Keswick, South Norfolk

Keswick is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Keswick and Intwood, in the English county of Norfolk.
Keswick is located east of Wymondham and south-west of Norwich.

Etymology

Keswick's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the farm specialising in cheese.

History

In the Domesday Book, Keswick is listed as a settlement of 38 households in the hundred of Humbleyard. In 1086, the village was divided between the East Anglian estates of Roger Bigod and Godric the Steward.
A watermill is recorded in Keswick since the time of the Norman Conquest, along the River Yare. The current building was built in the Nineteenth Century and has now been converted into private residences.
Keswick Hall was built in the Nineteenth Century by William Wilkins in the Regency style for the Gurney family. The hall was requisitioned during the Second World War and was later used as a teacher training college.

All Saints' Church

Keswick's church is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches, dating from the Twelfth Century. All Saints' is located close to Low Road and has been Grade II listed since 1987. The church is open once a month for Sunday service.
All Saints' holds a stained-glass window designed by William Morris in the 1950s which depicts Saint Hope.

Notable residents

General Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt- senior British Army officer, Chief of the General Staff.
Sir Thomas Gresham- merchant and financier, link to Keswick unknown.
Hudson Gurney- antiquary and politician, lived in Keswick.
Anna Gurney- geologist and philanthropist, lived and died in Keswick.
Darren Huckerby- Coventry City and Norwich City footballer, lives in Keswick.
Jake Humphrey- television presenter, grew-up in Keswick.
Governance

Keswick is part of the electoral ward of Cringleford 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

Keswick's war memorial is a marble plaque affixed to the exterior of All Saints' Church which lists the following names for the First World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of death	Burial/Commemoration
Sjt.	Edward V. Edwards	9th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	7 May 1918	All Saints' Churchyard
Gnr.	William R. Gooch	5th Bty., Royal Garrison Artillery	21 Nov. 1916	Karasouli War Cemetery
Pte.	Alfred G. Bailey	13th Bn., Royal Fusiliers	15 Nov. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Edgar H. Larwood	7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	1 Nov. 1918	Norwich Cemetery
Pte.	William H. Evenden	8th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	21 Oct. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	James B. Edwards	7th Bn., Suffolk Regiment	8 Apr. 1918	All Saints' Churchyard
Pte.	George E. Brock	8th Bn., York and Lancaster Regiment	12 Oct. 1917	Tyne Cot
Rfn.	William G. A. Ashfield	16th Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps	12 Oct. 1918	Vis-en-Artois Memorial

The following names were added after the Second World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of death	Burial/Commemoration
Capt.	James E. D. Lowe	2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment	9 Feb. 1945	Taukkyan War Cemetery
Gnr.	Leonard L. Bumfrey	65 AT Regt., Royal Artillery	1 Jun. 1940	Dunkirk Town Cemetery