The town is close to large estates and grand country houses at Blickling, Felbrigg, Mannington and Wolterton, which are important tourist attractions.

Although John of Gaunt probably never came to Aylsham, the townspeople enjoyed many privileges, including exemption from jury service outside the manor and from payment of certain taxes.

In 1519 Henry VIII granted a market on Saturdays and an annual fair to be held on 12 March, which was the eve of the feast of St Gregory the pope.

The historic Black Boys Inn in the Market Place is one of Aylsham's oldest surviving buildings, and has been on the site since the 1650s, although the present frontage dates to between 1710 and 1720.

Aylsham was once noted for its spa, situated about half a mile south of the town; it comprised a chalybeate spring, formerly used by those suffering from asthma and other chronic conditions.

In the course of the events which led up to the English Civil War Charles I had to raise as much money as possible, and mortgaged Lancaster manor to the Corporation of the City of London.

[2] The Market Place and surrounding area is dominated by the tower of the parish church of St Michael and All Angels, a fine example of Gothic architecture of the Decorated style.

The lower part of the rood screen survived the destruction visited by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans, although some of the painted panels were disfigured.

Several long distance footpaths with a railway theme start or pass through the town: The ancient but natural transport route for Aylsham would have been the River Bure, but it was not open to substantial navigation.

The Market Towns Initiative finished in 2004, but the partnership successfully bid for funding to take part in the Cittaslow pilot project and to sustain work on traffic management and heritage.

With its dramatic symmetrical front, flanked by two great yew hedges, Blickling Hall is a fine example of a Jacobean brick-built manor house and was the home of the young Anne Boleyn.

The annual Aylsham Show features agricultural exhibits and takes place on August bank holiday Monday at nearby Blickling Park.

[15] Sir Jerome Alexander (died 1670), a High Court judge in Ireland, noted for his exceptional severity, attended the local school c. 1600.

A plaque on the wall of Barclays Bank, now permanently closed, in the Market Place commemorates Christopher Layer (born 1683), who was a militant Jacobite and supporter of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the 'Young Pretender'.

Nearby, a plaque commemorates Joseph Thomas Clover (1825–82), the father of modern anaesthetics, who was born above a shop overlooking the Market Place.

Daniel Defoe is thought to have stayed in Aylsham in 1723 during his journey through the eastern counties, and enjoyed a meal at the Black Boys Inn.

Parson Woodforde, the famous Norfolk diarist, also dined there in 1781, and Horatio Nelson, whose cousin lived in Aylsham, is said to have danced in the Assembly Room attached to the inn.

[16] Humphry Repton (1752–1818), the landscape gardener who lived at nearby Sustead, is buried in St Michael's Churchyard, and his watercolours provide a fascinating record of the Market Place in the early 19th century.

She sang at Covent Garden and entertained troops in North Africa during the Second World War, before moving to Arizona, USA until her husband's death after which she returned to Aylsham to live with her sisters.