Nunns Bridge, Thetford
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Nunns Bridge Road, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2LR
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Thetford is traditionally thought of as the royal residence of Boudica, Queen of the Iceni. The Iceni were a Celtic tribe living in Norfolk and parts of Cambridgeshire. Archaeological evidence suggests that Thetford was an important tribal centre during the late Iron Age and early Roman period.
Thetford, an important crossing of the Little Ouse River, draws its name from the Anglo-Saxon Theodford or peoples ford. The nearby River Thet was later named after the town. Nunns Bridge was built in the 16th Century, situated on the confluence of the rivers Thet and Little Ouse on an ancient ford, in an area known as Breckland. In the 6th century, the town was the capital of the kingdom of East Anglia, and from the 9th to 11th centuries one of Saxon Britain's most important towns. During the Middle Ages Thetford continued to be a significant trading town with its own mint and a pottery producing Thetfordware.
The legacy of these prosperous times is a number of impressive historical sites, including the massive mound of Castle Hill (an 11th-century motte with Iron Age earthworks) and the 12th-century ruins of a Cluniac priory; ruins remain for three of Thetford's five monasteries.
In 1094 the region's church centre was moved to Norwich and Thetford began to decline. The town's fortunes dipped further when, in the 16th century during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the priory was seized and the surrounding lands were left to deteriorate.
By road: Off A11
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