The name Pickenham comes from the Old English meaning for ‘homestead/village of Pica’. Pica (Paecc/Piccea/Pinca) was a Saxon leader when the area became a pagan Anglo-Saxon settlement in the 5th century, until the Norman conquest in 1066. The village sign on the green in North Pickenham shows a Saxon and a Norman warrior. A village statue was erected in 2010 of a Saxon warrior in place of the village sign, but the village sign was then refurbished and reinstated in 2020.

The helmet logo is a representation of this part of history and the source of the village names. The Domesday Book does not distinguish between North and South Pickenham; these are listed as relatively large holdings with mills, fisheries and livestock.

The village of North Pickenham is home to St Andrew’s Church (a medieval building, which was largely rebuilt in 1863); The Blue Lion public house (originally built in the late 17th century); the cold war antenna (the airfield opened as a USAAF base in 1944) which has been identified as a monument of national importance; the Anglia Karting circuit and an eight-turbine wind farm.

The village and civil parish of South Pickenham is centred on the 20th century Grade-II listed Pickenham Hall and is home to the rare round-tower church All Saints, mostly built around 1300; South Pickenham Estate with its vineyard and Home Farm with its buildings from 1600 onwards.

The restored church of Saint Mary’s at Houghton on the Hill (a deserted medieval village), part of North Pickenham Parish, was transferred to South Pickenham as a Chapel of Ease in 1992. This church hosts rare 11th century wall paintings and is located close to Peddars Way.

The Pickenham Community Hub was formerly St Andrew’s CE Primary School, which closed its doors in December 2018. Fundraising efforts from Pickenham villagers raised enough to reopen the building as a place to bring villagers and locals together as a community. On 1st February 2020 the Pickenham Community Hub was officially opened by George Freeman MP.

In 2023 the current Management Committee took over to improve our schedule of activities, our online presence and to beat the financial shortfall.

We have been able to build on community relationships and social activities for all ages at the Hub.

Our regular bar nights (Fridays from 7pm) have provided a great place to relax and make friends. More recently, the opening of the coffee shop has provided a daytime space for people of all ages to gather.

1) Keep the building available, accessible and safe for the use of local people and others.

2) Enable a range of social, welfare, educational, training, development and health activities to take place at the Hub which respond to the needs of local people.

3) Provide good quality services to users of the Hub.

4) Consult with the local community so that we keep up to date with local issues and where possible, advocate and support the local community.

5) To provide a “Social Club” for local people to get together and socialise.

6) Be financially sustainable.