Great and Little Plumstead is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, consisting of the villages of Great Plumstead, Little Plumstead and Thorpe End.
Plumstead is located south of Wroxham and east of Norwich.
History Plumstead's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for plum-tree place.
In the Domesday Book, Great & Little Plumstead are listed together as a settlement in the hundred of Blofield.
In the mid-Twentieth Century, a hospital was set up in the grounds of Little Plumstead Hall treating patients with mental health issues. The building was eventually closed after an arson attack.
During the Second World War, a starfish decoy site was built in Plumstead to draw Luftwaffe bombers away from Norwich.
Geography According to the 2021 census, Plumstead has a population of 125 people which shows a decrease from the 128 people recorded in the 2011 census.
The junction between the A47, between Birmingham and Lowestoft, and the A1270, the Northern Distributor Road, is located in the parish.
The Witton Run also passes through the parish.
St. Mary's Church Great Plumstead's church is dedicated to Saint Mary and dates from the Eighteenth Century. St. Mary's is located within the village on Church Road and has been Grade II listed since 1962. The church still holds Sunday services three times a month.
Many of the medieval features of the church were destroyed in a fire in 1891, with the churchtower being subsequently rebuilt.
St. Protase & St. Gervase Church Little Plumstead's church is dedicated to Saint Gervase and Saint Protase and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches. The church is located within the village on Hospital Road and has been Grade II listed since 1962. The church remains open three times a week for Sunday services.
Amenities The Walled Garden Community Shop and Cafe is a business set in a Victorian Walled Garden in Little Plumstead. It is run as a community benefit society.
Governance Great & Little Plumstead are part of the electoral ward of Plumstead for local elections and is part of the district of Broadland.
The village's national constituency is Broadland and Fakenham which has been represented by the Conservative Party's Jerome Mayhew MP since 2019.
War Memorial Great Plumstead War Memorial is a stone wheel-headed cross inside St. Mary's Churchyard which was unveiled in 1920. Little Plumstead War Memorial is also a wheel-headed cross but is located inside St. Protase & Gervase's Churchyard. Combined, the memorials list the following names for the First World War: +RankNameUnitDate of deathBurial/CommemorationLt.Anthony J. BavinHMS Mary Rose17 Oct. 1917Chatham Naval MemorialLt.Nigel B. Bavin3rd Bn., Essex Regiment23 May 1915New Irish Farm CemeteryASn.Walter HenryHMS Cressy22 Sep. 1914Chatham Naval MemorialLCpl.William C. Parish7th Bn., Border Regiment12 Oct. 1917Tyne CotGnr.Frank Burdett248th Bty., Royal Garrison Artillery12 Oct. 1917Birr Crossroads CemeteryPte.Arthur P. George6th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment22 May 1917Tank CemeteryPte.Richard High7th Bn., Border Regiment4 Jul. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Bertie V. Webb7th Bn., Border Regt.19 Feb. 1916Lijssenthoek CemeteryPte.Walter T. Powley3rd Bn., Coldstream Guards26 Oct. 1914Menin GatePte.Robert L. Bird53rd Bn., Royal Fusiliers17 Apr. 1919Little Plumstead ChurchyardPte.Charles Wright1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment27 Jul. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Robert Colk1st Bn., Norfolk Regt.24 Apr. 1915Blauwepoort Farm CemeteryPte.Bertie E. Simmons1st Bn., Norfolk Regt.10 Oct. 1917Tyne CotPte.Stephen F. Drewery2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt.19 May 1915Basra War CemeteryPte.Louis Gunton9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.15 Sep. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Arthur F. Brister7th Bn., Northamptonshire Regt.20 Jun. 1918Bully-Grenay CemeteryPte.Arthur R. Colk1st Bn., Queen's Royal Regiment9 May 1918Little Plumstead ChurchyardPte.M. Harry Rushbrook15th Bn., Suffolk Regiment17 Sep. 1918Bronfay Farm CemeteryPte.Frank D. Edwards2/5th Bn., Yorkshire Regiment 25 Oct. 1918Norwich CemeteryRfn.Alfred J. Simmons2nd Bn., Rifle Brigade25 Apr. 1918Pozières MemorialSpr.Andrew AndrewsRoyal Engineers19 Nov. 1918Little Plumstead ChurchyardSpr.John Stanford111th Coy., R.E.21 Oct. 1914Boulogne Eastern CemeteryTel.Jack F. PowleyHMS Vanguard9 Jul. 1917Plymouth Naval Memorial The following men were added to the Little Plumstead Memorial after the Second World War: +RankNameUnitDate of deathBurial/CommemorationSgt.William G. GuntonRoyal Air Force Volunteer Reserve13 Jan. 1945Runnymede MemorialPte.Ronald W. Everson4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment12 Feb. 1944Yokohama War Cemetery
References
External links St Protase & St Gervase's church on the European Round Tower Churches Website