The name may mean 'ford of the slowly moving river'. The first element has been the subject of much debate possibly meaning lane in the Scottish dialect sense of 'scarcely moving river'. The second element of the name is the Old Englishgewæd.
Much of the surrounding land is given over to agriculture. However, due to its geographical location Lenwade became the centre of the sand and gravel extraction and the manufacturing of concrete products in the Wensum valley during the middle to late 20th century. The legacy of this activity can be seen in the many flooded gravel pits in the area. Today, these now mature lakes are popular with anglers, naturalists and bird watchers. Industry today is concentrated to the southeast of Lenwade between the A1067 road and the former railway line. Concrete products, metal recycling, joinery and double glazing items are produced in the area. Local tourist attractions include Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure theme park and the Lenwade country house hotel features in its grounds the only licensed zoological garden in the UK.
Located on the busy A1067 Fakenham Road, the building started life as a Victorian mission church originally dedicated to All Saints. Despite its central location the church was little used and became redundant. Today, the church is fenced off and planned to become a residential development.
Amenities
Amenities in the village include a , primary school, , general stores, garage, tea-rooms, butchers, bakers and a fish and chip shop. Located close to A1067 and the River Wensum is the late 18th centuryBridge Inn public house. The pub garden adjoins The Bridge Lakes and a section of the river where angling is possible. Matthew Brettingham's c.1741 triple arched brick bridge is depicted on the pub's sign. The bridge was demolished in 1993 and replaced by today's steel bridge.
Lenwade mill
There has been a watermill on the river at Lenwade for many centuries. The present building, dating from the late 19th century, has been converted to homes
Railway history
was built in 1882 with direct trains to Norwich and King's Lynn. Passenger traffic ceased in 1959, but due to Lenwade's important Anglian cement and concrete works the freight line was kept open to 1985. The former station today is a private residence and the track bed forms part of the Marriott's Waylong distance footpath.
Public transport
Bus Services are provided by the following companies and connect to Norwich and Fakenham.
