[2] In 2013 Hethersett became the first village or town in the United Kingdom to receive a Prime Minister's Big Society Award for its outstanding contribution to the Olympic legacy and sport and fitness in general.

Although the name is Saxon, we have evidence of earlier settlers; a New Stone Age long barrow (burial mound) lies in Cantley and two areas of Roman pottery have been found in the northern part of the parish; in view of the existence of a great Roman centre at Caistor St Edmund, the latter finds are nor surprising.

The Domesday Book also mentions the church with its 60 acres of land, a handsome endowment: no Saxon or Norman work remains to be seen because of later rebuilding.

Remigius de Hethersete, a priest who also participated in the building of Hingham Church, may have suggested the dedication in honour of his name-saint.

In the early 19th century, Hethersett Hall was built and its attractive park and ornamental lake laid out by the Back family.

The Rev William Waite Andrew, the Vicar of Ketteringham and one of the two central characters in the book, lived at Woodhall which he bought for £3,600 in 1841, and to which he added a new western extension.

In the 19th century, village crafts and small industries employed a number of men locally; two windmills existed, one giving the name to Mill Road.

In September 1994 the new village hall was opened in Back Lane, funded mostly by Wilcon Homes under a Section 106 Planning Gain agreement.

[citation needed] The effects of the opening of the Norwich Southern Bypass are less direct, but already land nearby has come under pressure for development.

Hethersett's situation so close to Norwich with its excellent facilities and transport links means pressures for growth and development (both desirable and undesirable) will continue in the foreseeable future.

Members of the thrush family regularly feed here; sometimes in early spring these include large gatherings of fieldfares and redwings before they depart for their eastern breeding grounds.

The tower, built in four stages, supports a lead-dressed steeple which is topped by a weathervane depicting a dove perched upon a coiled serpent and holding in its beak, love-lies-bleeding.

The beautifully painted panels of the reredos depicting saints was the work of Sister Myra of All Hallows' Convent, Ditchingham.

There are several memorials inside the church, one of the most striking being that of John Luke Iselin in the form of a black ledger stone of marble in the central aisle of the nave.

An interesting connection to this incident was the fact that on 21 January 1829, there was a doctors' meeting at the Guildhall about difficulties in pursuing anatomical studies, and that the legislature was to be petitioned.

The 1881 plan furnished by the late A. E. Browne, provided for the addition of an organ chamber at the end of the south aisle and a vestry on the north side.

The parish magazine of July 1897 goes on to state that "the east window will be restored to its original position, and beneath it, as now, will fit into the present reredos erected in 1866."

In clearing these foundations at the east end, workmen found and replaced in situ the sills of two small windows which gave light to a chamber below the high altar.

This would have been some 300 years before the present building was erected by Sir William Bernack and confirms the documentary evidence found in the Domesday Book.

The parish magazine of November 1897 states that the best of the flints used to rebuild the chancel were taken from the foundations of an old hall which many years previously became deserted and allowed to fall into decay.

Apparently, the hall had once been owned by a wealthy man but eventually was occupied by the squatters of the time and thus needy travellers were disappointed at finding no succour, hence the unusual name.

The site of this important building seems to have been on the left side of a footpath leading from the southeast corner of the churchyard over a bridge to the lane from the high road to the railway station.

The rebuilt chancel was opened and dedicated on St Peter's Day, 29 June 1898 to the memory of Mrs Mary Collett, the rector's wife who had died in December 1896.

"[citation needed] The final ceremony took place on Sunday 3 July, when the chancel was decorated by flowers which were then distributed to many mission rooms in London.

At first there was no chapel and, complying with the conditions of the 1689 Toleration Act, the house of Robert Baley (probably in Mill Road) was licensed as a preaching place.

There are notes about village Societies that had failed to pay their dues; on one occasion representatives were appointed to visit Hethersett and Weston to "improve the organisation."

One side of the church would be extended into the car park, giving more circulation and cloakroom space and an extra meeting room.

Others taking part were the chairman of the East Anglian District, the Superintendent of the Norwich Circuit, two members of the congregation and of the minister, the Rev Brian Dann.

Events were organised by the "New Look" Committee and individual and group efforts such as dinners, coffee mornings, sales of work (under various names) were just some of the ingenious means of raising money.

A Petroleum Storage Depot was built at Hethersett during World War Two for receiving fuel by rail and supplying RAF bases by road.