Flordon is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Flordon is located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south-east of Wymondham and 7.6 miles (12.2 km) south-west of Norwich.
Although the certain meaning of Flordon's name is uncertain, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin and directly translates from Old English as 'floor hill'.[1]
In the Domesday Book, Flordon is listed as a settlement of 48 households in the hundred of Humbleyard. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Bishop Odo of Bayeux, Alan of Brittany, Roger Bigod and Godric the Steward.[2]
Flordon Mill stood in the village from the medieval period until its demolition in the 1920s. The mill was powered by water and stood on a small tributary of the River Tas.[3]
Flordon Hall is a timber framed, seventeenth century manor-house that was built on the ruins of an earlier building.[4]
Flordon Railway Station opened in 1849, as a stop on the Great Eastern Main Line between London Liverpool Street and Norwich. The station closed in 1966, as part of the Beeching Cuts, although inter-city services continue to pass through the village.
According to the 2021 census, Flordon has a total population of 298 people which demonstrates an increase from the 281 people listed in the 2011 census.[5]
Taswood Lakes operate as a set of public fisheries close to the village; the lakes are mainly used for fishing for carp.
Flordon's parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael and was largely rebuilt in the Nineteenth Century. St. Michael's is located within the village on St. Michael's View and has been Grade II listed since 1959.[6]
St. Michael's was likely once one of Norfolk's round-tower churches and was heavily restored in the Victorian era.[7]
Rainthorpe Hall is located within the Parish of Flordon and was built in its current form in the late sixteenth century by the lawyer Thomas Baxter. Today, the hall is a Grade I listed building and is on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
Tas Valley Mushrooms is based within the parish.
Hethersett and Tas Cricket Club play their home games within the parish boundaries and field four men's teams and one women's team. The first XI competes in the Norfolk Cricket Alliance's Division One and were placed in second place in the 2022 season.[8]
Flordon is part of the electoral ward of Mulbarton & Stoke Holy Cross for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.
The village's national constituency is South Norfolk which has been represented by the Labour's Ben Goldsborough MP since 2024.
Flordon's war memorial takes the form of two brass plaques located inside St. Michael's Church. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:[9]
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCpl. | John F. Hazell | 3rd Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 18 Sep. 1916 | St. Mary's Churchyard |
| Pte. | Albert G. Hazel | 2nd Bn., Border Regiment | 26 Oct. 1917 | Tyne Cot |
| Pte. | James Stebbings | 5th (Mounted) Bn., CEF | 5 Dec. 1916 | Villers Station Cemetery |
| Pte. | Frank H. Smith | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 12 Aug. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte. | Arthur E. Thompson | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 12 Aug. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte. | Lewis Brown | 9th Bn., Northumberland Fusiliers | 12 Sep. 1917 | Tincourt Cemetery |
| Pte. | James H. Savory | 5th Bn., Yorkshire Regiment | 27 May 1918 | Soissons Memorial |
The following names were added following the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO | Burney R. Whitehouse DFC | No. 7 Squadron RAF | 21 Jan. 1944 | Hanover War Cemetery |
| WO | Granville S. Sharpe DFM | No. 97 Squadron RAF | 24 Sep. 1944 | St. Michael's Churchyard |
