Ringland, Norfolk


Ringland is a rural village in Norfolk, England, situated in the valley of the River Wensum, approximately north-west of Norwich. Parts of the Wensum valley within Ringland parish constitute a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The village has a population of 260, and it has an area of.
The parish church of St Peter's has a 13th-century tower and a 14th-15th century nave and chancel.
Some notably hilly terrain lies within the parish to the east of the village and north of the Wensum. The hills are thought to be a glacial terminal moraine, much the same as Cromer ridge. The soil here is extremely sandy and full of smooth flint pebbles. Painter Alfred Munnings produced a work entitled Ponies on Ringland Hills.
The village has extensive common land: a lower area on the river Wensum and an upper area with the remains of a Beaker pit in the direction of Weston Longville.
The river was originally crossed by a wooden footbridge. This was replaced in the 1920s with a concrete structure which remains today. Rare concrete 'tank traps' from World War II still exist by the banks of the Wensum.
The village originally had two public houses, the King of Prussia and the Swan Inn. The King of Prussia was renamed 'The Union Jack' during World War I, and finally closed in the 1960s. The Swan remains to this day. Attached to The Swan is a restaurant run by the owners of The Swan.