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Unusual Facts About Norfolk

Norfolk is one of the most popular counties in the UK to move to, with plenty of hidden gems and little-known attractions to attract people.

Hamiltons Removals have been offering top-quality commercial domestic and specialist moving services for people moving to Norfolk for more than two decades. We also have high quality self storage facilities at two sites in south Norfolk, in Harleston and at nearby Aldeby. As we know the area well, we have compiled these interesting facts about the county.

It’s A Big County

Norfolk is the fifth largest county in England, covering an area of 5,371sq km. It was also one of the more heavily populated, according to the Domesday Book, until around 1600. However, it was badly affected by the Black Death and the various outbreaks of the Plague, with thousands of people failing to survive. This, coupled with Norfolk’s relatively isolated location, means that it is one of the few counties where the current population is lower than it was in the early 14^th century.

A Centre for Churches

Norfolk has 659 mediaeval churches, which is believed to be the highest concentration in the world. It also has 125 churches with round towers, which is a record number in the UK.

And the county can also lay claim to a third church record. St Nicholas’ Church in Great Yarmouth, also known as the Minster Church, is the largest parish church in the country. This is due to its floor surface area, which covers 23,000 square feet.

Modern Postcodes Started in Norwich

The Post Office wanted to make the sorting of mail less labour intensive, so it came up with a machine-readable code which people put on addresses at the end of letters. The first trials began in Norfolk’s county town in 1959. The success of this pilot scheme persuaded the Post Office to roll out postcodes across the rest of the country.

The whole programme finished in 1974 back in Norwich, which was given a fresh code. This date is recorded on a blue plaque on the site of the old Post Office in Gentleman’s Walk in the city, now the site of a bank.

A Famous Forest

Thetford Forest, on the county’s border with Suffolk, is the largest lowland pine forest in England, covering an area of about 18,730 hectares. The first trees were planted there in the 1920s to replace the nation’s supplies of timber after the First World War. Today part of the forest, known as the Stanford Training Area, is reserved for military exercises and is closed to the public.

Much of the forest is, however, open to visitors and it attracts around 1.5million people every year. It is a haven for wildlife and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Many people go there for special events such as concerts at the High Lodge Visitor Centre. Ed Sheeran, Simply Red and Blondie have all played there in recent years.

A Poetic Tribute to Diss

The south Norfolk town of Diss was immortalised in a famous poem by Sir John Betjeman, who was the Poet Laureate until 1984. He first went to Diss while filming a series on British market towns for the BBC and quickly fell in love with the town.

The poem, entitled A Mind’s Journey to Diss, was written to Mary Wilson. She was the daughter of a Congregationalist Minister and was born in the town. Later she married Labour politician Harold Wilson, who went on to become Prime Minister. The poem’s opening lines are: “Dear Mary/Yes it will be bliss/To go with you by train to Diss.” Betjeman also made a famous film, Something About Diss, which also saw him travel from London to the town, alighting at the station.

Hamiltons Removals provides a friendly, professional service for domestic, commercial and specialist removals to customers in Suffolk, Norfolk and across East Anglia.

We also offer state of the art self storage at our Safe N Stored sites in Harleston and Aldeby in south Norfolk. Both are ideal for people moving to the Diss, Dickleburgh, Bungay and Stradbroke areas who might need somewhere to store their belongings while they complete a house move, or for residents who already live there but need to store some possessions away during the winter months.

The Harleston site offers rooms from 25sq ft to 200sq ft, and a shop which has sells a comprehensive range of packing materials, while Aldeby has storage containers from 5ft to 20ft in size. Both sites are easily accessible and are protected by CCTV around the clock, so you can be sure your items will be kept safe and secure. Follow the link above if you would like to know more about our self storage facilities.