national park
Norfolk Broads
Britain's largest protected wetland with over 125 miles of navigable waterways, a unique landscape of rivers, lakes and marshes.
13 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Rackheath
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Rackheath
Rackheath is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Spixworth, 13km from Norfolk Broads.
Rackheath is in England, United Kingdom, with about 1,600 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Spixworth, about 5 km away.
Rackheath is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, and is roughly 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east of Norwich city centre. It covers an area of 7.52 km2 (2.90 sq mi) and had a population of 1,551 in 625 households at the 2001 census, increasing to a population of 1,972 in 762 households at the 2011Read more
Census.
For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Broadland. It is the site of a proposed new eco-town.
The villages name origin is uncertain 'Narrow landing place' or perhaps, 'hollow landing place' or 'narrow path landing place'.
The A1151 Norwich to Wroxham Road runs through the parish dividing it in two. There is a small settlement (originally known as Great Rackheath or Rackheath Magna) near the 14th century listed church of All Saints (redundant since the 1970s) to the north, and the now much larger settlement of New Rackheath (but originally known as Little Rackheath or Rackheath Parva) to the south. All Saints church has a 12th-century canonical sundial on the south wall. New Rackheath contains the modern (1959) Holy Trinity Church as well as the 1930s art deco style Sole and Heel public house, which is situated in the part of the village known locally as Slipper Bottom (or Slipper's Bottom). Rackheath's other pubs are the Racecourse Inn, originally the Washington Hotel, on Salhouse Road; and the Green Man, on the Wroxham Road, which dates from before 1826 and closed in November 2011.
Rackheath was the location of a Second World War USAAF base, the most easterly and therefore the nearest to Germany of all British wartime airfields. Near the village sign on Salhouse Road, next to the gate of Holy Trinity Church, is a memorial plaque to the 467th Bombardment Group, which consisted of four squadrons who flew B-24 Liberators from the base in support of the Allied advance across Europe. Part of the former airfield is now Rackheath Industrial Estate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Rackheath?
Within an hour or so of Rackheath: Norfolk Broads (13 km), Snetterton Circuit (37 km).
Where is Rackheath?
Rackheath is in England, United Kingdom, about 5 km from Spixworth.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 1,628
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 52.6625, 1.3803
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Rackheath
2 notable places within an hour's drive.
racetrack
Snetterton Circuit
A fast and flowing former RAF airfield circuit in Norfolk, popular for British Superbike and BTCC events.
37 km · about 45 min drive
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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