Horsford
Encyclopedia
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its population has seen a steady increase since the Second World War, growing from 750 in 1945 to just under 4000 today (2001 census).
There are various explanations of the village name. It is usually said to derive from 'horse ford', but it has also been suggested that it comes from the River Hor
River Hor
The River Hor is a short river in the County of Norfolk, England....
on which the village stands (more usually known to locals as 'the Beck'). A third explanation is that it comes from Horsa, the name of a Saxon chief.
The surrounding Horsford Woods have been designated a County Wildlife Site. The rare Silver-Studded Blue
Silver-studded Blue
The Silver-studded Blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.-Appearance, behavior and distribution:So named due to the silvery blue metallic spots on the underside hind wings. The upperside are a rich, deep iridescent blue in the males with a black border and the characteristic Lycid white...
butterfly has a colony in these woods.
Places of historical interest include the site of Horsford Castle
Horsford Castle
Horsford Castle is situated in the village of Horsford, 6 miles to the north of the city of Norwich.-Details:Before the Norman conquest of England, Horsford was held by an Anglo-Saxon named Edric but after the conquest William the Conqueror granted the land to Robert Malet, the Lord of Eye...
and a 19th century windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
.
Sport
The village has produced two footballers of note: Barry BridgesBarry Bridges
Barry John Bridges is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Chelsea, Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers, Millwall and Brighton & Hove Albion and was capped four times for England....
, who returned to Horsford to manage the village team Horsford United, and Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
.
The Manor Park
Manor Park, Horsford
Manor Park is a cricket ground in Horsford, Norfolk. The ground is the main home ground of Norfolk County Cricket Club.The first recorded match on the ground was in 1986, when Norfolk played their first MCCA Knockout Trophy match on the ground against Suffolk...
cricket ground is home to the village team and the Norfolk County Cricket Club
Norfolk County Cricket Club
Norfolk County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Norfolk and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
.