Castle Acre is a truly delightful and rightfully proud Norfolk village, situated on the chalky ‘low downs’ of upper Norfolk within the hilly and gnarled high banks of the River Nar. It is best known perhaps for its ruined - though still very imposing and magnificent - medieval Priory & Castle. The Priory was founded in the eleventh century for the Clunic Monks (from Cluny in France), and the Castle mound was built by the Normans, the popular pastime of such occupiers at the time. A similar one can be found in Thetford that may preceed this date, and scores more throughout the county. However, the Clunic Priory in Castle Acre was the first of its type in the country.
 Photo of Castle Acre Priory
Castle Acre nestles snugly and almost invisibly in the Norfolk countryside about 12 miles from Kings Lynn and only five minutes from the busy A47 trunk road near Swaffham, and is a great place to visit not only for the obvious monastic, cultural and historical interest, but also for the picturesque random cottages, and its oh-so-narrow streets winding around the River Nar with its hilly banks. One road or another will eventually lead you to the pretty village centre, where you will find some charming shops, and perhaps partake of a cup of tea or coffee and reflect on how lucky you are to be in such a beautiful place, surrounded by history going as far back as the iron age, plus full-on Norfolk Village charm. |
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Contrasting strongly to this mood, I remember Castle Acre from my long distant past, with a certain school trip in the late '60s when the main attraction had more to do with escaping school for the day, going on a coach party with girls, and checking out the Monks' medieval loo that was but a hole in the brick bridge strategically placed directly over a small stream about ten feet below. We could just imagine the event at the time which made us laugh. The moment was soon broken by the teachers, who always wanted to keep our minds on more mundanely academic subjects!
 Photo of Castle Acre countryside
Castle Acre is on the Pedders way - a very straight Roman, part Celtic, path that cuts a swathe across Norfolk from east to west, and on to the coast around Brancaster. It was used by the Romans to reach this coastal garrison town and to communicate with their many other legions the other side of the Wash in Lincolnshire. Messages would be sent by fire beacons, and could be used to summon military support in times of trouble, and for the transport of traded goods from around the world. |
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Much of the original wooded landscape of this area has sadly been felled over the intervening years, as would be expected, and the land turned to food production by modern farming practices. Past removal of centuries-old hedgerows has also played a part, but on the bright side there is still, years later, strong evidence remaining of the old ‘Marlpit’ diggings, with tall clumps of skinny Beech trees protruding skyward from rounded hilltops like Bonsai trees in a plant pot climbing skywards. Thankfully these small scenic wonders were not scrubbed from the hilltops, as this was deemed to be financially worthless in most cases, so a few remain as another small but valuable reminder of less obvious yesterdays still visible today.
 Photo of Castle Acre ruins
Castle Acre is well worth a visit. Bring your family, bring your camera. It's far from the urban jungle, and a place you will be sure to find the space you need, with the wonders of historic Britain all around to reinvigorate you.
Text author and copyright © 2007 : Chris Crane |
