West Walton

West Walton is a village and civil parish in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk District of Norfolk, England.[1]

West Walton

The village sign, West Walton, Norfolk
West Walton
Location within Norfolk
Area15.77 km2 (6.09 sq mi)
Population1,731 (parish, 2011 census)
• Density110/km2 (280/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTF4713
• London80 miles (130 km)
Civil parish
  • West walton
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWISBECH
Postcode districtPE14
Dialling code01945
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

The parish of West Walton, in the 2001 Census, had a population of 1,659, increasing to 1,731 at the 2011 Census.[2]

History

The name West Walton is thought by James Rye to derive from the Old English meaning of the 'settlement by the wall'[3] which refers to the village's proximity to a Roman sea wall or defence.

West Walton was established by the time of the Norman Conquest. The village's population, land ownership and productive resources were detailed in its entry in the Domesday Book of 1085.[4] In the great book West Walton is recorded by the name 'Waltuna'. The parish was held by William de Warenne with the Abbot of St Peter and St Paul, Cluny from him, The Abbot of Ely before and after 1066, and Oder from Ralph de Beufour. The survey mentions ½ church, 38 salt houses and 1100 sheep. The survey also records the presence of a fishery. In the Domesday survey fractions[5] were used to indicate that the entry, in this case the church, was situated within more than one parish.

Geography

The village and parish of West Walton is in the western part of the county of Norfolk. The western flank of the parish is also the county border between Norfolk and Cambridgeshire and is also the course of the River Nene. On the southern flank is the parish of Walsoken. To the north is Walpole and to the east is Marshland St James.

The village is 47 miles (80 km) west-north-west of Norwich, 10 miles (20 km) west-south-west of King's Lynn and 80 miles (100 km) north of London and its location makes it, along with Walsoken, the most westerly village in Norfolk. The nearest town is Wisbech which is 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the village. The nearest railway station is at Watlington, Norfolk for the Fen Line which runs between King's Lynn and Cambridge. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport.

Governance

For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

West Walton parish council has 11 councillors. The councillors elect a chair. West Walton is part of the electoral ward of Walton. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 2,641.[6]

Landmarks

Church

St Mary's Church dates from the 13th century built about 1240.[7] The church's campanile, or bell tower is detached about 60 feet from the main building of the church.[8] The tower is supported at its base by four open arches. At each corner is a buttress which rises pinnacles with gabled niches in the first, second and third storey.[8] The tower is topped with a carved parapet walls. The west doorway to the church is flanked on either side by buttresses, a result of remedial works carried out here after the foundations failed[8] not long after the church was built. The south porch is arched with arcaded buttress on each side.[8] The nave is arcaded with six bays on each side. The arches are supported on pillars which are encircled by detached shafts topped with capitals of stone carved foliage.[8] The hammerbeam roof dates from the 15th century and is supported by 24 carved angels holding shields.[8]

The bell tower,[9] and the church,[10] are both recorded in the National Heritage List for England as Grade I listed buildings. The bell tower is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[11]

Towermill
Main article: Ingleborough Tower Windmill, West Walton

Ingleborough tower windmill is one mile north of the village, and is in the yard of Hill House Farm along with a house and assorted farm buildings. The mill is now in a state of disuse.[12] It was designated as a Grade II listed building in 1951.[13]

  • Saint Mary's parish church, West Walton
  • Saint Mary's Bell Tower
  • Inside St Mary's Church
  • Ingleborough Tower Windmill

References
  1. OS Explorer Map 235(2006) – Wisbech & Peterborough North, Market Deeping & Crowland. ISBN 0-319-23807-5
  2. "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  3. James Rye (2000). A Popular Guide to Norfolk Place-names. Larks press. ISBN 0-948400-15-3.
  4. The Domesday Book, Englands Heritage, Then and Now, Editor: Thomas Hinde,Norfolk page 196, West Walton, ISBN 1-85833-440-3
  5. The Normans in Norfolk, by Sue Margeson, Fabienne Seillier and Andrew Rogerson, (1994), p. 21, ISBN 0-903101-62-9
  6. "Walton Ward population 2011". Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  7. Norfolk 2: Norfolk: North-west and South, By Nikolaus Pevsner and Bill Wilson, North Runcton entry. 0-300-09657-7
  8. The King's England series, Norfolk, by Arthur Mee,Pub:Hodder and Stoughton,1972, page 270 Saxthorpe, ISBN 0-340-15061-0
  9. Historic England, "Bell Tower of Church of St Mary, West Walton (1171875)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 21 January 2016
  10. Historic England, "Church of St Mary, West Walton (1077676)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 21 January 2016
  11. St Mary bell tower, West Walton, Norfolk, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 2 December 2016
  12. "Properties that would be perfect renovation projects". Daily Telegraph.
  13. Historic England. "Ingleborough Mill (1077675)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 January 2012.

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