Fakenham: Glassblowing, Markets and City History

Fakenham combines the craft of glassblowing and market traditions with reminders of its industrial history. It also has historic buildings, the River Wensum and a racecourse. If you’re looking for a hotel in Fakenham, these varied themes offer starting points for planning your stay around your interests.

Watch glassblowing and try it yourself

At Langham Glass’s glasshouse, you can watch glassblowers use centuries-old techniques to make handcrafted crystal glass. Watching them work with glass is complemented by hands-on glassmaking experiences, including making a tealight holder and having a child’s hand moulded in glass. This means the Fakenham glass theme includes both a look at the production process and two specific activities to try yourself.

Market life and printing history

The Fakenham Thursday Market has been held since 1250. The Fakenham Weekly Market takes place in the town centre, in the market square. The stalls offer, among other things, crafts, baked goods, cheese, fish and refreshments. This selection combines handmade goods with food and gives a clear impression of what’s on offer at the weekly market.

The surface of the market square also recalls the town’s history: printing blocks set into the ground refer to Fakenham’s printing heritage. The market site is thus linked to another part of local history.

Industrial history and historic buildings

The Fakenham Lancaster Heritage Trail uses blue plaques to explore Fakenham’s diverse industrial past, as well as the people and communities that shaped the town. Each plaque has its own QR code, which links to information about the building on which it is mounted. The information about each building is therefore tied to a specific point along the trail.

The Fakenham Museum of Gas and Local History preserves the only surviving municipal gasworks in England and Wales with its complete technical equipment for producing gas from coal. This includes retorts, a condenser, a washer, purifiers, a gas meter and a gas holder. The gasworks at the Fakenham Gasworks Museum is also designated as a Scheduled Monument. The preserved equipment makes the process of producing gas from coal tangible through specific technical components.

Two distinct building phases can be seen at the Church of St Peter and St Paul: the Early English north doorway and the large Perpendicular-style west tower, dating from around 1400 to 1450. Fakenham Cinema is housed in a listed Victorian building that retains some of its original features. In their own ways, both buildings showcase historic architecture in the town.

River, racecourse and golf

The River Wensum flows through Fakenham and is designated both a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). On a walk along the river, you can see wild birds and historic railway bridges. Here, the landscape and built reminders of railway history meet along the river.

Fakenham Racecourse is the only National Hunt racecourse in Norfolk. The venue has designated accessible parking spaces and viewing areas; check the current arrangements before your visit. Fakenham Golf Club also welcomes visitors: in 2026, this applies seven days a week, all year round. Check for any restrictions before travelling. The two attractions therefore differ both in what they offer and in their practical visiting arrangements.

Plan your journey and stay

Bus routes serve Fakenham from Norwich, King’s Lynn and Sheringham. As route availability can change, it’s a good idea to check connections before travelling. When looking for a hotel in Fakenham, you can choose based on your planned interests: glassblowing, the market, industrial history, the river or the racecourse each offer a different focus within the town.

Discover more destinations: Aylsham, Litcham, Sculthorpe, Wiggenhall Saint Peter, Great Bircham, Martham, Easton, Burnham Market

For the wider travel overview: Norfolk.