Thornham, Norfolk

The Lifeboat Inn is a public house and inn in Ship Lane, Thornham, Norfolk, England. It lies near the wooded grounds of Thornham Manor. The white-painted pub was originally built in the 16th century and was a simple cottage with two outhouses, and was sometimes used in the 18th century as a convenient smugglers' store. Contrary to modern popular myth, the premises were not licensed until 1832, when one of the ground floor rooms was set aside for the consumption of home-brewed beer. The beer house was known as Pointers, after the first licensee Francis Pointer. In 1869, forebears of the Thornham Sadler family, John and Nellie Sadler became the landlord and lady, it was named the Lifeboat presumably in commemoration of the first Hunstanton Lifeboat launched two years previously. Early history - The building stood witness to one of the most violent nights in the region's history. On 31 December 1782 the militia of the local smugglers baron, Thomas Franklyn with a band of 80 smugglers lured a small force of dragoons led by the Excise Superintendent, Robert Bliss into a trap as they attempted to search the cottage and outbuildings. The property was then owned by William Southgate and the bloody encounter left many villagers wounded and incapacitated and had far-reaching consequences in the local area. Today the Inn consists of two main buildings; the main inn having 14 double rooms.

The River Hun is in the west of the county of Norfolk, in England. Its source is in the grounds of Hunstanton Park. Its mouth can be found on the North Sea near Holme-next-the-Sea. In the 11th century it was known as 'Esten broke' (i.e. Esten brook).

Titchwell Marsh is an English nature reserve owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Located on the north coast of the county of Norfolk, between the villages of Titchwell and Thornham, about 8 km (5.0 mi) east of the seaside resort of Hunstanton, its 171 hectares (420 acres) include reed beds, saltmarshes, a freshwater lagoon and sandy beach, with a small woodland area near the car park. This internationally important reserve is part of the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and is also protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar listings. The reserve is important for some scarce breeding birds, such as pied avocets on the islands, and western marsh harriers, Eurasian bitterns and bearded reedlings in the reeds. To encourage bitterns to breed, the reed beds have been improved to make them wetter, and the lagoon has been stocked with the common rudd. Typical wetland birds such as the water rail, reed warbler and sedge warbler also appear, and little egrets are common. The reserve has regularly attracted rarities, as its location is important for migrating birds. Ducks and geese winter at Titchwell in considerable numbers, and the reserve shelters the endangered European water vole. Facilities include three bird hides, a seawatching platform, two nature trails, and a visitor centre. Because of concerns about climate change, a major project in 2010 and 2011 brought improvements to the banks around the freshwater lagoon and the conversion of the brackish lagoon to tidal saltmarsh, a more effective barrier to encroachment by the sea. Titchwell Marsh is archaeologically significant, with artefacts dating back to the Upper Paleolithic, and has remains of military constructions from both world wars. These include brickwork from a First World War military hospital and 1940s artillery targets for armoured fighting vehicles and warplanes in the Second World War.

Choseley is a tiny hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated between the villages of Titchwell and Docking and about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from each. The town of Fakenham is 20 km (12 mi) to the south-east, the town of King's Lynn is 25 km (16 mi) to the south-west, and the city of Norwich is 60 km (37 mi) to the south-east. The villages name means 'Gravelly wood/clearing'. The civil parish has an area of 2.75 km2 (1.06 sq mi) and in the 2001 census had a population of 18 in 10 households. At the 2011 Census the population remained less than 100. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Holme Dunes is a 192-hectare (470-acre) nature reserve near Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. It is managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, and is a National Nature Reserve. It is part of the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest, Geological Conservation Review site, Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, Ramsar site, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Area. It is also in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The reserve's sand dunes, salt marsh, pasture and pools are important for breeding birds like pied avocet, and wintering ducks, geese and waders. There are a range of coastal habitats including, freshwater pools, grazing marsh and saltmarsh. Much of the site consists of natural habitats maintained largely by coastal processes. In 2024 the rare species of fly Schroederella iners was identified at Holme Dunes, having last been recorded in the UK in 1910. In 2019 The Times named Holme Dunes as one of Top 20 'Wild' beaches in Britain.

St Mary's Church is the parish church of Holme-next-the-Sea in the English county of Norfolk. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church is partly early 15th-century Perpendicular, and partly later reconstruction. It is Grade I listed.

Holme-next-the-Sea is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the west Norfolk coast. It is north-east of Hunstanton, north of King's Lynn and north-west of Norwich. The village's name means 'Island' next to the sea. The civil parish has an area of 8.82 km2 (3.41 sq mi) and in the 2001 census had a population of 322 in 177 households, falling to 239 at the 2011 Census. For local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. Its position on the North Sea coast makes it a prime site for migratory birds in autumn. It consequently is home to two adjoining nature reserves, one owned by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the other by the Norfolk Ornithological Association. A pair of black-winged stilts bred at the Wildlife Trust's Holme Dunes [1] in 1987, raising three young. The eastern end of Hunstanton golf links reach to Holme, and public rights of way mean that birders and golfers have learned to co-exist. It is the meeting point of the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path which together form a National Trail. It is the nearest village to Seahenge, the Bronze Age timber circle. The parish church of St Mary was first mentioned in 1188, but the oldest remaining part of the building is the tower which dates from the fifteenth century. The main church building was demolished and rebuilt in 1888, although some memorials and an ancient stone font survive from the earlier structure. The church has a peal of five bells which are still rung, the earliest is dated 1677. In the churchyard are the graves of various members of the Nelson family, who lived at Holme House.

Titchwell is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the north Norfolk coast some 1.2 mi (2 km) west of the village of Brancaster, 5.6 mi (9 km) north-east of the seaside resort of Hunstanton, 19 mi (30 km) north of the town of King's Lynn and 43 mi (70 km) north-west of the city of Norwich. The villages name means 'Young goat spring/stream'. The civil parish has an area of 2.49 sq mi (6.46 km2) and in the 2001 census had a population of 91 in 47 households. At the 2011 Census the population remained less than 100 and is included in the civil parish of Thornham. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. The village is noted for its RSPB reserve at Titchwell Marsh, an area of salt and freshwater marsh that extends along the coast towards Brancaster. It also has an Anglo Saxon church with an unusual spirelet. There is a small nature reserve on the site of a former chalk pit, which is believed to have first been used in Roman times. In 1786, under the Inclosure Act of 1773, the land came into ownership of Titchwell Parish. After all the chalk had been removed, the land became a rubbish dump, which was soon closed following public outcry. Local farmers and Norfolk County Council then tidied the pit and planted trees and shrubs, creating a mini-reserve. Titchwell used to have two pubs, but one of them, "The Three Horseshoes" has now been converted into apartments for the use of holidaymakers and investors. The village also has a 15th-century village cross at its centre, which would have been a marker point and meeting place for travellers and pilgrims. The Church of England parish church, dedicated to St Mary, is a Grade I listed building. It is one of the 124 round-tower churches in Norfolk. It also has two hotels, Briarfields and Titchwell Manor.

Ringstead is a village and civil parish in the north-west corner of the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 11.13 km2 (4.30 sq mi) and had a population of 355 in 155 households at the 2001 census, reducing to 324 at the 2011 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Seahenge, also known as Holme I, was a prehistoric monument located in the village of Holme-next-the-Sea, near Old Hunstanton in the English county of Norfolk. A timber circle with an upturned tree root in the centre, Seahenge, along with the nearby timber circle Holme II, was built in the spring-summer of 2049 BC, during the early Bronze Age in Britain. Contemporary theory is that they were used for ritual purposes; in particular Holme II has been interpreted as a mortuary monument that may originally have formed the boundary of a burial mound. In order to preserve the timber in the site from exposure to air, due to recent exposure of the remains by the sea, it was excavated in Spring 1999, and its remains taken to an archeological museum and then a maritime museum for preservation of the wood. In 1999, a reproduction was put up by some of the excavators, near the site. In 2008, after further study, a second reproduction was erected near the original's location. Due to controversy about the excavation of Seahenge, Holme II was left in place to be monitored as it is gradually destroyed by erosion.

Royal West Norfolk Golf Club is a golf club in Brancaster, Norfolk, England, about 7 miles (11 km) east of Hunstanton, between Brancaster Bay and the salt marshes. The links course opened in 1892. Simon Rayner is a professional at the club. The "Royal" club name is named after Edward VII, who was the Prince of Wales at the time of opening. There are significant environmental issues involved with managing the club and surrounding marshes. Brancaster West Marshes are a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area under the European Union Birds Directive, because they provide an important habitat for birds. Due to sea level rise, efforts to mitigate coastal erosion are in place in the area. Earth flood embankments were built nearby in 1978 to protect again storm surges, and there has also been the need for the course to implement defensive measures of its own. The original course was laid out by Horace Hutchinson, but due to the fragility of the marshland and coast, it had undergone many changes over the past century, and there are now two crossings between holes 2 and 17 and 4 and 5. At times of high tide the course can become an island, thereby rendering parts of the layout inaccessible.

Hunstanton Park Esker is a 17.3-hectare (43-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Hunstanton in Norfolk. The esker extends 1.5 km from north of Ringstead Downs to Hunstanton Hall. It is a Geological Conservation Review site. This is a 1.5-kilometre (1-mile) esker, a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel dating to the glacial Devensian period, between 115,000 and 11,700 years ago. This is an uncommon landform in central and southern England. It is private land and there is no public access.