Aylsham | |
---|---|
The Church of St Michael and All Angels |
|
Aylsham shown within Norfolk | |
Area | 17.52 km2 (6.76 sq mi) |
Population | 5,504 (2001) 6,016 (2011) |
• Density | 314/km2 (810/sq mi) |
OS grid reference | TG1927 |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | NORWICH |
Postcode district | NR11 |
Dialling code | 01263 |
Police | Norfolk |
Fire | Norfolk |
Ambulance | East of England |
EU Parliament | East of England |
UK Parliament | |
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, 18 kilometres (11 mi) upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain, coal and timber to be brought up river.
The town is close to large estates and grand country houses at Blickling, Felbrigg, Mannington and Wolterton, which are important tourist attractions.
The civil parish has an area of 17.52 square kilometres and in the 2001 census had a population of 5,504 in 2448 households, reducing to a population of 3,999 in 1,591 households at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of Broadland.
Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the town has been occupied since prehistoric times. Aylsham is just over two miles (3 km) from a substantial Roman settlement at Brampton, linked to Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund, south of Norwich, by a Roman road which can still be traced in places - that site was a bustling industrial centre with maritime links to the rest of the empire. Excavations in the 1970s provided evidence of several kilns, showing that this was an industrial centre, pottery and metal items being the main items manufactured.