Dereham

Dereham
The market place on High Street
Dereham is located in Norfolk
Dereham
Dereham
Location within Norfolk
Area21.51 km2 (8.31 sq mi)
Population19,256 (2021 Census)[1]
• Density895/km2 (2,320/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTF988132
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDEREHAM
Postcode districtNR19, NR20
Dialling code01362
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°40′52″N 0°56′24″E / 52.681°N 0.940°E / 52.681; 0.940

Dereham (/ˈdɪərəm/), also known historically as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the Breckland District of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40 km) east of King's Lynn.

The civil parish has an area of 8.31 sq mi (21.5 km2) and, in the 2001 census, had a population of 15,659 in 6,941 households; it increased to 18,609 by the 2011 census.[2] Dereham falls within, and is the centre of administration for, Breckland District Council.[3] The town should not be confused with the Norfolk village of West Dereham, which lies about 25 miles (40 km) away.

Since 1983, Dereham has been twinned with the town of Rüthen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is also twinned with Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf, France. In spite of the reunification of Germany in 1990, the sign on the A47 at the entrance to Dereham from the Swaffham direction still refers to Rüthen being in West Germany; this sparks periodic comment in the local press.[4]

  1. ^ "Dereham". City population. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Town population 2011". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  3. ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Retrieved 2 December 2005.
  4. ^ "Outdated signs spark debate over Dereham's confused identity". Derehamtimes.co.uk. 20 October 2016.