Place to go in Wymondham
The Market Cross
Wymondham has probably had a Market Cross since the end of the thirteenth century, as in 1285 Edward I decreed 'that henceforth neither fairs nor markets be kept in churchyards'. We don't know exactly where the first Market Cross stood, but we know that the previous market hall burnt down, with many other buildings, in 1615. The Cross built in 1617-18 cost £25 and 7 shillings; the repairs and restoration in 1989 nearly £95,000.
It now houses the town's Tourist Information Centre, and makes a fine setting for the many events which take place in the market place during the summer months. The Tourist Information Centre is run by Wymondham Town Council and grant-aided by South Norfolk Council. It is open April to October, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm and November to March Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays 10am to 1pm. A very wide range a leaflets, brochures, gifts and other information is available. See also the Tourist Information Centre page for more details.
Telephone : 01953 604721 Email: wymondhamytic@btconnect.com
The Abbey
Founded in 1107 by William d'Albini, Chief Butler to Henry I as a Priory and a cell for his brother's abbey at St Alban, it was dedicated at the time to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Alban. This was later changed to St Mary and St Thomas of Canterbury.
When built, the church was intended to serve both the Benedictine monks and the parishioners of Wymondham, but the rights of each were unclear from the start and this led to many quarrels between the two factions, often concerning the hanging and ringing of the parish bells.These problems were eventually solved when the people erected the great West tower in 1445,and the Abbey gained its independence from St Albans in 1448. At the Dissolution in 1538 the Abbey church was granted to the people of Wymondham for payment at valuation. The blocking up of the East end to the ruined Monks' Tower, built about 1390, left a blank wall. The present great gilded screen by Sir Ninian Comper, planned in the 1901-1903 Restoration and finally completed in 1934 and dedicated to the people of Wymondham who died in the First World War, now fills the east wall.
Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 3pm in December to March, 10am to 4pm in April to November and on Sunday afternoons 2pm to 4pm in July and August.
For more details of Wymondham Abbey, please visit the Abbey website.
Becket's Chapel
Becket's Chapel This chapel was founded in 1174 by William d'Albini, son of the founder of the Abbey. During the Middle Ages it became a guild chapel, and each guild kept a light burning there. After the Dissolution it fell into disrepair, but in 1559 it was converted for the use of a grammar school. When the school moved in the early 1800s, the building was used as a coal store, with the town lock-up, stocks and fire engine kept in some of the adjacent buildings. It is now the town's library.
The Wymondham Bridewell There has been a bridewell or house of correction on this site since 1598. The present building was constructed as a model prison in 1785 on the recommendation of prison reformer John Howard, who condemned the earlier prison as one of the vilest in the country. It was a county prison until 1827, a women's house of correction from 1830 until 1878, a police station until 1963 and housed a Magistrates Court until 1991.
Bought by Wymondham Heritage Society in 1994 the complex is managed by the Bridewell Preservation Trust and among the community projects it accommodates are the British Red Cross (including Charity Shop and ambulance), the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Bridewell Tearooms as well as the award-winning Wymondham Heritage Museum, with many displays of local history and at least one new exhibition each year. The museum is open from March to November and opening hours are 10am to 4pm Mondays to Saturdays and 2pm to 4pm on Sundays.
Telephone 01953 600205.
The 'Green Dragon'
This late fifteenth century Inn is the oldest Inn in the town. It may once have been called 'St George and the Green Dragon'. The Tudor shop windows at the front indicate that it may have had other uses in the sixteenth century. The inside is as interesting as the exterior.
See also under Accommodation
Historic Railway Station
Built in 1845 on the Norwich - Ely line, the station and its section once employed over 100 staff. Still providing a rail link with Norwich, Cambridge, London, the Midlands and the North West, the award-winning station has been restored and its buildings house the "Brief Encounter" themed restaurant and tea rooms, piano showroom, a railway museum and gift shop.
Opening hours are Mondays to Sundays 9.30am to 4.00pm. Telephone 01953 606433 The "Bejewelled" handcrafted jewellery showroom and 'one' railway ticket office are also located at the station.
Visit our website: www.wymondham-station.com
Mid-Norfolk Railway
Opened in 1847 and closed in 1989, the Wymondham to Dereham railway line re-opened in 1999 to write a new chapter in local railway history. The 11-mile single line runs through the heart of rural Norfolk, past unchanged village stations to link two attractive historic market towns.
Norfolk's newest heritage railway is staffed entirely by volunteers and operates diesel services at weekends and some weekdays with steam services planned for 2005. The line will be extended north to Elmham and eventually, it is hoped, to Fakenham. A tea-room, shop and small museum are located at the railway's headquarters in Dereham. Special events, including popular Santa Specials, take place throughout the year. Telephone : 01362 690633.
See also the Mid Norfolk Railway website.
Riverside Walks
The river Tiffey links a series of attractive open spaces - the Lizard, Toll's Meadow nature reserve and Becketswell - into a 'green corridor' through the town. A short stroll past the Abbey leads to the Tiffey Valley Walk where riverside footpaths give fine views of typical Norfolk valley landscapes, and you may spot a heron or a kingfisher.
Town Council land purchases and the co-operation and goodwill of trustees and landowners have made all these areas available for public enjoyment.
take a look at the Tiffey Trail pages