Wacton, Norfolk

Wacton is a village in the English county of Norfolk. It is located about one mile south-west of Long Stratton and 13 mi south west of Norwich. It covers an area of 4.54 km2 and has a population of 343 people as of the last census in 2021.

One of Wacton's most prominent features is the All Saints round tower church.

History
The villages name means 'Waca's farm/settlement'.

In John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales 1870–72, Wacton, Norfolk (which at the time was two parishes) was described as: "WACTON-MAGNA and W.-Parva, two parishes in Depwade district, Norfolk; 1 mile ESE of Forcett r. station, and 1½ SW of Long Stratton-Post town, Long Stratton. Acres, 1,044. Real property, £1,981. Pop., 244. Houses, 54. The property is much subdivided. The livings are conjoint rectories in the diocese of Norwich. Value, £302. Patron, the Rev.Grain. The church was recently restored."

As you can see in the above graph, there was a far narrower range of occupations for Wacton's residents in 1881 in comparison to 2011. The vast majority of working Males in village worked in 'Agriculture' (37), the other occupations had a very low number of men occupied the next most frequent occupations were 'House, Furniture & Decoration' (3) and 'Professionals' (also 3).

A large percentage of the females had 'No Specified Occupation' (37) whilst a further 19 had an 'Unknown' occupation. After these two categories, the next most frequent occupation was work in 'Domestic Services & Offices'

Despite Wacton's relative insignificance as one of hundreds of small villages in the country, it has a history dating back thousands of years. The earliest known presence of people in the parish is thought to be as far back as prehistoric times. Evidence of this was discovered during fieldwalks in 1978–80 when boiling pots and flints were found amongst other records from other historic periods. There was little significant evidence of the preceding Bronze and Iron Ages in the parish, the only records being flint tools from the early part of the Bronze Age and socketed spearheads from the latter half. For the Iron Age the only records found were silver coins and pottery shards.

There was also a strong Roman presence in Wacton from the period. A major road called Pye Road used to run through the village from Scole and a Roman town named Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund. Notable artefacts discovered from the Roman include a gold coin which was discovered in a garden in Wash Lane in 1998. Evidence suggests Barbarous radiate coins were likely manufactured in the south side of Wacton too.

There is a gap in the history of Wacton with few historic finds from the Saxon period. However, the following Medieval period was the richest historical period for Wacton. It was the period in which the still-standing All Saints Church was erected along with St. Mary's Church which no longer exists. St Mary's church later became a chapel in 1500 but was followed by a period of disuse between 1510 and 1522 before being used as a dovecote. Other less significant artefacts from the Medieval period include a cowbell found in 1979, a coin weight and a silver strap fitting.

In more recent history, The Eastern Union Railway used to run through Wacton to London from the mid 19th century to its closure in 1966. There was not a station in Wacton, but villagers could catch the train at the nearby Forncett.

All Saints Church
The round-tower church is Wacton's most prominent and recognisable landmark. The structure has two main segments, the tower and main body. The lower stage of the tower may be Saxon. The church is thought to have been built in the 12th century, with alterations made in the following centuries such as door and window replacement

All Saints Church, along with numerous other buildings in Wacton, has protected status.

Wacton Village Hall
Wacton Village Hall is a relatively new feature to Wacton. The hall only fully opened to the village's residents in 2013 after many years of fundraising and a six-year building programme. The facilities are open for community events as well as public and private hire.

Before the current village hall there was another, built in the 1950s. However, by the 1990s it was severely worn out and required a replacement. Users of the previous hall joked that one would have to wear woolly hats and gloves in doors as well as bring an umbrella such was the state of the halls waterworks and heating. It was finally announced in 1997 that a new planning application had been sent for a new building. However, it actually took a further 16 years for the hall to be fully open for use for everyone. It was built after £200,000 was eventually raised by local residents.

Demographics


The above graph depicts the population of Wacton from 1801 to 2011. Following a period of equivalent gains and losses from 1801 through the early 1890s, Wacton's population declined by nearly 30% from 1895 to 1961, when it reached a low of 172. It subsequently rebounded, growing by 85% between 1961 and 2001, when it reached a peak of 319. Before 1961, despite occasional peaks in growth, the population was in gradual decline. The population then shrunk again from 2001 to 2011, when it was measured at 302. By the 2021 census it had risen to 343.

The current population of Wacton is a relatively old one – 59.3% of Wacton's residents are over 45 years of age. The largest age bracket grouping is 45–59 which account for 28.1% of Wacton's total population. The percentage of Wacton's residents under 18 is just 17.9%

The ethnic make-up of Wacton is overwhelmingly white British, 94.4% of Wacton's population is in this group. The remaining 5.6% is various other ethnic groups, the only ethnic group other than white British with more than 2 residents in Wacton is the white/Asian mixed group which has 5

The socio-economic classification of much of Wacton's residents could be considered middle-class. This is light of the fact that the most common occupations for Wacton's residents are "Professional Occupations" (31 residents) and "Associate Professional and Technical Occupations" (26). Other notable careers Wacton residents have are "Skilled Trade Occupations" (24), "Administrative and Secretarial Occupations" (19) and "Managers, Directors and Senior Official Occupations" (18)