East Walton is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located 7.8 miles (12.6 km) south-east of King's Lynn and 31 miles (50 km) north-west of Norwich. East Walton constitutes part of the civil parish of West Acre.
History
East Walton's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for 'wall farm settlement.'[1]
East Walton has seen numerous archaeological digs which have discovered the site of a possible Bronze Age burial barrow and three separate Roman settlements.[2]
East Walton was the site of significant Second World War defences in preparation for a German invasion, defences including a pillbox and searchlight were installed in the east of the village with a further tank trap built on the bridge over the River Nar.[4] In August 1942, a Dornier 217 shot down by a Bristol Beaufighter flown by Ft-Off. Hugh Wyrill crashed in nearby Walton Wood.[5]
Geography
According to the 2001 Census, East Walton has a population of 94 residents living in 40 households with the parish having a total area of 10.81 km2 (4.17 sq mi).[6]
East Walton's church is dedicated to Saint Mary and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining Anglo-Saxonround tower churches. Though the tower pre-dates the Norman Conquest, the rest of the church building dates from the Fourteenth Century, with the interior being significantly remodelled in the early-Eighteenth Century.[7]