Stoke Ferry

Stoke Ferry is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, 6.5 miles south-east of Downham Market. The village lies on the River Wissey which has also been known as the River Stoke. It covers an area of 9.15 km² (3.53 sq mi) and had a population of 896 in 358 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.
All Saints' Church is no longer used for church services. It is now owned by Kit Hesketh-Harvey.

Historical references

In 1805, Stoke Ferry is described as being "distant from London 88 miles 2 furlongs; on the Stoke river, which is navigable to this place from the Ouse. Fair, December 6...on the right, 5 m is the seat of Robert Wilson, esq. Inn, Crown."
The village was serving as a post town (under the name 'Stoke') by 1775; the name had been changed to 'Stoke Ferry' by 1816. A type of postmark known as an undated circle was issued to the village in 1828, and it had a Penny Post service, under Brandon (in Suffolk), between 1835 and 1840.
Many photographs of the village can be found in a collection published in 2007.
It once had its own Stoke Ferry railway station, the terminus of the Downham and Stoke Ferry Railway, a branch from the main line between Cambridge and King's Lynn.
There is still a thriving Blacksmith's shop, Thomas B. Bonnett in the heart of the village that has been trading over 100 years. As well as Bespoke Ironwork, they also sell hardware, plumbing supplies, timber and steel.