Watton is 21 miles west
of Norwich,
with the Broads
and the East
Coast not far away, and is the smallest of Breckland’s
five towns.
The Parish Church of St Mary dates from the 12th Century and has
a Norman tower with an octagonal belfry. Watton also has a Methodist
Church situated in the High Street and both have regular services.
In the High Street there is an unusual clock tower, which dates
from 1679 AD. This was erected after a fire destroyed much of the
town in 1674, reputedly so that its bells could warn townsfolk should
such a disaster strike again.
On the town sign are the two ‘babes’ from the popular
fairytale. It is said that the nearby Wayland Wood is where the
two ‘babes in the wood’ unfortunately met their fate.
The hare (wat) and barrel (tun) also feature on the town sign showing
the derivation of the town name.
Watton has a thriving
community with a bustling high street where you can purchase the
locally made ‘Wayland Sausage’ and ‘Wayland Bap’.
Wednesday is market day with an additional farmers’ market
held on the first Saturday of every month.
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