The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising to the west of Debenham , though a second, higher source runs south from the parish of Bedingfield . The river passes through Woodbridge , turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry . The mouth of the estuary is crossed by a ferry connecting Felixstowe and Bawdsey .
19-644: Bawdsey Manor stands at a prominent position at the mouth of the River Deben close to the village of Bawdsey in Suffolk , England, about 75 miles (120 km) north-east of London. Built in 1886, it was enlarged in 1895 as the principal residence of Sir William Cuthbert Quilter . Requisitioned by the Devonshire Regiment during World War I and having been returned to the Quilter family after
38-611: A boarding and day school for children from ages 11 to 18. The Transmitter Block is a museum, with limited opening hours, and was featured in the BBC Restoration programme. The exhibit is known as "The Magic Ear", and is operated by the Bawdsey Radar Group. The property was sold to PGL Travel Ltd. and was opened for summer 2017. 51°59′23″N 1°23′59″E / 51.9896°N 1.3996°E / 51.9896; 1.3996 River Deben Both
57-485: A head gardener at Horwood House, she recruited Harry and he remained there for the rest of his life. In February 1936 research scientists, including Robert Watson-Watt moved into the manor to begin research and development into radar for practical military use and it became known as RAF Bawdsey . Stables and outbuildings were converted into workshops and 240 ft (73 m) wooden receiver towers and 360 ft (110 m) steel transmitter towers were built. Bawdsey
76-668: A radar station through most of the Cold War. Demolition of the 10 towers began in the 1960s, and they all are now gone. Bawdsey Manor continued as an RAF base through the Cold War and Bloodhound surface-to-air missiles were sited on the cliffs until the Bloodhound force ceased operations in 1990, when all the missiles were withdrawn to RAF West Raynham . RAF Bawdsey was closed in 1991. The Manor, grounds, and associated buildings were used from 1994 to 2016 to house Alexanders College,
95-405: Is capable of grinding a wholemeal flour. The mill is a Grade I listed building . It is a three-storey building constructed from wood; externally it is clad in white Suffolk boarding and has a Gambrel roof. Its machinery reflects the skills and achievements of the early Industrial Revolution . It has been preserved and is open to the public. The reservoir constructed for demonstration purposes
114-679: Is dominated by the common reed ( Phragmites australis ). The salt marsh and intertidal mud-flats that occupy most of the area have the widest range of salt marsh flora in Suffolk. Water resource management has evolved in relation to the River Deben. Since 2023 the East Suffolk Water Management Board has been responsible for this. It traces its origin to the internal drainage boards established in 1933. The "River Deben (upper) Internal Drainage Board" and
133-496: Is possible that the Augustinians rebuilt the mill shortly before the dissolution. This mill and the former Woodbridge Priory was granted to Thomas Seckford by Elizabeth I . That mill passed through the hands of various private owners until it was rebuilt in the seventeenth century. This is the mill preserved today. By the outbreak of World War II the mill was one of only a handful still operating. In 1957 it closed as
152-585: Is roughly half an acre in extent, the original 7-acre (28,000 m ) one is now a marina. The first recording of a tide mill on this site was a medieval mill in 1170; it is unknown how many mills have stood here, but probably three. The mill, which was operated by the local Augustinian priory in the Middle Ages , was acquired by Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. It
171-733: The "River Deben (lower) Internal Drainage Board' were established at this time, and were responsible for water management until amalgamation in 2005. There are several yacht and dinghy clubs on the river Deben. These include the Deben Rowing Club, Deben Yacht Club, the Waldringfield Sailing Club, Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club and the Woodbridge Cruising Club. There are two yacht harbours, the Tidemill Yacht Harbour, close to
190-656: The Tide Mill; and the Granary Yacht Harbour, further upstream at Melton. The river Deben is a popular location for many other water sports including canoeing, wakeboarding, paddle boarding and windsurfing. The area where the river Deben enters the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry is also a popular location for the sport of kitesurfing. Kitesurfers can usually be seen around low tide when the wind conditions are favourable, ranging from NE round to SW and depending on
209-600: The direction of the tide. The Deben Peninsula is a region of Suffolk, made up of the area of the Coast and Heaths AONB between the River Deben to the south and the Alde and Ore Estuary in the north. The area is relatively remote, and noted for its stunning coastline. Woodbridge Tide Mill Woodbridge Tide Mill in Woodbridge , Suffolk , England is a rare example of a tide mill whose water wheel still turns and
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#1732772288091228-466: The last commercially operating tide mill in Britain. In 1968 the derelict mill was purchased by Mrs Jean Gardner and a restoration programme was launched. It was opened to the public five years later in 1973. It is now managed by a charitable trust (Woodbridge Tide Mill Trust) staffed by volunteers, and in 2011 the trust undertook a further and more complete restoration and modernisation project, including
247-455: The river-name and the name of the village of Debenham are of uncertain origin and relationship, but one theory (of several on offer) is that the river's name was originally Dēope meaning 'the deep one'. The river-name, however, is not recorded in the form Deben before 1735, when it appears thus in Kirby's Suffolk Traveller . The river, though still little more than a stream, is forded twice in
266-407: The summer. Maude Marion Quilter (born about 1868) of Bawdsey Manor, daughter of Sir William Quilter, 1st Baronet, married Frederick Denny in 1888 and later had Horwood House as her country residence. It was at Bawdsey Manor that she knew of Harry Thrower, the father of the broadcaster and gardener Percy Thrower , as he was a gardener there, it being his first gardening position. When Maude wanted
285-614: The village, with that which runs along Stoney Lane being claimed to be among the longest in England. Tide mills at Woodbridge have operated off the tide from the river Deben since at least 1170. The present mill, built in 1793, is producing stone ground wholemeal flour in the traditional way. It marks the point from which the River Deben flows into the Deben Estuary . In 2009, the Deben Estuary Partnership
304-548: The war, it was purchased by the Air Ministry for £24,000 in 1936 to establish a new research station for developing the Chain Home RDF ( radar ) system. RAF Bawdsey was a base through the Cold War until the 1990s. The manor is now used by PGL for courses and children's holidays. There is a small museum in the radar transmitter block. Bawdsey Manor was built in 1886 and enlarged in 1895 by William Quilter who
323-544: Was an art collector, one of the founders of the National Telephone Company , and was Liberal / Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament for Sudbury . He established a steam-powered chain ferry across the River Deben in 1894 to access the nearest railway station at Felixstowe. It was known as the Bawdsey Ferry and ran until 1931. The ferry now operates using a motor-launch at weekends during
342-684: Was developed to enable the local communities to have an input into complex and increasingly important issues that will be crucial for the River Deben and the surrounding estuary area. In 2015, the Deben Estuary Plan was drawn up following feedback. The Deben Estuary is a Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site and within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . Its significance arises from its over-wintering population of avocets ( Recurvirostra avosetta ). The estuary features shifting sandbanks . Plant life
361-604: Was the Air Ministry's secret radar research establishment until this moved away on the outbreak of war in 1939. Most of the key radar scientists of the day, and the first generation of RAF and WAAF radar personnel, were trained there. From 1937 Bawdsey was operational as the first of the RDF (radar) Chain Home, and during World War II also acquired Chain Home Low and Coast Defence/Centimetric equipment for tracking enemy ships. It continued as
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