the history of West Dereham

The present church of St Andrew’s was first recorded in the tax roll of 1246.  Prior to this, there was a much smaller Saxon church of St Peter which was located to the west of the present churchyard.  The two parishes were united in 1401 when the parishioners of St Peter’s were unable to maintain a priest.  The church was abandoned and the parishioners joined St Andrew’s.  Today the village church is united in one benefice with Ryston, Bexwell and Denver. 

The Grade 1 listed parish church of Saint Andrew’s is recognised by many groups such as English Heritage as one of the most important medieval churches in the UK. St Andrew’s stands on raised ground slightly north of the village. The church comprises of a round tower with an octagonal belfry, a nave, chancel, south porch and north vestry.

Today, St Andrew’s has a growing congregation that is involved in many community
activities. We have a good variety of worship, from family and informal services to a
more formal Holy Communion. The church is open most days, and is now a light and
airy space in which to spend a quiet period of prayer and contemplation, or just to sit
and enjoy the surrounding beauty.

The round tower is striking because of its massive size; it is believed to be the second
largest tower of its type in Norfolk. The tower is constructed entirely of conglomerate
stone; known locally as carstone. The core of the tower walls is infilled with clunch
(chalk stone). The internal diameter is 51⁄2 metres with a flattened side towards the
church. The wall, measured at the west window, is over 1 metre thick.
The south porch was added to the church in the 15th century, perpendicular period, and
has a 17th century Dutch gable front to it that is now cement rendered. The porch
underwent significant renovation during the last decade.

The chancel was restored in 1895. Re-seating took place in 1843 and 1850. On 25th April
1901 the thatched roof of the nave fell in, necessitating the complete restoration of the
church. This was carried out at a cost of £900 and the church was in use again by
October 1902, when seating was provided for 250 people on open benches of pitch pine.
The floor is partly oak wood blocks and partly Staffordshire terracotta tiles.
As part of the renovations of the porch, mentioned above, the stone tracery in several
of the chancel windows was also replaced / repaired. Part of one of the old windows can
be found reconstructed in the main room of the village hall.

 A railway, ‘Abbey Station’, opened in 1882, carrying both passengers and produce to markets.  It ran through to Stoke Ferry and joined the main Hunstanton to London line just outside Denver. In 1925 the Wissington sugar factory was opened and the line was used for transporting goods.  The factory lies to the south of the village and now is part of the British Sugar Corporation with responsibility for a quarter of their sugar production.  It is the largest animal feed plant in the Britain and also opened a bio-ethanol plant in 2007.  The railway was closed on 21st December 1981. 

 West Dereham is generally acknowledged as the birthplace of Hubert Walter (circa 1160-1205) who in his ecclesiastical career became successively Dean of York, Bishop of Salisbury and finally Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Richard I.  He held the highest government post in the land as Chief Justiciar (1193-1198).  During the reign of King John, Hubert was Lord Chancellor (1199-1205).  Hubert also founded an Abbey here in West Dereham in 1188. On 7 September 1199, King John granted to the Abbey a weekly Wednesday market and an annual fair of four days, namely on the festival of St Matthew (21st September) and the three following days. Hubert Walter is buried in Canterbury Cathedral, and in 2005, West Dereham celebrated the octo-centennial of his death with four days of events, including a market and culminating in a medieval feast.