Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for FAKENHAM

FAKENHAM, a town, a parish, and a sub-district, in Walsingham district, Norfolk. The town stands on the slope of a hill, at the river Wensum, adjacent to the Wymondham and Wells railway, 9½ miles S of Wells; has, of late years, undergone much improvement; is a seat of petty sessions, and a polling-place; and has a head post office, ‡ a railway station with telegraph, two banking offices, two chief inns, an ancient market - cross, a tolerably spacions market-place, a three-arched bridge, a church, four dissenting chapels, and charities £70. The bridge was built in 1833, on the site of a previous one; and consists of white bricks, with stone parapets and iron palisades. The church is fine later English with a handsome tower; was beautifully restored in 1864; and has an octagonal font. A weekly market is held on Thursday; and fairs on Whit-Tuesday and 22 Nov. Pop., 2, 182. Houses, 460. The parish is sometimes called Fakenham-Lancaster. Acres, 2, 208. Real property, £11, 511; of which £70 are in the railway, and £45 in gas-works. Pop., 2, 456. Houses, 521. The manor belongs to the Duchy of Lancaster. Salt was formerly made from salt-pits here. Five fine springs, one of them strongly chalybeate, are near the town. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Norwich. Value, £862.* Patron, Trinity College, Cambridge.—The sub-district contains twenty-two parishes. Acres, 27, 818. Pop., 7, 325. Houses, 1, 522.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town, a parish, and a sub-district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Fakenham AP/CP       Fakenham SubD       Walsingham RegD/PLU       Norfolk AncC
Place: Fakenham

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