Banham
Banham is an English village and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, about 7 mi north of Diss, 12 mi east of Thetford and 20 mi south-west of Norwich. It is home to Banham Zoo, a private collection open to the public for more than 40 years, which houses over 2,000 animals. The Church of England parish church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, is a Grade I listed building.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Country — England • Official Name — Banham • Population — 1481 • Population Ref — (2011) • Area Total Km2 — 16.17 • Shire District — Breckland • Shire County — Norfolk • Region — East of England • Civil Parish — Banham • Constituency Westminster — South West Norfolk • Postcode District — NR16 • Postcode Area — NR • Post Town — NORWICH • Dial Code — 01953 • Os Grid Reference — TM065880
Etymology
Etymology
The name of the village derives from "Bean homestead/village", or perhaps "hemmed-in land where beans grow".
Population and governance
Population and governance
The civil parish has an area of 16.17 km2 and in the 2001 census had a population of 1,443 in 573 households, including for census purposes the neighbouring village of Fersfield. This increased to a population of 1,481 in 603 households at the 2011 Census. For local government, the parish lies in the district of Breckland. Since 2015, the parish has formed part of The Buckenhams and Banham ward, which returns one councillor to the district council.
Schools
Schools
Acorn Park School is a registered children's home and school for children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders and is part of the Acorn Care and Education Group. Banham Marshalls College, an independent school in the village, was subject to Norfolk's biggest ever child-cruelty investigation, along with another school in Banham, The Old Rectory School. As a result of the investigation into the schools, which were for children with special needs and ostensibly specialised in Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, the proprietor of each and former head teacher received a two-year suspended prison sentence. George Robson died the day after his sentencing. Two other former members of staff was also convicted. Banham Marshalls College was closed by the Department of Education in 2003. The site is now occupied by Acorn Park School.
Notable people
Notable people
The village was the birthplace in 1795 of the schoolteacher, writer, poet, and hymn writer Emily Taylor. The Rev. Edward Thomas Daniell of the Norwich School of painters, a talented amateur etcher and painter, was curate of St Mary's for 18 months, from 1832.
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Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Banham, Norfolk, revision 1358523805 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 September 2026.
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