Gayton, Norfolk


Gayton is a small village in the west of the English county of Norfolk.

Location

The village is east of the town of King's Lynn, and north-west of the town of Swaffham. The Gaywood River has its source just north of the village at Derby Fen. The village encompasses the intersection of the B1153 and the B1145 King's Lynn to Mundesley road that dissects North Norfolk west to east.

Overview

The village has a primary school, which was a first school but in March 2011 gained full primary status.
The church in Gayton is St Nicholas' Church. In September 2013, James Meade, son of equestrian champion Richard Meade, and Lady Laura Marsham, daughter of Julian Charles Marsham, 8th Earl of Romney, got married in this church. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton were in attendance at the wedding.
There is one pub in the village, The Crown. The village also has a butcher's shop, Gayton Goslings care/daycare centre, a hair salon, a fish and chip shop and petrol station combining convenience shop/post office. The village formally had a windmill and is currently seeing a large increase in the building of residential housing.
Nearby is Gayton Hall, the home of The Earl & Countess of Romney, whose gardens are open to the public.
Formula One broadcaster and ex-driver Martin Brundle resides in Gayton.

Governance

Gayton is a parish of the Kings Lynn and West Norfolk district council, which is responsible for the most local services, but for Westminster elections it forms part of the North West Norfolk constituency, represented by Henry Bellingham. Norfolk County Council is responsible for roads, some schools, and social services, and the county councillor for Gayton is Richard Toby Coke. An electoral ward in the same name exists. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 2,240.