Welcome to Carbrooke History & Heritage
Carbrooke is much more than just a traditional Norfolk agricultural village. As part of the ancient ‘Wayland Hundred,’ our history stretches back over 1,500 years, connecting our small corner of the world to international events through the centuries—from the medieval Knights Hospitallers to the busy aerodromes of World War II.
The Carbrooke Heritage Group was formed in 2012 by a group of residents who wanted to ensure these stories weren’t lost to time. Like many rural communities, Carbrooke has seen a lot of change, and this website is our way of gathering those threads together—past, present, and future.
What You’ll Find Here
Whether you’re a local resident, a visitor, or someone from across the globe researching your ancestors, we’ve built this site to be a central hub for everything Carbrooke:
Our Roots:
A village story, centuries in the making.
A documentary film about Carbrooke and it’s history.
A brief resume of Carbrooke history and heritage with interesting facts and figures.
A timeline of 1,500 years of Carbrooke History
Discover more about the archaeological dig carried out at the school in 1998 prior to building extensions.
The Church page details church activities, history, architecture and connections with the Knights of St John, also known as the Knights Hospitallers. The Nonconformists who were active in Carbrooke during 19th and 20th centuries.
The military pages describe how World War One, World War Two and the Aerodrome affected Carbrooke. Read about the instigation of the Carbrooke War Memorial. The ‘Carbrooke Poppies’, was a community memorial project for Remembrance Day 2018. Read more about the re-discovery, renovation and presentation, of rare civil war parish armour.
Family History:
Find useful information for family and social historians with Carbrooke ancestry, including Parish registers & Census entries. Read personal memories and more about Carbrooke people who have made a difference in the community or led fascinating lives.
The Changing Landscape:
Mapping Carbrooke, explores the roads and areas of Carbrooke and their heritage. There is a list and heritage of the farms in Carbrooke, past and present.
Village Life:
Read about the history of Carbrooke School from foundation to the present day, a much loved school through the years. The Playgroup page describes Carbrooke Nursery from its beginnings as a parent led group, today it is part of the school.
The main occupation in Carbrooke for centuries, was agriculture. The Agricultural heritage page explores this subject and the trades and industries page details the occupations necessary to support agriculture and village life. Discover more about community on the Carbrooke social life page, and sport and entertainment.
Find out about the Village Hall, a community venue for indoor entertainment and Carbrooke Millennium Green an 11 acre site, for all ages to enjoy outdoor life, ecology, games and village events. Find out about utilities, the necessities of life and how they have been introduced to improve everyday life in Carbrooke.
The British love to talk about the weather, and sometimes, it really is worth talking about, as we look into extraordinary weather events in Carbrooke through time. As we are living through history we record the unprecedented events of 2020.
Projects :
The Heritage group organised a project to design, construct and install at various locations, explanation boards detailing Carbrooke history.
Heritage projects relating to the school, such as the Wall Hanging, ‘An Ocean Apart’, and Transcription of the school log.
Publications :
Find Publications and Links to items of interest relating to Carbrooke Heritage, an index to other sites or references. Slideshows and photos of Carbrooke created under various subjects can be found on the Gallery page.
Get Involved
History is a living thing, and we are constantly updating these pages with new research, photos, and memories. If you have an old photograph in a drawer, a story passed down from a grandparent, or a correction to a piece of information, we would love to hear from you.
Please take a look around, enjoy the galleries, and help us keep Carbrooke’s heritage alive.