Hainford

Hainford (originally Haynford) is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Hainford is located 5.6 miles (9.0 km) south of Aylsham and 6.7 miles (10.8 km) north of Norwich.

History

Hainford's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for 'enclosure ford.'

In the Domesday Book, Hainford is listed as a settlement of 9 households hundred of Taverham. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Roger the Poitevin.

Hainford Hall was built in the Eighteenth Century and is now derelict. The hall was at one time the property of Jonathan Worrell who owned 139 enslaved people in Barbados.

During the Second World War, several anti-invasion defences were built in Hainford. Furthermore, a stick of Luftwaffe bombs were dropped in the nearby Waterloo Plantation in an attempt to hit Stratton Strawless Hall which was being used as a radar installation at the time.

There were two aircraft crashes in Hainford during the Second World War. In 1942, a Bristol Beaufighter of No. 68 Squadron RAF crashed in the parish likely flying from RAF Coltishall and in April 1945 a Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 458th Bomb Group, 754th Bombardment Squadron crashed in the parish, two of the seven crew survived.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Hainford has a population of 1,037 people which shows an increase from the 989 people recorded in the 2011 census.

The B1354, between Thursford and Saxthorpe, passes through the village.

All Saints' Church

Hainford's parish church dates from the Nineteenth Century and was built to the designs of John Brown. All Saints' is located outside of the village of Newton Road and has been Grade II listed since 1984. The church holds Sunday services most weeks.

The ruins of the medieval All Saints' Church also stands within the parish.

Amenities

The Chequers Pub has stood in the village since 1789 and burnt down in 1987, which allegedly resulted in the death of one firefighter. The pub remains open.

Hainford Church of England Primary School is located within the village which is part of the Harnser Schools Federation. The headteacher is Mr. P. Cross.