What is "congham"

Congham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some 10 km east of the town of King's Lynn and 55 km west of the city of Norwich.

The civil parish has an area of 11.7 km and in the 2001 census had a population of 227 in 97 households, the population increasing to 241 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Sir Henry Spelman, the noted 17th-century antiquary, was born in Congham. He is best known for his detailed collections of medieval records, in particular of church councils. His brother Erasmus also lived in Congham, and his son Henry Spelman was an early settler and explorer of Virginia. A river rises close to the village at Pond Farm. It is called the river Cong and is a tributary of the river Babingley. There was a Roman Villa at Congham, and some painted plaster from it is preserved in King's Lynn Museum. There were at one time three parish churches, St Mary's, All Hallows' and St Andrew's, sited in a perfectly straight line. Only St Andrew's now stands. One Rector was Edmund Nelson, first cousin of Admiral Nelson's father also called Edmund Nelson. The church dates to the 13th century but was much restored in the 19th century.

Congham Oil Mill, now known as Congham Lodge, stood on the river and was built for the use of processing whales transported from King's Lynn docks.