Griston is a small village within Breckland which is expanding with new properties being both planned and built.
The Church of St Peter and St Paul
The medieval parish church is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. It lies at the centre of the village and is a Grade 1 listed building mostly dating back to the 14th century. It was rebuilt to include the west tower in 1477, with an inscription on the font dating it as being completed in 1568, when the belfry was also added. The church was restored by JB Pearce in 1884.
The church is constructed of three main parts; the west tower, the nave and the chancel. The nave is in four stages with diagonal buttresses. There is a selection of excellent stained glass windows dating back as far as the original 14th century build.
The pulpit dates from the late 16th century, as do some of the carved pews. The west tower houses five bells, four of which were originally installed in 1446, but recast in 1896, when the fifth bell was donated..
The churchyard contains Commonwealth War Graves from both the First and Second World Wars.
The Queen Elizabeth II Field
Griston has a substantial 100,000m2 recreation ground established as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The field is open to all between the hours of dawn and dusk. There are gated pedestrian entrances from Manor Road – where there is a limited number of off-road parking spaces – and Stan’s Walk.
The QEII Field was dedicated as a ‘Field In Trust’ by the National Playing Fields Association in 2014.
The playground area has a wide range of playground equipment, including a slide, various swings, agility and balance equipment, an underground ‘talking tube’, a junior climbing wall, a tunnel, two slides and an aerial zip wire. Several pieces of equipment are classified as ‘accessible’ use.
The Parish Council is responsible for the maintenance of the field as well as the playground equipment.
The field is held under a long lease by the Parish Council from the Ministry Of Justice and is popular with families, visitors and dog walkers. A second part of the field to the north east – which is owned by the parish council – can be accessed from Carbrooke Road via the old school entrance.
All users of the the recreation ground are asked to observe common sense safety and courtesy rules and show respect and courtesy to other users. These requirements are clearly signed at all entrances.
The Waggon & Horses
The village is also home to a well-regarded local pub, the Waggon & Horses, which has an enviable reputation for warm hospitality and excellent home-made food served in generous portions.
HMP Wayland
HMP Wayland is a category ‘C’ men’s prison operated by the Ministry of Justice. It can hold up to around 1,000 prisoners, and is a major learning centre providing offenders with workplace skills and education in the months prior to release. It now comprises 14 residential units and one segregation unit. The majority of the accommodation at the prison is single cell with shared accommodation on the induction unit and in selected cells within the main wings.
The orison has been updated and extended several times since opening; a major new accommodation block with Energy Centre and Kitchens is under construction through 2026-27.
An edition of BBC Radio 4 topical discussion programme Any Questions? was broadcast from the prison in September 1991, with the audience consisting of prisoners and prison officers.
