56-590: Breckland in Norfolk and Suffolk is a 39,433 hectare Special Protection Area (SPA) under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds . The SPA partly overlaps the 7,544 hectare Breckland Special Area of Conservation . As a landscape region it is an unusual natural habitat of England . It comprises the gorse -covered sandy heath that lies mostly in the south of
112-512: A major revolt in AD60. The Angles settled the area in the fifth century, and it became part of the Kingdom of East Anglia . During the later Middle Ages the county was very prosperous and heavily involved in the wool trade ; this allowed the construction of many large churches . In 1549 Norfolk was the scene of Kett's Rebellion , which unsuccessfully protested the enclosure of land. The county
168-572: A saffron grower. Over 20% of employment in the county is in the agricultural and food industries. Well-known companies in Norfolk are Aviva (formerly Norwich Union ), Colman's (part of Unilever ), Lotus Cars and Bernard Matthews Farms . The Construction Industry Training Board is based on the former airfield of RAF Bircham Newton . Brewer Greene King, food producer Cranswick and feed supplier ForFarmers [ nl ] were seeing growth in 2016–2017. A local enterprise partnership
224-611: A fifth generation crabman, who sells Cromer Crabs to eateries such as M Restaurants and the Blueprint Café. The problem that he has found is attracting young people to this small industry which calls for working many hours per week during the season. Lobster trapping also continued in North Norfolk, around Sheringham and Cromer , for example. Norfolk's low-lying land and easily eroded cliffs, many of which are composed of chalk and clay, make it vulnerable to weathering by
280-521: A per year basis, the median gross income was £25,458. The employment rate among persons aged 16 to 64 was 74.2% while the unemployment rate was 4.6%. The Norfolk economy was "treading water with manufacturing sales and recruitment remaining static in the first quarter of the year" according to research published in April 2018. A spokesperson for the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce made this comment: "At
336-606: A possibly significant concentration of Britons in the area. In the centuries before the Norman Conquest the wetlands of the east of the county began to be converted to farmland, and settlements grew in these areas. Migration into East Anglia must have been high: by the time of the Domesday Book survey it was one of the most densely populated parts of the British Isles . During the high and late Middle Ages
392-455: A time when Norfolk firms face steep up-front costs, the apprenticeship system is in crisis, roads are being allowed to crumble, mobile phone and broadband 'not-spots' are multiplying, it's obvious that the key to improved productivity and competitiveness lies in getting the basics right". The solution was seen as a need for the UK government to provide "a far stronger domestic economic agenda ... to fix
448-548: A tourist attraction as well as an area of scientific and geographical interest. The Breckland landscape region has given its name to Breckland District , a local government district that contains most of Norfolk's portion of the Breckland. Part of West Suffolk district cover the Suffolk portion. The Great Eastern Pingo Trail is 8 miles of tracks and paths exploring the eastern edge of the Breckland area. The trail takes in
504-537: Is administered by Norfolk County Council, which is the top tier local government authority, based at County Hall in Norwich. For details of the authority click on the link Norfolk County Council . Below Norfolk County Council the county is divided into seven second tier district councils: Breckland District , Broadland District , Great Yarmouth Borough , King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough , North Norfolk District , Norwich City and South Norfolk District . Below
560-618: Is controlled by the Labour Party and North Norfolk District by the Liberal Democrats . Norfolk County Council has been under Conservative control since 2017. There have been two periods when the council has not been run by the Conservative Party, both when no party had overall control, these were 1993–2001 and 2013–2017. For the full County Council election results for 2017 and previous elections click on
616-613: Is found in most of Europe, from Great Britain and the Iberian Peninsula to the Ural Mountains and further east to central Asia and Transcaucasia , Asia Minor and the Near East . The wingspan is 28–31 mm (1.1–1.2 in). Adults are on wing from May to July. The larvae feed on the developing seeds of Descurainia sophia and Erysimum cheiranthoides . This Larentiinae moth related article
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#1732773185696672-511: Is one of the few areas in England where the rare and shy (but non-indigenous) golden pheasant may be seen in the wild. 52°30′N 0°46′E / 52.500°N 0.767°E / 52.500; 0.767 Norfolk Norfolk ( / ˈ n ɔːr f ə k / NOR -fək ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia . It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to
728-492: Is served by these local newspapers: Before 2011, Norfolk had a completely comprehensive state education or "maintained" system managed by Norfolk County Council , with secondary school age from 11 to 16 or in some schools with sixth forms , 18 years old. Since then, a number of schools formerly in the "maintained" system have left it to become academies , or members of academy groups. Others have become free schools . Both academies and free schools are still publicly funded by
784-476: The Conservative Party win the 2010 general election , they would reverse the decision. Following the 2010 general election , Eric Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 12 May 2010 in a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government . According to press reports, he instructed his department to take urgent steps to reverse the decision and maintain
840-465: The High Court , and on 21 June 2010 the court ( Mr. Justice Ouseley , judge) ruled it unlawful, and revoked it. The city has therefore failed to attain unitary status, and the two-tier arrangement of County and District Councils (with Norwich City Council counted among the latter) remains as of 2017. Norfolk's county town and only city is Norwich , one of the largest settlements in England during
896-748: The Iceni , emerged in the 1st century BC . The Iceni revolted against the Roman invasion in AD 47, and again in 60 led by Boudica . The crushing of the second rebellion opened the area to the Romans. During the Roman era roads and ports were constructed throughout the area and farming was widespread. Situated on the east coast, the homelands of the Iceni were vulnerable to attacks from continental Europe and other parts of Britain, and forts were built to defend against raids by
952-568: The Norman era . Norwich is home to the University of East Anglia , and is the county's main business and culture centre. Other principal towns include the port town of King's Lynn and the seaside resort and Broads gateway town of Great Yarmouth . Grey carpet moth Lithostege griseata , the grey carpet , is a moth of the family Geometridae . The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It
1008-687: The Royal Norfolk Regiment (now the Royal Anglian Regiment ) and the Norfolk Yeomanry . During the Second World War agriculture rapidly intensified, and it has remained very intensive since, with the establishment of large fields for growing cereals and oilseed rape . In 1998 Norfolk had a Gross Domestic Product of £ 9,319 million, which represents 1.5% of England's economy and 1.25% of
1064-591: The Saxons and the Picts . A period of depopulation, which may have been due to these threats, seems to have followed the departure of the Romans. Soon afterward, Germanic peoples from the North Sea area settled in the region. Though they became known as Angles , they were likely not affiliated to any tribe in particular at the time of their migration. It is thought that the settlement here was early (possibly beginning at
1120-854: The Tacolneston TV transmitter. However, northwestern parts of Norfolk including King's Lynn , Hunstanton and Wells-next-the-Sea are covered by BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire , broadcasting from Hull , and ITV Yorkshire , which broadcast from Leeds . The area receives its television signals from the Belmont TV transmitter. BBC Local Radio for the county is served by BBC Radio Norfolk . County-wide commercial radio stations are Heart East , Greatest Hits Radio East , Amber Radio , and Kiss . Community based stations are Future Radio (serving Norwich), Harbour Radio (for Great Yarmouth ), KL1 Radio (covering North West Norfolk ) and Poppyland Community Radio (serving North Norfolk ). Norfolk
1176-450: The commons at the villages of Thompson and Stow Bedon , and heathland at Breckles and Great Hockham . Thompson Water , an artificial lake, and the woodland at Thompson Carr also form part of the walk. The name of the trail comes from the former Great Eastern Railway and the large number of pingo ponds found in the area. Pingo ponds or kettle lakes are formed from collapsed mound of earth-covered ice, called pingos , formed when
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#17327731856961232-551: The 2017 General Election the 2015 result was repeated. In the 2024 General Election, Norfolk became the only county in the United Kingdom to be represented by MPs from five different parties. In October 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government produced a Local Government White Paper inviting councils to submit proposals for unitary restructuring. In January 2007 Norwich submitted its proposal, but this
1288-671: The Boundary Committee recommended a single unitary authority covering all of Norfolk, including Norwich. However, on 10 February 2010, it was announced that, contrary to the December 2009 recommendation of the Boundary Committee, Norwich would be given separate unitary status. The proposed change was strongly resisted, principally by Norfolk County Council and the Conservative opposition in Parliament. Reacting to
1344-694: The Brecklands. This is one of the most important areas for wildlife in the UK, including birds such as the nightjars , woodlarks , and the 65% of the UK's stone curlew population. Sadly, 25 species previously recorded in breckland are now considered to be nationally extinct; ranging from flowers and mosses to beetles and moths. The Brecklands are home to over 120 nationally rare and threatened plant species, many of which grow nowhere else in Britain. With all this diversity, Breckland has received international recognition as an Important Plant Area (IPA). Many of
1400-526: The Broads , a network of rivers and lakes which extend into Suffolk. The area is protected by the Broads Authority and has similar status to a national park . The geology of the county includes clay and chalk deposits, which make its coast susceptible to erosion. There is evidence of Prehistoric settlement in Norfolk. In the Roman era the region was home to the Iceni , whose leader Boudica led
1456-654: The Department of Education but are not with county council management. In many of the rural areas, there is no nearby sixth form, and so sixth form colleges are found in larger towns. There are twelve private , or private schools, including Gresham's School in Holt in the north of the county, Thetford Grammar School in Thetford , which is Britain's fifth oldest extant school , Langley School in Loddon , and several in
1512-621: The Spanish Catchfly, Spring Speedwell, Tower Mustard , Rare Spring-sedge, Red-tipped Cudweed, Field Wormwood , Prostrate Perennial Knawel, Fingered Speedwell , Military Orchid , Proliferous Pink, Bee Orchid Fine-leaved Sandwort , and Grape Hyacinth . 86% of Breckland heathland was lost between 1934 and 1980. Huge areas have been planted with conifer plantations and many heaths have been ploughed for arable crops. Grazing by sheep and cattle has declined and rabbit populations crashed when myxomatosis arrived in 1954. Combined with
1568-409: The United Kingdom's economy. The GDP per head was £11,825, compared to £13,635 for East Anglia, £12,845 for England and £12,438 for the United Kingdom. In 1999–2000 the county had an unemployment rate of 5.6%, compared to 5.8% for England and 6.0% for the UK. Data from 2017 provided a useful update on the county's economy. The median hourly gross pay was £12.17 and the median weekly pay was £496.80; on
1624-564: The announcement, Norfolk County Council issued a statement that it would seek leave to challenge the decision in the courts. A letter was leaked to the local media in which the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Communities and Local Government noted that the decision did not meet all the criteria and that the risk of it "being successfully challenged in judicial review proceedings is very high". The Shadow Local Government and Planning Minister, Bob Neill , stated that should
1680-602: The city centre, next to the River Wensum . The City College Norwich and the College of West Anglia are colleges covering Norwich and King's Lynn as well as Norfolk as a whole. Easton & Otley College , 7 mi (11 km) west of Norwich, provides agriculture-based courses for the county, parts of Suffolk , and nationally. The University of Suffolk also runs higher education courses in Norfolk, from multiple locations including Great Yarmouth College . Norfolk
1736-467: The city of Norwich, including Norwich School and Norwich High School for Girls . The King's Lynn district has the largest school population. Norfolk is also home to Wymondham College , the UK's largest remaining state boarding school . The University of East Anglia is located on the outskirts of Norwich, and Norwich University of the Arts is based in seven buildings in and around St George's Street in
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1792-465: The county developed arable agriculture and woollen industries. Norfolk's prosperity at that time is evident from the county's large number of medieval churches: out of an original total of over one thousand some 659 have survived, more than in any other county in Britain and the greatest concentration in the world. The economy was in decline by the time of the Black Death , which dramatically reduced
1848-509: The county of Norfolk but also in the north of Suffolk . An area of considerable interest for its unusual flora and fauna, it lies to the east of another unusual habitat, the Fens , and to the south west of the Broads . The typical tree of this area is the Scots pine . Breckland is one of the driest areas in England. The area of Breckland has been substantially reduced in the twentieth century by
1904-591: The early English settlers can be seen in the many place names ending in "-ham", "-ingham" and "-ton". Endings such as "-by" and "-thorpe" are also fairly common, indicating Danish toponyms: in the 9th century the region again came under attack, this time from Danes who killed the king, Edmund the Martyr . Several place names around the Fenland area contain Celtic elements; this has been taken by some scholars to represent
1960-398: The east, and Thetford (24,340) in the south. For local government purposes Norfolk is a non-metropolitan county with seven districts. The west of Norfolk is part of the Fens , an extremely flat former marsh. The centre of the county is gently undulating lowland; its northern coast is an area of outstanding natural beauty , and in the south is part of Thetford Forest . In the east are
2016-431: The flora and fauna that are unique to the area have a special protection status, or are part of conservation and rewilding projects. Fauna that are being monitored in Breckland habitats include the woodlark , stone curlews , grey carpet moth , lunar yellow under-wing moth, nightjars , brush-thighed seed-eater beetle, forester moth, moonshiner beetle, and five-banded tailed digger wasp. Rare or endangered plants include
2072-650: The fundamentals needed for business to thrive here..." In 2017, tourism was adding £3.25 billion to the economy per year and supported some 65,000 jobs, being the fifth most important employment in Norfolk. The visitor economy had increased in value by more than £500 million since 2012. Important business sectors also include energy (oil, gas and renewables), advanced engineering and manufacturing, and food and farming. Much of Norfolk's fairly flat and fertile land has been drained for use as arable land . The principal arable crops are sugar beet , wheat, barley (for brewing) and oil seed rape . The county also boasts
2128-606: The ice-sheets retreated. The trail may be accessed as a detour from the Peddars Way long-distance footpath. It is a Local Nature Reserve . Although the Brecks has experienced extraordinary change and loss of wildlife species and habitats in the last 50 years, the varied habitats of the area continue to provide a refuge for many threatened species. 43% of the Brecks is protected at a national or international level for its wildlife or geological interest. Over 12,845 species live in
2184-787: The impact of modern farming and the creation in 1914 of Thetford Forest . However substantial areas have been preserved, not least by the presence of the British Army on the Stanford Battle Area . During the Prehistoric period Breckland was mined for flint , evidence for which can be found at Grimes Graves just outside Thetford in Norfolk . The word 'Breck' is medieval and was defined as being an area of heathland broken up for cultivation before being allowed to retreat back into wilderness. Up until 200 years ago, much of it consisted of open heathland. The Brecks today are
2240-554: The impacts on the environment of various realignment options. The draft report of their research was leaked to the press, who created great anxiety by reporting that Natural England plan to abandon a large section of the Norfolk Broads, villages and farmland to the sea to save the rest of the Norfolk coastline from the impact of any adverse climate change . The county is covered by BBC East and ITV Anglia , which both broadcast from Norwich. Television signals are received from
2296-580: The link Norfolk County Council elections . The county is divided into ten parliamentary constituencies, with Waveney Valley straddling the border with Suffolk: In the 1945 United Kingdom general election , all seats in Norfolk were won by the Labour Party and the National Liberal Party . In the 2010 General Election seven seats were held by the Conservatives and two by the Liberal Democrats . The Labour Party no longer held
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2352-436: The loss of bracken and heather collection for animal bedding, large areas of heath have now become densely vegetated, crowding out the plants that preferred the open, disturbed and well-grazed land. In addition, much of the open sand dune habitat has also become overgrown, with sand no longer moving around in the wind . A Pool Frog (Pelophylax lessonae) reintroduction project was started in 2005 by English Nature . Breckland
2408-479: The north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, and Suffolk to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Norwich . The county has an area of 2,074 sq mi (5,370 km ) and a population of 859,400. It is largely rural with few large towns: after Norwich (147,895), the largest settlements are King's Lynn (42,800) in the north-west, Great Yarmouth (38,693) in
2464-415: The population in 1349. Kett's Rebellion occurred in Norfolk during the reign of Edward VI , largely in response to the enclosure of land by landlords, leaving peasants with nowhere to graze their animals, and to the general abuses of power by the nobility. It was led by Robert Kett , a yeoman farmer, who was joined by recruits from Norwich and the surrounding countryside. His group numbered some 16,000 by
2520-576: The sea. The most recent major erosion event occurred during the North Sea flood of 1953 . The low-lying section of coast between Kelling and Lowestoft Ness in Suffolk is currently managed by the British Environment Agency to protect the Broads from sea flooding. Management policy for the North Norfolk coastline is described in the "North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan" published in 2006, but has yet to be accepted by local authorities. The Shoreline Management Plan states that
2576-443: The second tier councils the majority of the county is divided into parish and town councils, the lowest tier of local government (the only exceptions being parts of Norwich and King's Lynn urban areas). Currently the Conservative Party control five of the seven district councils: Breckland District , Broadland District , King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough , Great Yarmouth Borough and South Norfolk District while Norwich City
2632-640: The second-largest city in England, but over one-third of its population died in the plague epidemic of 1579, and in 1665 the Great Plague again killed around one-third of the population. During the English Civil War Norfolk was largely Parliamentarian . The economy and agriculture of the region declined somewhat. During the Industrial Revolution Norfolk developed little industry, except in Norwich, which
2688-591: The start of the fifth century, thereby preceding the alleged date of Hengist and Horsa 's arrival in Kent) and that it occurred on a large scale. By the 5th century the Angles had established control of the region and later became the "north folk" and the "south folk"; hence "Norfolk" and " Suffolk ". Norfolk, Suffolk and several adjacent areas became the kingdom of East Anglia (one of the heptarchy ), which later merged with Mercia and then with Wessex . The influence of
2744-569: The status quo in line with the Conservative Party manifesto. However, the unitary plans were supported by the Liberal Democrat group on the city council, and by Simon Wright , LibDem MP for Norwich South , who intended to lobby the party leadership to allow the changes to go ahead. The Local Government Act 2010 to reverse the unitary decision for Norwich (and Exeter and Suffolk) received Royal Assent on 16 December 2010. The disputed award of unitary status had meanwhile been referred to
2800-472: The stretch of coast will be protected for at least another 50 years, but that in the event of sea level rise and post-glacial lowering of land levels in the South East, there may a need for further research to inform future management decisions, including the possibility that the sea defences may have to be realigned to a more sustainable position. Natural England have contributed some research into
2856-548: The time the rebels stormed Norwich on 29 July 1549 and took the city. Kett's rebellion ended on 27 August when the rebels were defeated by an army under the leadership of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland at the Battle of Dussindale. Some 3,000 rebels were killed. Kett was captured, held in the Tower of London, tried for treason, and hanged from the walls of Norwich Castle. By the late 16th century Norwich had grown to become
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#17327731856962912-465: The urban constituencies they once held in Norwich North and Great Yarmouth, leaving them with no MP's in the whole of East Anglia ; the former Labour Home Secretary Charles Clarke was a high level casualty of that election. In the 2015 General Election seven seats were won by the Conservative Party , with Labour winning Norwich South and the Liberal Democrats winning North Norfolk. In
2968-800: Was a late addition to the railway network. Early military units included the Norfolk Militia . In the 20th century the county developed a role in aviation. The first development in airfields came with the First World War ; there was then a massive expansion during the Second World War with the growth of the Royal Air Force and the influx of the American USAAF 8th Air Force which operated from many Norfolk airfields . The local British Army regiments included
3024-506: Was being established by business leaders to help grow jobs across Norfolk and Suffolk. They secured an enterprise zone to help grow businesses in the energy sector, and established the two counties as a centre for growing services and products for the green economy . To help local industry in Norwich, the local council offered a wireless internet service, but this was subsequently withdrawn as funding had ceased. The fishery business still continued in 2018, with individuals such as John Lee,
3080-509: Was not heavily industrialised during the Industrial Revolution , and Norwich lost its status as one of England's largest cities. The contemporary economy is largely based on agriculture and tourism. The area that was to become Norfolk was settled in pre-Roman times (there were Palaeolithic settlers as early as 950,000 years ago), with camps along the higher land in the west, where flints could be quarried. A Brittonic tribe,
3136-580: Was rejected in December 2007 as it did not meet the criteria for acceptance. In February 2008, the Boundary Committee for England (from 1 April 2010 incorporated in the Local Government Boundary Commission for England ) was asked to consider alternative proposals for the whole or part of Norfolk, including whether Norwich should become a unitary authority , separate from Norfolk County Council. In December 2009,
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