Weybourne, Norfolk

Weybourne is a village on the coast of

The parish church of All Saints is

The village's name origin is uncertain. The second element is 'stream'. The specific may be a pre-English river-name, or perhaps, 'weir/mill-dam stream', although there is no evidence for the age of the mill pond here. Other suggestions such as the Old English 'wearg', 'felon' and 'wagu', 'quagmire' are less likely.^[5]

Weybourne has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).

Weybourne is mentioned in the

Weybourne has long been considered a possible site for invasion, one reason being the deep water offshore. "He who would all England win, should at Weybourne Hope begin." During the Second World War defences were constructed around Weybourne as a part of British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War. The beaches were blocked by

During the

Weybourne Camp was visited twice by Winston Churchill in 1941. These visits took place after the Dunkirk evacuation when British defences were on high alert. During his first visit, a demonstration of projectile firing was carried out, but the result was most unsatisfactory. The Prime Minister gave the commandant just seven days to improve the standard. On the second visit, each demonstration ended in failure until finally, a Queen Bee pilotless target aircraft was shot down and crashed close to the VIP enclosure. History has it that all the senior staff were replaced the following day.^{[citation needed]}

Weybourne Windmill is a fine example of a tower mill, built in 1850, that has been restored but not to working condition. During the Second World War, suspicions arose in the village about the couple who lived at the mill: there were rumours that the residents were spying for the Germans. The man living in the mill was a Mr Dodds and his wife apparently had a strong foreign accent, which locals described as "like German or Austrian".

One night two local policemen were walking down the lane from the old

Weybourne also had a

There is a shop, Weybourne Stores, and The Ship public house, which serves ales and hot food most lunchtimes and evenings. A few minutes walk from the village centre is the Maltings Hotel, which provides bar and restaurant meals as well as accommodation.

A popular attraction is the Muckleburgh Collection: the largest privately owned collection of tanks, armoured cars and other military vehicles used in wars across the globe.

Another local attraction is the North Norfolk Railway, which runs from Sheringham through Weybourne to Holt. Also known as the "Poppy Line", this well-preserved railway cuts through the countryside to the east of Weybourne and passes through the carefully preserved country station, which also houses a locomotive shed with a carriage maintenance and restoration centre. The railway offers a 10.5-mile (16.9 km) round trip by steam train, or vintage diesel trains on some journeys, through an area of North Norfolk designated as being of outstanding natural beauty.

Weybourne railway station is about 1,000 yards (910 m) from the village centre, signposted from the coast road opposite the church. The main station was built in 1900; other structures of the appropriate era, such as the signal box, waiting room and footbridge have been imported from other locations. On the closure of the line, British Rail lifted the track and razed the station, apart from the main station building. It was used as the location for the filming of the Dad's Army episode, "The Royal Train" and is frequently used by film-makers and artists. On the station, there is a small shop, buffet and picnic area. At weekends, there is a bookshop selling a wide range of old railway books and magazines, railway videos and CDs commemorating times past.

At Weybourne the coast has an unusually steep shingle beach which was regarded as vulnerable to the threat of the

Changes in government policy have led to the discontinuation of management of coastal erosion in North Norfolk.^[12]

• Sir John Major, KG, CH, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997, owns a house in Weybourne.^[13]
• Benjamin Pulleyne, Vicar of Weybourne, 1845–1861, was also headmaster of Gresham's School.^[14]

• North Norfolk Railway
• RAF Weybourne
• Spring Beck
• Weybourne Windmill