Swannington is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the English county 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 located approximately 9 miles (14.5 km) north of Norwich between the villages of Taverham

Taverham

Taverham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, in the UK. It is approximately 5 miles north-west of the City of Norwich. Taverham sits on the River Wensum.In 2001, Taverham had a population of 10,233...

, Felthorpe

Felthorpe

Felthorpe is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 710 in 287 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Broadland....

, Brandiston

Brandiston

Brandiston is a small village and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, England, about two miles south-east of the small market town of Reepham, five miles south-west of the larger town of Aylsham and 10 miles north-west of the city of Norwich. For the purposes of local government, it falls within...

 and Cawston

Cawston, Norfolk

Cawston is a small village located approximately North of Norwich, off the B1149 main road to Holt. Nearby villages are Reepham and Aylsham.-Church of St Agnes:...

.
It covers an area of 5.9 km² (2.3 sq mi) and had a population of 287 in 120 households as of 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....

.
For the purposes of local government, it 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 Broadland

Broadland

Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. Its council is based in Thorpe St Andrew, which is a suburb of the City of Norwich.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of St...

.

As it is a very small village it has very few amenities. There is a farm butchery and garden centre/nursery. The parish church and children's play area complete the facilities.

Visitors to the village may be confused by the split nature of the village, some may first arrive in Swannington (Upgate), a collection of larger houses around Upgate Common, but this is separated from the main village by a short stretch of farmland. Swannington itself is spread around a village green split by a small stream (or beck) on which can be found a former pump and the recent addition of a contemporary village sign.

The village holds an annual bonfire party in November and an open gardens event every two years. Both are well attended and raise money for the church and play area facilities.

The village is crossed by the Norwich Fringe Project footpaths and is within easy reach of Marriots Way, a path on the former railway line running from Aylsham

Aylsham

Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...

 to 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...

.

RAF Swannington

RAF Swannington

RAF Swannington was a World War II era airfield located just to the north of the Norfolk village of Swannington, England, also occupying a substantial part of the neighbouring parish of Brandiston. It was opened in April 1944 and sold in 1957, though the RAF left in November 1947. The site is now...

, a World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

air base, now dismantled, was constructed to the north of the village.