Discover Sedgeford: Archaeology and Landscape

Archaeology shapes Sedgeford just as much as the village church and the local landscape. Several specific themes can help you plan your trip: the annual SHARP festival, local research, the historic church, and routes for cycling and walking. Sedgeford lies in a fertile valley within a chalk belt; a small river flows through the village. The places described range from the village itself to the eastern edge of the parish.

A public day celebrating SHARP

Each year, SHARP holds a one-day public Festival of Archaeology, sharing the history of Sedgeford with the public. The festival includes regular guided tours of the excavation. While the festival lasts one day, SHARP has carried out numerous excavations in the parish of Sedgeford since 1996. If you plan to visit for the guided tours, check the latest event dates and programme in advance.

Excavations and a long history of settlement

The aim of the excavations is to understand human settlement and land use within the parish. The primary research focus is an Anglo-Saxon settlement and cemetery on the south bank of the Heacham River, opposite the present-day village of Sedgeford. The area’s rich cultural heritage dates back more than 4,000 years.

Chalkpit Field offers a specific example of the archaeological finds: it is the site of an Anglo-Saxon malting complex with several kilns. The people of Sedgeford used the kilns to brew beer around 379. At the Boneyard-Reeddam site, SHARP has excavated 291 individual human remains.

The village church and routes

St Mary the Virgin in Sedgeford has a late Anglo-Saxon or Norman tower. As a specific building in the village, it complements the broader picture of settlement and land use revealed by the excavations.

National Cycle Route 1 runs north–south through the village, along Ringstead Road and Snettisham Road. Peddars Way is a long-distance walking trail that crosses higher ground and reaches the eastern edge of the parish of Sedgeford. The routes therefore have different connections to the area: the cycle route runs through the village, while the walking trail reaches the eastern edge of the parish. If you are planning a trip, check the route you want to take on a map in advance.

Landscape in the chalk belt

Sedgeford lies wholly or partly within the Norfolk Coast National Landscape. The local landscape is also shaped by a fertile valley within a chalk belt and a small river that flows through the village. The valley, chalk belt and river describe Sedgeford’s natural environment; through its excavations, SHARP focuses on human settlement and land use within the parish of Sedgeford.

Discover more destinations: Weybourne, Lyng, Thursford, Brooke, Helhoughton, Feltwell, Melton Constable, Swanton Abbott

For the broader travel overview: Norfolk.