Bacton, Suffolk
Bacton | ||
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Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | STOWMARKET | |
Postcode district | IP14 | |
Dialling code | 01449 | |
Police | Suffolk | |
Fire | Suffolk | |
Ambulance | East of England | |
UK Parliament |
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Bacton is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Stowmarket. The village appeared as 'Bachetuna' in the Domesday Book and the area appears to have been settled at least since Roman times, with many interesting finds on the locally organised annual metal-detecting days.
At the centre of the village is the Twelfth Century church of St Mary the Virgin, featuring a medieval wall painting. Nearby is a doctors' surgery, a primary school Bacton Primary, and an under-fives preschool, but Bacton Middle School closed in 2015 as the local authority abandoned the three-tier education system and the site is now cleared and awaiting future redevelopment. In the original centre of the village is a small village green including a pond which till 2022 was fished for goldfish, roach, koi and mirror carp. At the start of that year the fish were removed and the pond was drained and restored, but due to the dry summer it did not refill until December and now awaits the recovery of the fish stocks. Housing in the village is a mixture of many well-preserved centuries-old listed buildings including the 18th century Grade II* listed Bacton Manor, alongside newer individual and estate-type properties with a large proportion of bungalows. During the last thirty years there was little new development other than occasional infill construction, but five large housing developments have now been approved and construction has begun on up to 350 new houses, nearly doubling the size of the village and potentially with a devastating effect on village life.
Community facilities include a village hall with limited parking but a well-equipped kitchen, a bowls club playing in four local leagues, and Bacton United football club, with two adult sized floodlit pitches, a junior pitch and a clubhouse. The adult teams play in the Suffolk and Ipswich Football League while there are several junior teams of all age groups. The clubhouse is available for hire for social occasions, with a well-equipped bar. The church also has a community room for hire.
There are several community groups such as a branch of the Women's Institute, Guides, Brownies and Rainbows, a History Society, Gardening Club, Ladies' Circle and various other clubs and societies. Unfortunately the cub and scout groups in the village closed some years ago due to lack of volunteers to run them, but the Scout HQ building remains in occasional use. There's also a 16th-century thatched public house, the Bull at Bacton with a restaurant area and regular live music.
For a village of only around 1200 people (though now growing), Bacton is surprisingly well served by businesses. In the heart of the village is Shop Green with a
Like most rural areas, better public transport provision is badly needed. The
The parish of Bacton includes the village itself, the adjoining hamlet of Earl's Green and the outlying settlements of Bacton Green, Canham's Green, Cow Green and Ford's Green. Cow Green, and Tailor's Green and Shop Green within Bacton village, are registered village greens under the care of the Parish Council.
References
- ^ https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/areas/area/?code=E04010542.
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