Dereham is steeped
in history and was originally established as a religious community
by Withburga, daughter of a Saxon king. The churchyard is where St
Withburga’s well can be found. It is said that Withburga’s
body was laid to rest here and that a well sprang from her tomb when
her remains were stolen by the Abbott of Ely.
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. Every Friday there is a large market offering
a good variety of merchandise; a smaller market is held on Tuesdays
and a monthly farmers’ market is held at the railway station.
Dereham has a wide
choice of restaurants, pubs and tea-rooms and a good selection of
shops. There are sports facilities for tennis, golf, swimming and
bowls and an abundance of picturesque spots to take a walk like
the Neatherd Moor or the Vicarage Meadow. Other places of interest
are Dereham’s 19th century windmill and also Bishop Bonner’s
Cottage, which is the home of the town museum.
The Church of St Nicholas was built by the Normans in the 13th
century and, during the 16th century, a separate bell tower was
added. This was used as a prison during the Napoleonic wars.
Dereham has been
home to some famous inhabitants including William Cowper, the 18th
century poet, and author George Borrow who mentioned the town in
his work ‘Lavengro’.
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