Langford, Norfolk

Buckenham Tofts (or Buckenham Parva; Little Buckenham) is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Stanford, in the Breckland district, in the county of Norfolk, England, situated about 7 miles north of Thetford, and since 1942 situated within the Stanford Training Area, a 30,000-acre military training ground closed to the public. It was situated about one mile south of the small village of Langford, with its Church of St Andrew, and about one mile west of Stanford, with its All Saints' Church and one mile north of West Tofts, with its Church of St Mary, all deserted and demolished villages. None of these settlements (except West Tofts) are shown on modern maps but are simply replaced by "Danger Area" in red capital letters. In 1931 the parish had a population of 60. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Stanford.It is situated within Breckland heath, a large area of dry sandy soil unsuited to agriculture. The parish church of Buckenham Tofts, dedicated to St Andrew, was demolished centuries ago and stood to the immediate north of Buckenham Tofts Hall, the now-demolished manor house, as is evidenced by a graveyard which was discovered in that location. The parishioners, few as they were, used nearby St Mary's Church, West Tofts, one mile to the south, where survive 18th-century monuments to the Partridge family of Buckenham Tofts. In 1738 the Norfolk historian Blomefield stated of Buckenham Tofts "there is nothing remaining of this old village, but the Hall, and the miller's house". The ancient manor house was rebuilt in 1803 by the Petre family in the Georgian style and on a grand scale, was sold with the large estate in 1904 and was finally demolished by the army in 1946, having suffered major damage from military training exercises and shelling. In the early 21st century the remains of the manor house were described as follows: "a grassy platform of raised ground and beside a short line of dilapidated stone steps. The raised ground made a sort of elevated lawn, large enough for a tennis court or two, and the steps went to the top of the platform, and then went nowhere."

Bodney is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Hilborough, in the Breckland district, in the county of Norfolk, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 70.

Royal Air Force Bodney or more simply RAF Bodney is a former Royal Air Force Station located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of Watton, Norfolk, England. Originally built as an RAF Bomber Command airfield during 1939-1940, Bodney was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces in the summer of 1943. Placed under the jurisdiction of VIII Fighter Command of Eighth Air Force, it was primarily the home of the 352d Fighter Group, the "Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney". The unit briefly moved to Belgium in January 1945 due to the Battle of the Bulge, although it returned in April. It was closed after the 352d returned to the United States in November.

Old Bodney Camp is a 32.8-hectare (81-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Little Cressingham in Norfolk. It is part of the Breckland Special Protection Area.This area of heath is maintained by rabbit grazing. It has some areas of grassland and others dominated by lichen and moss. There are two nationally rare moths, Noctua orbona and Scopula rubiginata, which are almost confined to the Breckland region.The site is private land with no public access.

Stanford is a deserted village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated 7+1⁄2 miles (12 km) north of the town of Thetford and 25 miles (40 km) southwest of the city of Norwich.The name of the village derives from Old English and means "stony ford".The village became deserted when it was taken over by the British Army during the Second World War as part of the Stanford Battle Area, an infantry training area that is still in use. The village and most of the parish are within a restricted area and access is not allowed without special permission from the Army.The parish church of All Saints, like the other surviving churches within the training area, is fitted with blast-proof sheeting to protect the structure, and wire fencing surrounds the church and churchyard to protect from military manoeuvres.The civil parish has an area of 5.26 sq mi (13.6 km2) and in the 2001 census had a population of eight in four households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of Breckland. At the 2011 census the population remained less than 100 and was included in the civil parish of Croxton.

West Tofts is a deserted village located in civil parish of Lynford in the English county of Norfolk. The village became deserted when it was taken over by the British Army during the Second World War as part of the Stanford Battle Area, an infantry training area that is still in use today. The village and most of the parish are within a prohibited area and access is not allowed without special permission from the Army.[1]

Lynford Hall is a neo-Jacobean country house at Mundford, near Thetford in the English county of Norfolk. It is now a hotel.

Hilborough is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south of Swaffham, 25.4 miles (40.9 km) west-southwest of Norwich and 93.2 miles (150.0 km) north-northeast of London. The population of the parish (including Bodney) at the 2011 Census was 243. The village straddles the A1065 between Swaffham and Brandon. The nearest railway station is at Brandon for the Breckland Line which runs between Cambridge and Norwich.

Swaffham Rural District was a rural district in Norfolk, England from 1894 to 1974.It was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 based on the Swaffham rural sanitary district. It almost completely encircled Swaffham Urban District. In 1935 it took in a small part of Downham Rural District to complete the encirclement of urban Swaffham. It also took in the central section of the disbanded Thetford Rural District. In 1974, the district was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, and became part of the Breckland district.

Ickburgh is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A1065 Mildenhall to Fakenham road, some 5.5 miles (8.9 km) north of Brandon and 9 miles (14 km) south of Swaffham. The village is 36 miles (58 km) from the city of Norwich and 89 miles (143 km) from London. The population (including Cranwich) and Didlington was 309 in 134 households at the 2011 Census. The parish has an area of 1,221 hectares (3,020 acres) and in the 2001 census had a population of 245 in 99 households. The parish shares boundaries with the adjacent parishes of Hilborough, Foulden, Didlington, Mundford, Lynford and Stanford. The parish falls within the district of Breckland. Local government responsibilities are shared between the parish, district and county councils.The villages name means 'Ic(c)a's fortification'.

The Stanford Training Area (STANTA), originally known as the Stanford Battle Area, is a British Army training area situated in the English county of Norfolk. The area is approximately 30,000 acres (120 km2) in size; it is some 7 miles (11 km) north of the town of Thetford and 25 miles (40 km) south-west of the city of Norwich.[1] The site is run by the Mission Ready Training Centre (MRTC).

Stanford Training Area SSSI is part of the British Army Stanford Training Area. It is a 4,678-hectare (11,560-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Thetford in Norfolk. It is a Nature Conservation Review site and part of it is a Geological Conservation Review site. It is also part of the Breckland Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area.This site contains an extensive area of species-rich Breckland grassland and heath. Wetlands and pools have wildfowl and many rare invertebrates. The Devil's Punchbowl is geologically important for its deep depression formed by the collapse of Pleistocene glacial sands and boulder clays.Public access to the site is restricted.