West Dereham And Wretton

   I was happy last week to visit two more new fen villages on my list, West Dereham and Wretton. The villages are neighbouring so I was fortunate to have enough time to visit both on the same cycle, a round trip of just over 40 miles.

   West Dereham.

   The village sign of West Dereham shows a coprolite carter for once the parish was rich in such material along with chalk.

   The tiny village of West Dereham is situated 4 miles east of Downham Market. The village has only a small Village Hall and a petrol garage, no shops, public houses or indeed a village school. West Dereham is split into two areas, the main area containing the parish church and cemetery. The church of St Andrew is a typical Norfolk round-tower church dating from the Norman period.

   The porch is elegant and characterful, with one of those Dutch-style gables beloved of the 17th century. The tower is one of Norfolks fattest and is over a meter thick in places, it is crowned by an octagonal bell stage which was added on the eve of the Reformation.

   Wretton

   The village sign is one of the best I've seen on my journey around the fens, the beautifully carved sign shows among other things the Will of Jane Forby, a local widow and woman of fortune. She left provision for the poor of the parish with land for pasture and fuel. Now there is a street named after her in the village.

   The Parish Church of All Saints was built in the 13th century with later restoration including the roof by the Victorians. The church has an amazing crowned tower and is built mainly from Carstone and Flint.

   The church inside is small but there are objects of interest including the wonderful stone carved Font. The windows are of clear plain glass which I must say helps fill this small house of worship with lots of light.