Blickling is a village and civil parish in the Broadland district of the English county of Norfolk. Blickling is located 1.5 mi north-west of Aylsham and 13 mi north of Norwich. Most of the village is located within the Blickling Estate, which has been owned by the National Trust since 1940.

History

Blickling's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the people of Blicla's people. In the Domesday Book, Blickling is listed as a settlement of 44 households in the hundred of South Erpingham. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of King William I and William, Bishop of Thetford. Adjacent to the hall is the Buckinghamshire Arms public house. The present building and barn were built in 1700, although an ale house was recorded in the early 17th century. To the west of the B1354 road is Silvergate a hamlet of estate cottages, some of which are thatched and Grade II listed. Flashpits Farmhouse is located on the south east corner of the park at Ingworth Road, the red brick building was absorbed into the estate in the 18th century. But its origin is probably from the 17th century. One of only two properties on the road, the other being the unlisted Keeper's Cottage. Aylsham Old Hall dates back to 1689 with parts of the building Grade 1 and Grade II listed. The dwelling is constructed of red brick with red hipped pantile roofing and located close to the B1354 road on the fringes of Aylsham.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, the population of Blickling is 111 people (which decreased from 113 in 2011) living in a total area of 3.3 sqmi . The River Bure runs through the parish of Blickling.

St. Andrew's Church

Blickling's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and was extensively remodelled in the Nineteenth Century, first by George Edmund Street and later by William Butterfield. Inside the church there is an elaborate memorial to William Kerr, Eighth Marquess of Lothian as well as a Fifteenth Century font. There are numerous memorial bronzes including one to Sir Nicholas Dagworth, a Fourteenth Century soldier and diplomat, and multiple dedicated to members of the Boleyn family.

Blickling Hall

Blickling is dominated by the Seventeenth Century stately home, Blickling Hall. Blickling Hall is most famous as the residence of the Boleyn family but also contains a significant collection of manuscripts in its' library. Blickling Hall has been in the possession of the National Trust since 1940.

Governance

Blickling is part of the electoral ward of Aylsham for local elections and is part of the district of Broadland. The village's national constituency is Broadland and Fakenham which has been represented by the Conservative Jerome Mayhew since 2024.

Notable Residents

War memorial

Blickling's war memorial is carved into the oak pulpit in St. Andrew's Church. It holds the following names for the First World War: And, Fred Hancock and Charles Pert. The memorial also lists the following names for the Second World War: