Docking Market
Docking's Local Produce Market held every Wednesday 10.00am 'til 2.00pm where you can find real food, passionately produced locally all year round throughout the county and its borders, making food come to life through a great taste experience. All our producers provide the highest quality and freshness, with food produced within the county and it's borders. Our food producers are joined by a beautiful range of local crafts, from pots to cards, flowers to cushions, jewellery to art. You'll find all our producers knowledgeable and friendly...
About Docking
Docking is in North Norfolk and is one of the highest places in the county at about 240ft (74 metres) above sea level. North Norfolk is a year-round destination for visitors and holidaymakers. Docking, five miles from the coast, has a high proportion of second homes estimated at 40%. Visitors come to the area for the attractive countryside, the coast and activities that include walking, sailing and bird watching. The village itself has about 850 inhabitants. We are fortunate to have plenty of local tradesmen and a blacksmith is still at work at the forge. Many of those who have moved into the district are retired or able to work from home using the internet.
There is just one public house left. But the village hall is busy and heavily booked since dozens of local groups and societies that underpin life in the parish use its facilities.
Docking is close to the coastal resorts of Hunstanton, Heacham and Brancaster. Other surrounding villages include Bircham, Bircham Newton, Ringstead, Sedgeford, Stanhoe, Syderstone, Burnham Market.
Docking church, St Mary was built during the 15th century and is a large church with some interesting features that include a late medieval font.
In 1969 Docking had an unusual UFO sighting. Electrical Engineer, Robin Peck was driving through Docking at night when the electrical system in his car failed. He could sense static electricity in the air and then saw a bright blue inverted mushroom shape in the sky that was roughly 400 metres away and 40 metres above the trees. It suddenly disappeared in the direction of Norwich and his car strangely began working again.
The small inland village of Docking can trace its origin back to Roman times. In the past it used to be known as Dry Docking as it had no water supply of its own. In the 1760s a well was sunk some 230 feet down which provided domestic water for the village at a farthing per bucket. The use of this well continued until 1936 when water was eventually piped into the village..
One person to use this well was George Smith, the youngest son of a local shoemaker. He studied theology in Canterbury. After his studies he became a missionary and went to Natal in South Africa in 1871. When the Zulu wars started in 1878 George was attached to the British army as a temporary chaplain to the Central Column. So it was that on the 22nd January 1879 George Smith from Docking, Norfolk was one of the men present at the infamous Rorke’s Drift.
