# Blickling

Blickling is a village and civil parish in the Broadland district of the English county of Norfolk.
Blickling is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of Aylsham and 13 miles (21 km) north of Norwich. Most of the village is located within the Blickling Estate, which has been owned by the National Trust since 1940.

## History

Blickling's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the people of Blicla's people.
In the Domesday Book, Blickling is listed as a settlement of 44 households in the hundred of South Erpingham. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of King William I and William, Bishop of Thetford.
Adjacent to the hall is the Buckinghamshire Arms public house. The present building and barn were built in 1700, although an ale house was recorded in the early 17th century.
To the west of the B1354 road is Silvergate a hamlet of estate cottages, some of which are thatched and Grade II listed. Flashpits Farmhouse is located on the south east corner of the park at Ingworth Road, the red brick building was absorbed into the estate in the 18th century. But its origin is probably from the 17th century. One of only two properties on the road, the other being the unlisted Keeper's Cottage.
Aylsham Old Hall dates back to 1689 with parts of the building Grade 1 and Grade II listed. The dwelling is constructed of red brick with red hipped pantile roofing and located close to the B1354 road on the fringes of Aylsham.

## Geography

According to the 2021 census, the population of Blickling is 111 people (which decreased from 113 in 2011) living in a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km$^2$)
The River Bure runs through the parish of Blickling.

## St. Andrew's Church

Blickling's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and was extensively remodelled in the Nineteenth Century, first by George Edmund Street and later by William Butterfield. Inside the church there is an elaborate memorial to William Kerr, Eighth Marquess of Lothian as well as a Fifteenth Century font. There are numerous memorial bronzes including one to Sir Nicholas Dagworth, a Fourteenth Century soldier and diplomat, and multiple dedicated to members of the Boleyn family.

## Blickling Hall

Blickling is dominated by the Seventeenth Century stately home, Blickling Hall. Blickling Hall is most famous as the residence of the Boleyn family but also contains a significant collection of manuscripts in its' library. Blickling Hall has been in the possession of the National Trust since 1940.

## Governance

Blickling is part of the electoral ward of Aylsham for local elections and is part of the district of Broadland.
The village's national constituency is Broadland and Fakenham which has been represented by the Conservative Jerome Mayhew since 2024.

## Notable Residents

* Steff Aquarone MP, (b.1984) British politician.
* Anne Boleyn, (c.1501-1536) Queen of England and English noblewoman.
* Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, (1406-63) English merchant and politician.
* George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, (c.1504-1536) English courtier.
* Lady Mary Boleyn, (c.1499-1543) English courtier and mistress of King Henry VIII.
* Sir William Boleyn KB, (1451-1505) English landowner.
* Sir Henry Hobart, 1st Baronet, (1560-1625) English politician and lawyer.
* Sir Henry Hobart, 4th Baronet, (1657-1698) English politician and nobleman.
* Sir John Hobart, 3rd Baronet, (1628-1683) English politician and landowner.
* Sir John Hobart, Baron Intwood, (1593-1647) English politician and nobleman.
* Anne, Lady Shelton, (1483-1556) English courtier.

## War memorial

Blickling's war memorial is carved into the oak pulpit in St. Andrew's Church. It holds the following names for the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
| Capt. | Adrian H. Graves MC | 40th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps | 22 March 1918 | Arras Memorial |
| Sgt. | John L. Goulder | 1/5th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment | 21 August 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| AS | Herbert Pert | HMS Swiftsure | 12 August 1915 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| L/Cpl. | Alfred W. Digby | 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment | 18 March 1918 | Bedford House Cemetery |
| Pvt. | Jack Foulger | 1st Battalion, Black Watch | 13 October 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| Pvt. | Albert Eastoll | 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment | 3 December 1916 | Duhallow ADS Cemetery |
| Pvt. | Charles A. Buck | 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment | 17 April 1917 | British Cemetery, Duisans |
| Pvt. | Jack Flood | 1/4th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment | 30 May 1917 | War Cemetery, Cairo |
| Pvt. | Charles C. Broom | 1/5th Battalion, Royal Norfolks | 2 November 1917 | Gaza War Cemetery |
| Pvt. | Cyril F. Pert | Norfolk Yeomanry | 3 December 1915 | St. Andrew's Churchyard, Blickling |
| Pvt. | Ernest E. Digby | 6th Battalion, Welch Regiment | 17 November 1917 | British Cemetery, Poelcapelle |
| Rfn. | James Tortice | 13th Battalion, Rifle Brigade | 25 August 1918 | South Cemetery, Gomiécourt |
And, Fred Hancock and Charles Pert. The memorial also lists the following names for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
| Sgt. | Marcus Seatter | No. 115 Squadron RAF | 16 December 1943 | Protestant Cemetery, Heemskerk |
| OS | Thomas W. Parke | HMS Voltaire | 9 April 1941 | Portsmouth Naval Memorial |