Large parts of the coast are backed byheath and wetland habitats, such asSandlings.[4] The northeast of the county contains part ofthe Broads, a network of rivers and lakes which is a national park. Inland, the landscape is flat and gently undulating, and contains part ofThetford Forest on the Norfolk border andDedham Vale National Landscape on the Essex border.
Artefacts dating to around 700,000 years ago found atPakefield andBeeches Pit are among the earliest evidence of human activity in northern Europe. In theNeolithic period andBronze Age burial mounds,hillforts andcausewayed enclosures were built reflecting Suffolk's role in prehistoric trade and agriculture.
Suffolk was divided between theIceni[6] andTrinobantes tribes at the start of theRoman period. The Iceni unsuccessfullyrevolted underBoudica in AD 60–61. Although Suffolk remained predominantly rural in the Roman period there werevillas, small towns and pottery kilns. By the late 4th century, however, archaeological evidence suggests significant depopulation in parts ofEast Anglia possibly linked tocoastal raiding.[7]
In the medieval period Suffolk was shaped by successive waves of conquest. It became part of theDanelaw followingViking incursions, and was reorganised under Norman feudalism after 1066, with castles atFramlingham,Clare, andEye. Theabbey at Bury St Edmunds became one of the wealthiest and most powerful religious institutions in medieval England.
Later centuries saw Suffolk prosper from the cloth andwool trade, with towns such asLavenham andHadleigh flourishing in the 15th and 16th centuries. The county was also a site of Puritan and parliamentary strength during theEnglish Civil War.
In modern times Suffolk’s economy evolved withagriculture,fishing, and maritime trade, while the 19th century saw the development of industry atIpswich andLowestoft. Coastal erosion and the decline of traditional industries changed the county’s fortunes, but its historic sites, churches, and coastal landscapes continue to shape its identity.
This sectionappears to beslanted towards recent events. In particular, this section is excessively focussed on listing individual news reports, rather than providing a broad overview of notable archaeology in the county. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective andadd more content related to non-recent events.(January 2025)
A survey in 2020 named Suffolk the third best place in the UK for aspiringarchaeologists, and showed that the area was especially rich in finds from the Roman period, with over 1500 objects found in the preceding year.[10]
A formative episode in English archeology was in 1797 whenJohn Frere found flinthand axes, now known to date back 400,000 years in theHoxne Brick Pit, in a deposit twelve feet deep, and commented that "the situation in which these weapons were found may tempt us to refer them to a very remote period indeed; even beyond that of the present world".[11][12] This is the earliest recognition that hand axes were made by early humans, and was over sixty years before the antiquity of humanity was widely appreciated. One of Frere's hand axes, which was probably a general cutting tool, is held in theBritish Museum. The site also provides the type deposits of theHoxnian Stage, aninterglacial between around 474,000 and 374,000 years ago, which is named after the site.[13][11]
In the east of the county isSutton Hoo, the site of one of England's most significant Anglo-Saxon archaeological finds, a ship burial containing a collection of treasures including asword of state,helmet, gold and silver bowls, jewellery and alyre.[15]
TheHoxne Hoard, to date the largest assembly of lateRoman silver and gold discovered in Britain, was found near the village ofHoxne in 1992.
While carrying out surveys before installing a pipeline in 2014, archaeologists forAnglian Water discovered nine skeletons and four cremation pits, atBardwell,Barnham,Pakenham andRougham, all near Bury St Edmunds.Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman andMedieval items were also unearthed, along with the nine skeletons believed to be of the late orPost-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.[16]
In 2019 an excavation of a 4th-centuryRoman burial inGreat Whelnetham uncovered unusual burial practices. Of 52 skeletons found, a large number had beendecapitated, 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".[17]
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 the15th–17th century, according to experts.[18]
In 2020, archaeologists discovered a 7th centuryAnglo-Saxon cemetery with 17 cremations and 191 burials inOulton, near Lowestoft. The graves contained the remains of men, women and children, as well as artefacts including small iron knives, silver pennies, wrist clasps, strings ofamber and glass beads. According to Andrew Peachey, who carried out the excavations, the skeletons had mostly vanished because of the highly acidic soil. They were preserved as brittle shapes and "sand silhouettes".[19][20]
Suffolk was divided into four separateQuarter Sessions divisions, which met atBeccles,Bury St Edmunds,Ipswich andWoodbridge.[21] In 1860, the number of divisions 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.[22] Under theLocal Government Act 1888, the two divisions were made the separate administrative counties ofEast Suffolk andWest Suffolk;[23]
16th century cottage in Ixworth, with pargetting and traditional Suffolk Pink limewash
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.[27]
According to research, Suffolk Pink dates back to the 14th century, when these shades were developed by local dyers by adding natural substances to a traditionallimewash mix. Additives used in this process includepig orox blood withbuttermilk,elderberries andsloe juice.
Locals and historians often state that a true Suffolk Pink should be a "deep dusky terracotta shade",[28] 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 chefMarco Pierre White had his 15th-century hotel, The Angel, in Lavenham, decorated a shade of pink that was not traditional Suffolk Pink. He was required by local authorities to repaint.[29][30]
In another example of Suffolk taking its colours seriously, a homeowner inLavenham was obligated to paint theirGrade 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 a single building historically (300 years earlier).[31]
The historic Suffolk Pink colour has also inspired the name of a British apple.[32]
Suffolk is also home to nature reserves, such as theRSPB site atMinsmere, andTrimley Marshes, a wetland under the protection ofSuffolk Wildlife Trust. The clay plateau inland, deeply intercut by rivers, is often referred to as 'High Suffolk'.[33]
The west of the county lies on more resistantCretaceouschalk. This chalk is responsible for a sweeping tract of largelydownland landscapes that stretches fromDorset in the south west toDover in the south east and north throughEast Anglia to theYorkshire Wolds. The chalk is less easilyeroded so forms the only significant hills in the county. The highest point in the county isGreat Wood Hill, with an elevation of 128 metres (420 ft).[34]
This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is:2021 census data is now available at nomis. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2025)
According to estimates by theOffice 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% wereWhite British.[36]
Historically, the county's population has mostly been employed asagricultural 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.[37]
A traditional nickname for people from Suffolk is "Suffolk Fair-Maids", referring to the supposed beauty of its female inhabitants in theMiddle Ages.[38] Another is "Silly Suffolk", often assumed to be derived from theOld English wordsælig in the meaning "blessed", referring to the long history of Christianity in the county.[39] However, use of the term "Silly Suffolk" can actually be dated to no earlier than 1819, and its alleged medieval origins have been shown to be mythical.[40]
TheWillis Building in Ipswich, a landmark office building in the town
The majority of agriculture in Suffolk is eitheragronomy ormixed 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 includewinter wheat,barley,sugar beet,oilseed rape, winter andspring beans andlinseed, although smaller areas of rye and oats can be found growing in areas with lighter soils along with a variety of vegetables.[41]
The continuing importance of agriculture in the county is reflected in theSuffolk Show, which is held annually inMay atIpswich. Although latterly somewhat changed in nature, this remains primarily anagricultural show.[42]
Suffolk has acomprehensive education system with fourteen independent schools. Unusually for the UK, some of Suffolk had a3-tier school system in place with primary schools (ages 4–9),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.[44] For the purpose of conversion to two-tier, 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 becomeAcademies and/orfree schools. The majority of schools thus now (2019) operate the more common primary to high school (11–16).
Many of the county's upper schools have asixth form and mostfurther education colleges in the county offerA-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 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."[45]
The Castle Partnership Academy Trust in Haverhill is the county's only All-through Academy Chain. ComprisingCastle Manor Academy and Place Farm Primary Academy, the Academy Trust supports all-through education and provides opportunities for young people aged 3 to 18.
The county has one university, theUniversity of Suffolk, which became an independent institution with degree awarding powers and university status in 2016.[46] The university operates at five sites, with its central hub in Ipswich. Others include Lowestoft, Bury St. Edmunds, andGreat Yarmouth in Norfolk.[47] The university is organised in four academic schools[48] and in 2023/24 had 13,915 students. 88% of the student body are aged over 21 and 46% of university students are male.[49]
Snape Maltings Concert Hall; formerly a Victorianmaltings, now converted into a world-famous concert venue
Founded in 1948 byBenjamin Britten, the annualAldeburgh Festival is one of the UK's major classical music festivals. Originating inAldeburgh, it has been held at the nearbySnape Maltings since 1967.[50] Since 2006,Henham Park, has been home to the annualLatitude Festival. This mainly open-air festival, which has grown considerably in size and scope, includes popular music, comedy, poetry and literary events.
TheFolkEast festival is held atGlemham Hall in August[51] 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.[52] More recently,LeeStock Music Festival has been held inSudbury.[53] A celebration of the county, "Suffolk Day", was instigated in 2017.[54]
The Suffolk flag is abanner of arms of thecoat of arms which wereattributed toEdmund the Martyr, a medievalking of East Anglia. It consists of two gold arrows passing through a gold crown or with heraldic description asAzure two Arrows in saltire, points downwards, enfiled with an ancient Crown Or.
A TV series about a British antiques dealer,Lovejoy, was filmed in various locations in Suffolk.[68] The reality TV seriesSpace Cadets was filmed inRendlesham Forest, although the producers fooled participants into believing that they were in Russia.[69] Several towns and villages in the county have been used for location filming of other television programmes and cinema films. These include theBBC Four TV seriesDetectorists,[70] an episode ofKavanagh QC, and the filmsIris andDrowning by Numbers. During the period 2017–2018, a total of £3.8million was spent by film crews in Suffolk.[71]
Knype Hill is the fictional name forSouthwold inGeorge Orwell's 1935 novelA Clergyman's Daughter, while the character of Dorothy Hare is modelled on Brenda Salkeld, the gym mistress at St Felix School in the early 1930s.[75]
Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle's 2019 romantic comedyYesterday was filmed throughout Suffolk, using Halesworth, Dunwich, Shingle Street and Latitude Festival as locations.[76] The television series ofAnthony Horowitz'sMagpie Murders was filmed extensively in Suffolk during 2021.
The 2021 filmThe Dig, based on the excavation of Sutton Hoo in the 1930s and starringRalph Fiennes andCarey Mulligan was mostly shot on location.
Hip hop DJTim Westwood is originally from Suffolk and the influential DJ and radio presenterJohn Peel made the county his home.[85] Contemporary painterMaggi Hambling, was born and resides in Suffolk.Norah Lofts, author of best-selling historical novels, lived for decades in Bury St. Edmunds.Sir Peter Hall the founder of theRoyal Shakespeare Company was born in Bury St. Edmunds, andSir Trevor Nunn the theatre director was born in Ipswich. The actorSir John Mills spent periods of his youth in the county. The designerDavid Hicks lived for a number of years in Suffolk. ModelClaudia Schiffer and her husband, the film directorMatthew Vaughn, have owned a house in Suffolk since 2002.
The popular Victorian novelistHenry Seton Merriman lived and died in the village ofMelton. Between 1932 and 1939George Orwell lived at his parents' home in the coastal town of Southwold, where a mural of the author now dominates the entrance to Southwold Pier.[95] He is said to have chosen his pen name from Suffolk'sRiver Orwell.Arthur Ransome lived alongside the river during the 1930s, sailing his boats fromPin Mill and along theShotley Peninsula. The county was also home towild swimmer and environmentalistRoger Deakin. The WelshmanGeorge Ewart Evans settled in Suffolk and did much to record the traditional rural ways of East Anglian life.
King ofEast Anglia and ChristianmartyrSt Edmund, after whom the town ofBury St Edmunds is named, was killed by invadingDanes in the year 869. St Edmund was thepatron saint of England until he was replaced bySt George in the 13th century. 2006 saw the failure of a campaign to have St Edmund named the patron saint of England. In 2007 he was named the patron saint of Suffolk, with St Edmund's Day falling on 20 November.His flag is flown in Suffolk on that day.
^Claxton, A. O. D. (1954).The Suffolk Dialect of the Twentieth Century (First ed.). Ipswich, Suffolk: The Boydell Press Ltd.ISBN0-85115-026-8.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
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