Aylsham

Coordinates: 52°47′24″N 1°15′22″E / 52.79°N 1.256°E / 52.79; 1.256
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the village in Kent, see Aylesham.

Aylsham
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNORWICH
Postcode districtNR11
Dialling code01263
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°47′24″N 1°15′22″E / 52.79°N 1.256°E / 52.79; 1.256

Aylsham (

Norfolk, England, nearly 9 mi (14 km) north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, 11 miles (18 km) upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea
, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain, coal and timber to be brought up river.

The town is close to large estates and grand country houses at Blickling, Felbrigg, Mannington and Wolterton, which are important tourist attractions.

The civil parish has an area of 4,329 acres (17.52 km2) and in the 2001 census had a population of 5,504 increasing to a population of 6,016 at the 2011 census. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of Broadland.[2]

History

Aylsham town sign, typical of many Norfolk village signs, stands at the entrance to the town. It depicts John of Gaunt, Lord of the manor from 1372.

Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the town has been occupied since

Roman road which can still be traced in places – that site was a bustling industrial centre with maritime links to the rest of the empire. Excavations in the 1970s provided evidence of several kilns
, showing that this was an industrial centre, pottery and metal items being the main items manufactured.

Aylsham is thought to have been founded around 500 AD by an

royal palaces of Edward II and III
.

John of Gaunt was lord of the manor from 1372 and Aylsham became the principal town of the Duchy of Lancaster. Although John of Gaunt probably never came to Aylsham, the townspeople enjoyed many privileges, including exemption from jury service outside the manor and from payment of certain taxes. The village sign depicts John of Gaunt.

In 1519

hiring fair
.

The historic Black Boys Inn in the Market Place is one of Aylsham's oldest surviving buildings, and has been on the site since the 1650s, although the present frontage dates to between 1710 and 1720. There is a

post coach from Norwich to Cromer, had stabling for 40 horses, and employed three ostlers and four postboys
.

A

Norfolk reed
.

As with many of the other

timber, together with the range of trades to be found in a town which supported local agriculture. Records show that Aylsham had markets and fairs, certainly from the 13th century. Such weekly and annual events were important for the trade that they brought. Annual horse fairs
would bring many other traders to the town, and the weekly market would be the occasion for more local trade. The rights of the stallholders in the market place today date back to the rights established in medieval times.

Aylsham was once noted for its

chronic conditions
.

Local government

Aylsham Town Hall

In medieval times the parish of Aylsham was established as four manors, the main manor of Lancaster, Vicarage manor, Sexton's manor and Bolwick manor. The ownership of the Lancaster manor changed hands many times, before James I assigned it to his son, the future Charles I.

In the course of the events which led up to the

National Trust
.

Formerly part of the

Town Council which is based at Aylsham Town Hall.[3]

Lychgate at St Michael's Church
Hungate Street, with its many medieval half-timbered houses, was formerly the main road into the town from Norwich

Parish church

Main article: Church of St Michael, Aylsham

The Market Place and surrounding area is dominated by the tower of the parish church of St Michael and All Angels, a fine example of

Puritans
, although some of the painted panels were disfigured.

Transport

Roads

Road transport for Aylsham was very important. It was the principal coaching point on the Norwich-Cromer road and the meeting point for other roads. Each day, the

coaches from Cromer and Holt
would draw up at the Black Boys, the main inn in Aylsham market place. Coaching ended with the coming of the railways in the 1880s.

The town is now located on the A140 road,[4] a route which runs between Ipswich and Cromer, via Norwich.

Buses

The town is served by a half-hourly bus service which runs between Norwich and Sheringham; this X44 route is operated by Sanders Coaches, which also provides other services in the area.

Railways

There were many different plans for railways, but eventually two lines served Aylsham, with the town having two railway stations.

M&GNJR line from Melton Constable to Yarmouth
. Both stations were closed in the 1950s.

standard gauge
.

Several

long distance footpaths
with a railway theme start or pass through the town:

Waterways

The ancient but natural transport route for Aylsham would have been the

staithe at Aylsham. The end for this scheme was the devastating flood
of 1912.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Television signals are received from the Tacolneston TV transmitter. [6] Local radio stations are BBC Radio Norfolk on 95.1 FM, Heart East on 102.4 FM, Greatest Hits Radio East (formerly Radio Norwich 99.9) on 99.9 FM and Kiss on 106.1 FM. The town is served by the local newspaper, Eastern Daily Press.[7]

Aylsham today

Aylsham came fourth in the world in an international competition celebrating liveable

communities, winning a Silver Award in category A (towns with a population up to 20,000) of the International Awards for Liveable Communities,[8] held in La Coruña, Spain
in November 2005.

The Market Towns Initiative finished in 2004, but the partnership successfully bid for funding to take part in the

heritage. As a result, Aylsham became one of the founding towns and the first in Norfolk, of the Cittaslow movement, an international organisation promoting the concept of 'Slow Towns' ("a Network of towns where Quality of Life is important").[9]
It is claimed that Aylsham did not have to change to become a member, as it was already a clear example of the type of community advocated by the Cittaslow movement.

Local entertainment in the town includes concerts by the Aylsham Band, which plays at venues in and around Aylsham. The Aylsham Players host one or two productions a year and Aylsham High School presents an annual school musical.

Aylsham also lies on the

National Trust, which is about a mile and a half (2 km) from Aylsham. With its dramatic symmetrical front, flanked by two great yew hedges, Blickling Hall is a fine example of a Jacobean brick-built manor house and was the home of the young Anne Boleyn
.

The annual Aylsham Show features agricultural exhibits and takes place on August bank holiday Monday at nearby Blickling Park.[10]

Aylsham Heritage Centre is located in a Victorian building within the grounds of St. Michael's Church. Archives stored at the centre can be used to research the town's past.[11]

The town's

recyclable plastic and other sustainable materials; it claimed to be the "greenest in the world" opened in the town July 2008.[12]

Notable residents

Thomas Hudson, a glover of Aylsham, is recorded as one of the Protestant martyrs condemned to death for his faith under the reign of Queen Mary, towards the end of her reign. He was burnt at the stake at the Lollard's Pit outside Bishopsgate, Norwich on 19 May 1558.[13]

Sir Jerome Alexander (died 1670), a High Court judge in Ireland, noted for his exceptional severity, attended the local school c. 1600.

A plaque on the wall of

Tyburn in London in 1723. Nearby, a plaque commemorates Joseph Thomas Clover (1825–82), the father of modern anaesthetics
, who was born above a shop overlooking the Market Place.

Horatio Nelson, whose cousin lived in Aylsham, is said to have danced in the Assembly Room attached to the inn.[14]

Humphry Repton (1752–1818), the landscape gardener who lived at nearby Sustead, is buried in St Michael's Churchyard, and his watercolours provide a fascinating record of the Market Place in the early 19th century.

Kathleen Starling (1890–ca 1970) became an

Second World War, before moving to Arizona, USA until her husband's death after which she returned to Aylsham to live with her sisters.[15]

Clive Payne (1950–), former professional footballer for Norwich City and AFC Bournemouth was born in Aylsham.

Nick Youngs (1959–) and his two sons, Ben (1989–) and Tom Youngs (1987–) were both brought up close to the town on their father's farm.[16] Youngs is a former rugby union player for Leicester and England. Both sons went on to represent the national rugby union team. The Youngs brothers gifted land[17] for a new sports ground to be built in the town.

Gallery

  • Black Boys Inn
    Black Boys
    Inn
  • John Soame thatched water pump
    John Soame thatched water pump
  • River Bure downstream of the mill
    River Bure downstream of the mill
  • Windmill
    Windmill

Twinning

Aylsham is twinned with

and formerly had an informal connection with

See also

References

  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  2. ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council, 2001. Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Retrieved 2 December 2005.
  3. ^ "Aylsham Town Guide 2021/22". Aylsham Town Council. p. 7. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  4. ISBN 978-1-84348-614-5
  5. ^ Bure Valley Railway website
  6. ^ "Full Freeview on the Tacolneston (Norfolk, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Eastern Daily Press". British Papers. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ^ International awards for Liveable Communities finalists, 2005 Archived 13 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ The first Cittaslow in Norfolk. Archived 2 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine Cittaslow UK (Official Website). Retrieval Date: 10 February 2008.
  10. ^ The Aylsham show Archived 31 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 August 2009
  11. ^ The Aylsham Heritage Centre Retrieved 4 November 2014
  12. ^ Tesco news report Retrieved 26 July 2008
  13. ^ Foxe's Book of Martyrs: 376. William Seaman, Thomas Carman, and Thomas Hudson. Exclassics.com. Retrieved on 30 May 2013
  14. ^ Black Boys Inn history Retrieved 4 November 2014
  15. ^ Kathleen Destournel Retrieved 13 April 2010
  16. ^ News item Retrieved 21 September 2012
  17. ^ [1] gifted land

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aylsham.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Aylsham.
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