About Weeting
Surrounded on three sides by the Thetford Forest Park, Weeting is a village in the Breckland District of Norfolk, though geographically close to the border with Suffolk. The current population is about 2,000.
To the South and West of the Village is the well-known nature reserve of Weeting Heath, a significant nesting site for one of Britain’s most endangered birds, the Stone Curlew.
Weeting Village dates back to Saxon times. It is mentioned in the Doomsday Book as “Wetynge” (wet fields), and contains the Norman ruins of a fortified Manor House built by one of William the Conqueror’s sons-in-law, William de Warrenne. This is an English Heritage site, known as Weeting Castle. The parish Church of St. Mary’s is one of the 185 “Round Tower” Churches in the UK, and regularly attracts visitors from the Round Tower Churches Society. Whilst Weeting’s round tower is a nineteenth century restoration, it is a reminder of the village’s Saxon roots.
Present day Weeting stems largely from the development of land forming part of the Weeting Hall Estate in the years after the Second World War. Weeting Hall itself was demolished in 1954, and much of the estate had been used for military purposes during and after the war. The wide concrete roadways of Saxon Place were constructed by the army to park tanks on.
Weeting is a local services centre, with a thriving Primary School, a Village Shop and Post Office, a Garage, a Fish and Chip Shop and a Pub, aptly named “The Saxon”. There is a very well used Village Hall, hosting a large number of local clubs and societies, and a Lawn Bowls Club.
The Village Playing Field has recently been granted QE11 Diamond Jubilee Playing Field status, and is well equipped for children of all ages. There are both Junior and Senior Football Clubs.
The Weeting Steam Rally and Country Fair is held annually in July, and regularly attracts in excess of 20,000 visitors over the three days of the event.
“The Row”, believed to be the longest terrace of thatched cottages in the country is a much photographed landmark in the centre of the village.