The River Heacham rises from the Norfolk chalk aquifer near Bircham Newton and runs for just over 16 km before meeting the Wash. In its headwater section, it is little more than a clear, chalk-fed brook, slipping between fields and meadows. Here, watercress thrives in its gravelly bed, and some sections remain untouched, with naturally fallen trees creating diverse habitats. As the Heacham heads seaward, it takes on a different character, slowing down as it passes Norfolk Lavender, flowing through ponds, mill leats and ornamental lakes into the heart of Heacham village.
The Heacham has always been shaped by people. Medieval mills once harnessed its energy, including the undershot mill at Eaton Farm, which is recorded in Norfolk’s historic archives. There's no mention in the archives as to whether the Heacham ever stopped flowing, unlike the mill on the Middleton stop drain in King’s Lynn, which was notoriously unreliable. The great Ken Hill estate later re-channelled and reshaped the river's course, and today, lavender fields still scent its valley. Despite centuries of human interference, it remains a true chalk river - home to brown trout, sticklebacks and the elusive water vole. On summer evenings, kingfishers flash down its shaded reaches, and in winter, its floodplain holds back water that would otherwise rush straight to the sea.
Like many chalk streams flowing across northwest Norfolk and out to the Wash, the sea once lapped further inland. The Heacham would have emptied into broad salt marshes rich with wildfowl. Now, it meets the Wash through a tidal flap. Standing at the top of the modern sea defences and looking back over the channel, you can see a place where people have always existed: Roman salt-workers tending evaporation pans, Anglo-Saxon fishers casting nets, and Elizabethan traders sailing out into the shifting shallows. The Rolfe family, once of Heacham, would see their son John cross the Atlantic to marry Pocahontas, a testament to how this modest Norfolk stream is linked to global stories.
Today, restoration projects at Wild Ken Hill and Lavender Mill are giving the river back some of its natural curves and riffles, planting new margins, and reviving chalk-stream plants. But the Heacham faces real pressures: water abstraction from the aquifers often leaves the upper reaches dry in summer, while sewage discharges have repeatedly scarred its mouth at Heacham beach, undermining water quality for both wildlife and people.
For all its modesty, the Heacham is one of Norfolk’s treasured chalk rivers - loved as much for its quiet beauty as for its long and surprising history.
