Briston On The River Bure

The English county of Norfolk is home for Briston, a village/civil parish located at 18 kilometers east-north east of the town of Fakenham, about 200 kilometers north-north east of London and about 20 kilometers west-south west of Cromer. Briston is located on the route of the B1354 that is running between the B1149 at Saxthorpe and the A148 at Thursford. The old wool village has easy access to the North Norfolk Coast, displaying an outstanding area of impressive natural beauty.

Brurstuna (the settlement on the River Bure) is the Old English name for the village of Briston, and, according to the words written in the Domesaday Book in 1085, the lands of the current civil parish were originally held by William de Warenne, who was the owner of 60 acres of land. Initially, the land was in the possession of Toke, the Saxon Thegn who, in 1066, was evicted after the defeat of the King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. The land over 280 acres -was then farmed by three Free Men and fourteen bordars; Briston also featured a woodland for 20 pigs which was valued at 16 shillings.

As for the actual buildings of the old civil parish, the most impressive of them all is the parish church of All Saints. The peculiarity regarding this construction is the fact that is does not include any church tower. The initial church included a round tower, which collapsed in 1785. The fact that the tower of the All Saints church has never been rebuilt or restored has transformed the construction in a fascinating one, and a main attraction for tourists.

Nevertheless, the place of the tower was taken by a bell-cote made of two pillars created from plain brick. Considering the exquisite 14th century decoration of the east window and the metal cello that is being kept in a glass case at the back of the church made by the village blacksmith in the year 1700, the All Saints church can be regarded as a strange, intriguing, but beautiful construction. Its chancel screen dates back to 1875, and it was built in the memory of Reverend Charles Norris, one of the churchs former rectors.

Briston has a local butcher, a bakery junior school, a nursery school, two pubs, a minimarket, two grocery shops, a social club and a post office. Moreover, there is a playing field featuring a tennis court, a bowling green and a playground intended for the children of Briston. All these locations are great for leisure activities, and they keep a lot of the villagers content and happy. The small village also has two public houses and a lovely inn, the 16th century Stracey Inn which has oak beams, an open log fire and which features the name of the famous boxer John Stracey. The Green Man is a wonderful place where both residents and tourists can still enjoy the inimitable taste of genuine English ale.

There are a lot of wonderful homes for sale in Briston, Melton Constable, provided you are contemplating getting a summer residence here.