Horsford

Horsford
All Saints church
Horsford is located in Norfolk
Horsford
Horsford
Location within Norfolk
Area19.56 km2 (7.55 sq mi)
Population4,163 (2011 census)[1]
• Density213/km2 (550/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTG195165
Civil parish
  • Horsford
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNORWICH
Postcode districtNR10
Dialling code01603
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°42′03″N 1°14′28″E / 52.7007°N 1.2412°E / 52.7007; 1.2412

Horsford is a village six miles north of Norwich, England which is surrounded by the Horsford Forest and is named after the dried up section of the River Hor. Its population has seen a steady increase since the Second World War, growing from 750 in 1945 to 4,163 at the 2011 Census.

There are various explanations of the village name. It is usually said to derive from 'horse ford', but it has also been suggested that it comes from the River Hor on which the village stands (more usually known to locals as 'the Beck'). A third explanation is that it comes from Horsa, the name of a Saxon chief.

The surrounding Horsford Forest has been designated a County Wildlife Site. The rare silver-studded blue butterfly has a colony in this forest.

The motte of the demolished Horsford Castle lies to the east of the village.

  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Civil Parish population 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2016.