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Blythburgh

Coordinates:52°19′16″N1°35′53″E/ 52.321°N 1.598°E/52.321; 1.598
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Blythburgh
Blythburgh is located in Suffolk
Blythburgh
Blythburgh
Location withinSuffolk
Population297[1]
OS grid referenceTM4575
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHalesworth
Postcode districtIP19
UK Parliament
Map
List of places
UK
England
Suffolk
52°19′16″N1°35′53″E/ 52.321°N 1.598°E/52.321; 1.598

Blythburgh/ˈblaɪðbərə/is a village andcivil parishin theEast Suffolkdistrict of theEnglish countyofSuffolk.It is 4 miles (6.4 km) west ofSouthwoldand 5 miles (8.0 km) south-east ofHalesworthand lies on theRiver Blyth.TheA12 roadruns through the village which is split either side of the road. At the 2011 census the population of the parish was 297. The parish includes the hamlets of Bulcamp and Hinton.

Blythburgh is best known for its church,Holy Trinity,known as the Cathedral of the Marshes. The church has been flood-lit since the 1960s and is a landmark for travellers on the A12. The village is the site ofBlythburgh Priorywhich was founded byAugustinemonks fromSt Osyth's Prioryin Essex in the 12th century.[2][3]The priory was suppressed in 1537 and ruins remain at the site.[4]

The village is in the area of theSuffolk Coast and HeathsArea of Outstanding Natural Beautyin the area known as the Suffolk Sandlings. It is close to the Suffolkheritage coastlocated close to an area marshland and mud-flats along the River Blyth which were flooded in 1940 as part ofBritish anti-invasion preparationsat the start of theSecond World War.

History

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North of the village is the site of the Battle of Bulcamp which occurred in 653 or 654 between the forces ofAnna of East AngliaandPenda of Mercia.Anna, theKing of East Anglia,was defeated and killed along with his sonJurmin.Both are believed to have been buried at the site ofBlythburgh Priory.[5][6]

At theDomesday Surveyin 1086 Blythburgh was a very large village with 42 households.[7]It was calledBledeburo,BlieburcorBlideburcand formed part ofKing William'sholdings.[8][9]It was an important port at this time and was taxed 3000 herring each year.[9]Bulcamp and Hinton were both listed separately with eight households each. Both were held byRoger Bigot.[10][11]

Blythburgh Priory was founded byAugustinemonks fromSt Osyth's Prioryin Essex in the 12th century.[2][3]The priory was suppressed in 1537 and ruins remain at the site.[4]The site is ascheduled monument.[12]It was partially excavated in 2008 by Channel Four'sTime Teamprogramme.

TheRiver Blythhad largely silted by the 18th century. By the 1750s merchants from the nearby town ofHalesworthwere keen to open the river for trade. An Act of Parliament was passed in 1757 and, after four locks were built, the river was open for vessels by 1761.[13]By the end of the 19th century silting of the river downstream from Blythburgh made trade difficult and the locks were finally closed in 1934.[13]Bulcamp, on the northern edge of the parish, was the site of the Blything Unionworkhouse.It was built in 1765-66 and later became a geriatric hospital.[14]It has now been converted to residential use.[15]

Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.,eldest brother of US PresidentJohn F. Kennedy,was killed when his aircraft exploded around 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village during World War II. Kennedy and Lieutenant Wilford John Willy were piloting aBQ-8"robot" aircraft (a converted B-24 Liberator) for the U.S. Navy's first mission inOperation Aphrodite.

Geography

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Marshes on the River Blyth at Blythburgh

Themilestonealongside the A12 shows that the village is 30 miles (48 km) north ofIpswichand 24 miles (39 km) south ofGreat Yarmouth.Standing beside the road, theWhite Hart Innowned by Southwold-basedAdnams Brewery,dates from the 16th century and is known for itsDutch gableends to the building and beamed interior.[16]Henham Park,the home of theRousfamily, is partially within the parish. It is the site of the annualLatitude Festival.The majority of the land to the south of the village is owned by theBlois family,formerly fromCockfield Hall.The parish includes Bulcamp to the north and Hinton to the south-east.

The village is noteworthy for the large area of flooded marshes around the estuary of theRiver Blyth.The river flows from west ofHalesworthto theNorth SeabetweenSouthwoldandWalberswick,although it originally reached the sea atDunwich.Southwold is reached by theA1095 roadwith views over the river and the adjacentHen Reedbedsbird reserve.

Blythburgh railway stationlinked the village to Halesworth and Southwold on theSouthwold Railway.The railway was a3 ft(914 mm)narrow gaugeline which operated between 1879 and 1929.

Blythburgh Station is in the process of being restored, currently there is a period platform, with a length of operating track, sidings and other infrastructure. The once derelict coal shed has been completely restored and is used for railway operations.

A 3ft gauge battery electric locomotive 'Greenbat' hauls replica rolling stock on open days.

Demonstration train within confines of the recreated Blythburgh Station

Holy Trinity Church

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Main article:Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh

The parish church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Known as theCathedral of the Marshes,Blythburgh was one of the earliest Christian sites in East Anglia and a church is believed to have been located here in the 7th century. The current church is a Grade IListed buildingdating from the 14th and 15th centuries.[17]On 4 August 1577 a ghostlyblack dogknown asBlack Shuckis said to have appeared at the church.

Notable people

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Portrait of Doreen Carwithen

Blythburgh is mentioned in the song “Black Shuck”, from rock bandThe Darkness,from their albumPermission To Land.The song centers around a local folk tale. The following people have been associated with Blythburgh.

References

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  1. ^2011 census
  2. ^abBlythburgh Priory ruins hosts first service in 500 years,BBC news website, 2011-08-02. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  3. ^abBlythburgh Priory, Blythburgh, Suffolk. Archaeological evaluation and assessment of resultsArchived9 March 2014 at theWayback Machine,Wessex Archaeology, September 2009. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  4. ^abPage.W (1975) 'Houses of Benedictine monks: Priory of Blythburgh',A History of the County of Suffolk: Volume 2,pp. 91-94 (available online). Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  5. ^S. E. Kelly, ‘Anna (d. 654?)’,Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 2013accessed 2014-03-08.
  6. ^Warner, Peter (1996)The Origins of Suffolk,Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press.
  7. ^"Blythburgh | Domesday Book".opendomesday.org.Retrieved20 June2019.
  8. ^BlythburghArchived9 March 2014 at theWayback Machine,Open Domesday. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  9. ^abBlythburgh,The Domesday Book Online. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  10. ^BulcampArchived10 March 2014 at theWayback Machine,Open Domesday. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  11. ^HintonArchived10 March 2014 at theWayback Machine,Open Domesday. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  12. ^Historic England."Blythburgh Priory] (1005962)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved9 March2014.
  13. ^abHistoric England."River Blyth Navigation (1342386)".Research records (formerly PastScape).Retrieved9 March2014.
  14. ^Blythburgh and District Hospital, Blythburgh,British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  15. ^The Workhouse in BlythingThe Workhouse website.
  16. ^White Hart Inn, Blythburgh,British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  17. ^Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh,British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  • Hugh Roberts, Mary Montague, & Barry Naylor.Holy Trinity, Blythburgh: Cathedral of the Marshes.Jarrold Publishing,1999.
  • History Notes— Blythburgh Society
  • Alan Mackley, Mary Montague. 'Blythburgh. A Suffolk Village'. Blythburgh Church and Jarrold Publishing, 2003.
  • Alan Mackley, ed. The Restoration of Blythburgh Church 1881–1906. The Dispute between the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Blythburgh Church Restoration Committee. Boydell, 2017.
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