Necton

This article is about the English village. For ecology of actively swimming aquatic organisms, see Nekton.

Necton is a village situated on a turning off the A47 main road between Swaffham and East Dereham in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. As at the 2001 census it had a population of 1,865 residents and an area of 15.48 km² (5.98 sq mi),^[2] increasing to a population of 1,923 at the 2011 census. It has a number of facilities including a primary school, playing field, social club, pub, post office a shop, a butcher's and an Asda Express fuel station at the top of the village along the A47.

Necton
All Saints', Necton
Necton Location within Norfolk
Area	15.48 km2 (5.98 sq mi)
Population	1,923 UK census 2011[1]
• Density	124/km2 (320/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TF878094
District	Breckland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Swaffham
Postcode district	PE37
Dialling code	01760
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	South West Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk 52.65°N 0.775°E / 52.65; 0.775

The place name "Necton" is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Nechetuna and Neketuna. The name means "town or settlement by a neck of land" (Necton is situated at the foot of a ridge).^[3]

All Saints' church, dating from the 14th century, although its tower was rebuilt in the 19th century, is at the centre of the village in the Benefice of Necton. It is a grade I listed building.^[4] One of its main attractions is the hammerbeam and archbraced nave roof with its carved angels.^[5]

In the churchyard is a 14th-century grade II* listed table tomb reputed to be that of the Countess of Warwick.^[6]

There is an old mill dating back to 1782 that was in full working order until the 1960s.^[7] Necton tower mill had been converted into a single-storey dwelling with a flat roof by 1970, and it is presently a retail facility.

Necton Diner was a filming location for the locally-set film The Goob (2014).^[8] An electricity substation planned in the parish is seen as vital to the harnessing of offshore wind-generated power, connecting turbines in the North Sea to the National Grid.^[9]

Notable residents

• Nathan Fake, electronic musician, grew up in the village.^[10]

Gallery

• 
  All Saints tower, Necton - without the clock, sent for repairs (2022)
• 
  The angel roof at All Saints
• 
  14th century table tomb

Notes

1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
2. Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine. Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Retrieved 20 June 2009.
3. Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p.337.
4. Historic England. "CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS (1152204)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
5. "All-Saints, Necton". Exploring Norfolk Churches. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
6. Historic England. "TABLE TOMB APPROXIMATELY 14 METRES SOUTH OF AISLE OF CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS (1077228)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
7. "Norfolk Mills Necton tower". Retrieved 15 July 2016.
8. Russell, Sam (28 May 2015). "Norfolk-shot film The Goob gets Norwich premiere at Cinema City". EDP. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
9. Shields, Mark (7 May 2019). "Great Yarmouth: How offshore wind is re-energising seaside town". BBC. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
10. RA News: Nathan Fake enters his Steam Days Retrieved 16 October 2016.