England
Norfolk County
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West Norfolk, Norfolk County, England.
by Ken Ward
Photographs © Ken Ward
 Kings Lynn is the largest town in the West Norfolk area. A port with a long history associated with the sea. George Vancouver was born here in 1757. Later, as a Captain, his voyages took him to Canada where he founded the town that now bears his name.
A somewhat tenuous link with America is that location shots for the 1985 Al Pacino film 'Revolution' were filmed in Kings Lynn with the Custom House (right) pretending to be in Philadelphia!
Further up the coast is a real connection with America. The village of Heacham, where John Rolfe brought his bride Pocahontas. Heacham is also the home of Norfolk Lavender.
Not far away is Sandringham, the Norfolk home of Her Majesty, The Queen, and where the Royal Family spends Christmas.
 Another stately home in the area is Holkham Hall, home of the Earl and Countess of Leicester. The Coke family built the hall, and the 5th generation Thomas Coke did much to influence farming methods in the early 19th century.
The beach at Holkham made a brief appearence at the end of the film 'Shakespeare in Love' as the desert island Gwyneth Paltrow walks ashore on.
 Around the coast are many villages and small towns with creeks that offer great sailing providing you keep an eye on the tides! Not too far inland is Burnham Thorpe, the birthplace of England's most celebrated sailor - Admiral Lord Nelson.
Wells next the Sea is probably one of the best kept secrets of Norfolk. It has a wonderful mix of 'quayside' activity, holiday bustle and Georgian houses whilst maintaining a peaceful countryside feel.
Despite being over a mile from the open water, Wells is one of the few Norfolk towns which has maintained a commercial port.
At Castle Rising are these remains of a Norman stronghold modelled after Norwich Castle. Here Queen Isabella, the 'She-Wolf of France', was kept after she was caught plotting the murder of her husband, King Edward II.
Web Links
West Norfolk Council
East Anglia, Land of the Iceni
 Next Page: North Norfolk
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