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Royal residence
Sandringham House
Country house of the royal family set in a 20,000-acre estate; check the estate website for opening dates.
A mini guide to
King's Lynn & Sandringham
A medieval port on the Great Ouse, a Norman castle and the royal Sandringham estate
Photos
1 / 6Welcome to the area
A medieval port on the Great Ouse, a Norman castle and the royal Sandringham estate
King's Lynn is a port town on the River Great Ouse near The Wash. Its two market places, Tuesday Market Place and Saturday Market Place, are lined with merchants' houses, guildhalls and the Minster, and the Guildhall of St George, built between 1410 and 1420, is the largest surviving guildhall in England. The 17th-century Custom House was designed by Henry Bell, once the town's mayor.
North-east of the town, Castle Rising keeps a Norman keep built soon after 1138, and Sandringham House, a country house of the royal family, stands in a 20,000-acre estate. On The Wash, RSPB Snettisham is known for the huge flocks of wading birds pushed ashore by big tides in autumn and winter. Great Northern trains run from London King's Cross.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Church
St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham
Parish church beside Sandringham House, attended by the royal family when they are in residence.
Directions Report a problem with St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham
Castle
Castle Rising Castle
Ruined castle and keep built soon after 1138 by William d'Aubigny, with earthworks and a former deer park.
Church
King's Lynn Minster (St Margaret's)
Grade I listed church built from the 12th to 15th centuries, renamed King's Lynn Minster in 2011.
Directions Report a problem with King's Lynn Minster (St Margaret's)
Museum
True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum
Volunteer-run museum telling the story of King's Lynn's old North End fishing quarter.
Directions Website Report a problem with True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum
Historic building and museum
King's Lynn Town Hall and Stories of Lynn
Grade I listed Trinity Guildhall on Saturday Market Place; the Stories of Lynn museum is in its undercroft.
Directions Report a problem with King's Lynn Town Hall and Stories of Lynn
Find your way
On the map
The map shows King's Lynn & Sandringham and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Start at the market places
Tuesday Market Place and Saturday Market Place hold most of the historic buildings; walk between them along King Street and Queen Street.
2
See a play in a medieval hall
The Guildhall of St George has been used as a theatre since 1445.
3
Check Sandringham before you go
Sandringham House and gardens open on set dates; the estate's own website has the details.
4
Watch the tide at Snettisham
Big tides on The Wash in autumn and winter push wading birds onto the shore at RSPB Snettisham; check tide times first.
Tips from the Britlens editors
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- King's Lynn & Sandringham (area photo): Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sandringham House: John Fielding from Norwich, UK, CC BY 2.0, source
- St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham: Elliott Brown, CC BY 2.0, source
- Castle Rising Castle: Antony McCallum: Who is the uploader, photographer, full copyright owner and proprietor of WyrdLight.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- King's Lynn Minster (St Margaret's): Jules & Jenny from Lincoln, UK, CC BY 2.0, source
- True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum: Alienturnedhuman (talk), Public domain, source
- King's Lynn Town Hall and Stories of Lynn: Mat Fascione, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Guildhall of St George: Jonathan Thacker, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Greyfriars Tower: Oxyman, CC BY 2.5, source
- Thoresby College: Michael Dibb, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Corn Exchange: Alienturnedhuman (talk), Public domain, source
- RSPB Snettisham: Ben Dickson / Alienturnedhuman at en.wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Clifton House: Greenpenwriter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Norwich: Sumit Surai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wroxham, Hoveton & the northern Broads: Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cromer & Sheringham: Scribwik, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wells, Holkham & Blakeney: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
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