Rockland St Mary

Rockland St Mary

The Street, Rockland St Mary; looking east from opposite Rockland stores and the Post Office
Rockland St Mary
 Rockland St Mary shown within Norfolk
Area  5.50 km2 (2.12 sq mi)
Population 810 
   – density  147/km2 (380/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTG311041
Civil parishRockland
DistrictSouth Norfolk
Shire countyNorfolk
RegionEast
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town Norwich
Postcode district NR14
Dialling code 01508
Police Norfolk
Fire Norfolk
Ambulance East of England
EU Parliament East of England
UK ParliamentSouth Norfolk
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk

Coordinates: 52°35′07″N 1°24′42″E / 52.58514°N 1.41177°E / 52.58514; 1.41177

Rockland St Mary is a village in South Norfolk which lies about 6 miles (9½ km) southeast of Norwich between Surlingham, Bramerton, Claxton and Hellington. In the 2001 census it contained 325 households and a population of 824,[1] falling to 810 at the 2011 Census.[2] Although Rockland is part of South Norfolk District, those parts of the village lying adjacent to the river and broads fall under the administration of the Broads Authority. The Street (pictured) runs east to west through the centre of the village.

Rockland staithe with remnants of a Norfolk wherry in foreground

History

Rockland St Mary dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period with the village mentioned in the Domesday Book as Rokelunda.[3] The name derives from Old Norse for 'Rook Grove'. In medieval times Norwich was noted for its black-glazed roofing tiles[4] which were made in Rockland and transported by river from the staithe.[4] Although all trace of the tile-making industry has gone Rockland Staithe still exists, providing mooring for pleasure craft opposite The New Inn at the east end of the village. It leads to Rockland Broad which is itself linked to the River Yare by two dykes: the Short Dyke and the Fleet Dyke. The school has occupied the same site since the 1840s, the current buildings date from the 1880s and were built using bricks baked in the village. During World War II an V-2 rocket hit a field near the school. This caused several minor injuries and one major injury.[5] A new extension was opened in September 2004 by MP Richard Bacon, but it was built from Suffolk bricks.[6]

The New Inn

Today

As well as the New Inn, the village contains Rockland Stores and Post Office, a hairdresser, and a doctors' surgery. Rockland St. Mary Primary School provides education for around 90 children.

The Church of St Mary

The village also has two halls, the Margaret Mac, and the Parish Hall.[7]

St Mary's Church

St Mary's church has a noticeably tapered tower, Tudor windows and a Victorian interior.[8] It also contains a bronze memorial to those who both died and served in World War I.[9] The churchyard supposedly contains the overgrown remains of Rockland St Margaret.[10]

Public access

The village is served by bus route 085 which is operated by Simonds who provide seven services a day into Norwich via Bramerton and Kirby Bedon.[11]

National Cycle Route 1 passes through the east of the village on its route from Norwich via Whitlingham and Surlingham, and out to Loddon and Beccles via Claxton. Long distance footpath, Wherryman's Way lies close to the village

Governance

Rockland St Mary is part of the electoral ward called Rockland. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 2,839.[12]

External links

Media related to Rockland St Mary at Wikimedia Commons

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, May 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.