Banham, Norfolk
Banham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies about 7 miles north of Diss, 12 miles east of Thetford, and 20 miles southwest of Norwich. The parish covers 16.17 square kilometres (6.24 square miles) and had 1,481 residents at the 2011 census.
Banham is home to Banham Zoo, a private collection open to the public for more than 40 years, which houses over 2,000 animals. The parish church, St Mary the Virgin, is a Grade I listed building.
The name Banham probably means "Bean homestead" or "hemmed-in land where beans grow."
Government: Banham is in the Breckland district. Since 2015 it has been part of the Buckenhams and Banham ward, returning one councillor to the district council.
Education: Acorn Park School is a registered children’s home and school in Banham for autistic spectrum disorders, part of the Acorn Care and Education Group. Banham Marshalls College, an independent school for children with special needs, was closed in 2003 after a major investigation into abuse; the site is now used by Acorn Park School.
Notable people: Banham was the birthplace of Emily Taylor, a schoolteacher, writer and hymn writer, in 1795. The Rev. Edward Thomas Daniell, associated with the Norwich School of painters, was curate of St Mary’s for 18 months in 1832.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:53 (CET).