North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England, within the North Norfolk district. Demography. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2011 census had a population of 12,634. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North Norfolk. Transport. The town is south of Cromer, and the same distance north of Wroxham. The county town and city of Norwich is south. The town is served by North Walsham railway station, on the Bittern Line between Norwich, Cromer and Sheringham. The main road through the town is  the A149. The town is also located on the B1145, a route that runs between King's Lynn and Mundesley. The town is on the North Walsham & Dilham Canal (privately owned by the North Walsham Canal Company). The canal ran from Antingham Mill, largely following the course of the River Ant, to a point below Honing. A short branch canal leaves the main navigation near Honing and terminates at the village of Dilham. History. The towns name means 'W(e)alh's homestead/village'. North Walsham was involved in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. The peasants' leaders were defeated at the Battle  of North Walsham and the site is marked by a wayside stone near the town's water towers. The Great Fire of North Walsham took place on 25 June 1600. It began at six o'clock in the morning from a house occupied by a person with the surname of Dowle. Dowle subsequently fled and was captured and placed in gaol. The fire was devastating and destroyed one hundred and eighteen homes, seventy shops, the market cross, and market stalls. Although the church caught fire in five places, the building was mostly undamaged. It provided shelter for people whilst the town  was being rebuilt. The English naval hero, Horatio Nelson, and his brother, William, were educated at Paston Grammar School in North Walsham, founded by Sir William Paston (of Paston Letters fame) in 1606. Nelson left the school to start his naval career at the age of eleven. The school became Paston College in 1984. During World War II, a North Walsham man lost his life when his Royal Air Force training aeroplane crashed in the United States. Local residents living near the site, in the State of Oklahoma, erected a monument in 2000 honouring the lives of all four RAF  fliers who perished. The residents, who include Choctaw Native American People, and the Choctaw Nation government, continue honouring the lives of all four on each anniversary of the crashes, which took place in February 1943. As part of the millennium celebrations, ten mosaics were commissioned, showing scenes from local history, including the Peasants' Revolt and the Great Fire of North Walsham, and a picture of a Norfolk wherry – an allusion to the canal. Cinemas. North Walsham Picturedrome opened in King Arms Street around 1912 and survived until around September 1931. In 1931 the Regal Cinema opened in New Road and  was open until 1979. When the Regal closed, the building was turned into a Vauxhall car dealership and later a Plant hire business, but in 2018 was knocked down to make room for housing. 32-years later, North Walsham had a cinema again, the Atrium, which opened in 2011. The Atrium is a state-of-the-art theatre and cinema with regular screenings and special events around the films. Oak Tree Sculpture. The town's park features an oak tree sculpture commemorating the Battle of the Peasants' Revolt at North Walsham in 1381, and the Agricultural Workers Union being founded  in the town in 1906. It is constructed from a 120-year-old tree that was diseased and was due to be felled. The sculpture was unveiled in September 1999. North Walsham High School & the Atrium. North Walsham High School is an academy school for pupils aged 11 to 16 located in the town. The school is administered by Enrich Learning Trust. The school converted from community school status in October 2019. The school includes a £5.3m arts and education development called the 'Atrium', which is open to the wider community, funded by the initial co-location funds  of reanimating communities. The building belongs to North Walsham High School, but the theatre, cinema, workshop, and events programme is run by a registered charity (The Atrium North Norfolk Ltd). The charity was formed in early 2013 and operates as 'the Atrium'. Sport. North Walsham is home to a London 1 North rugby team. North Walsham R.F.C. narrowly missed out on promotion to National League 2 in 2005–06, losing a play-off to Nuneaton. It is also home to the North Norfolk Vikings Swimming Club who train at the Victory Leisure Centre on Station Road. You will find North Walsham  parkrun every Saturday morning which is a free, timed 5k event at 9am at North Walsham High School. England footballer Lauren Hemp was born in the town and played for the local team as a child. Museum and heritage. North Walsham is home to the Norfolk Motorcycle Museum, a privately owned collection of around 80 motorcycles dating up to 1960. Toys are also on display, particularly die-cast toys. North Walsham is home to the North Walsham Heritage Centre. The Heritage Centre displays information and artefacts on the whole range of the town's history. References. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/North%20Walsham http://www.norfolkvikings.co.uk/ North  Norfolk Vikings Swimming Club