112-550: The River Lark crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in England. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse , and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for navigation since Roman times, and improvements to its navigability were made in 1638 and in the early 18th century, when locks and staunches were built. Special powers to improve
224-535: A Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire . A traditional nickname for people from Suffolk is "Suffolk Fair-Maids", referring to the supposed beauty of its female inhabitants in the Middle Ages. Another is "Silly Suffolk", often assumed to be derived from the Old English word sælig in the meaning "blessed", referring to the long history of Christianity in the county. However, use of
336-473: A comprehensive education system with fourteen independent schools. Unusually for the UK, some of Suffolk had a 3-tier school system in place with primary schools (ages 5–9), middle schools (ages 9–13) and upper schools (ages 13–16). However, a 2006 Suffolk County Council study concluded that Suffolk should move to the two-tier school system used in the majority of the UK. For the purpose of conversion to two-tier,
448-603: A sword of state , helmet , gold and silver bowls, jewellery and a lyre . The Hoxne Hoard , to date the largest assembly of late Roman silver and gold discovered in Britain, was found near the village of Hoxne in 1992. While carrying out surveys before installing a pipeline in 2014, archaeologists for Anglian Water discovered nine skeletons and four cremation pits, at Bardwell , Barnham , Pakenham and Rougham , all near Bury St Edmunds. Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and medieval items were also unearthed, along with
560-453: A 42 inches (110 cm) Gwynne rotary pump, capable of pumping 150 tons per minute in 1941, but it was January 1945 before work was completed. The Lark steam engine was sold for scrap in July, and the engine house converted into a workshop. The Brandon site was finally abandoned in the 1950s. The White House drain, which supplied it, had become steadily deeper as the land surface had sunk, and
672-564: A base in Sudbury. The UK horse racing industry is based in Newmarket. There are two United States Air Force bases in the west of the county close to the A11 . Sizewell B nuclear power station is at Sizewell on the coast near Leiston . Bernard Matthews Farms have some processing units in the county, specifically Holton . Southwold is the home of Adnams Brewery . The Port of Felixstowe
784-467: A building material quarried from pits near Isleham, and stone for the building of Bury St Edmunds Abbey was carried to the site along the river. The first records of plans to improve the river for navigation date from 1635, when Henry Lambe sought to make it navigable from the Ouse to Bury St Edmunds. Although his plans were approved by a commission, there was local opposition, and it was December 1637 before he
896-573: A centre of occupation since antiquity. From Isleham to Prickwillow, the river flows for almost 4 miles (6.4 km) in an artificial cut, thought to have been constructed by the Romans, and joined the River Great Ouse at Prickwillow until 1830. The Great Ouse was then diverted, and its old course occupied by the Lark. There are a number of pumping stations on the banks of this section, including
1008-527: A countywide constitutional convention". Following the May 2010 general election , all further moves towards any of the suggested unitary solutions ceased on the instructions of the incoming Cameron–Clegg coalition . In 2018 it was determined that Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury would be merged to form a new West Suffolk district, while Waveney and Suffolk Coastal would similarly form a new East Suffolk district. West Suffolk , like nearby East Cambridgeshire ,
1120-424: A cut to the west of its original route. Trade on the upper river was increasingly difficult, as a result of obstructions and shoals in the channel. The lighters used on the river often had to be partially unloaded at Prickwillow, to allow them to navigate the shallower sections. Control of the river above Isleham was inherited by Sir Thomas Cullum when Susanna Palmer died. He rebuilt most of the locks and staunches in
1232-734: A fifth of the schools inspected were judged inadequate. This is unacceptable and now means that Suffolk has a higher proportion of pupils educated in inadequate schools than both the regional and national averages." The Royal Hospital School near Ipswich is the largest independent boarding school in Suffolk. Other boarding schools within Suffolk include Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School, Culford School , Finborough School , Framlingham College , Ipswich High School , Ipswich School , Orwell Park School , Saint Felix School and Woodbridge School . The Castle Partnership Academy Trust in Haverhill
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#17327723163261344-562: A large investment was needed to keep the river profitable, an attempt was made in 1817 to sell it to the Duke of Norfolk for £12,000, but this came to nothing. The original commissioners appointed under the act obtained in 1700 had failed to appoint any more commissioners, and so new commissioners were authorised by a further act of Parliament , the River Lark Navigation Act 1817 ( 57 Geo. 3 . c. lxxi), with powers to raise
1456-411: A large number had been decapitated , which archaeologists claimed gave new insight into Roman traditions. The burial ground includes the remains of men, women and children who likely lived in a nearby settlement. The fact that up to 40% of the bodies were decapitated represents "quite a rare find". A survey in 2020 named Suffolk the third best place in the UK for aspiring archaeologists, and showed that
1568-548: A large population of signal crayfish , an invasive species which has increased as the eel population has diminished. Rising at Bradfield Combust , to the south of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, it flows through Bury, Mildenhall and Prickwillow , and joins the Great Ouse south of Littleport in Cambridgeshire. It is about 31 miles (50 km) long, of which 10.1 miles (16.3 km) is navigable. The upper river
1680-485: A new alignment of the road further to the west. The river is managed and maintained by the Environment Agency , from whom boat owners must obtain a licence in order to use the waterway. The Agency have designated the section from Sicklesmere through Bury St Edmunds and Fornham St Martin to Isleham as a Flood Warning Area. The Lark is thought to have been used by the Romans for the carriage of clunch ,
1792-478: A new engine and pump, and an 80 horsepower (60 kW) engine was obtained from Hathorn Davey and Co., which would drive a horizontally mounted centrifugal pump of 6.5 feet (2.0 m) diameter. Completion of the Lark Engine installation was delayed by failure to achieve the quoted output, and by flood levels affecting the construction of the outfall tunnel, but the problems were resolved by November 1883, and
1904-640: A number of rivers had been altered to improve drainage and reclaim land for agriculture, and a thanksgiving service was held in Ely Cathedral to celebrate the event. Burnt Fen was a low-lying region surrounded on three sides by the River Great Ouse , the River Little Ouse , and the River Lark . From the beginning, there were tensions between those who wanted to use the rivers for navigation and those who wanted to use them for drainage, to
2016-842: A private Act of Parliament was obtained in 1759, which created two drainage districts. Each had its own set of Commissioners, and the boards were called the Burnt Fen First District and the Burnt Fen Second District. The area controlled by the First District broadly covers the area known as Burnt Fen today, while the Second District is known as Lakenheath Little Fen. Besides notables such as the Lord Bishop of Ely and others, every person who owned 300 acres (120 ha) of "taxable land"
2128-423: A schedule of tolls for the carriage of commodities, special provision was made so that some coal could be carried without incurring tolls, to assist the poor of Bury St Edmunds, and "gentlemen and persons of quality" did not have to pay for the use of the river by pleasure boats. Ashley built 14 staunches and 11 sluices, the latter almost certainly referring to pound locks . In 1716, tolls amounted to £475, although
2240-488: A shade of pink that was not traditional Suffolk Pink. He was required by local authorities to repaint. In another example of Suffolk taking its colours seriously, a homeowner in Lavenham was obligated to paint their Grade I listed cottage Suffolk Pink, to make it match a neighbouring property. The local council said it wanted all of the cottages on that particular part of the road to be the same colour, because they were
2352-459: A single building historically (300 years earlier). The historic Suffolk Pink colour has also inspired the name of a British apple. Suffolk is also home to nature reserves, such as the RSPB site at Minsmere , and Trimley Marshes , a wetland under the protection of Suffolk Wildlife Trust . The clay plateau inland, deeply intercut by rivers , is often referred to as 'High Suffolk'. The west of
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#17327723163262464-546: A standby as it was de-commissioned in April 1927 and finally sold for scrap for £25 in 1933. The Lark engine fared better, and although little used, was maintained in working order until 1945. Further consideration was given to upgrading the engines in 1939, but the start of the Second World War delayed implementation. Approval was eventually obtained to install a Crossley 300 brake horsepower (220 kW) engine driving
2576-652: A traditional limewash mix. Additives used in this process include pig or ox blood with buttermilk , elderberries and sloe juice. Locals and historians often state that a true Suffolk Pink should be a "deep dusky terracotta shade", rather than the more popular pastel hue of modern times. This has caused controversy in the past when home and business-owners alike have been reprimanded for using colours deemed incorrect, with some being forced to repaint to an acceptable shade. In 2013, famous chef Marco Pierre White had his 15th-century hotel, The Angel, in Lavenham, decorated
2688-740: A variety of vegetables. The continuing importance of agriculture in the county is reflected in the Suffolk Show , which is held annually in May at Ipswich. Although latterly somewhat changed in nature, this remains primarily an agricultural show . Companies based in Suffolk include Greene King and Branston Pickle in Bury St Edmunds. Birds Eye has its largest UK factory in Lowestoft, where all its meat products and frozen vegetables are processed. Huntley & Palmers biscuit company has
2800-756: Is a banner of arms of the coat of arms which were attributed to Edmund the Martyr , a medieval king of East Anglia . It consists of two gold arrows passing through a gold crown or with heraldic description as Azure two Arrows in saltire, points downwards, enfiled with an ancient Crown Or . Novels set in Suffolk include parts of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens , The Fourth Protocol , by Frederick Forsyth , Unnatural Causes by P.D. James , Dodie Smith 's The Hundred and One Dalmatians , The Rings of Saturn by W. G. Sebald , and among Arthur Ransome 's children's books, We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea , Coot Club and Secret Water take place in part in
2912-510: Is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia . It is bordered by Norfolk to the north , the North Sea to the east , Essex to the south , and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county town . The county has an area of 3,798 km (1,466 sq mi) and a population of 758,556. After Ipswich (144,957) in the south ,
3024-583: Is an important focus for prehistoric activity, particularly relating to the Neolithic enclosure at Fornham All Saints. This comprises a large causewayed enclosure, several ring features, and a long cursus . Just above Barton Mills, a side weir connects the river to the start of the Cut-off Channel , a 28-mile (45 km) drain running from there to Denver along the south-eastern edge of the Fens, which
3136-526: Is held at Glemham Hall in August and attracts international acoustic, folk and roots musicians whilst also championing local businesses, heritage and crafts. In 2015 it was also home to the first instrumental festival of musical instruments and makers. More recently, LeeStock Music Festival has been held in Sudbury . A celebration of the county, "Suffolk Day", was instigated in 2017. The Suffolk dialect
3248-507: Is mostly below sea level, and all of it is below the normal flood levels of the rivers which surround it on three sides. These comprise the River Great Ouse (or Ten Mile River) on the north western edge, the River Little Ouse (or Brandon Creek) on the north eastern edge and the River Lark on the south western edge. The area is crossed by the A1101 Littleport to Mildenhall road, which runs broadly north west to south east, and
3360-690: Is renowned for archaeological finds from the Stone Age , the Bronze Age , and the Iron Age . Bronze Age artefacts have been found in the area between Mildenhall and West Row, in Eriswell and in Lakenheath . In the east of the county is Sutton Hoo , the site of one of England's most significant Anglo-Saxon archaeological finds, a ship burial containing a collection of treasures including
3472-874: Is the oxlip . According to estimates by the Office for National Statistics , the population of Suffolk in 2014 was 738,512, split almost evenly between males and females. Roughly 22% of the population was aged 65 or older, and 90.84% were White British . Historically, the county's population has mostly been employed as agricultural workers. An 1835 survey showed Suffolk to have 4,526 occupiers of land employing labourers, 1,121 occupiers not employing labourers, 33,040 labourers employed in agriculture, 676 employed in manufacture, 18,167 employed in retail trade or handicraft, 2,228 'capitalists, bankers etc.', 5,336 labourers (non-agricultural), 4,940 other males aged over 20, 2,032 male servants and 11,483 female servants. Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such as
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3584-858: Is the county's only All-through Academy Chain. Comprising Castle Manor Academy and Place Farm Primary Academy, the Academy Trust supports all-through education and provides opportunities for young people aged 3 to 18. Sixth form colleges in the county include Lowestoft Sixth Form College and One in Ipswich. Suffolk is home to four further education colleges: Lowestoft College , Easton & Otley College , Suffolk New College and Northgate Sixth Form (Ipswich) and West Suffolk College (Bury St Edmunds). The county has one university, with branches spread across different towns. The present University of Suffolk was, prior to August 2016, known as University Campus Suffolk . Up until it became independent it
3696-471: Is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Other ports are at Lowestoft and Ipswich, run by Associated British Ports . BT Group plc has its main research and development facility at Martlesham Heath . Below is a chart of regional gross value added of Suffolk at basic prices published by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. Suffolk has
3808-512: Is very distinctive. Epenthesis and yod-dropping is common, along with non-conjugation of verbs. The county's sole professional football club is Ipswich Town . Formed in 1878, the club were Football League champions in 1961–62 , FA Cup winners in 1977–78 and UEFA Cup winners in 1980–81 ; as of the 2024–25 season , Ipswich Town play in the Premier League , the top tier of English football. The club has as part of its crest
3920-488: The BBC Four TV series Detectorists , an episode of Kavanagh QC , and the films Iris and Drowning by Numbers . During the period 2017–2018, a total of £3.8million was spent by film crews in Suffolk. The Rendlesham Forest Incident is one of the most famous UFO events in England and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's Roswell ". Burnt Fen Burnt Fen is an area of low-lying land crossed by
4032-546: The British Museum . The stretch from Jude's Ferry to Isleham includes several pill-boxes , which were constructed during World War II to defend against invasion. Above the start of the lock cut is a memorial to the famous Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon , who was baptised in the river on 3 May 1850. The site, where a chain ferry once crossed the river, and another near the weir were used for public baptisms until 1970. Isleham itself has three pubs, all dating from
4144-700: The Mesolithic period. One of the largest hoards of Bronze-Age artifacts ever unearthed in western Europe was found near Isleham . Many of the 6,000 pieces are on show at the Moyses Hall Museum , located in Bury St Edmunds. Burnt Fen is part of the South Level of the Fens, and as such was judged to have been drained satisfactorily as a result of the work of the Dutch drainage engineer Cornelius Vermuyden and his Adventurers in 1652. The courses of
4256-697: The National Stud , and Newmarket Racecourse . Tattersalls bloodstock auctioneers and the National Horseracing Museum are also in the town. Point to point racing takes place at Higham and Ampton . Speedway racing has been staged in Suffolk since at least the 1950s, following the construction of the Foxhall Stadium , just outside Ipswich, home of the Ipswich Witches . The Witches are currently members of
4368-709: The Premier League , the UK's first division. National League team Mildenhall Fen Tigers are also from Suffolk. Suffolk County Cricket Club compete in the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship . The club has won the championship three times outright and has shared the title one other time as well as winning the MCCA Knockout Trophy once. Home games are played in Bury St Edmunds, Copdock , Exning , Framlingham , Ipswich and Mildenhall. The Suffolk flag
4480-475: The River Lark required the construction of the Engine Drain. Purchase of the land for the new drain was protracted, but once obtained, the engine was commissioned in 1842 and there were no significant teething problems. The Brandon Engine was thought to be worn out by 1848, and a new Cornish type boiler was fitted. Experiments were carried out to try to improve the lift and efficiency of the scoop wheels, as
4592-546: The Suffolk Punch , a now endangered breed of draught horse native to the county. The next highest ranked team in Suffolk is Needham Market , who participate in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football. The town of Newmarket is the headquarters of British horseracing – home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations including
River Lark - Misplaced Pages Continue
4704-519: The rivers Blyth , Deben , Orwell , Stour , and Alde/Ore ; the latter is 25.5 km (15.8 mi) long and separated from the North Sea by Orford Ness , a large spit . Large parts of the coast are backed by heath and wetland habitats , such as Sandlings . The north-east of the county contains part of the Broads , a network of rivers and lakes . Inland, the landscape is flat and gently undulating, and contains part of Thetford Forest on
4816-476: The 17th century, some shops and a large marina. There was an outbreak of cholera here in the 1850s, when over 500 people were "living in hollows" as a result of poverty which affected many fenland villages. In medieval times, Isleham was an important port with three quays. Remains of a Roman villa and over 6,000 Bronze-Age artefacts, which are now in the Moyse's Hall Museum at Bury St Edmunds, indicate that it has been
4928-659: The 1830s, resulting in increased trade in coal and general merchandise which originated from Kings Lynn , but success was short lived, as the Eastern Union Railway opened a line from Ipswich to Bury St Edmunds in 1846, and decline was immediate. In the 1850s, with the Fornham to Bury section impassible, the Bury St Edmunds Navigation Company proposed a scheme to reopen the river to Bury railway station. Their prospectus stated that
5040-484: The 7th century in Oulton, near Lowestoft . The graves contained the remains of men, women and children, as well as artefacts including small iron knives and silver pennies, wrist clasps, strings of amber and glass beads. According to Andrew Peachey, who carried out the excavations, the skeletons had mostly vanished because of the highly acidic soil. They, fortunately, were preserved as brittle shapes and "sand silhouettes" in
5152-722: The A1101 road between Littleport in Cambridgeshire and Mildenhall in Suffolk , England. It is surrounded on three sides by rivers, and consists of prime agricultural land, with sparse settlement. It is dependent on pumped drainage to prevent it from flooding. Between 1759 and 1962 the area was managed by the Commissioners of the Burnt Fen First Drainage District, who were then replaced by
5264-573: The Burnt Fen Internal Drainage Board , when the area of responsibility was expanded. Funding for the drainage works is collected by a system of rates, paid by those whose property would be threatened by flooding without the works. Burnt Fen is located near the eastern borders of the Isle of Ely , Cambridgeshire , although parts of it are also located in Suffolk and Norfolk . It is an area of prime agricultural land, which
5376-591: The Burnt Fen First District and the Burnt Fen Second District. Re-organisation in 1879 resulted in the First District being renamed the Burnt Fen District, while the Second District became the Mildenhall District. By 1882, the scoop wheels had reached the practical limits of improvement, and the Commissioners asked George Carmichael to act as a consulting engineer, and advise on how centrifugal pumps could be utilised. Carmichael recommended
5488-570: The Commissioners were able to delay taking a decision on the Brandon Engine because the new engine worked so well. When they turned their attention to the Brandon Engine in 1890, it was in a worse state than expected. The drains in the northern and southern sections of the Burnt Fen were by then interconnected, so that either engine could pump the whole area in an emergency, and plans for a new Brandon Engine were made immediately. Following
5600-520: The Commissioners, as they felt that the wages earned by the men were excessive. In 1920, the Ouse Drainage Board was established, and responsibility for the maintenance of the river banks passed to them, so the Commissioners laid off the men and sold the boats. With the land surfaces still sinking, the Commissioners looked at ways to improve the discharge of the engines in 1919, but did not take any immediate action. Instead, they considered
5712-630: The Eastern Counties Navigation and Transport Co Ltd bought the river from Lee Brook to Bury St Edmunds in 1890, made Tuddenham Mill Stream navigable, repaired locks and staunches on the main river, and re-opened it in September 1894. The company was bankrupt by December, and the Icklingham to Bury St Edmunds section closed again. Some trading continued on the lower reaches, but commercial carrying ceased after 1928. Ownership of
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#17327723163265824-586: The Eastern Union Railway had been managing the river for seven years, but little changed, as they failed to raise a working capital of £20,000, and by the 1860s, the route above Mildenhall was ruined. Abandonment of the river as a navigation was authorised by the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1888 . The River Arun in West Sussex was the only other river abandoned by this act. Despite this,
5936-532: The Ely to Norwich Railway, which runs from east to west. There are four hamlets within this area, Little Ouse, Shippea Hill, Sedge Fen and Mile End. Shippea Hill railway station was called Burnt Fen between 1 April 1885 and 30 March 1904. Because of the low-lying nature of the terrain, the area is entirely dependent on pumped drainage to prevent it from being flooded. The Commissioners of the Burnt Fen First District were formed by Act of Parliament in 1759, and managed
6048-464: The Great Ouse Catchment Board, locks at Barton Mills and Icklingham were rebuilt in the 1960s, but were isolated when the A11 road bridge was lowered soon afterward. It now has one operational lock at Isleham, and can be navigated to Jude's Ferry. Water quality in the river was generally moderate in 2016, although there was a section where the quality was bad, the lowest rating given by the Environment Agency , who monitor English rivers. The river hosts
6160-520: The Lakenheath Little Fen reaching the Burnt Fen. The costs of building this were large, as were the costs of maintaining the river banks, and so in 1772, a second Act of Parliament was obtained, authorising the raising of the drainage rate to 2 shillings (10p) per acre for ten years, and the imposing of penalties for late payment of the rates. A third Act was obtained in 1796, to raise the rates to 3/6 (17.5p) per acre, and kept them solvent for another eleven years. By 1807, they had borrowed £11,500 to finance
6272-483: The Lark Engine to be made deeper and wider, improving flows between the two halves of Burnt Fen. Despite all the changes, the Lark Engine house still carries the inscription penned in 1842 by William Harrison, the Superintendent of the Works between 1831 and 1871. The Burnt Fen IDB manages an area of 17,140 acres (69.36 km ), in which they maintain 39 miles (63 km) of drains to feed surplus water to their two pumping stations. Since 2002, they have been part of
6384-419: The Lark Engine, which has been the main outlet for the drainage of the southern part of Burnt Fen since 1842. Many of the surrounding ditches once flowed into the river by gravity, but the draining of the fens has resulted in the land surface dropping, and the water must now be raised by up to 16 feet (4.9 m) from the ditches to the river. At Mile End, two pumping stations sit one above the other, indicating
6496-416: The Norfolk border and Dedham Vale on the Essex border. It is also known for its extensive farming and has largely arable land . Newmarket is known for horse racing , and Felixstowe is one of the largest container ports in Europe . The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Suffolk, and East Anglia generally, occurred on a large scale, possibly following a period of depopulation by the previous inhabitants,
6608-462: The River Great Ouse and a number of its other tributaries. The Hawstead to Abbey Gardens section deteriorated from poor quality in 2015 to bad in 2016. The Environment Agency have set a target for ensuring it is moderate by 2027. Like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), neither of which had previously been included in
6720-421: The Romanised descendants of the Iceni . By the fifth century, they had established control of the region. The Anglo-Saxon inhabitants later became the "north folk" and the "south folk", from which developed the names "Norfolk" and "Suffolk". Suffolk was divided into four separate Quarter Sessions divisions, which met at Beccles , Bury St Edmunds , Ipswich and Woodbridge . In 1860, the number of divisions
6832-445: The act was passed into law. In 2007 the Department for Communities and Local Government referred Ipswich Borough Council 's bid to become a new unitary authority to the Boundary Committee . Beginning in February 2008, the Boundary Committee again reviewed local government in the county, with two possible options emerging. One was that of splitting Suffolk into two unitary authorities – Ipswich and Felixstowe and Rural Suffolk; and
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#17327723163266944-454: The addition of 2,059 acres (833 ha) which included parts of Sedge Fen, Decoy Fen and Redmere. The expansion was ratified by the Great Ouse River Board (Burnt Fen Internal Drainage District) Order, which was passed in 1962. It revoked all of the Burnt Fen Acts, and after 203 years, the Commissioners ceased to exist, being replaced by an elected board of 20 members known as the Burnt Fen Internal Drainage Board. The Lark Engine pumping station
7056-411: The annual Aldeburgh Festival is one of the UK's major classical music festivals. Originating in Aldeburgh , it has been held at the nearby Snape Maltings since 1967. Since 2006, Henham Park , has been home to the annual Latitude Festival . This mainly open-air festival, which has grown considerably in size and scope, includes popular music, comedy, poetry and literary events. The FolkEast festival
7168-455: The area was especially rich in finds from the Roman period, with over 1500 objects found in the preceding year. In July 2020, metal detectorist Luke Mahoney found 1,061 silver hammered coins, estimated to be worth £100,000, in Ipswich. The coins dated back to the 15th–17th century, according to experts. In September 2020, archaeologists announced the discovery of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery with seventeen cremations and 191 burials dating back to
7280-535: The assessment. The river hosts a large population of the invasive species, the signal crayfish . A study published in 2011 identified the decline in eels, which predate the crayfish, as the major factor in their dramatic increase. Download coordinates as: There is a second, much shorter, River Lark also in Suffolk which flows into the River Deben at Martlesham . [REDACTED] Media related to River Lark at Wikimedia Commons Suffolk Suffolk ( / ˈ s ʌ f ə k / SUF -ək )
7392-492: The bottoms of the rivers, and in 1782, servants of the former proprietors had bought plots of land at reduced prices, which had proved to be profitable. He noted that one estate, bought for £200, could be sold for £2,000, following the completion of better banks and mills. Wind engines had the inherent design fault that they would only work when the wind blew, and could therefore be unusable when they were most needed. The Commissioners therefore turned their attention to mechanising
7504-476: The county lies on more resistant Cretaceous chalk . This chalk is responsible for a sweeping tract of largely downland landscapes that stretches from Dorset in the south west to Dover in the south east and north through East Anglia to the Yorkshire Wolds . The chalk is less easily eroded so forms the only significant hills in the county. The highest point in the county is Great Wood Hill , with an elevation of 128 metres (420 ft). The county flower
7616-491: The county. Roald Dahl's short story "The Mildenhall Treasure" is set in Mildenhall. A TV series about a British antiques dealer, Lovejoy , was filmed in various locations in Suffolk. The reality TV series Space Cadets was filmed in Rendlesham Forest , although the producers fooled participants into believing that they were in Russia. Several towns and villages in the county have been used for location filming of other television programmes and cinema films. These include
7728-430: The digging of the main drainage channels which would feed surface water to the mills and into the rivers. To finance these operations, there were empowered to borrow money, and to charge a drainage rate of 1 shilling (5p) per acre, rising to 1/6d (7.5p) after seven years. The costs of carrying out such work were grossly optimistic, and the commissioners were soon in financial difficulties. Despite this, and heavy flooding in
7840-449: The drainage channels by gravity, and is then lifted by up to 16 feet (4.9 m) to enter the high level rivers. The name "Burnt Fen" is believed to originate from the practice of levelling the land, which has been carried out since the mid 17th century. Large tufts of rushes, which made the land surface rough, were cut and dried. Once dried, they could be burnt, and the ashes used as fertiliser. This practice, known as paring and burning,
7952-407: The drainage ditches and pumping stations until 1962, when the Burnt Fen Drainage District was expanded a little, and a new Internal Drainage Board was constituted to manage the area. They are responsible for 17,140 acres (6,940 ha) of land, which includes 42.3 miles (68.1 km) of drainage ditches and two pumping stations, one on the River Lark, and the other on the Great Ouse. Water flows along
8064-406: The engines which had been installed since the opening of the station in 1842, which was unveiled by Mrs F. G. Starling at the formal opening held on 25 May 1976. Further improvements followed, when negotiations with British Rail resulted in the skew bridge, which carried the Ely to Norwich line over the main drain being demolished and replaced by a culvert. This action allowed the main pumping drain to
8176-404: The extent that when Denver Sluice was demolished by an extremely high tide in 1713, the towns of Cambridge and Thetford petitioned against its reconstruction. However, a more serious problem for the Burnt Fen area was the steady shrinkage of the land surface as the water was removed from the peat soils, and the blowing away of the light soil as it dried out. Water could no longer flow by gravity from
8288-539: The land into the rivers. Although the Bedford Level Corporation was responsible for the main rivers in the region, they did not have control of the smaller tributaries. Landowners could and did build windmills to act as drainage engines, but there was no overall policy, with the result that there were legal disputes, with one landowner complaining that a neighbour's drainage mill resulted in flooding of surrounding properties. Against this background,
8400-630: The land levels, and consequently the depth of the drains, continued to sink. Larger scoop wheels were fitted to the Brandon Engine in 1860, and to the Lark Engine shortly afterwards. The financial standing of the Drainage District had steadily improved since the 1807 Act, and they were repaying the money borrowed in earlier years. A Fifth Burnt Fen Act was obtained in 1823, which recognised the damage done to river banks by horses and commercial traffic using them, and made provision for such use to be charged. The burden of repair costs to river banks
8512-439: The largest towns are Lowestoft (73,800) in the north-east and Bury St Edmunds (40,664) in the west. Suffolk contains five local government districts , which are part of a two-tier non-metropolitan county also called Suffolk . The Suffolk coastline is a complex habitat , formed by London clay and crag underlain by chalk and therefore susceptible to erosion . It contains several deep estuaries , including those of
8624-405: The more common primary to high school (11–16). Many of the county's upper schools have a sixth form and most further education colleges in the county offer A-level courses. In terms of school population, Suffolk's individual schools are large with the Ipswich district with the largest school population and Forest Heath the smallest, with just two schools. In 2013, a letter said that "...nearly
8736-607: The navigation made a profit of £274. In 1790, there were plans for a 31-mile (50 km) link from Bury St Edmunds to the River Stour at Mistley, which John Rennie surveyed, but it involved heavy engineering work, including a 2,420-yard (2,210 m) tunnel, and the estimated cost of £75,000 could not be raised. Palmer died in 1792, and the river was managed by Susanna Palmer, his widow. The costs of maintenance were high, for in 1807 tolls of £1,348 were received, but profits were less than one third of that amount. Recognising that
8848-490: The nine skeletons believed to be of the late or Post-Roman Britain . Experts said the five-month project had recovered enough artefacts to fill half a shipping container, and that the discoveries had shed new light on their understanding of the development of small rural communities. In 2019 an excavation of a 4th-century Roman burial in Great Whelnetham uncovered unusual burial practices. Of 52 skeletons found,
8960-405: The other, that of creating a single county-wide controlling authority – the "One Suffolk" option. In February 2010, the then-Minister Rosie Winterton announced that no changes would be imposed on the structure of local government in the county as a result of the review, but that the government would be: "asking Suffolk councils and MPs to reach a consensus on what unitary solution they want through
9072-521: The praise was other men’s I shared the grateful pride..." —William Harrison, Farewell to Burnt Fen , 1871 The Brandon Engine served the north part of the Fen, and the Commissioners decided that a similar engine should serve the south of the District. Tenders were invited, and Boulton Watt and Co. again supplied a 40 horsepower (30 kW) engine, this time with three boilers. The chosen location on
9184-475: The progressive sinking of the land. Prickwillow is home to the Museum of Fen Pumping Engines , itself once a working pumping station, and now holding several engines which were used in the draining of the Fens. Prickwillow vicarage also demonstrates the shrinking of the land. Its ground floor rooms were originally the cellars, and the two steps leading to the front door have been replaced by nine. Below Prickwillow,
9296-593: The pumping mills, and employed Mr. W. C. Mylne to advise them on the relative benefits of steam and gas engines in 1829. His report recommended the use of steam engines, and so a 40 horsepower (30 kW) engine was ordered from Boulton Watt and Co., which would drive two scoop wheels. The engine cost £1,184, and the engine house another £836. It was installed where the Whitehouse Drain met the River Little Ouse (otherwise known as Brandon Creek), and
9408-466: The quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail. The water quality of the River Lark system was as follows in 2019. Separate figures for the Lark downstream of Isleham are not available, and the final row covers the lower section of the Lark, parts of
9520-403: The replacement of the steam engines by oil engines, and in 1924 asked Blackstone and Company Limited to supply two 250 horsepower (190 kW) oil engines, each with a 42 inches (110 cm) Gwynne rotary pump, capable of pumping 150 tons per minute. The engines were to be erected alongside the existing engines, which could then still be used as a backup in an emergency. The new Brandon engine
9632-416: The river from Mildenhall to Bury St Edmunds were granted by statute ( River Lark Act 1698 ). The upper terminus was on the northern edge of Bury St Edmunds , but a new dock was opened near the railway station after the Eastern Union Railway opened its line in 1846. The navigation was officially abandoned in 1888, but despite this, commercial use of the river continued until 1928. Following an acquisition by
9744-468: The river is crossed by the Ely to Norwich railway line. The final 0.9 miles (1.4 km) of the river's course are quite straight, as the river flows through another artificial channel. At its junction with the Great Ouse, the channel is crossed by a road which was formerly the A10 , which ran along the banks of the Great Ouse at this point on its route from Ely to Littleport, but this section has been bypassed by
9856-754: The river passed to the Great Ouse Catchment Board with the passing of the Land Drainage Act 1930 . They rebuilt Barton Mills and Icklingham locks in the 1960s, but the bridge carrying the A11 road at Barton Mills was lowered soon afterward, and the present head of navigation is at Jude's Ferry. The Environment Agency assesses the water quality within the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at
9968-425: The river to its junction with the Great Ouse. There is a weir at King's Staunch, after which comes Jude's Ferry, the current head of navigation, where boats at least 60 feet (18 m) in length can be turned. A magnificent hoard of late Roman silver was discovered at nearby Thistley Green in 1942, and the 34 pieces , which included bowls, spoons, dishes and goblets, were declared to be Treasure trove and are now in
10080-418: The sand. Villages and towns in Suffolk are renowned for historic, pink-washed halls and cottages, which has become known far and wide as "Suffolk Pink". Decorative paint colours found in the county can range from a pale shell shade, to a deep blush brick colour. According to research, Suffolk Pink dates back to the 14th century, when these shades were developed by local dyers by adding natural substances to
10192-568: The soil through which it ran was unstable, requiring regular maintenance to prevent slippage. The pumping station was effectively on top of a hill, rather than being at the lowest part of the Fen, and so a decision was taken to construct a new pumping station at Whitehall on the River Great Ouse , which required the construction of 1.25 miles (2 km) of main pumping drain, to connect it to the existing drains. Two 210 brake horsepower (160 kW) electric motors with vertical spindle axial flow pumps were supplied by W. H. Allen Sons and Company Ltd, and
10304-520: The station was opened on 10 September 1958. In 1959, the Commissioners looked into the drainage of several areas on the fringe of Burnt Fen, as a result of requests by landowners in Sedge Fen. A report suggested that the best solution would be the incorporation of those areas into an Internal Drainage Board , and the Commissioners therefore applied to the River Board to enlarge their District by
10416-417: The success of the Lark Engine, Hathorn, Davey and Co. were contacted, and supplied a pump set capable of pumping 75 tons per minute, which was operational by October 1892. Although the pump worked well, there were protracted arguments over a set of spanners which had been invoiced as an "extra". The Commissioners had employed teams of gaulters throughout the 19th and early 20th century, who got their name from
10528-559: The term "Silly Suffolk" can actually be dated to no earlier than 1819, and its alleged medieval origins have been shown to be mythical. The majority of agriculture in Suffolk is either agronomy or mixed farming . Farm sizes vary from anything around 80 acres (32 hectares) to over 8,000. Soil types vary from heavy clays to light sands. Crops grown include winter wheat , barley , sugar beet , oilseed rape , winter and spring beans and linseed , although smaller areas of rye and oats can be found growing in areas with lighter soils along with
10640-466: The three-tier system was divided into four geographical area groupings and corresponding phases. The first phase was the conversion of schools in Lowestoft and Haverhill in 2011, followed by schools in north and west Suffolk in 2012. The remainder of the changeovers to two-tier took place from 2013, for those schools that stayed within local government control, and did not become Academies and/or free schools . The majority of schools thus now (2019) operate
10752-487: The tolls to pay for the maintenance of the navigation. Little work was done, although a new lock and staunch were built at Isleham under provisions of the Eau Brink Act 1821 ( 1 & 2 Geo. 4 . c. lxiv). The South Level Commissioners, who had been formed by an act of Parliament obtained in 1827, took over control of the lower river, and re-routed it to join the new course of the Great Ouse which had been diverted into
10864-593: The unified county of Suffolk. The county was divided into several local government districts : Babergh , Forest Heath , Ipswich , Mid Suffolk , St Edmundsbury , Suffolk Coastal , and Waveney . This act also transferred some land near Great Yarmouth to Norfolk. As introduced in Parliament, the Local Government Act would have transferred Newmarket and Haverhill to Cambridgeshire and Colchester from Essex; such changes were not included when
10976-462: The use of an impervious type of clay called gault, which was obtained from Roswell Pits at Ely , and used to repair the banks of the rivers and the cross dyke. The teams consisted of three men, who managed a train of five boats between them, each capable of holding 8 tons of gault. The boats were owned by the Commissioners, but the men were responsible for the provision of a horse, shovels and barrows. In 1886, new terms of employment were negotiated by
11088-497: The winter of 1761/2, which resulted in no taxes being collected, the Commissioners owned eight mills by 1774, each of which used a scoop wheel to lift water into the rivers. The costs of maintenance and repair of the mills were high, not helped by the Naval shipbuilding programme driving up the cost of oak. Part of the defence of the area involved the construction of a cross bank across its south eastern edge, to prevent flood water from
11200-505: The work was unfinished, and Ashley estimated that a further £800 was required to complete it. Disputes with millers were recorded in 1720 and 1722, and ownership of the navigation was disputed on Ashley's death. The Master of the Rolls gave it to Joshua and Joanna Palmer in 1742, but receipts were meagre, at around £267 per year, and the maintenance carried out was barely sufficient. Ownership had passed to their son, Ashley Palmer, by 1781, when
11312-412: The work, with little prospect of being able to pay it back. A fourth Act of Parliament increased the rates again, and changed the constitution of the Commissioners. Progress was not always smooth. Young, writing in 1794, recorded that there had been serious breaches of the banks in 1777, which had resulted in the ruin of many of the proprietors. However, a machine called the bear had been used to dredge
11424-652: Was a collaboration between the University of Essex and the University of East Anglia which sponsored its formation and validated its degrees. UOS accepted its first students in September 2007. Until then Suffolk was one of only four counties in England which did not have a university campus. The University of Suffolk was granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in November 2015, and in May 2016 it
11536-419: Was a commissioner, and people who owned over 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land could vote annually for several elected commissioners. "Taxable land" consisted of any land that might be affected by flooding, and would therefore benefit from drainage measures. The Commissioners met for the first time on 6 June 1760, and planned the take-over of all of the drainage mills in the region, the construction of new ones, and
11648-648: Was awarded University status by the Privy Council and renamed The University of Suffolk on 1 August 2016. The university operates at five sites, with its central hub in Ipswich. Others include Lowestoft, Bury St. Edmunds, and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. The university is organised in four academic schools and in 2022/23 had 13,700 students. 88% of the student body are aged over 21 and 46% of university students are male. Founded in 1948 by Benjamin Britten ,
11760-482: Was commissioned in 1832, when it became known as the Brandon Engine. There were initial teething problems, which resulted in one of the scoop wheels being removed, repairs to the boiler, and a second boiler being installed, but once these problems had been sorted out, it became obvious that the new system was an efficient way to drain the Fens. " I’ve seen thee rise, the Queen of Fens, Improved on every side And though
11872-545: Was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. During times of flood it carries the headwaters of the River Lark, the River Wissey and the Little Ouse to Denver Sluice on the River Great Ouse. Below Barton Mills, the mill stream at Mildenhall marks the start of a footpath which follows the north bank of the river, passing Mildenhall Cricket Club , to Isleham, after which there are footpaths and drove roads on both sides of
11984-614: Was further lightened by an annual contribution from the Bedford Level Corporation, and also from the Turnpike Commissioners, who had built a road close to the course of the River Great Ouse on the north western edge of the Fen, although this latter sum proved difficult to obtain at times. Under the Acts of Parliament obtained in 1759, 1773, 1797, and 1807, two drainage districts had been set up, called
12096-453: Was granted a licence from the King to complete the work. The River Lark Act 1698 ( 11 Will. 3 . c. 22) was passed after having been pending for several years. By 1700, the upper reaches were again in disrepair, and Henry Ashley obtained powers to improve the river from Worlington to below Mildenhall Mill, and to make it navigable from there to East Gate bridge in Bury St Edmunds. In addition to
12208-459: Was installed by Autumn 1925, but the completion of the Lark engine was celebrated in a much grander style, with all taxpayers from the district being invited to the opening, which was followed by a lunch party. 1926 saw further improvements, when the traditional use of spades and barrows to maintain the drains was superseded by a petrol/paraffin dragline excavator, obtained from Priestman Bros. Limited. The Brandon steam engine did not last long as
12320-655: Was reduced to two, when the Beccles, Ipswich and Woodbridge divisions merged into an East Suffolk division, administered from Ipswich, and the old Bury St Edmunds division became the West Suffolk division. Under the Local Government Act 1888 , the two divisions were made the separate administrative counties of East Suffolk and West Suffolk ; On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , East Suffolk, West Suffolk, and Ipswich were merged to form
12432-484: Was upgraded again in 1974. The Blackstone engine was retired but kept intact as part of the history of the district, the Crossley engine became the standby, and the Crossley enginehouse was extended to allow the installation of a 230 brake horsepower (170 kW) Dorman Diesel engine, which drives a 33-inch (84 cm) Allen Gwynne vertical spindle pump. The work included the provision of a wooden plaque, showing all of
12544-488: Was used widely in the Fens, and was advocated by Walter Blith in his book The English Improver Improved , published in 1652. He suggested that it should be used on the lowest levels of fen land which had been 'long drowned', and recorded details of the practical application of the process to an area of 28,000 acres (110 km ) in the Bedford Level. The area shows a remarkable amount of archaeological findings of
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