Sturston, Norfolk

Breckland in Norfolk and Suffolk is a 39,433 hectare Special Protection Area (SPA) under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The SPA partly overlaps the 7,544 hectare Breckland Special Area of Conservation. As a landscape region it is an unusual natural habitat of England. It comprises the gorse-covered sandy heath that lies mostly in the south of the county of Norfolk but also in the north of Suffolk. An area of considerable interest for its unusual flora and fauna, it lies to the east of another unusual habitat, the Fens, and to the south west of the Broads. The typical tree of this area is the Scots pine. Breckland is one of the driest areas in England. The area of Breckland has been substantially reduced in the twentieth century by the impact of modern farming and the creation in 1914 of Thetford Forest. However substantial areas have been preserved, not least by the presence of the British Army on the Stanford Battle Area. During the Prehistoric period Breckland was mined for flint, evidence for which can be found at Grimes Graves just outside Thetford in Norfolk. The word 'Breck' is medieval and was defined as being an area of heathland broken up for cultivation before being allowed to retreat back into wilderness. Up until 200 years ago, much of it consisted of open heathland. The Brecks today are a tourist attraction as well as an area of scientific and geographical interest. The Breckland landscape region has given its name to Breckland District, a local government district that contains most of Norfolk's portion of the Breckland. Part of West Suffolk district cover the Suffolk portion. The Great Eastern Pingo Trail is 8 miles of tracks and paths exploring the eastern edge of the Breckland area. The trail takes in the commons at the villages of Thompson and Stow Bedon, and heathland at Breckles and Great Hockham. Thompson Water, an artificial lake, and the woodland at Thompson Carr also form part of the walk. The name of the trail comes from the former Great Eastern Railway and the large number of pingo ponds found in the area. Pingo ponds or kettle lakes are formed from collapsed mound of earth-covered ice, called pingos, formed when the ice-sheets retreated. The trail may be accessed as a detour from the Peddars Way long-distance footpath. It is a Local Nature Reserve.

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.

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).

Wretham Park Meres is a 30-hectare (74-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Thetford in Norfolk, England. This site consists of four natural lakes, Mickle Mere, Hill Mere, Rush Mere and West Mere, which provide a breeding habitat for wildfowl such as mallards, gadwalls, shovelers, tufted ducks and teal. There are also many wintering ducks. 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.

Wretham ( RET-əm) is a civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. The parish includes the village of East Wretham, which is about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Thetford and 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Norwich. It also includes the villages of Illington and Stonebridge. The parish has an area of 32.25 km2 (12.45 sq mi). The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 374 people in 141 households.

Croxton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, north of Thetford. It covers an area of 18.96 km2 (7.32 sq mi) and had a population of 416 in 176 households at the 2001 census, including Stanford and increasing to a population of 445 in 187 households at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland.

East Wretham Heath is a 141.1-hectare (349-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-east of Thetford in Norfolk, England. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, and it is managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. it is part of the Breckland Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area. The principal ecological interest of this site lies in areas of Breckland grassland and two meres, which are supplied by ground water, and fluctuate irregularly. These conditions have led to unusual plants communities which are tolerant of alternate wetting and drying, such as reed canary grass and amphibious bistort. There is public access to the reserve. Part of the land within East Wretham Heath SSSI is owned by the Ministry of Defence.

Royal Air Force East Wretham or more simply RAF East Wretham is a former Royal Air Force station located 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Thetford, Norfolk, England.

The Battle of Ringmere was fought on 5 May 1010. Between an East Anglian contingent led by Ulfcytel Snillingr and a danish army under Thorkell the Tall Norse sagas recorded a battle at Hringmaraheiðr; Old English Hringmere-hǣð, modern name Ringmere Heath. In his Víkingarvísur, the poet Sigvat records the victory of Saint Olaf, fighting alongside King Ethelred Yet again Óláfr caused a sword-assembly [BATTLE] to be held for the seventh time in Ulfcytel’s land, as I recount the tale. The offspring of Ælla [= Englishmen] stood over all Ringmere Heath; there was slaying of the army there, where the guardian of Haraldr’s inheritance [= Óláfr] caused exertion. John of Worcester records that the Danes defeated the Saxons. Over a three-month period the Danes wasted East Anglia, burning Thetford and Cambridge.

Little Cressingham lies 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south east by road from Great Cressingham, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Watton and 8 miles (13 km) south of Swaffham in the Breckland District of Norfolk. It covers an area of 11.90 km2 (4.59 sq mi) and had a population of 157 in 70 households at the 2001 census It is in the civil parish of Great Cressingham. The village is located on the edge of the Stanford Battle Area. The villages name origin is uncertain but probably means 'Homestead/village of Cressa's people', or perhaps, 'cress homestead/village'. The village is dispersed, with the main centre focused on a crossroads around the church and the mill. The village church is dedicated to St Andrew and is partially ruined. The building is medieval and designated as a Grade I listed building. The village is in the Benefice of Cockley Cley. The round tower Church of All Saints at Threxton lies 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the east of the village. The village pub, The White Horse, closed in 2004. Next to the church is the old Free School founded and endowed by William Farrer in 1809 and built at a cost of £144. It is now the village hall. The mill at Little Cressingham, a Grade II* listed building, is both a water and wind mill, one of only two in Norfolk. It was built in about 1820 on the Clermont Estate and is now disused. In 1849 Early Bronze Age finds attributed to the Wessex culture dating from c. 2000 BC were discovered in Little Cressingham, consisting of a rectangular gold plaque, three small cylindrical gold boxes, an amber necklace, a bronze dagger and bronze knife, and human remains. The finds are now on display at the Norwich Castle Museum.

Great Cressingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Great Cressingham is located 6 miles (10 km) south of Swaffham and 24 miles (39 km) west of Norwich.