Halesworth
Shire county | |
Region | |
---|---|
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | HALESWORTH |
Postcode district | IP19 |
Dialling code | 01986 |
Police | Suffolk |
Fire | Suffolk |
Ambulance | East of England |
UK Parliament | |
Halesworth is a
History
A Roman settlement, Halesworth has a medieval church; St Mary's with
The place-name 'Halesworth' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Healesuurda and Halesuuorda. The name means 'Hæle's homestead'.[2]
The town's Angel Hotel dates from the 16th century.[3]
In 1862 the only murder of modern times was recorded. Ebenezer Tye (died 25 November 1862, aged 24) was a policeman who was trying to stop a burglary in Chediston Street. However he was beaten to death and is now buried in Halesworth Cemetery. The murderer, John Ducker, was caught and was the last person to be publicly hanged in Suffolk.
In 1862 the Rifle Hall was presented to the town by the family of a late captain of the rifle corps, Andrew Johnston. It is so called because it was used as a drill hall by the rifle corps. The hall was originally built in 1792 as a theatre and was used from 1812 to 1844 by the theatre manager David Fisher. He owned an itinerant theatre group which travelled a circuit of theatres in East Anglia (including the Fisher Theatre in Bungay which has now been fully restored).[citation needed]
A Halesworth bank used to issue its own banknotes. A 5 guinea banknote (£5.25), issued by the Suffolk and Halesworth Bank in 1799, is to be found in the Coins and Medals Collection at the British Museum, and the Museum also holds later examples.[6][7]
A short distance to the north-east of the town itself, in
Between January and June 1945, the 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron operated from the base, flying "war-weary" P47 and B17 aircraft. Their mission was to carry dinghies and smoke markers to aid downed crews found at sea.
The airfield closed for flying in February 1946. Today it is an industrial site owned by
Governance
Since 2019, Halesworth has been governed by
Halesworth Town Council was also formed in 1974. The 12 Town Councillors are elected every four years. The chairman and vice-chair are elected by fellow councillors and usually serve for two years in office.[8]
The Thoroughfare
Excavations outside the White Hart pub in 1991 discovered part of a causeway – probably dating from the late Saxon period.[citation needed] A piece of oak pile from these excavations is in the Halesworth & District Museum.
There are examples of 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings in the Thoroughfare.[
A block of four shops next to this was originally built in 1474 as the Guildhall. This was the home of the Guild of
Arts and natural history
Halesworth is the home to the New Cut Arts Centre.[citation needed] The town has the largest Millennium Green in the UK with around 44 acres (18 hectares) of grazing marsh providing a haven for wildlife close to the town centre.[citation needed] The rivers in this area are home to grey herons, common kingfishers and Eurasian otters.
Railways
From 24 September 1879 until 11 April 1929 the narrow-gauge Southwold Railway connected Halesworth to Southwold. There were plans by the Southwold Railway Society to revive the railway, partly on the original track and partly on new formation, but these have now been abandoned in favour of a railway park, to be situated at Southwold.[9]
St Mary's Church
Halesworth is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, recording Ulf the priest to be in charge of the parish.
The present church is essentially early 15th century, with outer aisles built and restoration taking place in the late 19th century. At the time of the restoration, some evidence was uncovered of a round-tower church on the site. The carved Danestones in the church, depicting hands clutching foliage or tails, were found in the church during the 19th century and could be part of a cross shaft. Their original location is unknown, as is their date. However, Pevsner in The Buildings of England mentions them as being part of an Anglo-Saxon frieze, with a suggested date of the later 9th century.[10]
St Mary's became the centre of the eight-parish Halesworth Team Ministry in the 1980s. With the 1996 addition of the parishes of Bramfield, Thorington and Wenhaston, it is now part of the Blyth Valley Team Ministry of eleven parishes.[11]
The statue of the
Pubs
There are historical records of some 30 pubs in Halesworth.[12] At present there are five: the White Hart, the White Swan, the Angel, Chinnys Sports Bar and the Triple Plea.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Television signals are received from the Tacolneston TV transmitter.[13] Local radio stations are BBC Radio Suffolk on 95.5 FM, Heart East on 102.4 FM, Greatest Hits Radio East (The Beach) on 97.4 FM, and Kiss on 106.1 FM. The town is served by the local newspapers, Beccles and Bungay Journal and Eastern Daily Press. [14][15]
Sports
Halesworth has a 27-hole golf club. Halesworth Town F.C. and Wenhaston United F.C. are the local football clubs. Halesworth also has a tennis club with courts and a bowls club, both located at the Dairy Hill area.
See also
References
- ^ "Town and ward population 2011". Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p.212.
- ^ "The Angel Hotel". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33970. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ "John Ducker, the last man hanged publicly in Suffolk". Suffolk Archives. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Banknote, issuer Halesworth and Suffolk Bank, Museum number 2010,4116.13". British Museum. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Halesworth and Suffolk Bank-related objects". British Museum. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Halesworth Town Council". Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "Replica of historic Southwold loco being built". Eastern Daily Press. 10 March 2010.
- ISBN 0-14-071020-5.
- ^ "Blyth Valley Team Ministry". Blyth Valley Team Ministry. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ Huckle, Janet. "A history of Beer and Pubs in Halesworth". Halesworth.net.
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Tacolneston (Norfolk, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Beccles and Bungay Journal". British Papers. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Eastern Daily Press". British Papers. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2024.