Chilton, Suffolk

Coordinates: 52°02′46″N 0°45′11″E / 52.046°N 0.753°E / 52.046; 0.753
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Chilton
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSudbury
Postcode districtCO10
List of places
UK
England
Suffolk
52°02′46″N 0°45′11″E / 52.046°N 0.753°E / 52.046; 0.753

Chilton is a civil parish on the eastern outskirts of Sudbury in Suffolk, England.

Once a normal village, Chilton today consists of scattered clusters of housing and an isolated Church of St Mary,[2] and is a prime example of a deserted medieval village.

History

Chilton's history dates back to the

William the Conqueror's court) was the village's tenant-in-chief
.

It is unclear why the village was abandoned, though it is speculated that it may have been caused by the

deer park, or agricultural depression.[3]

The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library (part of the University of California, Los Angeles) has a handwritten manuscript of wedding sermon preached at Chilton by Matthew Lawrence, town preacher of Ipswich.

Until the 1960s a single house remained standing adjacent to the church. Although the church is redundant, services are still held three times a year.

During World War II an airfield was built largely within the parish. Initially called Airfield 174, it was later renamed RAF Sudbury. It was completed in 1943 and handed over to the USAAF on 23 March 1944. With three runways, the airfield was home to the USAAF 486th Bomber Group (now evolved into the 486th Air Expeditionary Wing). The hangars are now used largely for grain storage.

The hall, previously home to the grandmother of Robert Walpole (the first Prime Minister of Great Britain), is today home to Lord Hart of Chilton.

References

  1. Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Church of St Mary, Chilton". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  3. ^ A Brief History of Chilton Archived 2012-02-08 at the Wayback Machine Chilton Parish Council

External links

External links

Media related to Chilton at Wikimedia Commons