Acle
Acle | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | NORWICH | |
Postcode district | NR13 | |
Dialling code | 01493 | |
Police | Norfolk | |
Fire | Norfolk | |
Ambulance | East of England | |
Broadland | ||
Acle (/ˈeɪkəl/ AY-kəl) is a market town on the River Bure on the Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth.[1]
The civil parish has an area of 9.46 km2 (3.65 sq mi) and in 2001 had a population of 2,732 in 1,214 households, increasing to a population of 2,824 in 1,285 households at the Census 2011.[2] For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the area of the district of Broadland.[3]
The name "Acle" means "oaks lea", that is, a clearing in an oak forest. In
History
In
In 1382, Acle received the right for a "turbary", that is, the right to dig peat. Acle still has a boatyard and Boat Dyke and walks along the Bure to Upton and beyond are possible.
The
Since the turn of the century, a walkway running from the station to the Boat Dyke has been constructed by local volunteers; this walk (known as Damgate) offers an opportunity to view indigenous flora, some of which are rare. Also on the Damgate walk, there have been repeated sightings of a kingfisher, locally known as Henry,[5] which is said to fly under the abandoned railway bridge around mid afternoon.
Between 2009 - 2014 a series of archaeological test pits were dug in the village. The report was published in 2017[6]
There is a high school (Acle Academy) in the town.
Parish church of St Edmund
The church of St Edmund is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk. The round stage of the tower is the oldest part of the church, thought to be Saxon in origin and of a date between 850 and 950 AD. The octagonal stage was added in the 13th century, probably when the roof was raised. The battlements are from 1472. The tower houses six bells, five of which were cast in Norwich and date from 1623. The tower is reinforced with a metal frame to enable the bells to be rung safely. Entry to the church is by a porch on the north side, built in 1495. The dressed flints are in contrast with most of the walls which appear to be made of rubble.
The main body of the church, the
The main
A 15th-century wooden screen separates the nave from the chancel. It was not made for Acle church, and may have been brought from St Benet's Abbey or the Augustinian priory at Weybridge. The 14th-century chancel probably replaced an apse; the windows are of 14th-century design apart from the east window which holds Victorian stained glass.[7]
See also
References
- ISBN 0-319-23769-9.
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council, 2001. "Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes". Retrieved 2 December 2005.
- ^ "No getting a Straight answer to a Straight problem". Great Yarmouth Mercury. 28 January 2016.
- ^ "Wheelchair Access Vehicles Acle". Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Acle" (PDF). www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ The Parish Church of St Edmund, Acle, Norfolk - A Brief Guide for Visitors
External links
- Acle Village Website
- Information from Genuki Norfolk on Acle.
- St Edmund's church on the European Round Tower Churches Website Archived 20 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine
- Acle windmills from the Norfolkmills website
- Acle in the Domesday Book