Bacton, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Bacton is a Civil Parish
and village
in Suffolk
, England
about 8 km north of Stowmarket
. Bacton Middle school is located just outside the village in Wyverstone Green to the west and Finningham
and Cotton
to the east. The village appears as 'Bachetuna' in the Domesday Book
.
Facilities include a lively pub, the Bull; twelfth Century Church featuring a medieval wall painting; the Manor House Christian Rest Home for the elderly; two schools, primary and middle; a village hall built at the end of the nineteenth century; an active bowls club; football club with a large number of teams, and a local Scout group. On Shop Green in the centre of the village is a general store and post office, and a garage for servicing, repairs and petrol (Lamberts Service Station). On the Northern outskirts is a car dealership (Jefferies) also selling country clothing and Steiff collectable teddybears
and Finbow's Yard, home to an Ironmongers as well as a wide mix of businesses.
The village straddles the Great Eastern Main Line
between London
and Norwich
and originally was serviced by Finningham railway station
which was closed in the Beeching cuts
of the sixties but rail access to London via Stowmarket in 80 minutes has encouraged an influx of commuters into what was previously a very localised community. The village is served by the 456 bus route which calls in once every other hour (Monday to Saturday) on its way between Stowmarket
and Diss
, six days a week. Larger modern housing exists alongside typical Suffolk cottage type property.
The parish of Bacton includes the village, the adjoining hamlet
of Earl's Green and the outlying settlements of Bacton Green
, Canham's Green, Cow Green and Ford's Green. Together with Tailor's Green and Shop Green within Bacton village, the parish has seven registered village green
s. A steering committee has begun work on producing a Parish Plan
.
There are a number of stores to the North of the village, consisting of a Londis shop, post office petrol station and garage. These stores make up "Bacton Stores", the supply for most of the surrounding villages. Outside the Londis shop there is a small pond which can freely be fished for goldfish, roach, koi and mirror carp. The koi average around five pounds, while there is allegedly a large mirror carp of twenty pounds in the pond.
The village hall is located just across the road from the church and is a regular meeting place for the village's Brownies. The primary school is another meeting point but for the Rainbows.
Bacton United '89 FC opened their new facilities in July 2010 at Brickwall meadow on Broad Road. There are two adult sized pitches, a junior pitch and a clubhouse. The adult first team, reserves and 'A' team all play in the Suffolk & Ipswich football league and share the use of the main pitches. There are also several junior teams of all age groups playing at Brickwall meadow and other local pitches.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
and village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
about 8 km north of Stowmarket
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
. Bacton Middle school is located just outside the village in Wyverstone Green to the west and Finningham
Finningham
Finningham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located adjacent to the Great Eastern Main Line , in 2005 its population was 430....
and Cotton
Cotton, Suffolk
Cotton is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located to the east of the Great Eastern Main Line, the parish also includes the hamlet of Dandy Corner. In 2005 its population was 510....
to the east. The village appears as 'Bachetuna' in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
.
Facilities include a lively pub, the Bull; twelfth Century Church featuring a medieval wall painting; the Manor House Christian Rest Home for the elderly; two schools, primary and middle; a village hall built at the end of the nineteenth century; an active bowls club; football club with a large number of teams, and a local Scout group. On Shop Green in the centre of the village is a general store and post office, and a garage for servicing, repairs and petrol (Lamberts Service Station). On the Northern outskirts is a car dealership (Jefferies) also selling country clothing and Steiff collectable teddybears
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
and Finbow's Yard, home to an Ironmongers as well as a wide mix of businesses.
The village straddles the Great Eastern Main Line
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...
between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and originally was serviced by Finningham railway station
Finningham railway station
Finningham railway station was a station physically located in the neighbouring parish of Bacton, Suffolk on the Great Eastern Main Line between London and Norwich. It was opened in 1849 along with the rest of the line. It was closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe with other smaller stations...
which was closed in the Beeching cuts
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
of the sixties but rail access to London via Stowmarket in 80 minutes has encouraged an influx of commuters into what was previously a very localised community. The village is served by the 456 bus route which calls in once every other hour (Monday to Saturday) on its way between Stowmarket
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
and Diss
Diss
Diss is a town in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.The town lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere that covers . The mere is up to deep, although there is another of mud, making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes...
, six days a week. Larger modern housing exists alongside typical Suffolk cottage type property.
The parish of Bacton includes the village, the adjoining hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
of Earl's Green and the outlying settlements of Bacton Green
Bacton Green, Suffolk
Bacton Green is a village in Suffolk, England....
, Canham's Green, Cow Green and Ford's Green. Together with Tailor's Green and Shop Green within Bacton village, the parish has seven registered village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
s. A steering committee has begun work on producing a Parish Plan
Parish Plan
Parish plans are a form of community-led plan.Parish plans determine the future of communities and how they can change for the better. They are documents that set out a vision for the future of a parish and outlines how that can be achieved in an action plan.The parish plan process may include:*a...
.
There are a number of stores to the North of the village, consisting of a Londis shop, post office petrol station and garage. These stores make up "Bacton Stores", the supply for most of the surrounding villages. Outside the Londis shop there is a small pond which can freely be fished for goldfish, roach, koi and mirror carp. The koi average around five pounds, while there is allegedly a large mirror carp of twenty pounds in the pond.
The village hall is located just across the road from the church and is a regular meeting place for the village's Brownies. The primary school is another meeting point but for the Rainbows.
Bacton United '89 FC opened their new facilities in July 2010 at Brickwall meadow on Broad Road. There are two adult sized pitches, a junior pitch and a clubhouse. The adult first team, reserves and 'A' team all play in the Suffolk & Ipswich football league and share the use of the main pitches. There are also several junior teams of all age groups playing at Brickwall meadow and other local pitches.