Surlingham

Surlingham
Surlingham St Mary
Surlingham  Surlingham shown within Norfolk
Area	7.32 km2 (2.83 sq mi)
Population	637
- Density	87 /km2 (230 /sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG314067
Civil parish	Surlingham
District	South Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORWICH
Postcode district	NR14
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
List of places: UK • England • Norfolk

Surlingham is a village and civil parish in South Norfolk situated on the Broads. It lies approximately 6½ miles (10½ km) south-east of Norwich on the south bank of the River Yare between Bramerton and Rockland St Mary. In the 2001 census it contained 266 households and a population of 637. Although Surlingham is part of South Norfolk District, as in other broadland villages those areas of the village adjacent to the river and broads fall into the executive area of the Broads Authority.

The churches

The ruins of St Saviour's church in Surlingham

The church of St Mary in Surlingham is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk. The adjacent Church Marsh nature reserve is owned by the RSPB and is overlooked by the ruins of St Saviour's church (less than half a mile north-east of St Mary's). Dating from the 12th century, the church was in regular use until 1705. A campaign has been launched by local villagers to save the site from further deterioration and to make it safe for visitors. Norfolk naturalist Ted Ellis is buried here.

The village

Surlingham Community Primary School complete with maypole currently caters for 83 children in four classrooms, two in the original Victorian building and two more built in a similar style completed in 2006. It is situated on Walnut Hill in the centre of Surlingham and opposite the village pond; nearby are the village shop and post office as well as a garage. Surlingham is also home to Padmaloka, one of the biggest Buddhist retreats in the UK, as well as the Wheatfen Nature Reserve at Wheatfen Broad; Surlingham Broad, owned by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust^{[citation needed]}; and the RSPB reserve at Church Marsh.

The pubs

The Ferry House Inn, Surlingham

The village has two pubs, both in the north of the village on the bank of the river: Coldham Hall Tavern and The Ferry House Inn. The latter marks the site of a ferry which crossed the river to Postwick; it ceased operating c.1939 following a collision with a coaster. Coldham Hall Sailing Club which was founded in 1951 is situated in the grounds of Coldham Hall Tavern. It opened its new clubhouse on 26 April 2003.

Surlingham Broad

Lying between Surlingham Ferry and Coldham Hall Tavern is Surlingham Broad, a maze of waterways and swamp over 1 km² in area owned by Norfolk Wildlife Trust. One of the central lakes, Bargate, is connected to the Yare by two dykes; the area is known as the 'wherry graveyard' as 13 wherry hulls have been sunk here. It was in the Yare valley and in particular on Surlingham Broad in the 1950s that Dr Joyce Lambert, helped by schoolboys from the City of Norwich School, began taking peat borings which led her to conclude that the Broads were the result of human activity, peat digging.

Ted Ellis (E. A. Ellis)

Gravestone marking the burial place of naturalist Ted Ellis

A well known and widely respected local figure, the writer, broadcaster and naturalist Ted Ellis (1909-1986) lived with his wife Phyllis for 40 years at Wheatfen Cottage near Wheatfen Broad, where he set up his own nature reserve. From 1928-56 he was Keeper of Natural History at Norwich Castle Museum, but aged 47 he resigned to focus on his work as a naturalist. He wrote a nature column in the local newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press, above the byline 'E.A.E'. (for Edward Augustine Ellis). As E. A. Ellis, he wrote books, such as the volume on The Broads in Collins' New Naturalists series. He often appeared on local television (on BBC Look East) and on radio (on BBC Radio 4's Nature Postbag) and he was active in many nature and conservation organisations. A naturalist with a national reputation whose painstaking research was respected and admired by the academic world, he communicated his enthusiasm to a wide audience through his writing and broadcasting. Ellis and his wife are buried among the ruins of St Saviour's Church. David Bellamy compared the significance of Wheatfen Broad to that of "Mount Everest or the giant redwood forests of North America". He went on, "It is probably the best bit of fenland we have because we know so much about it... purely because one man gave his life trying to understand it - Ted Ellis."

Sports

In 2009 a football team ("Surlingham Tornadoes") was established to give boys and girls in the village the opportunity to play the game. In the 2010/2011 season an under 10 team is competing in the KMH Testing B League division of the South Norfolk Youth Football League.

Transport links

Surlingham is served by bus route 001 operated by Anglian Coaches providing six services a day into Norwich via Rockland St Mary, Bramerton and Kirby Bedon.

National Cycle Route 1 passes through Surlingham on its way from Norwich to Beccles via Loddon.

External links

Media related to Surlingham at Wikimedia Commons

• Surlingham Village Website
• Ordnance Survey Pathfinder (1:25000) map of Surlingham
• Surlingham Parish Council
• Website with photos of Surlingham St Mary
• A stroll around Bramerton and Surlingham