Welcome to Great Hockham a picturesque village situated in the heart of Norfolk's countryside.
The Village is on the eastern edge of Breckland, 6 miles from both Watton and Attleborough and 8 miles from Thetford. The A1075, the main Thetford to Watton road, bypasses the village.
Great Hockham has a picture postcard village green at its centre, with a particularly fine Village Sign, showing scenes from Hockham’s history.
The Village Church (c.14th century) and Hall (c.1702) are separated from the main village. The Methodist chapel (c.1870) has closed as a place of worship.
The hamlet of Little Hockham is 1.5 miles from Great Hockham. Little Hockham Hall dates from the 17th century but little is left of the former village.
Hockham is well known for the former Breckland author Christopher Bush (1885-1973), who wrote under both his own name and the pseudonym Michael Home. His Breckland novels give an excellent insight into village life at the turn of the 19th century.
The parish is today more than half woodland but this was not always so. Until the Forestry Commission acquired the estate land in the 1920’s, there was poor agricultural land, rough grazing and heath land.
The parish has no ancient woodland but the plantings by the Forestry Commission have included plenty of native hardwoods.
In Hills and Holes and Frosts Common, there are the remains of pingoes, ponds formed by the melting of ice lenses in the ground at the end of the last ice age. On the northwestern boundary of the Parish is Cranberry Rough, which was until it was drained in the 18th century, a large lake. However it is not safe to enter this area.
The current village has a primary school (100 pupils) and a popular pub 'The Eagle'. There are also three nearby campsites and Bed and Breakfast accommodation is available locally.
Within walking distance of the village is Thetford Forest, with its numerous walks and trails (including the Pingo Trail) and the Peddars way forms part of the village’s western parish boundary.