Please note that the postcard from series
ended in 2004 and that descriptions of shops and services were correct at
time of going to press
Where is it:
In mid-Norfolk, between Dereham and Mattishall, on the B1135.
Yaxham is, rather, in two parts: There is Yaxham itself, and just
to the east, towards Mattishall, there is Clint Green, where Yaxham
C of E Primary School and the Post Office are both to be found.
You can find the small but friendly Lord Nelson pub here too.
What is there to see and do?
You can pop into the village hall to look at a wall hanging featuring
a silk cross-stitch of Yaxham scenes, which is so lifelike it looks
like a photograph. Have a look at the village sign and some of the
historic houses. You can stay overnight, have dinner in the restaurant,
or just a drink, in the Yaxham Mill, housed in an old mill and painted
bright pink. The Mill is just between Clint Green and Yaxham proper.
What about the history?
There is plenty of it. An ideal way to get a taste of the local
history is to pick up a leaflet and follow the local heritage trail.
The trail, along with the cross-stitch wall hanging, were the results
of a local heritage initiative involving the Countryside Agency
and grants from the Nationwide Building Society, Yaxham Parish Council
and Breckland Council. The initiative helped to restore the wall
of St Peter’s Church, which was built mainly in the 15th century
but with a tower dating from the 20th century. It also restored
an 18th century chest tomb.
I hear there’s a railway line there?
Two, in fact. Yaxham station was built by the Norfolk Railway Company.
It opened for goods in 1846 and to passengers in 1847. Passenger
trains stopped in 1969, but goods traffic passed through until the
line closed 20 years later. Yaxham Light Railway is not open to
the general public, but you can pre-book, and even drive a diesel
train. There’s a collection of rolling stock including narrow
gauge locomotives. The Mid Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust runs
trains up and down the Dereham to Wymondham line, which also goes
through Yaxham. You can see the old-fashioned signal box, last used
in 1969, from the road.
What about cars?
With no operating railway, most residents depend on cars to get
about. Luckily, the village hosts a repair garage, J and B cars.
It has been run by John Wetherington for years, although he is in
the process of selling it.
Is there anywhere else nearby?
Yaxham is near the villages of Mattishall and Shipdham, as well
as the market town of Dereham. Shipdham is worth stopping at for
a look at its Grade 1 listed church and village green.
