West Tofts

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."

Lynford is a village and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk. The parish covers an area of 24.72 km2 (9.54 sq mi), and the 2001 Census recorded a population of 157 in 81 households. Lynford lies 4 miles (6.4 km) north east of Brandon and between Mundford, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north west, and Thetford, 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to the south east, on the A134. It lies deep within Breckland forestry land between the Stanford Battle Area and Thetford Forest. Lynford is served by Our Lady of Consolation and Saint Stephen chapel of ease joined to Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Thetford.Lynford Hall, which is actually closer to Mundford, was rebuilt in the 19th century by Stephens Lyne-Stephens who was known as the richest commoner in England. The hall is now a hotel and conference centre. Lynford Arboretum and Lakes, formerly part of Lynford Hall estate, is now owned by the Forestry Commission.Grimes Graves, the only Neolithic flint mine open to visitors in Great Britain, lie a mile to the south. Lynford Quarry is one of only two sites on mainland Britain which has evidence of Neanderthal occupation.

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

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.

Langford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ickburgh, in the Breckland district, in the county of Norfolk, England. The village is in the Norfolk battle training area of the Ministry of Defence which is an area with restricted entry. Langford is about nine miles south of the town of Swaffham. In 1931 the parish had a population of 34.

Grime's Graves is a large Neolithic flint mining complex in Norfolk, England. It lies 8 km (5.0 mi) north east from Brandon, Suffolk in the East of England. It was worked between c. 2600 and c. 2300 BC, although production may have continued well into the Bronze and Iron Ages (and later) owing to the low cost of flint compared with metals. Flint was much in demand for making polished stone axes in the Neolithic period. Much later, when flint had been replaced by metal tools, flint nodules were in demand for other uses, such as for building and as strikers for muskets. Grime's Graves was first extensively explored by the 19th-century archaeologist William Greenwell. The scheduled monument extends over an area of some 37 ha (91 acres) and consists of at least 433 shafts dug into the natural chalk to reach seams of flint. The largest shafts are more than 14 m (46 ft) deep and 12 m (39 ft) in diameter at the surface. It has been calculated that more than 2,000 tonnes of chalk had to be removed from the larger shafts, taking 20 men around five months, before stone of sufficient quality was reached. An upper 'topstone' and middle 'wallstone' seam of flint was dug through on the way to the deeper third 'floorstone' seam which most interested the miners. The site is managed by English Heritage and can be visited. The site is also a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Geological Conservation Review site. It is part of the Breckland Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area.

Thetford Rural District was a rural district in Norfolk, England from 1894 to 1935.It was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 based on the Thetford rural sanitary district. It covered the lands which were in Norfolk and lay to the north and east of Thetford Municipal Borough. In 1902 it took in the western part of the disbanded Guiltcross Rural District,. In 1935, Thetford RD was abolished and its territory divided between Downham, Swaffham and Wayland RDs.

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'.

St Helen's Church was a church located near Santon, Norfolk, England. Its site is a scheduled monument. It was no longer in existence by 1368.The church is noted in the Domesday Book: "Among the lands of Stigand the archbishop which William de Noiers keeps for the use of the king, in Thetford ... one church of St. Helen, with one ploughland ..."

Santon is a depopulated village located near Santon Downham in Norfolk, England. Moated earthworks and other remains of the medieval village are a scheduled monument.The villages name means 'Sandy farm/settlement'. The village church of All Saints' was rebuilt from ruins in the 17th century by Thomas Bancrofte, the sole parishioner at that time.The site is adjacent to the Forestry Commission's St Helen's picnic site.

Mundford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated at the intersection of two major routes, the A134 Colchester to King's Lynn road and the A1065 Mildenhall to Fakenham road, about 8 miles (13 km) north west of Thetford. The village is 35 miles (56 km) from the city of Norwich and 88 miles (142 km) from London.The villages name means 'Munda's ford'. The civil parish, in 1845, had 437 inhabitants, and 1609 acres of land, exclusive of a common of 190 acres, and also 90 acres of heath, where the parishioners had the right of fuel and rabbits, but no pasturage. Today it has an area of 2,060 acres (830 ha) and in the 2001 census had a population of 1,591 in 669 households. The population at the 2011 Census had reduced to 1,526 in 652 households. The parish shares boundaries with the adjacent parishes of Didlington, Cranwich, Weeting-with-Broomhill, Lynford and Ickburgh. The parish falls within the district of Breckland. Local government responsibilities are shared between the parish, district and county councils.

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.