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Since 1983, Dereham has been twinned with the town of Rüthen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is also twinned with Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf, France.
Dereham has been twinned with the town of Rüthen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany since 1983 and is also twinned with Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf, in France. The market place and High Street are full of Georgian buildings and there is still a sense of days gone by behind the modern facades of the shop windows.
Jan 4, 2024 · Since 1983, Dereham has been twinned with the town of Rüthen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is also twinned with Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf, France. Dereham sign on the A47 (Image: Archant 2016)
- Aaron Mcmillan
- History
- Transport
- Saint Withburga's Well
- Governance
- Industry and Employment
- Economy
- Sport and Leisure
- Media
- Youth and Community Provision
- Attractions
Early history
Dereham's name derives from the Old English word "deor" meaning "deer" or "wild animal" with the very common "-ham" ("village", "homestead", or to denote land that is closed in by water or other geographical features), so perhaps it referred to a place where deer or other animals were kept or grazed. According to local tradition, Saint Wihtburh (aka Withburga), claimed to be the daughter of Anna, King of the East Angles, founded a monastery there in the seventh century after seeing a vision o...
Napoleonic conflict
In the late 1700s, Dereham church's bell tower was used as a prison for French prisoners of war being transferred from Great Yarmouth to Norman Cross under the charge of the East Norfolk Militia. On 6 October 1799, a French officer, Jean de Narde, managed to escape from the tower and, being unable to escape from the church yard due to guards being present, hid in a tree. The Frenchman was spotted and shot when he refused to come down and surrender. Jean is buried in the churchyard and his gra...
First World War
At the outbreak of war, the 5th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, kept their HQ in Quebec Street but were based in the Corn Exchange, and used the Masonic Hall on Norwich Road as a store, with the Assembly Rooms being used for medical inspections. Dereham suffered damage during a Zeppelin air raid during the night of 8 September 1915. Damaged buildings included the headquarters of the 5th Norfolk Regiment at their premises on the corner of Church Street and Quebec Street. The raid also hit The Whi...
Roads
The A47 road from Lowestoft to Birmingham once ran through the centre of the town. The 7 mile (11.3 km) £5 million part-dual-carriageway East Dereham by-pass was built on part of the disused railway line to King's Lynn, opening in spring 1978. The single-track B1135 runs southwards toward Wymondham, the B1146 connects it northwards to Fakenham, and the A1075 connects the town to Watton and Thetford.
Cycling
National Cycle Route 13 runs through Dereham, joining with National Cycle Route 1 north of the town.
Buses
Frequent bus services operate from Dereham to Norwich and Peterborough; less frequent services are provided for several local villages. Dereham does not have a bus station, with most services operating through the marketplace.
The town lies on the site of a monastery said by local tradition to have been founded by Saint Withburga in the seventh century; the saint died in 743AD. A holy well is at the western end of St Nicholas Church yard and the tradition claims this to have begun to flow when her body was stolen from the town by monks from Ely, who took the remains back...
There are three tiers of local government covering Dereham, at parish (town), district and county level: Dereham Town Council, Breckland District Council and Norfolk County Council. The town council is responsible for matters such as play areas, allotments, cemeteries and markets. Its assets include Dereham Memorial Hall, Neatherd Moor, Bishop Bonn...
Dereham was the home to the "Jentique" furniture factory which made boxes for both instruments and bombs during the Second World War. The town was also the home to the Metamec clock factory. Hobbies of Dereham produced plans, kits and tools—including their famous treadle fretwork saws—for making wooden models and toys, which were popular in the day...
Dereham is a busy market town serving local residents and a wide rural area. The town has a market on Tuesdays and Fridays selling a range of food and household items. The town's shops are a mixture of local independent businesses and national chains. The Market Place and the High Street were the traditional shopping areas but in 2005 a new shoppin...
An area of former railway and industrial land, close to the town's station, now serves as the location for a number of sports and leisure facilities. The Dereham Leisure Centre, built on the old railway locomotive depot, has a swimming pool, gym, dance and sports facilities. Open air tennis courts, children's play equipment and a skate park are pro...
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Television signals are received from the Tacolneston TV transmitter. Dereham's local radio stations are BBC Radio Norfolk, Heart East and Greatest Hits Radio East (formerly Radio Norwich 99.9). The Dereham Times is the town's weekly local newspaper including the regional ...
Youth groups
Dereham has two active Scout groups, both of which are part of The Scout Association. 1st Dereham was one of the earliest Groups in the world, having been formed in 1908. In the past, there was a 3rd Dereham Scout Group. The town is the home of 1249 Squadron, Air Training Corps, who parade at the Cadet Centre on Norwich Road. The Army Cadets also parade at the same place. Dereham is home to the youth theatre group DOSYTCo, which works with children to put on shows at the Dereham Memorial Hall...
Notable buildings in the town include the pargetted Bishop Bonner's Cottage, built in 1502; the Norman parish church; the East Dereham Windmill, which was extensively renovated in 2013; and a large mushroom-shaped water tower. The Gressenhall Museum of Rural Life is nearby. The town also hosts the headquarters of the Mid-Norfolk Railway, which runs...
Dereham's name derives from a deer park that (is thought to have) existed in the area. The town is twinned with the town of Rüthen in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany . It is also twinned with Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf , France.
Aug 26, 2021 · And one of the most underrated is Dereham - a quirky little market town often hailed as 'the heart of Norfolk'. In 2018, TripAdvisor rental site Holiday Lettings named Dereham as one of the UK's top-rated 'hidden gem' destinations for summer holidays, describing it as 'picturesque' and 'charming'.
Dereham is twinned with Caudebec-Les-Elbeuf in France, and the German town of Rüthen.
