Darsham
Encyclopedia
Darsham is a village in Suffolk
, England
. It is located approximately 4 miles (6 km) north east of Saxmundham
. The village is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Darsham railway station
, which is approximately one mile away from the village centre, on the Ipswich
-Lowestoft
East Suffolk Line
.
The name of the village of Darsham derives from Deores Ham — home of the deer. This name is borne out by early reference to local roadways as chaseways. There was hunting in this area as late as the 18th century. Darsham is a mixed community with six farms. The village still has a pub The Fox, however over the past few years the village has lost its school, shop and post office.
The garage on the A12, now primarily a petrol station, has a cafe and a shop. There is also a farm shop, a hand made tile factory, a pottery, a builder, an irrigation contractor, a plant nursery, seed and feed merchants, a national chain roadside-restaurant and a cafe. A private nursing home and a cycle hire business provide a service for those who require it.
HMS Darsham
.
In WW2, Darsham was the site of RAF High Street, situated just off the A144 road to Bramfield and Halesworth
, an early radar station part of Chain Home
which originated at Bawdsey Manor, in Suffolk
.
The High Street radar station had "Type 1 radar", 4 (Receive towers) of 240 ft made from wood and five (Transmit towers) of 360 ft made of steel. The wood towers stood in a close formation.
The site later became a fireworks factory, (postcode IP17 3QD).
Due to the threat of air-raids, children from the Palmer family from the nearby Park Farm, Thorington
were evacated.
Darsham contains an 18th-century farmhouse called White House Farm, originally built in 1750, a fire caused a partial rebuild in 1825. White House Farm has been owned by several families throughout the ages including the Blacks, the Smiths, the Jones, and currently by the Newman family since 1996. A legend has it that, sometimes, a mysterious human figure named Mandy by the locals haunts the quiet village with scary dance routines, which are said to have been often performed during Christmas 2010. An inquiry has been brought into parliament in order to reinstate the tranquility of the disturbed inhabitants. Another sinister spirit is named window dweller after their nocturnal smoking by the stained glass window of the church of All Saints, which has been repeatedly noticed since the late 17th century. It is believed by the Darshamites that the figure is the same that had caused the Great Fire of London in 1666 before fleeing to the village.
Further down the A12 towards Lowestoft there are a row of cottages, Optney Cottages, that used to be the Darsham Coaching Inn - whose original name is unknown. The first two were where the beer was brewed, and they have cellars. They are placed next to Holly Tree Cottage bed and breakfast, which was originally two cottages, and has had various names, including Green Gables and The Hurdle Yard, because hurdles for farms were made in the outbuildings. Pictures still remain of the working yard in the 1950s.
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...
. It is located approximately 4 miles (6 km) north east of Saxmundham
Saxmundham
Saxmundham is a small market town in Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus, a tributary of the River Alde, approximately northeast of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Saxmundham railway station on the East Suffolk...
. The village is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Darsham railway station
Darsham railway station
Darsham is a railway station which serves the villages of Darsham and Yoxford in Suffolk, lying midway between the two communities, each of which is about one mile from the station. It is located on the East Suffolk Line between Lowestoft and Ipswich...
, which is approximately one mile away from the village centre, on the 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...
-Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
East Suffolk Line
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
.
The name of the village of Darsham derives from Deores Ham — home of the deer. This name is borne out by early reference to local roadways as chaseways. There was hunting in this area as late as the 18th century. Darsham is a mixed community with six farms. The village still has a pub The Fox, however over the past few years the village has lost its school, shop and post office.
The garage on the A12, now primarily a petrol station, has a cafe and a shop. There is also a farm shop, a hand made tile factory, a pottery, a builder, an irrigation contractor, a plant nursery, seed and feed merchants, a national chain roadside-restaurant and a cafe. A private nursing home and a cycle hire business provide a service for those who require it.
History
The village gave its name to the Ham class minesweeperHam class minesweeper
The Ham class was a class of inshore minesweepers , known as the Type 1, of the British Royal Navy. The class was designed to operate in the shallow water of rivers and estuaries. It took its name from the fact that all the ship names were British place names ending in -"ham"...
HMS Darsham
HMS Darsham
HMS Darsham was one of 93 ships of the of inshore minesweepers. Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Darsham in Suffolk.-References:*Blackman, R.V.B. ed. Jane's Fighting Ships...
.
In WW2, Darsham was the site of RAF High Street, situated just off the A144 road to Bramfield and Halesworth
Halesworth
Halesworth is a small market town in the northeastern corner of Suffolk, England. It is located south west of Lowestoft, and straddles the River Blyth, 9 miles upstream from Southwold. The town is served by Halesworth railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line...
, an early radar station part of Chain Home
Chain Home
Chain Home was the codename for the ring of coastal Early Warning radar stations built by the British before and during the Second World War. The system otherwise known as AMES Type 1 consisted of radar fixed on top of a radio tower mast, called a 'station' to provide long-range detection of...
which originated at Bawdsey Manor, 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...
.
The High Street radar station had "Type 1 radar", 4 (Receive towers) of 240 ft made from wood and five (Transmit towers) of 360 ft made of steel. The wood towers stood in a close formation.
The site later became a fireworks factory, (postcode IP17 3QD).
Due to the threat of air-raids, children from the Palmer family from the nearby Park Farm, Thorington
Thorington
Thorington is a village and a civil parish in the in the hundred of Blything, in the Suffolk Coastal District, in the English county of Suffolk. For transport there is the A12 road nearby. Nearby settlements include the town of Halesworth and the villages of Wenhaston and Blackheath...
were evacated.
Darsham contains an 18th-century farmhouse called White House Farm, originally built in 1750, a fire caused a partial rebuild in 1825. White House Farm has been owned by several families throughout the ages including the Blacks, the Smiths, the Jones, and currently by the Newman family since 1996. A legend has it that, sometimes, a mysterious human figure named Mandy by the locals haunts the quiet village with scary dance routines, which are said to have been often performed during Christmas 2010. An inquiry has been brought into parliament in order to reinstate the tranquility of the disturbed inhabitants. Another sinister spirit is named window dweller after their nocturnal smoking by the stained glass window of the church of All Saints, which has been repeatedly noticed since the late 17th century. It is believed by the Darshamites that the figure is the same that had caused the Great Fire of London in 1666 before fleeing to the village.
Further down the A12 towards Lowestoft there are a row of cottages, Optney Cottages, that used to be the Darsham Coaching Inn - whose original name is unknown. The first two were where the beer was brewed, and they have cellars. They are placed next to Holly Tree Cottage bed and breakfast, which was originally two cottages, and has had various names, including Green Gables and The Hurdle Yard, because hurdles for farms were made in the outbuildings. Pictures still remain of the working yard in the 1950s.