| Red Lodge | |
|---|---|
 View of Red Lodge village in 2006 | |
  Red Lodge Location withinSuffolk | |
| Population | 3,834 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BURY ST EDMUNDS |
| Postcode district | IP28 |
| Dialling code | 01638 |
| UK Parliament | |
| 52°18′14″N0°29′35″E / 52.304°N 0.493°E /52.304; 0.493 | |
Red Lodge is a village andcivil parish situated in ruralSuffolk, England, betweenMildenhall andNewmarket, and very close to theA11 andA14 roads.
Red Lodge is a growing community administered byWest Suffolk Council. It has new homes from a variety of building companies centred on the Kings Warren development at the northern end of the village.[1] Currently, community facilities include anEcumenical church, village hall and venue (known as the Millennium Centre), a sports pavilion with tennis courts, a five-a-side football pitch and allotments.[2] A new school opened in September 2012 and the new village centre which opened in 2014 has a convenience store, fish and chip shop, kebab shop, pharmacy, hair dressers and estate agents.
The village dates back to 1926 when the first houses were built, although the pub, Red Lodge Inn, is far older, having been recorded on a map of the site in 1885. It is thought to be a former hunting lodge dating back to the 17th century.[1][3] The area where most of the new housing is situated was formerly a rabbit warren attached toFreckenham Manor lands, with a history dating back to the 13th century.[1] Red Lodge became a civil parish in 1987, having previously been part ofFreckenham parish.[4]
The 2010Doctor Who audio dramaThe Demons of Red Lodge is set in Red Lodge in 1665.
Red Lodge Heath is an area of acid grassland and lowland and is anSSSI, with a number of nationally rare plants and animals.[5] It includes a population of the five-banded taileddigger wasp,Cerceris quinquefasciata, which nests in bare sand along a path to the north of the site, and on sparsely vegetated slopes to the west.[6] Discovery of the wasp population in 2005 byEnglish Nature meant that Forest Heath District Council had to adapt proposed housing and school development plans in this area of the village.[7]
The Heath is maintained by volunteers from a conservation group established in 2007 and awarded a Lottery grant in 2012.[8]
The nearest railway station to Red Lodge is inKennett, 2 miles (3 km) away.Buses also serve the village, offering transportation to Mildenhall, Newmarket,Bury St Edmunds and other nearby towns and villages.Stansted Airport is 41 miles (66 km) away andLuton Airport is 55 miles (89 km). National Express coaches operate services from nearby Mildenhall to Central London; Cambridge; Brighton via Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.
St Christopher's CEVCP School in Bellflower Crescent opened in September 2012 and replacedTuddenham Primary School, which was too small for the number of students.[9] It is aChurch of England voluntaryfaith school, meaning that Christian values are promoted within the curriculum and all faiths are welcomed. It has capacity for 315 pupils, with further development planned to increase capacity to 420.[10] It delivers education for 5- to 11-year-olds and follows theNational Curriculum.
The two-storey school is accessible by people with different physical abilities. Teaching facilities include interactive multi-media systems in classrooms, art, design technology and food technology areas, playing field, hard court, hall and drama studio.[11]
In the lastOfsted inspection in 2009 (which took place at the Tuddenham premises), the school was rated 2 (good).[12]
