2023 . 17 December 2023 .
  9. Web site: Geograph:: Flordon WW1 War Memorial © Adrian S Pye . 2024-07-30 . www.geograph.org.uk.
  10. Web site: Geograph:: Flordon WW2 War Memorial © Adrian S Pye . 2024-07-30 . www.geograph.org.uk.