OS grid reference TG262392 Post town CROMER Dialling code 01263 | Sovereign state United Kingdom Area 173 ha | |
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Population 370 (parish, 2001 census) | ||
Sidestrand is a village and a civil parish on the coast of the English county of Norfolk. The village is 23.7 mi (38.1 km) north of Norwich, 3.3 mi (5.3 km) south east of Cromer and 138 mi (222 km) north-east of London. The nearest railway station is at North Walsham for the Bittern Line which runs between Cromer and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport. From the Census 2011 the population was included in the civil parish of Trimingham.
Contents
- Map of Sidestrand UK
- History
- The Parish Church of Saint Michael
- Coastline
- Other items of interest
- References
Map of Sidestrand, UK
History
The name Sidestrand is thought to derive from the old English word "sid", meaning broad or spacious, and the Danish "strond", meaning shore. The area was immortalised as "Poppyland" in the writings of the Victorian journalist Clement Scott.
The Parish Church of Saint Michael
The church of Sidestrand, St Michael, is one of 124 round-tower churches in Norfolk. Much of its material comes from an earlier church that became too close to the cliff. The earlier church was demolished, apart from the tower which was left as a landmark. The tower and graveyard became known as "The Garden of Sleep" - after Clement Scott's poem. Politician Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood (1880-1959) is buried in the churchyard. The tower finally fell into the sea in 1916.
Coastline
The section of cliffs at Sidestrand is one of the wildest parts of the Norfolk coast due to its rapid erosion. Its beaches and dramatic cliffs are less accessible than most others along this part of the coastline. The 50m high cliffs contain glacial sediments and structures and its beach is popular with petrologists and fossil hunters.
Other items of interest
Sidestrand Hall was the family home of Sir Samuel Hoare (later created 1st Viscount Templewood) before becoming Sidestrand Hall School, which caters for boys and girls aged 8 to 16 years with moderate learning difficulties.
The windmill in the village was blown over in a gale in 1921.
Sidestrand Halt was a railway station on the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway which briefly served the Norfolk village from 1936 to 1953. The line ran between Cromer and Mundesley.
The Sidestrand biplane bomber was named after the village; being made at the Boulton & Paul aircraft factory in Norwich in the late 1920s.