Roughton, Norfolk
Roughton is a small village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It covers about 7 square kilometers and had 934 residents in 2011. The village is roughly 6 miles south of Cromer and about 20 miles north of Norwich, with North Walsham about 6.5 miles to the southeast. The name means “Rough farm/settlement.”
Facilities in Roughton include a primary school, a pub, a village hall, a fish and chip shop, a playground, a garage, a windmill and a fishing lake.
St Mary’s Church is one of Norfolk’s famous round-tower churches. Its tower is believed to be Saxon in origin, while much of the main building is Victorian.
A notable part of the village’s history is that Albert Einstein stayed nearby in 1933 after fleeing Nazi Germany. He lived in a hut on Roughton Heath for a short time, and a blue plaque at the New Inn marks his stay. Einstein left for the United States in October 1933. His visit has inspired plays, books and even a Netflix docudrama.
In 1969, a schoolgirl named April Fabb disappeared while cycling from Metton toward Roughton.
Transport: The nearest railway station is Roughton Road on the Bittern Line, with hourly trains to Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich. Regular buses run to Norwich, Sheringham, Cromer and Holt. The A140 road passes near the village, linking Cromer and Norwich, and the B1463 also runs through. The closest airport is Norwich International Airport.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:07 (CET).