Smallburgh Parish Council

Smallburgh is a sprawling village over an area of 1,255 acres. The village straddles the A149 road that links King’s Lynn to Great Yarmouth. The community is bordered to the north and east by the River Ant and dykes and to the south and west by tracks and hedgerows. The name of the village means 'bank or hillock of the Smale', the Smale being the old name for the River Ant.

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Smallburgh Workhouse

 

A large workhouse was located at the east side of what is still known as Workhouse Road in the village. It was built in 1725 and extended in 1836.  It appears to have had a large H-shaped main building with a number of other smaller ancillary buildings. Records indicate that the workhouse could accommodate 800 souls although in 1876 there were only 51 people there.  The Tunstead workhouse issued its own coinage in the form of workhouse tokens in the early 19th century when there was a national shortage of copper coins. The tokens could be spent locally to buy bread and other basic commodities. The graveyard where people were buried when they died in the workhouse lies to the south of the site.  The Parish Council is responsibible for the upkeep of the burial grounds.  The Union Workhouse, for the Hundreds of Tunstead, as it was known, closed its doors when the National Health Service was founded in 1948 and much of the old workhouse was demolished in the 1950s. It is thought that because the workhouse was situated in the village, the local district council was the Smallburgh Rural District Council and, indeed, members of that council met in the board room of the workhouse until its closure.

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The Parish Church

 

Smallburgh’s parish church is called St Peter’s and dates from the 13th century with the walls being raised in height and large windows being incorporated into the building in 1400. The 13th-century church stands on the site of an earlier Norman building. The first rector recorded is Henry Hemingburgh, in 1305, but the register of St Benet-at-Holme records the presentation of John of Smallburgh as rector in 1186. In 1677 the church tower collapsed bringing down the west wall with it and damaging the font. For many years the church was in a state of disrepair. A makeshift tower was constructed in 1822 but in 1902 the present bell cote was constructed and the west wall rebuilt. The long timescale of these repairs was because the village was very poor at that time, and the church had to use its money for the care of the poor. The church is still in use and is open for worship. It was also featured in the Doctor Who fan-film Time of Zygon.

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Smallburgh Drainage Mill

 

A short distance east of the village across the A149 and on the banks of the River Ant can be found the remains of what was Smallburgh or Moy's drainage mill. The mill was built to drain the marshes into the river. The mill's name relates to Percy M. Moy who lived at Smallburgh Manor in the 1920s and ran Manor Farm containing land drained by the mill. The mill only had a small tower which was later heightened and in later years two pairs of patent sails, each with five bays of shutters, were fitted along with a very small cap, a gallery and an eight-bladed fan. The sails of the mill powered a scoopwheel which was set on a shaft which extended beyond the wheel to allow for an auxiliary engine drive. The mill was still working under wind power in 1935. Today all that remains is an 8 ft high stump of the mill tower although it is still working but has a Lister diesel engine to power it.

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Smallburgh Tower Windmill

 

Close to both Smallburgh and nearby Wayford Bridge stands Smallburgh tower windmill. The mill was built in 1850 by millwrights England’s of Ludham and stood four storeys and 30 feet tall. The diameter at the base of the mill measures 14 feet, and the walls are 18 inches thick. The configuration of the mill was of four double-shuttered patent sails, each with five bays of three shutters and one bay of four shutters, struck by rack and pinion via a chain pole that drove a 14-foot-diameter,9-inch-wide scoop wheel and a pair of under driven 3-foot-6-inch French burr stones on the first floor. The Norfolk boat-shaped cap had a petticoat at the sides and an extension to the horizontally-boarded front. The cap was turned to wind by a fan of eight blades. Today the mill no longer has its cap.

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Village Amenities

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• The Crown Inn, North Walsham Road (A149)

• The village hall

• A garage for Petrol, repairs and car wash at Wayford Bridge

• Smallburgh Staithe (Unwin’s Boatyard) for the Broads

• Lawnmower sales and repairs

• Playing Fields. The playing field in Smallburgh was recently provided with new playing equipment; there was a grand opening.

• Bowls Club

• Art groups that meet at the Village Hall

• St Peter's Church

• Mobile Post Office

• Mobile Library Service

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