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Godwick
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Godwick is located six miles south of Fakenham - half
way between Tittleshall and Whissonsett and is one of the
county's most iconic lost villages. The famous ruined tower
of All Saint's Church tower stands alone in a field
surrounded by pronounced earthworks and sunken ways.
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All Saints Church Tower
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Aerial Photograph by
John
Fielding (Click for larger version)
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It appears that Godwick was
always a small (but stable) settlement
until it began to decline in the 15th-century. In 1428 it had
only 10 households and by 1508 11 of its 18 properties
were empty. By 1585 it had virtually disappeared. Since then
it has been incorporated into the parish of Tittleshall
(Tittleshall-cum-Godwick).
The soil in this part of
Norfolk has a high clay content and is poorly drained (see
top photograph) - making it generally
unproductive for agriculture. This, more than anything,
may have caused the decline of Godwick - although Alan
Davison has suggested that engrossment may have exascerbated
the problem. There are a
high number of deserted villages in this part of Norfolk
including: Oxwick, Tattersett, Testerton, Greynston and
Pudding Norton.
Today, there is a clearly visible
sunk way which runs east to west and two further roads
running off to the south. In addition there are the remains
of ten sets of banks and ditches which separated the
individual house plots and the foundations of Godwick Hall.
Ian Groves from the UEA has recently used a radio controlled
Hexcam to take aerial photographs of the site and has
produced some astonishingly detailed shots of the earthworks
and foundations.
Godwick was once owned by the Coke
family - who later moved to Holkham on the North Norfolk
coast where they contructed Holkham Hall (1730-44). In building the hall, they created
another deserted community when they moved the
existing village of Holkham. The new village, which was
shifted closer to the sea, sat outside of the six-mile long estate wall. St
Withburga's church, however, remained inside the wall and became the Coke
family chapel and mausoleum.
Sir Edward Coke, who
built Godwick Hall, has a splendid memorial inside St Mary's
Church at Tittleshall.
There is public access to
Godwick by
means of an agreement between English Heritage and the land
owner.
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More photographs of Godwick
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Supported
by Norfolk Tourism