Congham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
It is situated some east of the town of King's Lynn and west of the city of Norwich.
History Congham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a farmstead or homestead built upon a mound.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, Congham is recorded as a settlement of 54 households located in the hundred of Freebridge. The village was divided between the estates of William de Warenne and Berner the Bowman.
Congham Oil Mill was built in the village in 1797 and was used to process whale carcasses into oils and other products. The whales were brought to Congham from King's Lynn.
In 1973, remains of a Roman villa were discovered close to Congham. Several artefacts were recovered from the site and are now exhibited in King's Lynn Museum.
Since the 1960s, Congham has hosted an annual snail race.
Geography According to the 2021 census, the population of Congham is 236 people which shows a decrease from the 241 people listed in the 2011 census.
The River Cong rises close to the village and joins the River Babingley close to Hillington.
The A148, between King's Lynn and Cromer, and the B1153, between Narborough and Brancaster.
St. Andrew's Church Congham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and dates from the thirteenth century. St Andrew's is located on Saint Andrew's Lane and has been Grade II listed since 1960.
St Andrew's was heavily restored in the Victorian era and boasts a thirteenth-century Purbeck Marble font, as well as a pulpit produced by the Royal Woodcarving Workshop associated with nearby Sandringham House.
Congham Railway Bridge From the late 19th century, the Congham area was served by the Lynn & Fakenham Railway, later part of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway. A railway bridge at Congham was designed by the M&GNJR engineer William Marriott, pioneering an innovative system of reinforced concrete components and blockwork. In 2021, National Highways infilled the bridge with hundreds of tonnes of aggregate and concrete, but without planning permission. The railway route had been identified as part of a proposed footpath and cycleway between King’s Lynn and Fakenham, and in January 2023 King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council demanded that National Highways submit a retrospective planning application. National Highways' retrospective planning application received 280 objections.
Notable residents Sir Henry Spelman- (1562-1641) antiquary, born in Congham. Thomas Norris MP- (d.1607) politician, born in Congham. Robert Elwes- (1819-1878) painter and traveller, lived in Congham. Ysabel Birkbeck- (1859-1934) toymaker and philanthropist, born in Congham. Henry, Baron Bellingham- (b.1955) politician and barrister, lives in Congham.
Governance Congham is part of the electoral ward of Gayton & Grimston for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.
The village's national constituency is North West Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's James Wild MP since 2010.
War Memorial Congham's war memorials are two marble plaques inside St. Andrew's Church. The memorials list the following names for the First World War: +RankNameUnitDate of deathBurialCPORichard M. SmithHMS Vanguard9 Jul. 1917Chatham Naval MemorialGnr.William Goodburn76th Bde., Royal Field Artillery23 Apr. 1917Liévin CemeteryPte.Harold Coomber6th Bn., Buffs3 May 1917Arras MemorialPte.Edward Smith6th Bn., Royal Dublin Fusiliers17 Oct. 1918Highland CemeteryPte.Horace Rallison8th Bn., Middlesex Regiment1 Apr. 1917Agny CemeteryPte.Herbert J. Grief2nd Bn., Norfolk Regiment17 Apr. 1916Basra MemorialPte.Frederick Smith9th Bn., Northumberland Fusiliers15 Apr. 1918Ploegsteert Memorial And, T. A. Harper. And, the following for the Second World War: +RankNameUnitDate of deathBurialMaj.John H. Elwes2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment28 May 1940Dunkirk MemorialLSStanley R. MasonHMS Arethusa18 Nov. 1942Chatham Naval MemorialPte.Wilfred Utteridge8th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment14 May 1941St. Andrew's Churchyard
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