History

The Domesday Survey in 1086 recorded that East Carleton had two churches, today there is one church, St Marys, and just a piece of wall remaining of the other church, St Peters.

There was no Rectory in East Carleton until 1880, but when the village no longer had its own Rector, it was sold and became a Residential Home(Carleton House).

Church Cottage, close to the church, is most likely the oldest property in the village. Formerly it would have been one residence, made into three cottages in the 19th century due to the rapid growth in population, and now a single residence again. Walnut Tree Cottage, on the opposite side of the road, was another property that went through the same transformation.

On or near the site of the present East Carleton Manor there was originally Manor Farmhouse which the Dod family probably had built in the 1700’s. The Dod’s owned much less land, it was John Steward who increased the size of the estate and built the Manor House about 1820. The Steward family owned the Manor House and East Carleton Estate until 1920 when the estate was sold by auction. A few lots being sold later in 1924. The Manor House and about 120 acres was bought by Philip Tindal-Carill-Worsley in 1924. Mr Tindal Carill-Worsley had a house built on the estate which became known as The Dower House and he and his family moved into it. Today it is called Carleton Hall. During the 2nd World War the Manor House was occupied by the Army, Wallace Kings used it to store furniture there, and corn etc was also stored there, Mr Tindal Carill-Worsley kept coypus. The skins being made into fur accessories, coats etc as was fashionable in the 1920’s and 30’s. He also had a silver fox farm on his land. He died in 1946 and Mr & Mrs McKinnes Skinner purchased the estate, keeping chickens and then pigs. The Manor House was in a poor state and the McKinnes Skinners had it pulled down in the 1950’s The present East Carleton Manor was built for the late Colin Chapman of Lotus fame and his wife Hazel in 1968/69. Colin Chapman’s grave is in the village churchyard..

East Carleton had been a self sufficient village in the 19th and early 20th century, having the Church, a shop, shoemaker, blacksmith , butcher and a small abattoir and earlier a beer house. Many young ladies were dressmakers, and a large number of the men worked on the land. Today only the Church remains.

The Lodge in Catbridge Lane, together with about 60 acres, was owned by Lord Lindley. He was one of East Carleton’s most distinguished residents and a generous benefactor to the village. He was a very successful judge and became Master of the Rolls and Lord of Appeal. After Lord Lindley's death at the end of 1920, The Lodge was sold and after a few years a Mr W Lloyd bought it together with 60 acres. The land was farmed and there was a farmhouse where The Grove is now situated. Mr Lloyd sold The Lodge, had a new house built on the site and moved there. He kept the 60 acres with his new house. After he left the village The Grove, as it had become known, was purchased by the Scott family, and after Mr Scott’s sudden death, Laurence Scott Electromotors used it to store their files, away from the bombing of Norwich and later as a place for staff to rest and recuperate. It was sold to the Leonard Cheshire Foundation in late 1961, being their 3rd home and began taking residents in 1962.

The earliest mention of a school in East Carleton was on a Tithe Map of 1848 which showed that the small building, later called the Reading Room, was where boys and girls went to school probably for a small charge. The school was later replaced by a new one built to accommodate 60 children at the corner formerly known as Pound Corner, later the Business Centre. This closed as a school in 1963.