East Dereham Windmill
Horses in St Mary's Abbey's Grounds
Diesel Locomotive in Dareham StationCharming historic market town Dereham in the heart of Norfolk sits just off main through road the A47 and is perfectly situated for touring nearby Norwich, the Norfolk Broads, Thetford Forest and the Norfolk Coast.
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This central Breckland large town, the 5th largest in Norfolk, boasts a wide choice of fine pubs and restaurants, plus ample choice of Dereham hotels and accommodation. Dereham Markets take place weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays at Market Place, with Dereham Farmers' Market also taking place here on the second Saturday of each month. The Dereham Festival with lots of great live music bands is held annually in the town in late May.
Running through 11 miles of delightful Norfolk countryside between Dereham south east to Wymondham, the Mid-Norfolk Railway is a great day out for visitors.
Historic station buildings are at station stops en-route including Yaxham, Thuxton, Hardingham and Kimberley Park. Visitors can disembark at these pretty village station stops for walking and cycling. Villages like Yaxham have fascinating village trails taking in historic mills and medieval farms.
Dereham station, situated just a few minutes walk from Dereham town centre, is home to the Mid-Norfolk Railway museum collection. Here you can discover the fascinating story of the railways in central Norfolk with reference particularly to the heritage Mid-Norfolk Line. Vintage train specials, Diesel Galas, Santa Specials and Jazz train events take place through the year on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
Dereham has Saxon origins and a Saxon Saint Withburga who founded a monastery here in Dereham. There are treasured historic sites in the town including Bishop Bonner's Cottage, now a museum, dating from the early 16th century and the spectacular medieval St Nicholas church Dereham, widely considered to be one of the greatest medieval churches in Britain.
The intricately carved seven sacrament font in St Nicolas Dereham dates from 1468 and is a breathtaking sight. A memorial to the poet William Cowper, who lived briefly in Dereham as well as in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire is within the graveyard at St Nicholas.
The free entry Bishop Bonner's Cottage Museum in Dereham dating from 1502 contains displays on the history and archaeology of historic Dereham and the surrounding central Norfolk area. The museum is named after Bishop Edmund Bonner, Rector of Dereham from 1534 to 1540 who went on in 1540 to become Bishop of London. 'Bloody Bonner' as he was called was renowned for his persecution of Protestants during the reign of Queen Mary. The museum contains displays and more information on Bishop Bonner's life and sells a range of local history books, cards and souvenirs.
Dereham is a fantastic gateway holiday base into Norfolk. Dereham's central position in the heart of Norfolk makes it one of the best bases from which to tour the county including daytrips to nearby historic Norwich, cycling in Thetford Forest and boat trips in the Norfolk Broads.
Outstanding Freehouse Dereham pubs serving fine home cooked food and real ale are a great feature in this historic Norfolk market town and a major reason why the town is so popular as a Norfolk holiday base. Discover a selection of great real ale inn B&B hotels in Dereham, some of which are stunning historic old 17th century inns with in-house premier restaurants. Character family run guesthouses in Dereham are also available.
Visitors based in Dereham are in prime traditional Norfolk pub territory and you can expect to find some of the finest local real ales and hearty locally sourced pub food served in Dereham pub inns. A wide choice of country inns and fine restaurants can also be found in the many picturesque villages around Dereham such as Swanton Morley, North Elmham and North Tuddenham. Browse listings for traditional real ale Dereham pubs and charming inn B&B hotels in Dereham here on iknow East Anglia.
Dereham villages also boast a great choice of farmhouse B&Bs, caravan parks and beautiful self catering holiday cottages and farm cottages. Find farm cottages in Swanton Morley and accommodation in Dereham villages ideally close to popular fishing lakes in the area listed here on iknow East Anglia.
Diesel Loco image contributed by Dan Davison. East Dereham Windmill image contributed by Roger Gilberston. St Mary's Abbey Grounds image contributed by Tony Thomas. All images are copyrighted but licensed for further reuse under the Creative Commons License.
