Longham


Longham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
The village lies north-west of Dereham and north-west of Norwich.

History

Longham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the homestead of Lawa's people.
In the Domesday Book, Longham is listed as a settlement of 3 households in the hundred of Launditch. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Hermer de Ferrers.
Robert Howlett, a pioneering photographer, grew-up in the parsonage at Longham. He was famed for photographing Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1857 as well as certain episodes of the Crimean War.
During the Second World War, part of the parish became RAF Wendling which opened in 1943 for the use of the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces who kept some forces at the site until 1961.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Longham has a population of 236 people which shows an increase from the 224 people recorded in the 2011 census.

Church of St. Andrew and St. Peter

Longham's parish church is jointly dedicated to Saint Andrew and Saint Peter and dates from the Fifteenth Century. St. Andrew & St. Peter's is located just off Reed Lane and has been Grade II listed since 1960. The church is open for monthly Sunday service and is part of the Launditch Benefice.
St. Andrew and St. Peter's Churchtower was largely rebuilt in the mid-Eighteenth Century.

Governance

Longham is part of the electoral ward of Lincoln 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

Longham War Memorial is a small stone memorial located in St. Peter and St. Andrew's Churchyard. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:
RankNameUnitDate of deathBurial/Commemoration
Pte.Stephen M. Watts1st Bn., The Buffs3 Jan. 1919Südfriedhof
Pte.John F. Rudd1st Bn., East Surrey Regiment13 Mar. 1917Gorre British & Indian Cemetery
Pte.Thomas C. Fiddy1st Bn., Essex Regiment6 Aug. 1915Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery
Pte.Leslie Thompson30th Coy., Machine Gun Corps19 Oct. 1918Terlincthun British Cemetery
Pte.Ernest R. Purple142nd Coy., M.G.C.5 May 1916Arras Memorial
Pte.Richard Thompson7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment14 Oct. 1916Heilly Station Cemetery
Pte.Frederick Webster7th Bn., Norfolk Regt.6 Nov. 1915Bethune Town Cemetery
Rfn.George KirkKing's Royal Rifle Corps29 Sep. 1918Ss. Peter & Andrew's Churchyard