History
Thetford has a wealth of heritage and rich history. This picturesque part of East Anglia is one of the most ancient settlement areas in the country and was once the home of Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni. Once the Saxon Capital of East Anglia, its importance continued during the early Middle Ages and has left a legacy of historic sites such as the Iron Age earthworks, a Norman castle mound and the remains of the 12th-century Cluniac priory.
Thomas Paine
Thetford was the birthplace of the controversial Thomas Paine, author of the ‘Rights of Man’ and ‘The Age of Reason’. Paine was an influential figure in both the American and French revolutions’. There is a statue of him in Thetford, which is a lasting reminder of his involvement in political affairs of the 18th century.
Prince Duleep Singh
Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Punjab came to England after he resigned his sovereign rights and property (including the Koh-I-Noor diamond) to the British Crown as a result of the Treaty of Lahore. In 1863 he purchased the Elveden Hall and established a well-managed game preserve and transformed the house into a semi-oriental palace as befitting his former status. In 1999 a statue of the Maharajah was officially unveiled by HRH the Prince of Wales at Butten Island in Thetford.
Thetford is also the home of Charles Burrell's steam traction engines. The foundry turned out machinery widely regarded as the Rolls Royce’s of the steam industry. The works attracted engineers from London, the Midlands and Yorkshire until it closed in 1928. Thetford’s more recent history and claim to fame is as ‘Walmington-on-Sea’ the setting for the comedy series, Dad’s Army. With the area around Thetford also providing locations for the filming of, Stanley Kubrick’s, Eyes Wide Shut, James Bond The Living Daylights and the Blockbuster Lara Croft Tomb Raider.
Today the town centre is a conservation area with fine medieval and Georgian buildings.