The name of the town of Wells is Guella in the Domesday Book (Latinized from Anglian Wella, a spring). This derives from spring wells of which Wells used to have many, rising through the chalk of the area. The town is now a mile from the North Sea, as a result of the silting of the harbour. The Holkham Estate reclaimed some 800 hectares of saltmarsh north-west of Wells, and this was completed with the mile-long sea-wall in 1859: This reclamation reduced the tidal scour and is itself a further cause of silting. The town has long thrived as a seaport and is now also a seaside resort with a popular beach that can be reached on foot or by a narrow gauge railway that runs partway alongside the mile-long sea wall north of the harbour. The beach is known for its long flat terrain, abstract sand dunes, varied unique beach huts and a naturist area situated to the west at Holkham. A land-locked brackish pool called Abraham's Bosom is used for pleasure boating and canoeing. The beach is backed by dense pine woods growing on sand, which are part of the Holkham National Nature Reserve.

The following are examples of birds that may be found on the North Norfolk Coast.

Avocet This is one of the rarer of the waders to be seen. It has very characteristic markings, making it instantly recognisable. It nests in the marshlands, otherwise to be seen on estuaries and mudflats. (43cm)

Bewick Swan This swan is a winter visitor, and much like its fellow-visitor, the whooper.  It has a much smaller yellow area on its beak. Its call is more musical.  (122cm)

Bittern  This bird has become very rare. Additionally it is very secretive. It has a very pointed beak, but its major character is its booming call.  (76cm)

Black tern  About the same size as the Little Tern, it is distinguishable by its  extensive black-grey plumage. (24cm)

Brent Goose  Anyone visiting this coast in late autumn and winter will be familiare with the flights of flocks of brent geese. It has a black head and breast. Otherwise its plumage is grey on its wings and pale 
underneath. (59cm)

Canada Goose  Seen either inland or on estuaries, this is a resident goose. It is characterised by its black neck and white cheeks. (97cm)
Common Tern  Although almost identical with the Arctic Tern, this species is by far more common. It has the characteristic red bill and white throat.  (35cm)

Coot Visit almost any pond or river and you will see the coot .Black-feathered, the coot is distinuished from the Moorhen by
 its white 'shield'.  (38cm)

Curlew Sandpiper Common on marshes and mud flsts, it has a characteristic down-curved beak.. Its plumage is brown in summer, but grey in winter. (19cm)

Great Black-backed Gull This is much the largest of the gulls. Its other major characteristic is its black wings.  (66cm)

Green Sandpiper This is usually a passing migrant bird, though occasionally one will over-winter.. It s characterised by its dark
underside and its divided tail, and in its zigzag flight.  (23cm)

Grey Wagtail This bird does wag it tail as it walks.. It is commonly to be seen near water, and where there's levl ground.. Its yellow breast is in marked contrast to its otherwise grey plumage.  (18cm)

Herring Gull  Like the Common Gull, it has pearly-grey plumage, but is white underneath. It is much larger then its 'Common' cousin. (61cm)

Little tern  This is much smaller than most sea-birds. Its plumage is a characteristic pearly-grey with a long yellow beak.  (24cm)

Mallard  This is the commonest of the fresh-water ducks. The male has a characteristic green head, with white neck-band and brown chest and bright blue speculum.  (58cm)

Mute Swan This is our only resident swan. If you need to distinguish it then you can do so by its bright orange bill.  (152cm)

Oystercatcher Very common on this coast, it is easily recognisable by its red beak and long pink legs. It is instantly recognisable on the estuaries and mudflats.  (43cm)

Pied wagtail  Like its 'grey' cousin, it is recognised by its habit of wagging its tail. Its plumage, which varies with season is always white and black or slate-grey  (18cm)

Red-necked Grebe This is a summer visitor. Its yellow-orange ear-tufts offset its dark grey plumage.  (43cm)

Shelduck This rather rare duck is commonly found by the sea and on mudflats. It has vivid colouring, with a bright red bill and green, white and chestnut chest plumage. (61cm)

Skylark This bird has suffered from modern farming methods and has become somewhat rare. It is still to be found on the North Norfolk coast. You will rarely see it close to, but its hovering flight, vertical ascent/descent and trilling song make it unmistakable.  (18cm)

Tufted duck Apart from pale-grey flanks and bill this duck is all black. It is often seen diving.. The male bird sports a noticeable crest.  (43cm)

White-fronted Goose This winter visitor  It is most easily identified by its yellow bill and yellow feet. It has black stripes of plumage on its belly.  (71cm)

We returned to the dunes at the the coast and picked up the path through the pine forest that led to Lady Anne's Drive and directly to the village of Holkham. At one time the village was a landing with access to the sea via a tidal creek to the harbour at Wells. The creek succumbed to land reclamation, much of which created the grounds of the estate, starting in 1639 and ending in 1859 when the harbour at Wells was edged with a sea wall. The land west of the wall was subsequently turned to agricultural uses. Aerial photographs show traces of the creek in the topsoil, and the lake to the west of the hall appears to be based on a remnant of it. Now the village serves principally as the main entrance to the hall and deer park, and to Lady Anne's Drive which leads to the beach. From the redbrick gift shop and tearoom with its quaint chimneys, we followed the road that led up the hillside to the entrance at Holkham Hall Estate.

Holkham Hall is an 18th century country house. Holkham Hall is one of England's finest examples of the Palladian revival style of architecture (a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio) and severity of its design is closer to Palladio's ideals than many of the other numerous Palladian style houses of the period. The Holkham estate, formerly known as Neals, had been purchased in 1609 by Sir Edward Coke, the founder of his family fortune. It is the ancestral home of the Coke family, the Earls of Leicester of Holkham. Holkham was built by first Earl of Leicester, Thomas Coke, who was born in 1697. Coke, who had been made Earl of Leicester in 1744, died in 1759—five years before the completion of Holkham—having never fully recovered his financial losses as a result of the disastrous investment in the South South Sea Company, a British joint stock company that traded in South America during the 18th century.