Charsfield
Encyclopedia
Charsfield is a small Suffolk village of approximately 250 residents, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Wickham Market
, 7 miles (11.3 km) miles from Woodbridge
and 12 miles (19.3 km) miles from Ipswich
and is located near the villages of Debach
and Dallinghoo
. A Civil Parish in East Anglia
, Charsfield was famously used as one of the key locations in the 1974 film Akenfield
, based loosely upon the book Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by the historian Ronald Blythe
(1969). Charsfield hosted the first Greenbelt festival
- an annual festival of arts, faith and justice - on a pig farm just outside the village over the August 1974 bank holiday weekend. Famous Charsfield residents include Charles Webb
, a respected Victorian architect and Peggy Cole, a frequent speaker on BBC
's Radio Suffolk.
During 1999 the Committee prepared plans for an ambitious extension and applied to the National Lottery Charities Board
(now known as the Community Fund), and in December of that year it was decided that the Village hall would receive a grant of over 90% of the monies needed. From June 2000 until December the hall was closed to allow the work to be undertaken by V. A. Marriott Ltd., which was completed on the 24th November of that year. The grand reopening of the hall took place on the 20th January 2001 by Mrs. Diane Youngman (a relative of W. H. Youngman - the original benefactor).
Wickham Market
Wickham Market is a large village situated in the River Deben valley of Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coastal heritage area.It is on the A12 trunk road thirteen miles north-east of the county town of Ipswich, five miles north-east of Woodbridge. Its railway station is located approximately...
, 7 miles (11.3 km) miles from Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
and 12 miles (19.3 km) miles from Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and is located near the villages of Debach
Debach
Debach is a small village about 4 miles northwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK. At the time of the Domesday Book it was called Debenbeis or Debeis, Depebecs, Debec or Debes...
and Dallinghoo
Dallinghoo
- Location :Dallinghoo is a village some 3 miles north of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England.Formed from Church Road and Pound Hill to the south and branches NE after the centre of the village....
. A Civil Parish in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, Charsfield was famously used as one of the key locations in the 1974 film Akenfield
Akenfield
Akenfield is a film made by Peter Hall in 1974, based loosely upon the book Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by Ronald Blythe . It can claim a degree of cult status as a work of rural realism, unusual in relation to East Anglia...
, based loosely upon the book Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by the historian Ronald Blythe
Ronald Blythe
Ronald Blythe is an English writer and editor, best known in his native England for his Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village , a portrait of agricultural life in Suffolk from the turn of the century to the 1960s...
(1969). Charsfield hosted the first Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown from a Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young Christians to its current more secular festival attended by around 20,000 - Christians and non-Christians.The festival...
- an annual festival of arts, faith and justice - on a pig farm just outside the village over the August 1974 bank holiday weekend. Famous Charsfield residents include Charles Webb
Charles Webb (architect)
Charles Webb was an architect working in Victoria, Australia during the 19th century....
, a respected Victorian architect and Peggy Cole, a frequent speaker on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Radio Suffolk.
Local facilities
- Charsfield village hall
- Baptist Chapel
- Charsfield Primary School (linked to St Peter's church); famous alumni of the school include Charlotte GreigCharlotte GreigCharlotte Greig is a British novelist, playwright, singer and song-writer.-Early life:Charlotte Greig's father was in the navy and the family travelled the world. In 1962, she attended Charsfield village school, later described in Ronald Blythe's book Akenfield, where she learned to sing folk songs...
, a British novelist, singer, and song-writer. - Charsfield recreation ground
- Garage
- St. Peter's Church (Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) - Three Horse Shoes Pub
Charsfield Village Hall
Charsfield Village Hall, (based in the small Suffolk village of Charsfield), was originally built during the 1930s as the result of a gift from W. H. Youngman. It has been in use ever since and is now owned by the Parish Council and managed by the Village Hall Management Committee. In recent years the hall has been enlarged at the back but more ambitious plans to bring it up to modern standards of comfort and convenience have been restricted by available funds.During 1999 the Committee prepared plans for an ambitious extension and applied to the National Lottery Charities Board
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
(now known as the Community Fund), and in December of that year it was decided that the Village hall would receive a grant of over 90% of the monies needed. From June 2000 until December the hall was closed to allow the work to be undertaken by V. A. Marriott Ltd., which was completed on the 24th November of that year. The grand reopening of the hall took place on the 20th January 2001 by Mrs. Diane Youngman (a relative of W. H. Youngman - the original benefactor).