Norfolk County School

The Norfolk County School stood on the summit of a wooded hill with excellent views across the Wensum Valley near the village of North Elmham. It was surrounded by 60 acres of land in Bintry parish in the Bintry (or Bintree as it is sometimes written) Hills.

The Norfolk County School was a public school was founded by Prebendary Joseph Lloyd Brereton to serve the educational needs of the "sons of farmers & artisans" as part of his "experiment in County Education". The foundation stone was laid on Easter Monday 1873 by Edward Prince of Wales (later to become King Edward VII). The school opened in 1874. The buildings consisted of a central hall, school rooms, dining hall, library & class rooms.

A chapel, built of Bath stone, was erected in 1883 and consecrated on 16 October that year. The pulpit was a memorial to B Watson Esq, the school's first chaplin. In 1884 Brereton succeeded in getting railway access to the school through the County School station built at the foot of the hill. Despite the improved communications, the school roll never reached the 300 for which it was designed, partly as a result of the depression in agriculture. The school was closed in July 1895, and purchased by E. H. Watts, who in June 1901, reopened it in 1901. After the death of Watts it became Watts Naval Training School of the Barnardo's organisation.

The buildings were largely demolished in the early C21 and what remained, e.g. the chapel, were converted to private residences.