| Homersfield | |
|---|---|
 Homersfield village green | |
  Homersfield Location withinSuffolk | |
| Area | 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 158 (2011)[1] |
| • Density | 40/km2 (100/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TM284856 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Harleston |
| Postcode district | IP20 |
| Dialling code | 01986 |
| UK Parliament | |
| 52°25′12″N1°21′32″E / 52.420°N 1.359°E /52.420; 1.359 | |
Homersfield, also known asSt Mary, South Elmham, is a village andcivil parish in the north of theEnglish county ofSuffolk. It is in theEast Suffolk district, 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of the market town ofBungay and 3 miles (4.8 km) north-east ofHarleston. The official name of the civil parish isSt Mary, South Elmham otherwise Homersfield.[2] It is one of the parishes around Bungay known asThe Saints.[3]
The parish had a population of 158 at the2011 United Kingdom census.[1] The northern boundary of the parish is theRiver Waveney which marks the county border withNorfolk. It borders the Suffolk parishes ofFlixton,St Cross South Elmham andMendham and the Norfolk parishes ofDenton,Alburgh andWortwell.[1]
The B1062 road runs through the parish. This was the main road betweenDiss and Bungay until the mainA143 road was built along the route of theWaveney Valley railway line to the north of the Waveney. This operated between 1860 and 1964 andHomersfield railway station was located just across the river, serving the village.[3][4]
Homersfield Bridge, a 50 feet (15 m) span bridge across the Waveney, was built in 1870 by theAdair estate. It is the oldest surviving concrete bridge in Britain. A replacement bridge was built in 1970 just to the east and the bridge is now open only to pedestrians and cycles. It was restored during the 1990s.[3][4][5]
The village is clustered around a green close to the Waveney.[3][4][6] The parish church is dedicated to St Mary and dates from the 12th-century with a 14th-century tower. The interior of the church was heavily restored in 1866. The church is a Grade II* listed building.[7][8] From 1754 until the sale of Flixton Hall in the 1940s, the village was largely an estate village controlled by theAdair baronets connected to Flixton Hall just to the east.[9]
Other than the church, the only remaining service in the village is theBlack Swan public house. One of the first community bus services in England operated in the parish in the late-1970s.[5] A series of six thatchedalmshouses, Barnfield Cottages, were built in the village during the 1920s by the Adair estate. Designed byMaurice Chesterton, they remain in use and are a Grade II listed building.[10][11][12]
Sands and gravels have been quarried at Homersfield since the 1940s. TheBreedon Group operates Flixton Qaurry and Concrete plant in the east of the parish close to the site of Flixton Hall.[3][13] A lake, the site of a former gravel pit, is a commercial fishery located between the village and the modern quarry.[3] A 0.7 hectares (1.7 acres) geologicalSite of Special Scientific Interest borders the quarry and is namedFlixton Quarry. It provides a cross-section through the Homersfield Terrace, part of the valley of the Waveney.[14][15]
Media related toHomersfield at Wikimedia Commons
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