Bawdeswell

Bawdeswell
All Saints Church, Bawdeswell
Bawdeswell  Bawdeswell shown within Norfolk
Area	4.87 km2 (1.88 sq mi)
Population	766 (2001 census.)
- Density	157 /km2 (410 /sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG046208
District	Breckland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DEREHAM
Postcode district	NR20
Dialling code	01362
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Mid Norfolk
Website	http://eoe.xarg.co.uk/bawdeswell/
List of places: UK • England • Norfolk

Bawdeswell is a small rural village and civil parish in the Breckland district of the county of Norfolk, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 766 and an area of 487 hectares with some 316 households. As of August 2010 there are 354 dwellings some of which are holiday lets with some 314 in the village itself and a further 40 within the parish boundary. The population as of May 2010 is estimated to be 847 (source Parish Clerk).

Toponymy

The village name has probably been spelt variously as Baldereswella, Baldeswell, Badswell, Bawsewella, Baldeswelle. The exact meaning of the name of the village is lost in history with a number of possible origins. Well or wella is an old word for stream or spring and it is clear that there has always been water here with quite a number of wells still surviving, the water table being 12 feet (3.7 m) or less. Baldhere can be found listed as a boy's name. In Old English it meant 'Strong or Courageous Army' and may date back before the 7th century, in Norse it was a mythological son of the God Odin and in Swedish meant 'The God of Light'. In this village name context it is probably from the Old English given name Baldhere and refers to a source of water belonging to or possibly discovered by him. Therefore, the original spelling may have been Baldhereswella or something similar.

Geography

Bawdeswell Village is situated almost in the centre of Norfolk on the northeastern boundary of Breckland District. It is about 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Norwich, 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Fakenham, 7 miles (11 km) northeast of the Market town of East Dereham (more commonly known just as Dereham) and 3 miles (5 km) west of the small Market town of Reepham which is in Broadland District. The main area of the village is situated immediately to the north of the A1067 road but there are also a few dwellings to the south of the A1067 on Dereham Road, Billingford Road and Elsing Lane. There is also a small amount of development on Reepham Road to the North of the village. The main area of the village varies between 140 and 150 feet (46 m) above sea level.

Bawdeswell is close to the village of Foxley and to Foxley Wood which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the largest remaining area of ancient woodland in Norfolk, England.

Bawdeswell Parish is adjacent to the Parishes of Foxley to the North, Bylaugh and Sparham to the south, Billingford to the west and Reepham to the east.

History

Bawdeswell is sited on a Roman road that ran from Durobrivae near modern Peterborough, across the Fen Causeway to Denver, followed Fincham Drove and crossed Peddars Way between Castle Acre and Swaffham, thence towards North Elmham and Billingford, to Bawdeswell and Jordans Green, and on to Smallburgh. It was a major east-west route and possibly continued via the large Roman settlement at Brampton to Caister or an important port since eroded by the sea. The village lies just over 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Billingford that was a Roman settlement and river (Wensum) crossing (wooden Roman Bridge) point. Some Neolithic and Anglo Saxon artifacts found in Bawdeswell are listed by Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service but no Roman items are recorded.

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and again in the 'Norwich Domesday Book' of 1291. Evidence has been found of a church here since about 1100.

Bawdeswell was the home of Chaucer's Reeve in The Reeve's Prologue and Tale in the Canterbury Tales from which the village magazine 'The Reeve's Tale' gets its name. He was "Osewald the Reeve", "Of Northfolk was this reeve of which I telle, Byside a toun men callen Baldeswelle".

Six roads meet here. From the northwest the road from Fakenham and from the southeast the road from Norwich (A1067). From the west the road from Kings Lynn via Litcham and North Elmham and from the east the road from Mundesley on the coast via Aylsham and Reepham (B1145). From the southwest the road from Dereham via Swanton Morely (B1147). Lastly, and in this case least, is the road south to Elsing that starts as Elsing Lane and after reaching Elsing meanders through various lanes to places south such as North Tuddenham and Mattishall.

In times past there were four coaching inns and a turnpike toll gate and it was a busy stopping off point for the changing of horses and coaches, including the Mail coach, for travellers and for Walsingham pilgrims. As with many villages, all the original pubs closed, mostly in the 1920s, but the Bell Inn stayed until 1970 when it was closed and converted into flats.

The buildings of the Tollhouse and of the four original public houses are now residential dwellings within the conservation area of the village. The Tollhouse was built in about 1823 and by the 21st century was semi-derelict but in 2002 work commenced to restore and extend it as a residential dwelling now known as Tollgate Cottage. Chaucer House is reputedly the oldest building in the village dating to the 14th or 15th century and up until 1920 was The Crown Inn (previously Bear Inn) after which it was Crown Farm (farmhouse) before being given its current name. The Ram Inn closed in 1929 and is now a private house 'The Willows'. The Bell Inn closed in 1970 and was converted into 5 flats. The Black Horse closed in 1926 and is now a private residence.

Conservation area

The centre of the village has been preserved by the creation of a conservation area in 1975.

Listed buildings

The following buildings are all Grade II Listed.

Bawdeswell Hall, Chaucer House (formerly 'The Crown Inn' and 'Crown Farm'), Church of All Saints, K6 Telephone Kiosk, The Gables (now known as 'The Old Workhouse Bar' and 'Church View') and The Willows (formerly 'The Ram Inn').

Bawdeswell Hall

Bawdeswell Hall is a Dutch gabled building dating from 1683. Originally built by a Henry Eglington it is now owned by the Gurney family. Gurney's Bank was based in Norwich and connected through marriage to Barclays Bank of London with which it merged along with Backhouse's Bank of Darlington and several other Provincial banks in 1896 to form what is now Barclays Bank. Elizabeth Fry, the famous prison reformer, was born a Gurney and the portrait from which the image on the reverse of the £5 note is taken hangs on the main staircase in the hall.

All Saints' Church

There has been a parish church on this site since circa 1100 but there are no records before 1313 when the current list of some 58 rectors begins. All Saints' is said to be the only Norfolk village church destroyed in World War II having been hit by an RAF Mosquito bomber from 608 Squadron at RAF Downham Market that crashed in the village in November 1944. Sadly, both the crew perished and there is a memorial plaque in the church made from aircraft parts by John Ames (PCC Secretary 1972–1980 and Churchwarden 1980–1994).

The Church was replaced with one of Neo-Georgian design by architect J Fletcher Watson.

Bawdeswell is one of 6 parishes in the FLEBBS benefice which includes Foxley, Lyng, Elsing, Bawdeswell, Bylaugh and Sparham parishes with one rector (Reverend David Head) based in Lyng. The parish finances are ably supported by 'The Friends of Bawdeswell Church', who with various fund raising events and appeals, contribute towards the running costs of the church building and have paid for recent rewiring. A fund was set up in 2008 to raise funds for a replacement organ that has now been installed although fundraising continues to meet the full costs. The previous organ dating from about 1901, came from the Dower House Music Room at Shotesham, and was purchased second hand when the church was rebuilt.

The Workhouse

The building was erected in about 1781 as a workhouse for the parishes of Bawdeswell, Billingford, Bintree, Bylaugh, Foxley, Lyng, and Sparham but was no longer required when the new Gressenhall workhouse was built to serve all the parishes in the area. From about 1828 to 1875 the building was used as a school. It later became a bakery and shop with a blacksmiths shop in outbuildings and an early petrol pump outside. It then became quite run down but has now been restored.

Now divided into two parts it hosts "The Old Workhouse Bar" and a private dwelling.

Schools

There is a primary school with a roll of 93 as of September 2010 (source Norfolk County Council) but, with an apparently healthy birth rate in the village, this looks set to rise.

A free school for twelve boys from Bawdeswell and eight from Foxley was endowed by John Leeds esq. in 1728. From about 1828 there was a school in The Old Workhouse building with up to seventy pupils. The current village primary school was built in 1875 for Bawdeswell, Bylaugh and Foxley at the sole expense of the Rev Henry Lombe of Bylaugh Hall, who was the Lord of the Manor. His name is on the front with the motto "PROPOSITI TENAX" (Firm of Purpose). The Friends of Bawdeswell School are a parent teacher association of volunteers who raise funds to provide extras for the children and to give support at school events. They also liase with the school council, the governors, teachers and the local community.

Most secondary school children attend Reepham High School.

Village development

There has been significant development in the village in the last four decades. The population had declined from 410 at the 1891 census to 331 in 1971 increasing to 574 in 1981, 652 in 1991, 773 in 2001 (all census figures) and to about 847 in 2010 (ref Parish Clerk). This increase was in no small way due to the development of the Hall Road and Two Fields Way area plus Paradise Road. Since 2000 the developments at Saxon Meadows, All Saint's Court and Chaucers Heath plus other infill have added at least 24 new houses and the redevelopment of the sheltered housing accommodation at Folland Court completed in August 2009 has seen eight larger family houses built. There is considerable opposition within the village to any further large scale development, especially of sixty or so houses on the site near Two Fields Way proposed by the 'Gladedale Group', expressed at the Annual Parish Meeting in May 2007, and the draft Breckland Local Development Framework (LDF) has not listed Bawdeswell for any significant development. The initial LDF Site Specific Document listed six sites that have been proposed for development in and around the village but these are all shown as non-conforming.

There is a proposal by the LDF additional sites consultation which shows four new sites, two shown as conforming and two as non-conforming.

Parish Council Policy has been to resist attempts to make Bawdeswell an LSC (Local Service Centre) and to opt for minor development only within the existing development boundary and to accept two small sites to be included in a minor adjustment of the settlement boundary. (See minutes of Parish Council meeting on 7 July 2008 for more details). Breckland Council's Core Strategy which does not list Bawdeswell as an LSC or for any significant development has been broadly accepted by The Planning Inspectorate in their report. and was adopted on 17 December 2009.

The Breckland LDF Task & Finish Group have been examining the site specific submissions for the village and have rejected all of them.

Facilities

The village Pub, The Old Workhouse Bar

As well as the pub, Bawdeswell has a village shop which used to be privately owned but is now owned by McColls, a butcher's shop and a reasonably sized garden centre. On the south side of the A1067 is 'The Park' which has a Cafe, gift shop and conference facility and the Bawdeswell Garage (repairs and servicing - no fuel). Other local services include hairdressing and reflexology and there are some holiday cottages.

The village was without a Post Office since the Postmistress retired in 2007 until January 6, 2009. An 'outreach' service is now based at the church for 3 hours on Tuesday and Friday mornings..

Village hall

The village hall was moved from the centre of the village on the site of what is now five houses at Old Woods Green to the recreation ground north of the village in the early 1990s. This move was controversial at the time and some residents are still unhappy about it. A modern steel and timber structure was designed but was only one third completed with available funding and the actual hall part was never built. It has a high pitched roof and the original plan was for there to be a badminton court in the main hall. Despite these adversities, the hall that is there has reasonable facilities and is well used but its size restricts it to one activity at a time and a new larger hall is planned through Project Bawdeswell. A planning application has now (July 2011)been made to build a new hall.

Because of the increase in, mainly community based, entertainment at the hall, the management committee have applied for and been granted a variation to their entertainment licence to allow for, amongst other events, more film shows and the sale of alcohol without having to apply for a Temporary Event Notice each time.

A temporary portable building has been placed alongside the hall for use as a meeting room and for small events so that the hall can be freed up for other events.

Bawdeswell Heath

Bawdeswell Heath is all that remains of a huge area of common land following the inclosure acts in the late 18th and early to mid 19th centuries. There are 37 acres (150,000 m²) in total that can be accessed from Dereham Road with parking available about 1/2 mile Southwest of the A1067 or by foot from 'The Layby' in Billingford Road about 1/3 mile West of the A1067. The Heath is administered by a board of trustees except for 2 acres (8,100 m²) administered by the Parish Council as trustees.

Transport

Bawdeswell is situated on the X29 bus route between Norwich and Fakenham. Norwich railway station is 15½ miles (25 km) distant by road. There is a service to and from London and frequent trains to Cambridge, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, Cromer and Sheringham plus a cross country service to Liverpool. Norwich International Airport is 13 miles (21 km) by road from Bawdeswell and can be reached in about 25 minutes by car/taxi. A community car scheme for transport to medical appointments is run by the Parish Council with financial assistance from Breckland Council.

Parish Council

The parish council consists of seven councillors and a parish clerk. The council has ten meetings each year, normally on the 1st Monday of each month at 7.45pm in the village hall. There are no meetings in January or August and the May meeting which includes the Annual Parish Council Meeting is usually on the 2nd Monday of the month. The Annual Parish Meeting is held on a separate day.

The last election was held on 3 May 2007 and elections are held every four years. None of the candidates declared any political affiliation. As there were only six candidates, there was no ballot with all six being deemed to have been elected. The vacancy was filled by co-opting a councillor. Since the election two councillors have resigned, both positions having been filled by co-option.

An election for the seven parish councillors due to be held on Thursday 5 May 2011, was uncontested as there were only five nominees and the Returning Officer declared that these five were elected. The remaining two positions are to be filled by co-option.

National and local government

Westminster - The village is part of the new Mid Norfolk (Parliament constituency) the new Member of Parliament being George Freeman (politician) (Conservative).

Norfolk County Council - Bawdeswell is in the Elmham and Mattishall Division and the councillor is Bill Borrett (Conservative). The last election was held on 4 June 2009 and elections are held every four years.

Breckland Council District - Bawdeswell is part of Eynsford ward. The councillor is Gordon Bambridge (Conservative). The last election was held on 5 May 2011 and elections are held every four years.

A recent decision in the High Court has declared an order for the unitary authority for Norwich to have been unlawful. Therefore the Norfolk County, Breckland District and Bawdeswell Parish Councils remain unchanged.

Project Bawdeswell

Project Bawdeswell was created to improve facilities in the village. Plans have now been published and fund raising is being started to build a new larger village hall that is estimated to cost circa £600,000. A subgroup of the project now runs an activities group mainly catering for children during the Easter and summer school holidays as well as during half term breaks.

Grants and fundraising have enabled some £60,000 to be spent on totally remodelling the Children's Play Area near the Village Hall. There was a grand opening ceremony at the village fete on 27 June 2010.

Bawdeswell Activities Group (BAG)

The activities group, as part of Project Bawdeswell, was created in 2007 and then became a sub-group of the Village Hall Committee. Initially it ran a program of activities for children during the summer holidays and then commenced to arrange activities for the rest of the community. Recent adult activities include Bridge courses for beginners and Table Tennis/Games evenings. The group has provided activities for children during all school holidays and half terms (except at Christmas) since it was started and relies on a small but dedicated band of volunteers. Initial funding came from the Parish Council, Breckland Council and Norfolk Community Foundation plus their own fundraising. Through continued fundraising and generous donations, most of the activities for children, including materials, are provided free of charge.

Other new activities started in 2009 are BAG Bikers, BAG Runners, BAG Walkers and BAG Basketball. A BAG monthly bridge afternoon has been taken over by the JayCee Bridge who now meet every Tuesday evening at Foxley village hall and every Friday afternoon at Bawdeswell village hall.

BAG runs table tennis evenings every Monday.

A set of cricket nets was provided on the recreation ground in 2008 and a second bay extension was constructed in May 2009 thanks to a most generous donation from a local resident.

Bawdeswell Activities Group (BAG) has a website at

Bawdeswell Village Cinema

Through collaboration with 'Creative Arts East' the Activities Group showed two films, a Mamma Mia Singalong in 2009 was a great success as was Grease in early 2010. BAG then received a grassroots grant in 2010 through Norfolk Community Foundation for their own cinema equipment and now run a monthly film show on a Saturday plus a film club on the Sunday after. Films are also shown for children during the school holidays. A number of free children's matinees are also arranged on the afternoon of the regular film show. In liaison with the Book Club some classic films are being shown so that the film and book can both be discussed.

Book club

The village has a thriving book club which meets at 'The Old Workhouse' Bar on the 1st Thursday each month at 7.30pm.

The Reeve's Tale Magazine

The Reeve's Tale started off as a parish magazine produced by the Rector but has now become a community magazine for the villages of Bawdeswell and Foxley. There are ten issues a year for February, March, April, May, June, July, August/September, October, November and December/January. The editor is one of the churchwardens, and he is supported by a team of regular contributors and volunteer distributors, all of whom play an important part. Deadline for copy and advertising is the 15th of the month preceding publication. The magazine is distributed free of charge to every household in Bawdeswell and Foxley, and also published on the web. Printing costs are covered by advertising revenue, donations from the two parish councils and also from individuals and clubs.

See http://www.thereevestale.co.uk/

External links

• Parish Council website
• Photos of Bawdeswell and surrounding area on geograph
• Genuki on Bawdeswell