Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge | |
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![]() The harbour, with Woodbridge Tide Mill in the background | |
2011 Census) [1] | |
Postcode | |
Area code | 01394 |
Website | www |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Cmglee_Woodbridge_Thoroughfare.jpg/220px-Cmglee_Woodbridge_Thoroughfare.jpg)
Woodbridge is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is 8 miles (13 km) up the River Deben from the sea. It lies 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Ipswich and around 74 miles north-east of London.[2]
The town is close to some major archaeological sites of the Anglo-Saxon period, including the Sutton Hoo burial ship, and had 35 households at the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. It is well known for its boating harbour and tide mill next to the Deben River, on the edge of the Suffolk Coast and Heath Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[3] Several festivals are held.[4] As a "gem in Suffolk's crown",[5] it has been named the best place to live in the East of England.[6]
Etymology
Historians disagree over the etymology of Woodbridge. The Dictionary of British Placenames (2003) suggests that it is a combination of the Old English wudu (wood) and brycg (bridge).[7] The Sutton Hoo Society's 1988 magazine Saxon points out, however, that there is no suitable site for a bridge at Woodbridge, or any fordable sites until Wilford, the site of the current bridge, several miles upstream.[8] It also raises that an Anglo-Saxon bridge being wooden would have been unlikely to be worthy of comment.[8] It suggests that it might instead have been a combination of odde (a cognate of the Old Scandinavian oddi meaning promontory or cape) and breg (from the Anglo-Saxon brego meaning king - note the closeness of Sutton Hoo) or more likely bryg (a cognate of the Norwegian brygge or quay).[8]
The Suffolk Traveller (1764) suggests a similar origin to The Dictionary but originating from a bridge over a hollow way that leads from Woodbridge Market Place to the Ipswich.[9] But this is disputed by Rev. Thomas Carthew, then perpetual curate of Woodbridge who points out that the bridge had existed for less than a hundred years at that point and therefore was not old enough to be the source of the name.[10] He instead suggests Oden or Woden (Odin) and Burgh, Bury, or Brigg (town).[10] The Topographical Dictionary of England (1840) suggests a combination of Woden and Bryge.[11]
History and heritage
Archaeological finds point to habitation in the area from the Neolithic Age (2500–1700 BCE). A ritual site was found while excavations were made for the East Anglia Array, a wind farm at Seven Springs Field.[12] The area was occupied by the Romans for 300 years after Queen Boudica's failed rebellion in 59 CE, but there is little evidence of their presence.
After the Roman forces were recalled to Rome in 410 CE, substantial Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) settlement ensued. The Angles gave their name to East Anglia.
King Rædwald of East Anglia was Bretwalda, the most powerful king in England in the early 7th century. He died in about 624 CE and is often associated with the burial at Sutton Hoo, across the River Deben from Woodbridge. The burial ship is 89 feet (27 m) long. The treasures discovered there in 1939 were the richest finds ever on British soil. They are held now in the British Museum in London, but replicas of some items and the story of the finds can be seen in the Woodbridge Museum. The National Trust has built a visitor centre on the site.
The earliest record of Woodbridge as such dates from the mid-10th century, when it was acquired by St
The town has been a centre for boatbuilding, rope-making and sail-making since the Middle Ages. Edward III and Sir Francis Drake had fighting ships built in Woodbridge.[15] The town suffered in the plague of 1349, but recovered enough, with encouragement from the Canons and growing general prosperity, to have a new church (St Mary's, behind the buildings on the south side of Market Hill) built of limestone from the Wash and decorated with Thetford flint. By the mid-15th century the Brews family had added a tower and porch.
On 12 October 1534, Prior Henry Bassingbourne confirmed Henry VIII's supremacy over the Church and rejected the incumbent "Roman Bishop". Nonetheless, Woodbridge Priory was dissolved three years later.[16]
As religious unrest continued under the Roman Catholic Queen Mary Tudor, Alexander Gooch, a weaver of Woodbridge, and Alice Driver of
The town has various buildings of the
In 1943, the
Governance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/The_Shire_Hall%2C_Woodbridge_Market_Hill_%28geograph_3595539%29.jpg/220px-The_Shire_Hall%2C_Woodbridge_Market_Hill_%28geograph_3595539%29.jpg)
Woodbridge lies in the
Education and the arts
The town has state and grant-aided primary and secondary education at Farlingaye High School, Woodbridge Primary School, Kyson Primary School, and St Mary's Church of England Voluntarily Aided Primary School.[20] The co-educational independent Woodbridge School has junior and senior departments and facilities for boarding.[21]
Woodbridge has a community brass band, the Excelsior, formed in 1846, which makes it the oldest in East Anglia.[22] There is a local radio station.[23] The town also has a two-hectare (5-acre) walled park.[24] Also of interest ecologically are the Quaker Burial Ground[25] and Fen Meadow, 2.67 hectares (6.6 acres) of traditionally managed grassland.[26]
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Television signals are received from the Sudbury TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter. [27]
Local radio stations are
The town is served by the local newspaper, Ipswich Star.
Sport and leisure
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Woodbridge_Tide_Mill_%281%29.jpg/220px-Woodbridge_Tide_Mill_%281%29.jpg)
Woodbridge has a Non-League football club Woodbridge Town F.C., which plays at Notcutts Park.
The many clubs and groups cover association football, badminton, birdwatching, bowls, cricket, cruising, netball, road running, rowing, rugby football,[29] swimming, tennis, golf (Woodbridge Golf Club, founded 1893 at Bromeswell listed in the top 100 in England and Ufford Park), yachting and archery.[30] They include Deben Rowing Club and Deben Yacht Club.
The town's Deben Leisure Centre and swimming pool were refurbished in 2017–2018 and now provide fuller services since reopening.[31]
Places of worship
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/St.John%27s_Church%2C_Woodbridge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1141298.jpg/220px-St.John%27s_Church%2C_Woodbridge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1141298.jpg)
The two Church of England churches are the medieval St Mary's on Market Hill,[32][33] and the Victorian St John's on St John's Hill.[34][35]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Woodbridge_-_Church_of_St_Mary_%282%29.jpg/220px-Woodbridge_-_Church_of_St_Mary_%282%29.jpg)
Woodbridge Quay Church in Quay Street, once the Quay Meeting House, embodies a 2006 merger of the town's
Climate
Woodbridge has an unusually warm summer climate, according to the averages for 1991–2020, and is exceptionally dry by British standards.[40]
Climate data for RAF Bentwaters 26m amsl (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) |
5.8 (42.4) |
10.2 (50.4) |
11.2 (52.2) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.5 (70.7) |
22.6 (72.7) |
19.3 (66.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
10.6 (51.1) |
7.3 (45.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.7 (45.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
14.4 (57.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
19.1 (66.4) |
15.9 (60.6) |
10.5 (50.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
5.4 (41.7) |
10.9 (51.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.1 (39.4) |
2.2 (36.0) |
5.2 (41.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
9.1 (48.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
15.4 (59.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
8.0 (46.4) |
6.1 (43.0) |
3.4 (38.1) |
8.2 (46.7) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 43.7 (1.72) |
46.4 (1.83) |
36.9 (1.45) |
39.4 (1.55) |
48.0 (1.89) |
45.8 (1.80) |
23.1 (0.91) |
15.2 (0.60) |
61.3 (2.41) |
20.1 (0.79) |
65.5 (2.58) |
38.3 (1.51) |
483.7 (19.04) |
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.6 | 8.4 | 9.3 | 8.6 | 6.8 | 10.6 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 10.1 | 13.5 | 8.3 | 100.1 |
Source: Meteoclimat[41] |
Notable residents
Writers Edward FitzGerald and Anne Knight were born in Woodbridge, and fellow writer Bernard Barton lived in the town in later life.
Other residents of note include musicians
Twin towns
Woodbridge has been
in south-west France.Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Woodbridge.
![]() |
Military Units
- 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment: 2006.[44][45]
- The Royal Air Force: 11 June 2016.
- The Royal British Legion (Woodbridge Branch): 11 June 2016.[46]
See also
References
- ^ "Population - Ward Woodbridge". Suffolk Observatory. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ "Distance from Woodbridge Suffolk Great Britain to London City Great Britain". Distantias. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Home". www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Guide to Woodbridge - a historic, riverside town in Suffolk". www.thesuffolkcoast.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Suffolk town named best place to live in the East". ITV News. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- OCLC 54381298.
- ^ a b c "Where is the bridge at Woodbridge" (PDF). Saxon. No. 7. Spring 1988.
- ^ Kirby, John (1764). The Suffolk Traveller. J. Shave and sold. p. 106.
- ^ a b "Notes from a copy of the Suffolk Traveler". British Isle Geanology. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Samuel (1840). "Woodbridge". A Topographical Dictionary of England. Vol. 4. S. Lewis and Company. p. 581.
- ^ Kennedy, Maev (28 June 2018). "Archaeologists stumble on Neolithic ritual site in Suffolk". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- ^ British History online. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ "Woodbridge". opendomesday.org. Open Domesday. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ISBN 1904434126.
- ^ The Abbey (Junior School), Woodbridge, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ English Heritage descriptions. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ "About Woodbridge Town Council". Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ "Election 2010: Results:UK>England>Eastern>Suffolk Coastal". BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ "A to Z of schools by village/town". Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ "Retrieved 20 December 2010". woodbridge.suffolk.sch.uk.
- ^ "Home". Home.
- ^ "Community Radio for Woodbridge & The Deben Valley. Retrieved 20 December 2010". debenradio.co.uk.
- ^ "Retrieved 20 December 2010". onesuffolk.co.uk.
- ^ "Retrieved 20 December 2010". onesuffolk.co.uk.
- ^ "Retrieved 12 December 2010". onesuffolk.co.uk.
- ^ "Freeview Light on the Woodbridge (Suffolk, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Ipswich Community Radio". Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Home – Woodbridge Rugby Club". Woodbridge Rugby Club.
- ^ "Retrieved 20 December 2010". onesuffolk.co.uk.
- ^ "Suffolk Coastal's Leisure Centre Redevelopment Programme » East Suffolk". www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ Knott, Simon (July 2019). "St Mary, Woodbridge". Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "Home". St. Mary's Church. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Knott, Simon (December 2017). "St John, Woodbridge". Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "Homepage". St John's Woodbridge. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ [email protected], Michael Astbury-. "Woodbridge Quay Church". www.thequay.org.uk.
- ^ "Retrieved 20 December 2010". woodbridgesalvationarmy.org.uk.
- ^ Community: Retrieved 20 December 2010. Architecture: Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ "Avenue Evangelical Church – A Christ-centred, Bible-teaching, Evangelical church in Woodbridge". www.avenueevangelicalchurch.org.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ^ "Météo climat stats | Moyennes 1991/2020 / Données Météorologiques Gratuites". climate-datas-weather.dynalias.org.
- ^ "Bentwaters Climate Period: 1991–2020". Meteoclimat. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ Miller, Andy (5 July 2008). "The life and times of Brian Eno". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ "23 Engineer Regiment exercises freedom of Woodbridge". BBC News Suffolk. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ Potter, Tom (23 July 2015). "Parade celebrates links between Woodbridge and 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment".
- ^ Potter, Tom (26 April 2016). "Freedom honour for RBL branch solidifies town's military links". The East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
External links
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