Cantley, Norfolk

Cantley
St Margaret's Church
Cantley Location within Norfolk
Area	0.52 km2 (0.20 sq mi)
Population	511 (2021)
•  Density	983/km2 (2,550/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG381036
Civil parish	Cantley, Limpenhoe and Southwood
District	Broadland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORWICH
Postcode district	NR13
Dialling code	01493
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Broadland and Fakenham
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°34′41″N1°30′47″E / 52.578°N 1.513°E / 52.578; 1.513

Cantley is a village and former civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is 2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) north-west of Reedham, 9 miles (14 km) west of Great Yarmouth and 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Norwich. It is notable for being the site of a major sugar refining factory.

The village, which is now part of the parish of Cantley, Limpenhoe and Southwood, is on the north bank of the River Yare and is partly within the Broads Special Protection Area. Cantley Marshes, a Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is south-west of the village.

History

In the Domesday Book of 1086, Cantley is recorded as a settlement of 58 households located in the hundred of Blofield. It was part of the estates of William the Conqueror. ^[1]

The manor was later split to created Cantley Netherhall and Cantley Uphall. ^{[2] [3]}

In 1931, the parish had a population of 291. ^[4] In April 1935, the parish was combined with the parishes of Limpenhoe and Southwood. ^[5]

Cantley Sugar Factory

Cantley Sugar Beet Factory

In 1912 the Cantley Sugar Factory was founded by the Dutch company Algemene Suikermaatschappij (ASMij). ASMij had been founded in 1908 to concentrate the Dutch beet sugar industry and remove surplus capacity. To achieve this, it also bought the already closed down Dordrecht Sugar Factory. The machinery of this factory was then shipped to England to become part of Cantley Sugar Factory. ^[6]

The factory was initially unsuccessful and closed down in 1916. After the English Beet Sugar Corporation was founded, Cantley Sugar Factory was reopened in 1920. The site is still in operation today by British Sugar, forming one of the four British sugar processing factories. ^[7]

Amenities

Local children attend Cantley Primary School and is part of the Coastal Together Federation of local primary schools. ^[8]

The village is served by Cantley railway station which opened in 1844 on the Yarmouth & Norwich Railway. Today, the station lies on the Wherry Line with services to Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Norwich.

St Margaret's Church

Cantley's parish church is dedicated to Saint Margaret and dates from the 14th century. The building is Grade II. ^[9] The church was significantly remodelled in the 19th century. ^[10]

Within the churchyard are two listed monuments, including a tombstone with a stone coffin lid ^[11] and a further coffin lid emblazoned with fleur-de-lys. ^[12]

Notable people

• Edward B. Evans (1846–1922), army officer and stamp collector, died in Cantley
• Fred Judd (1914–1992), inventor and amateur radio enthusiast, lived in Cantley
• Brian Edrich (1922–2009), Kent and Glamorgan cricketer, born in Cantley
• Alfie Hewett (b.1997), wheelchair tennis player, lived in Cantley

References

1. "Cantley | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
2. "Blofield Hundred: Cantley | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
3. Cantley Netherhall Manor; 1189-1925; Cantley, Norfolk, Norfolk Records Office. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
4. "Population statistics Cantley CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
5. "Relationships and changes Cantley CP/AP through time". Vision of Britain . Retrieved 16 May 2018.
6. Bakker, Martijn (1989). Ondernemerschap en vernieuwing. NEHA-Series III. Eindhoven University of Technology. doi:10.6100/IR297656.
7. Arnold, W. (2011). Retrieved 20 November 2022. https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF62074-Cantley-Sugar-Factory
8. Ofsted. (2021). Retrieved 20 November 2022. https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50165974
9. "CHURCH OF ST MARGARET, Cantley, Limpenhoe and Southwood - 1304803 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
10. "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
11. "TOMBSTONE 20 CM WEST OF ST MARGARET'S CHURCH ADJACENT TO NORTH TOWER CORNER, Cantley, Limpenhoe and Southwood - 1304772 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
12. "TOMBSTONE 20 CM WEST OF ST MARGARET'S CHURCH ADJACENT TO SOUTH TOWER CORNER, Cantley, Limpenhoe and Southwood - 1051450 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2024.

External links

• Cantley Parish Council website