Dunston, Norfolk


Dunston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Stoke Holy Cross, in the South Norfolk district of the English county of Norfolk.
Dunston is located east of Wymondham and south of Norwich, in the valley of the River Tas.

History

Dunston's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Dunn's or Dunni's settlement.
In the Domesday Book, Dunston is listed as a settlement of 35 households in the hundred of Humbleyard. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of Alan of Brittany, Roger Bigod, Godric the Steward, Ralph de Beaufour and an unnamed freeman.
Dunston Hall was built in the Elizabethan style in 1859 by John Chessell Buckler and later by Edward Boardman in 1878. Today, the hall is a luxury hotel, spa and golf course.

Geography

In 1931 the parish had a population of 63. On 1 April 1935 the civil parish was abolished and merged with Stoke Holy Cross.
Dunston Common is located within the village and is popular with walkers.

St. Remigius' Church

Dunston's village church is dedicated to Saint Remigius and dates from the Thirteenth Century. St. Remigius' is located on Stoke Lane and has been Grade II listed since 1959.
St. Remigius's tower was rebuilt in the Victorian era but the church still boasts a rood screen from the Fifteenth Century and stained-glass designed by J & J King of Norwich depicting Saint Remigius, Saint Christopher and Saint Nicomedes.

Governance

Dunston is part of the electoral ward of Mulbarton & Stoke Holy Cross for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.
The village's national constituency is South Norfolk which has been represented by the Labour's Ben Goldsborough MP since 2024.

War Memorial

Dunston's war memorial is solely for the First World War and is a wooden plaque inside St. Remigius' Church which lists the following names:
RankNameUnitDate of deathBurial
Sgt.Robert C. Rayneratt. Chinese Labour Corps29 Jan. 1920Fort Massey Cemetery
Gnr.William H. NuddsRoyal Field Artillery28 Jul. 1917Koksijde Cemetery
Gnr.William T. Rayner147th Bde., R.F.A.1 Nov. 1918Thiant Cemetery
Pte.Stephen H. Hubbard3rd Bn., Grenadier Guards31 Jul. 1917Menin Gate
Pte.Alfred J. Parfitt1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment27 Jul. 1916Thiepval Memorial
Pte.Frederick H. Bloom7th Bn., Norfolk Regt.17 Jul. 1915Nieppe Cemetery
Pte.Albert F. Jermy8th Bn., Norfolk Regt.1 Feb. 1917Varennes Cemetery
Pte.Frank Parfitt8th Bn., Norfolk Regt.19 Jul. 1916Thiepval Memorial
Pte.Frederick W. Loveday4th Bn., Worcestershire Regiment23 Apr. 1917Arras Memorial