Abbey Farm	::: << Prev ::: Index ::: Next >> :::

Abbey Farm is the one of the oldest properties in the village and certainly the most substantial. It's name, it's believed, arose from land in the parish formerly belonging to West Dereham Abbey, which would naturally be referred to as Abbey land or the Abbey Farm.

Many farms on the estate were let to tenants, but during the agricultural depression of the 1930s it was taken back into estate management. In the 1939-45 war the farm was used by the Army.

In 1947, Capt Harry Birkbeck gave it to the new estate agent, Leslie Cameron, to manage. Soon after that it was passed to tenants and has been farmed by the same family since.

With a population of about 85, there is no local council for the village. Having no village hall, by tradition, this is where villagers meet when there are local issues to be discussed. The ball room at the farm, the ground floor of the tall slate-rooved extension seen in the picture of St Andew's Chapel was used as the polling station for national and local elections until 2003, when postal voting became the norm in West Norfolk.

This picture was taken on 19 June 2004, shortly after a number of the large trees surrounding the house were cut down.

Page updated: 1 May 2006