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Map sources for Thetford at grid reference TL8783

Coordinates: 52°25′0.94″N, 0°45′26.79″E Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland area of Norfolk, England. Thetford has many picturesque buildings built in the local flint stone. In recent years (since 2001) it has become home to a substantial Portuguese and East European migrant population. The town now boasts a large number of Portuguese and East European shops and cafes making for a diverse eating and shopping experience along with the towns own wealth of history.

The civil parish has an area of 29.55 km² and in the 2001 census had a population of 21,588 in 8,882 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of Breckland.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Location 3 References 4 Trivia 5 External links

In the Anglo-Saxon period, Thetford was the home of the monarchs of East Anglia and was seat of a bishopric. Castle Hill is the highest Norman motte in England though no trace remains of the castle which once surmounted it, The mound (motte) is open to the public, and provides an excellent view of the town from its summit or the extensive earthworks. It is situated in a public park, near the Three Nuns Bridges and close to the town centre overlooking the rivers.

Thetford contains a ruined Cluniac priory which dates from the 12th century and whose remains are open to the public. The Priory was closed in the Reformation. It is reputedly haunted and was the subject of an episode of the television series Ghosthunters, another episode of which featured the alleged haunting of the Bell Inn also in Thetford. Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and other early Tudor Dynasty officials were once buried here before their removal to Framlingham.

In the eighteenth century the town was the birthplace of famous radical Thomas Paine, a statue of him stands in King Street in Thetford, Norfolk: his place of birth; the statue holds a quill and his book, The Rights of Man; the book is upside down.

Today, the surrounding Breckland has been largely replaced by the Thetford Forest though Thetford Chase remains.

Thetford has an annual Autumn Equinox Festival, where astronomers get together (including Patrick Moore and co. from The Sky at Night) to stargaze. Thetford has been chosen as the site for the UK's Star Party as it is centrally located and has dark skies as it is in a fairly rural area.

Thetford has a local football team called Thetford Town F.C.

Thetford is home to the STORM Concert Event that has been running for over 4 years.

Schools in Thetford include Raleigh, Drake, Admirals, Redcastle Furze, Norwich road Primary and Thetford Grammar. High schools include Rosemary Musker High School and Charles Burrell (commonly called "Musker and Charlie".)

Thetford is on the A11 road between Norwich and London and is served by Thetford railway station, served by the oddly named 'one' running services between Norwich and Cambridge, and by Central Trains, running services from Norwich to Liverpool via either Sheffield and Manchester or Birmingham and Manchester. From Cambridge, regular services run to London King's Cross.

Since 1966 Thetford has had a twin towns in Germany and Poland: Hürth near Köln (Cologne) and Skawina near Cracow.

1. ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Retrieved December 2, 2005.

Thetford doubled for Walmington-on-Sea in the long-running BBC-1 TV series, Dad's Army.

• Map sources for Thetford.
• Information from Genuki Norfolk on Thetford.
• Thetford Tourism website