Bacton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is on the Norfolk coast, some 12 miles (20 km) south-east of Cromer, 25 miles (40 km) north-west of Great Yarmouth and 19 miles (30 km) north of Norwich. Besides the village of Bacton, the parish includes the nearby settlements of Bacton Green, Broomholm, Keswick and Pollard Street.[1] It also includes Edingthorpe, which was added to Bacton civil parish under the County of Norfolk Review Order, 1935.
The seaside village, whose name is derived from 'Bacca's farm/settlement', is located on the North Norfolk coast between Mundesley (a blue flag beach) and Walcott, Norfolk. Bacton is known for its very quiet sandy beaches offering miles of walking along the beach and cliffs. The England Coast Path passes through the village and also the Paston Way long-distance footpath linking Cromer and North Walsham.
The civil parish has an area of 9.45 square kilometres (3.65 sq mi) and in the 2001 census had a population of 1,130 in 474 households the population increasing to 1,194 at the 2011 Census.[3] For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North Norfolk.[4]
Amenities in the village include: a village shop, a hotel, two cafes, a Chinese restaurant and kebab house, as well as a recreation ground. In addition there are several caravan parks and estates consisting of privately owned holiday chalets, giving holidaymakers access to the beach. During the First World War there was also an airfield located nearby, RAF Bacton.
Coastal erosion
The village and adjoining coastline has extensive sea defences, erected to prevent coastal erosion. Part of this sea wall in nearby Walcott, Norfolk was damaged in the storm surge in December 2013, which caused damage to several caravans and chalets.
North of Bacton lies the village of Paston where the Bacton Gas Terminal is located. In July 2019 a scheme commenced to deposit almost two million cubic metres of sand, forming a 6-kilometre (4 mi) artificial dune. Costing £20 million, the scheme will protect the gas terminal, as well as the villages of Bacton and Walcott. The sea defences are expected to protect the area for between 15 and 20 years.[5]
The Bacton Gas Terminal is at one end of a gas pipeline connecting England to the Netherlands. The pipeline runs from a compressor station at the Balgzand Gas Plant at Den Helder, North Holland, to a coastal terminal near Bacton. It began to be laid in July 2006 and became operational on 1 December 2006.
War memorial
Bacton War Memorial takes the form of a stone cross in St. Andrew's Churchyard. It commemorates the following from the First World War:
Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur P. Mack (1863–1916), 9th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
