Wiggenhall St Germans is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is 85 miles (137 km) north of London and 5 miles (8.0 km) south-west of King's Lynn. The parish covers an area of 18.98 km2 (7.33 sq mi) and had a population of 1,373 in 554 households at the 2011 census.[1]
The parish is on the River Great Ouse which divides the village into two. Most of the parish lies below the high-water mark and some areas are level with the bed of the river, which is confined by high banks.[2] The parish includes the hamlets of Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin and Wiggenhall St Peter, and the settlements of Eau Brink[3][4] and Saddlebow[5] (Saddle Bow on some maps).[6]
History
The village's name means 'Wicga's nook of land'.[7]
An estate just south of the village was the site of Fitton, the ancient seat of the Howard family, later the dukes of Norfolk;[2] their former hall of 1570–77 is now the Grade II* listed building called Fitton Oake.[8]
During the Second World War, two Hawker Hurricanes collided over the parish. The crash site was investigated by a local aviation society and a book published.[9]
Governance
Wiggenhall St Germans is part of the electoral ward called Wiggenhall. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 2,102.[10]
Amenities
The village has a primary school, St Germans Academy.[11]
^Andrew B.N. Ketley (1990). The Saddlebow Hurricanes: The account of a wartime mid-air collision and the recent excavation of one of the aircraft. Fenland Aircraft Preservation Society.