Matlaske
Encyclopedia
Matlaske is a village and a civil parish in the English
county
of Norfolk
. The village is 21.6 miles (34.8 km) North-north-west of Norwich
, 9.3 miles (15 km) south-west of Cromer
and 136 miles (218.9 km) north-north-east of London
. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham
for the Bittern Line
which runs between Sheringham
, Cromer and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport
. The parish of Matlask in the 2001 census
, a population of 124. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
of North Norfolk
.
and North Norfolk Council Information spell the village name 'Matlaske' while the parish name is 'Matlask', without the ‘e’. The name comes from Old English and means 'Ash tree where meetings are held'. The village is located in the north west of the county and sits just outside the landscaped grounds of Barningham Hall.
of 1085. In the great book Matlaske is recorded by the name of Matelasc, Matelesc or Matingeles. The parish is recorded as king's land in the custody of Godric; from Count Alan and Ribald.
which is located 12 miles (19.3 km) south east of the village
. By October 1940 two grass runways were in operation here. On the 27th October Coltishall
was bombed which instigated the Spitfires
of No 27 squadron to be the first operational aircraft at Matlaske. Two days after the move Matlaske itself was attacked by the Luftwaffe
when five enemy aircraft strafed the field causing slight damage to the parked Spitfires and causing some casualties to people. In November 1941
Westland Whirlwinds of 137 squadron were moved from Coltishall to Matlaske. On the 12th of February 1942 the Whirlwinds were sent on an operation to prevent the Channel dash of the German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen
from Brest
to the safety of German north sea ports. Four out of the six Whirlwinds were lost during the action.
In September 1942 the airfield was offered to USAAF as base for one of their fighter groups, which was not taken up. In August 1944 the airfield was closed to flying. By September 1944 it was re-opened with No 150 Wing of the Second Tactical Air Force
taking up residence using Mustang III’s
. In October Spitfires
where back on the base with 229, 453 and 602 Squadrons. They launched missions from Matlaske to the continent to try to destroy V2 rocket sites. The last operational sorties were launched from Matlaske by the Spitfires of 453 squadron in April 1945. After the squadron left the base was deserted and was quickly given up by the RAF and was one of the first airfields to be handed back to farming. The old control tower still stands to this day and can be found to the east of the village on the Holt road.
. During a service on 19 March 1726 the chancel
collapsed and was never rebuilt. Miraculously no-one was hurt. The church was restored in 1878. The building is constructed from coursed flint work with some stone dressing on the roof where there are plain and fish scale tiles. Most of the roof dates from 1878 and is supported on corbel
s carved with rustic faces, dating from the medieval period, although the roof of the south aisle dates from 1710. The font
dates from the 15th century. On one wall is a restored canvas with the royal coat of arms of George III. In front of the sanctuary hangs a large brass chandelier.
trees leads to the west front of the hall. There is also a walled kitchen garden. In the grounds are the remains of Saint Mary's church, where Sir Charles Mott-Radclyffe and Lady Diana Mott-Radclyffe are buried. The film 'Brothers of the Hood' was shot in the grounds of Barningham.
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...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The village is 21.6 miles (34.8 km) North-north-west of Norwich
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...
, 9.3 miles (15 km) south-west of Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
and 136 miles (218.9 km) north-north-east of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham
Sheringham railway station
Sheringham railway station is a timber halt in the town of Sheringham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the terminus of the Bittern Line, operated by National Express East Anglia, and is 49 km north of...
for the Bittern Line
Bittern Line
The Bittern Line is a railway line from Norwich to Cromer then Sheringham in Norfolk, England. It is one of the most scenic in the East of England traversing the Norfolk Broads on its route to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the North Norfolk Coast. The line is part of the Network Rail...
which runs between Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
, Cromer and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
. The parish of Matlask in the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, a population of 124. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
.
Description
The Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
and North Norfolk Council Information spell the village name 'Matlaske' while the parish name is 'Matlask', without the ‘e’. The name comes from Old English and means 'Ash tree where meetings are held'. The village is located in the north west of the county and sits just outside the landscaped grounds of Barningham Hall.
History
Matlaske has an entry in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1085. In the great book Matlaske is recorded by the name of Matelasc, Matelesc or Matingeles. The parish is recorded as king's land in the custody of Godric; from Count Alan and Ribald.
The Second World War
During the summer of 1940 Matlaske became home to a satellite airbase to RAF ColtishallRAF Coltishall
The former Royal Air Force Station Coltishall, more commonly known as RAF Coltishall , was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, North-North-East of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1938 to 2006....
which is located 12 miles (19.3 km) south east of the village
. By October 1940 two grass runways were in operation here. On the 27th October Coltishall
Coltishall
Coltishall is a village on the River Bure, west of Wroxham, in the English county of Norfolk, within the Norfolk Broads.Coltishall was a place of note even when the Domesday Book was compiled. For 250 years it was a centre of the malting industry...
was bombed which instigated the Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
of No 27 squadron to be the first operational aircraft at Matlaske. Two days after the move Matlaske itself was attacked by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
when five enemy aircraft strafed the field causing slight damage to the parked Spitfires and causing some casualties to people. In November 1941
Westland Whirlwinds of 137 squadron were moved from Coltishall to Matlaske. On the 12th of February 1942 the Whirlwinds were sent on an operation to prevent the Channel dash of the German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen
German cruiser Prinz Eugen
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940...
from Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
to the safety of German north sea ports. Four out of the six Whirlwinds were lost during the action.
In September 1942 the airfield was offered to USAAF as base for one of their fighter groups, which was not taken up. In August 1944 the airfield was closed to flying. By September 1944 it was re-opened with No 150 Wing of the Second Tactical Air Force
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
The former RAF Second Tactical Air Force was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War...
taking up residence using Mustang III’s
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
. In October Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
where back on the base with 229, 453 and 602 Squadrons. They launched missions from Matlaske to the continent to try to destroy V2 rocket sites. The last operational sorties were launched from Matlaske by the Spitfires of 453 squadron in April 1945. After the squadron left the base was deserted and was quickly given up by the RAF and was one of the first airfields to be handed back to farming. The old control tower still stands to this day and can be found to the east of the village on the Holt road.
The parish church of Saint Peter
The parish church at Matlaske dates as far back as the Saxon period and has a round tower of Norman origins, part of the original church which stood here between 1066 and 1189. During a service on 19 March 1726 the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
collapsed and was never rebuilt. Miraculously no-one was hurt. The church was restored in 1878. The building is constructed from coursed flint work with some stone dressing on the roof where there are plain and fish scale tiles. Most of the roof dates from 1878 and is supported on corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s carved with rustic faces, dating from the medieval period, although the roof of the south aisle dates from 1710. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 15th century. On one wall is a restored canvas with the royal coat of arms of George III. In front of the sanctuary hangs a large brass chandelier.
Barningham Hall
A short distance North West of the village is the Barningham estate and within it Barningham Hall, a grade II listed building.. The mansion was built in 1612 for Sir Edward Paston, constructed in red brick and stone and is a fine example of Jacobean architecture. The west elevation has a three storey porch tower with two-storied dormer windows. The south elevation was remodelled in 1805 by Humphrey and John Adey Repton. They also installed a central oriel window and extra bay windows and had a hand in much of the interior work although there is panelling and plasterwork which date back to the 17th century. The landscaped grounds are also the work of the Reptons. They created the park, lake and woodlands and set out the terrace on the south of the house. An avenue of oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees leads to the west front of the hall. There is also a walled kitchen garden. In the grounds are the remains of Saint Mary's church, where Sir Charles Mott-Radclyffe and Lady Diana Mott-Radclyffe are buried. The film 'Brothers of the Hood' was shot in the grounds of Barningham.