Historic Towns and Villages in Suffolk

A seaside village most commonly associated with the music festival begun by Benjamin Britten. The Aldeburgh Festival brings thousands of music aficionados to this small Suffolk village each summer, and the success of the Festival has spawned a year-long series of arts and cultural events. Explore the 16th-century moot hall, now a local history museum, or stroll along the beach to the 19th-century Martello Tower. The parish church of St Peter and St Paul boasts medieval brasses and Britten's grave.
Aldeburgh, East Anglia, Suffolk, England

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Alderton is a small village just north of Bawdsey, on the north side of the River Deben, in the Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The manor house of Alderton Hall dates to at least the 15th century, and within the grounds stand ruins of ecclesiastical buildings built by Augustinian monks who controlled much of the Bawdsey peninsula in the medieval period.
Alderton, Suffolk, England

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The market town of Beccles is located at the southernmost tip of the Norfolk Broads, though the town itself is across the county boundary in Suffolk. During the Saxon period, Beccles was a busy port, though the changing patterns of the River Waveney means that today it is far from being a major shipping centre. Much of the architecture is Georgian; the result of several disastrous fires in the 16th and 17th centuries. One medieval building that did survive is the parish church, which is unusual in that its bell-tower (built around 1500) is detached, a style found more commonly in continental Europe.
Beccles, East Anglia, Suffolk, England

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A pair of Roman roads cross at Bildeston, but there is no evidence of a Roman settlement. Tradition suggests that the village was named for a Danish leader named Bildr, though there is no proof for this tale. Bildeston enters the historical record in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded that the estate was once owned by Edith, Edward the Confessor's queen.

Bildeston, East Anglia, Suffolk, England

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Heritage Highlight: 14th century parish church - and plenty of timber framed listed buildings

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Boxford is a pretty little village between Hadleigh and Sudbury, which gained its name for a ford across the River Box. The A1071 rushes by just south of the village, but blessedly not much much of the traffic makes it way into Boxford, leaving the village to slumber on undisturbed. There are several interesting old timber-framed cottages, and a couple of nice old pubs, but the star of the show for historic buildings is, without doubt, the parish church of St Mary.
Boxford, East Anglia, Suffolk, England

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Brent Eleigh is a pretty Suffolk village near Lavenham, with a timber-framed thatched pub and a Georgian manor house. The parish church of St Mary boasts an excellent series of medieval wall paintings including a 'Harrowing of Hell' scene.
Brent Eleigh, Suffolk, England

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Heritage Highlight: Medieval wall paintings in St Mary's church

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One castle, a priory, a Roman well, a Saxon tower, a museum, a redundant medieval church, and a 17th-century Butter Cross - there's a lot to see and enjoy in the historic north Suffolk town of Bungay, a fact recognised by English Heritage, who have designated the town centre as a Conservation Area.
Bungay, Suffolk, England

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Heritage Highlight: 12th century Bungay castle

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The town of Bures has a bit of a split personality. Half of it lies in Suffolk and half in Essex. The latter half is now known as Bures Hamlet and is now the larger. The smaller, and Suffolk based part, is technically Bures St Mary and lies on the north side of the River Stour. There is yet another, third Bures, called Bures Mount, just outside Bures Hamlet.
Bures, East Anglia, Suffolk, England

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Bury St Edmunds offers a quite sumptuous array of historic buildings, from the ruins of one of the most important medieval monasteries in England to a plethora of elegant Georgian houses. The town is named for St Edmund, the last King of East Anglia. Very little is known of Edmund's origins, but that did not stop numerous legends arising purporting to tell his life story.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England

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Pictures of Cavendish seem to make a regular appearance on Suffolk calendars and postcards. It's easy to see why, as the village is such a pretty one, with a long, wide green flanked by attractive period cottages and historic pubs, with a striking medieval church rising above it all.
Cavendish, Suffolk, England

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