Claxton, Norfolk
| Claxton | |
|---|---|
 St. Andrew's, Claxton |
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 Claxton
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| Claxton shown within Norfolk | |
| Area | 4.07 km2 (1.57 sq mi) |
| Population | 291 (2011) |
| • Density | 71/km2 (180/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TG344031 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORWICH |
| Postcode district | NR14 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Claxton is a small village 8.5 miles (13.7 km) south-east of Norwich, and south of the River Yare, between Rockland St. Mary and Loddon in South Norfolk, England. In the 2001 census it contained 85 households and a population of 244, the population increasing to 291 at the 2011 census. Just to the south lie the small villages of Ashby St Mary and Carleton St Peter.
To the east of the village are the remains of Claxton Castle, which dates from the mid-14th century, licences to crenellate having been granted in 1340 and 1376. Situated on private land in the grounds of Claxton Manor House it comprises a massive brick-and-flint wall 130 feet (40 m) long with six bastions. Claxton Manor House itself was built in the reign of Elizabeth I but has a Victorian façade. The Manor was bought in 1946 by Major Derek Allhusen, who achieved fame as a horseman winning team gold and individual silver at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Derek Allhusen died in 2000.
To the south-west of the village lies Claxton Church. It is thought that the Saxon settlement which would have been built around it moved down to the marsh edge in the Middle Ages. The church has a thatched scissor-beam roof with basketweave sarking. The flint tower is unbuttressed and dates from the 14th century, though much restored.
Between 1926 and 1936 a narrow gauge railway ran the 1 mile (1.6 km) from Claxton Manor Farm in the village north to the south bank of the River Yare. In 1928 it was extended south to Staines Barn, just east of the church. It was used to transport sugar beet bound for the factory at Cantley which was loaded onto wherries at the river. It used 2-foot (610 mm) gauge jubilee track and a converted Model T Ford as motive power.
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Wikipedia