Great Ellingham is located 2.2 miles (3.5km) north-west of Attleborough and 15 miles (24km) south-west of Norwich. The civil parish also includes the hamlets of Bow Street and Stalland Common.
History
Great Dunham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the larger settlement of Ella or Eli's people.[1]
In the Domesday Book, Great Ellingham is listed as a settlement of 47 households in the hundred of Shropham. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Henry de Ferrers and Ralph de Beaufour.[2]
Several Fifteenth Century buildings have survived in Great Ellingham including Mill Farmhouse[3], Tannery Farm[4] and Ye Olde Thatche Shoppe.[5]
Great Ellingham Windmill was built in 1849 and ceased working in 1922. Today, the windmill is in the process of redevelopment.[6]
According to the 2021 census, Great Ellingham has a population of 1,267 people which shows an increase from the 1,132 people recorded in the 2011 census.[8]
Great Ellingham's church is dedicated to Saint James and dates from the Fourteenth Century. The church is located within the village on Church Street and has been Grade I listed since 1958.[9] St. James' remains open for Sunday services once a month.[10]
St. James' was heavily restored in the Victorian era as well as stained-glass installed by King & Son of Norwich.[11]
Amenities
Great Ellingham Primary is part of the Great Ellingham & Rocklands Schools Federation. The headteacher is Mrs J. Dekker.
The Crown Pub has stood in the parish since 1784.[12] The pub remains open to this day.[13]
Teddy Bear Festival
Example of Teddy Bear competition entrants
The village is locally renowned for its annual Teddy Bear Festival, which runs for two weeks in July. Alongside other events, villagers build and display straw bears in their gardens to create a "Teddy Bear Trail". Since the start of the festival in 2004, around £50,000 has been raised for local good causes and charities.[14]
Governance
Great Ellingham is part of the electoral ward of All Saints & Wayland for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.
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