Denver is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated on the River Great Ouse, approximately 1 mi south of the small town of Downham Market, 14 mi south of the larger town of King's Lynn, and 37 mi west of the city of Norwich.

History

Denver's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a passage or crossing used by the Danes. Denver acted as the terminus for the Roman road the Fen Causeway, which began in Peterborough. In the Domesday Book, Denver is listed as a settlement of 43 households in the hundred of Clackclose. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of William de Warenne. Denver Sluice controls the water levels between the tidal and non-tidal Great Ouse. In 1651, the first sluice to help with the drainage of The Fens was built by the Dutch architect Cornelius Vermuyden. The sluice was rebuilt after bursting in 1713. John Rennie the Younger built a sluice and bridge in 1834. It was enlarged in 1923 and the flood gates have been replaced several times. The four-arched bridge has its piers extended to form two locks. It is Grade II listed. The West Norfolk Rowing Club is based at Denver Sluice. Denver Windmill was built in the mid-nineteenth century and today not in use due to removal of the sails in 2017. Denver Railway Station opened in 1847 as a stop on the Great Eastern Railway between King's Lynn and Cambridge. The station was closed to passengers in 1930.

Geography

According to the 2011 Census, Denver is a settlement of 890 residents living in 379 households. Denver falls within the constituency of South West Norfolk and is represented in Parliament by Terry Jermy of the Labour Party.

St Mary's Church

Denver's parish church is of Norman origin and is dedicated to Saint Mary. The church was heavily remodelled in the later nineteenth century with the stained glass being created and installed by Ian Pace. The church is Grade II listed and holds regular church services.

Famous residents

George William Manby, English author and inventor

In popular culture

In the novels of Dorothy L. Sayers, the fictional Duke of Denver's family seat is supposedly based on the village.

War memorial

Denver shares a war memorial with the nearby villages of Fordham, Ryston and Bexwell located on the village green taking the form of hexagonal stone column topped with a crucifix. The memorial lists the following names for Denver for the First World War: