Official Visitor Website

Wymondham

A historic market town with an impressively turbulent past

Wymondham is an idyllic market town in South Norfolk with a picturesque marketplace, intriguing shops, medieval lanes, ancient meadows, museum, steam train station and the magnificent Wymondham Abbey, all within a few minutes’ walk between each spot.

Wymondham South Norfolk

It also has an impressively turbulent past, mostly thanks to Robert Kett, a truly modern thinker who stood up for the rights of poor workers in the summer of 1549 and dared to challenge the King’s authority. He gathered thousands of peasants in Wymondham and led them into battle in Norwich against the King’s men. As a spoiler, let’s say it didn’t end well for Kett and his story ends gorily at the Abbey.

Today the interior glows peacefully with the awe-inspiring gold altar, overlooked by a flight of life-sized carved angels in the ceiling. Join a tour of the glorious Abbey and take time to sit deep within the medieval-style herb garden sheltered by the Abbey wall, full of scent and bees.  Just across the ancient meadow and the River Tiffey there is the Mid Norfolk Railway Station, with a steam train linking to Dereham, giving you a chance to travel in fun, vintage style.

Mid Norfolk Railway Dereham-Wymondham

If you ever wondered how brushes of every kind were once made, the Wymondham Heritage Museum has all the answers. It’s packed full of busy market town stories and the objects that bring this history to life. For a different kind of nostalgia, visit Toll’s Meadow, a wonderful nature reserve with many of the plants and wildlife that used to be common everywhere, including the delightful water vole, just like the character in Wind in the Willows.

Make sure to stop for afternoon tea, a coffee or lunch somewhere along the market street or for a pint in the Green Dragon, one of England’s oldest pubs, and imagine that the rebel Robert Kett probably once sat there.

It neighbours Becket Chapel now a fine creative centre where you can enjoy exhibitions, acquire unique pieces of art or try your hand at creating something beautiful. Then dip into the shops to browse or buy something lovely to remind you of your day in a classic market town.

Visit Wymondham and enjoy a wonderful day.