Great Ellingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Great Ellingham is located north-west of Attleborough and south-west of Norwich. The civil parish also includes the hamlets of Bow Street and Stalland Common.
History Great Dunham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the larger settlement of Ella or Eli's people.
In the Domesday Book, Great Ellingham is listed as a settlement of 47 households in the hundred of Shropham. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Henry de Ferrers and Ralph de Beaufour.
Several Fifteenth Century buildings have survived in Great Ellingham including Mill Farmhouse, Tannery Farm and Ye Olde Thatche Shoppe.
Great Ellingham Windmill was built in 1849 and ceased working in 1922. Today, the windmill is in the process of redevelopment.
RAF Deopham Green spills into the parish of Great Ellingham which was home to the 452nd Bomb Wing of the US Eighth Air Force.
Geography According to the 2021 census, Great Ellingham has a population of 1,267 people which shows an increase from the 1,132 people recorded in the 2011 census.
Great Ellingham is located on the B1077, between Carbrooke and Ipswich.
St. James' Church Great Ellingham's church is dedicated to Saint James and dates from the Fourteenth Century. The church is located within the village on Church Street and has been Grade I listed since 1958. St. James' remains open for Sunday services once a month.
St. James' was heavily restored in the Victorian era as well as stained-glass installed by King & Son of Norwich.
Amenities Great Ellingham Primary is part of the Great Ellingham & Rocklands Schools Federation.
The Crown Pub has stood in the parish since 1784. The pub remains open to this day.
Teddy Bear Festival The village is locally renowned for its annual Teddy Bear Festival, which runs for two weeks in July. Alongside other events, villagers build and display straw bears in their gardens to create a "Teddy Bear Trail". Since the start of the festival in 2004, around £50,000 has been raised for local good causes and charities.
Governance Great Ellingham is part of the electoral ward of All Saints & Wayland for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.
The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy MP since 2024.
War Memorial Great Ellingham's war memorial is built into the wall of St. James' Churchtower and lists the following names for the First World War: +RankNameUnitDate of deathBurial/CommemorationPOSt.Edward W. J. HannanHMS Black Prince31 May 1916Portsmouth MemorialSgt.Charles F. Bilverstone182nd Coy., Machine Gun Corps8 Aug. 1916Loos MemorialPte.George R. Saunders2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment29 Aug. 1918Combles CemeteryPte.Edward V. P. Rosher4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regt.23 Apr. 1917Arras MemorialPte.George R. Wilkins1st Bn., The Buffs15 Sep. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Ernest E. Saunders11th Bn., Essex Regiment28 May 1918Voormezeele EnclosuresPte.Arthur J. Groom8th Bn., Royal Fusiliers28 Dec. 1916Cambrai MemorialPte.Henry Leverett11th Bn., Middlesex Regiment12 May 1917Arras MemorialPte.John J. Reeder1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment4 Sep. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.John Lincoln2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt.15 Dec. 1916Haydarpaşa CemeteryPte.Ernest J. Barham1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt.2 Nov. 1917Gaza War CemeteryPte.Alfred H. Beales1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt.19 Apr. 1917Jerusalem MemorialPte.Albert E. Fox8th Bn., Norfolk Regt.1 Jul. 1916Carnoy Military CemeteryPte.Arthur Hall9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.15 Sep. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Sidney Hoy9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.18 Oct. 1918St. Sever CemeteryPte.Arthur Macro2/7th Bn., Warwickshire Regiment6 Jun. 1918Hamburg Cemetery The following names were added after the Second World War: +RankNameUnitDate of deathBurial/CommemorationCpl.Alec G. W. Dove6th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment6 Dec. 1943Chungkai War CemeteryA2CDora M. HudsonWomen's Auxiliary Air Force21 Aug. 1943St. James' ChurchyardMne.Arthur L. StubbingsRoyal Marines att. HMS Repulse10 Dec. 1941Plymouth Naval MemorialPte.Basil F. Daniels4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment11 Feb. 1942Kranji War CemeteryPte.Robert P. Etheridge4th Bn., Royal Norfolks13 Feb. 1942Kranji War MemorialPte.Stanley F. Giles4th Bn., Royal Norfolks14 Dec. 1942Chungkai War Cemetery
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