Stoke Ferry

Stoke Ferry is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, 6.5 miles south-east of Downham Market. The village lies on the River Wissey which has also been known as the River Stoke. It covers an area of 9.15 km2 (3.53 sq mi) and had a population of 896 in 358 households as of the 2001 UK Census,[1] the population increasing to 1,020 at the 2011 UK Census.[2] For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Village sign in Stoke Ferry
Stoke Ferry
Stoke Ferry
Location within Norfolk
Area9.15 km2 (3.53 sq mi)
Population1,020 
• Density111/km2 (290/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTL706995
Civil parish
  • Stoke Ferry
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKING'S LYNN
Postcode districtPE33
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England

All Saints' Church is no longer used for church services. It is now owned by Kit Hesketh-Harvey.

The village has many small businesses such as: two takeaway shops, a hairdresser, Wood Yard and a corner shop.

Historical references

In 1805, Stoke Ferry is described[3] as being "distant from London 88 miles 2 furlongs; on the Stoke river, which is navigable to this place from the Ouse. Fair, December 6...on the right, 5 m is the seat of Robert Wilson, esq. Inn, Crown."

The village was serving as a post town (under the name 'Stoke') by 1775; the name had been changed to 'Stoke Ferry' by 1816. A type of postmark known as an undated circle was issued to the village in 1828, and it had a Penny Post service, under Brandon (in Suffolk), between 1835 and 1840.

Many photographs of the village can be found in a collection published in 2007 available to purchase at £4.95 from Bonnetts Hardware & DIY in the village.[4]

It once had its own Stoke Ferry railway station, the terminus of the Downham and Stoke Ferry Railway, a branch from the main line between Cambridge and King's Lynn.It stopped service in the early 1965. From the early 2000s it was used as a wood yard which moved to the new yard near Boughton it has since been derelict and had several owners.

There is still a thriving Blacksmith's shop, Thomas B. Bonnett in the heart of the village that has been trading over 100 years. As well as Bespoke Ironwork, they also sell hardware, plumbing supplies, timber and steel. As well as a hairdressers, take aways and many other small businesses that help make Stoke Ferry recognisable.

Notes
  1. Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine. Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  2. "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  3. The Traveller's Guide; or, English Itinerary, by Walley Chamberlain Oulton, published by James Cundee, London, 1805.
  4. Stoke Ferry Through Postcards Past, by Pat Holton and Janet Stocking, 2007, 52 pages, ISBN 0-9545768-7-X.

Further reading
  • Stoke Ferry: the Story of a Norfolk Village, by Doris E. Coates, Harpsden Press, 1980, ISBN 0-9506871-0-3

Media related to Stoke Ferry at Wikimedia Commons



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