Leiston
Encyclopedia
Leiston is a town in eastern Suffolk
, England. It is situated near Saxmundham
and Aldeburgh
, about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the North Sea
coast and is 21 miles (33.8 km) northeast of Ipswich and 90 miles (144.8 km) northeast from London
. The town had a population of 6,240 at the 2001 Census.
lie northwest of the town.
Leiston thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a manufacturing town dominated by Richard Garrett & Sons
, owners of the "Leiston Works". This firm made steam tractor
s and a huge variety of cast and machined metal products, including munitions during both world war
s. The works closed in 1981 and the site was reused as a mixture of housing, flats and industrial uses. The Long Shop Museum, showing the history, vehicles and products of the works, remains as a heritage tourist attraction.
During World War II
, RAF Leiston
, 1 miles (1.6 km) northwest of the town in the neighbouring village of Theberton
, sent fighter squadrons of the American 357th Fighter Group to fight the Luftwaffe
. Famous American test pilot and fighter ace General Chuck Yeager
(who, later, first broke the sound barrier) flew out of RAF Leiston. The Friends of Leiston Airfield hold a memorial service and flying display at the end of May each year, with veterans and their families attending.
Since the 1960s Leiston became famous outside the UK as the home of the Summerhill School
, founded by A.S. Neill in the 1920s, which was the first major "free school
" - referring to freedom in education. Children are not required to attend classes and discipline is given by student self-government meetings. Summerhill has inspired a large "free school" movement and, more recently, "democratic schools" in several countries. The school occupies the former mansion of Richard Garrett, owner of the Leiston Works.
on the coast at Sizewell
: the now decommissioned Magnox
reactor of Sizewell A and the more modern Pressurised Water Reactor of Sizewell B. A number of smaller companies operate from industrial areas within the town.
Leiston high street serves as the business and market hub of the surrounding agricultural district. The town's facilities include a leisure centre, parks, including a skatepark
, post office, library, banks, pubs and a range of shops and other services.
"Leiston Film Theatre", a half-timbered building with street front shops, is the oldest purpose-built cinema in Suffolk. The theatre is owned and run by Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council and supported by the Leiston Film Theatre Support Club which has raised money for stage refurbishment and enabled the theatre to install the latest digital 3D projection system.
Leiston Football Club play in the Ridgeons Premier League and in November 2008 reached the first round of the FA Cup
for the first time in their history.
The town has a traditional Anglican church, St. Margaret's with an ancient tower and an unusual 19th century nave
. In addition there are Roman Catholic and Baptist
churches at the edge of the town.
The people of Leiston used to speak with a heavy rural East Anglia
n accent, but this lessened in the latter half of the 20th century.
, known as the Aldeburgh Branch Line, went from Saxmundham to Aldeburgh, with intermediate stations at Leiston and Thorpeness
. On 12 September 1966 British Rail
withdrew all passenger services to Leiston and beyond; however, the line to Leiston remains active, but only for the purpose of removing nuclear materials from Sizewell power station - which is expected to cease entirely by 2012.
with 52 places.
Leiston Middle School caters for pupils aged 9 to 13 and is a mixed comprehensive school
. Pupils join the school from schools in Leiston, Coldfair Green
, Aldeburgh and Middleton
. Leiston Community High School
is a 13-18 comprehensive school. In 2001 it became a Specialist Technology College
, and in the following year it was named as one of the most improved schools in England. The current executive Headteacher of both the Middle and High Schools is Mr Ian Flintoff.
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. It is situated near 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...
and Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the River Alde, the town is notable for its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts where freshly caught fish are sold daily, and the Aldeburgh Yacht Club...
, about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast and is 21 miles (33.8 km) northeast of Ipswich and 90 miles (144.8 km) northeast from 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...
. The town had a population of 6,240 at the 2001 Census.
History
The 14th Century remains of Leiston AbbeyLeiston Abbey
Leiston Abbey, in Suffolk, England, was formerly known as St Mary's Abbey. It was founded in 1182 at Minsmere by Ranulf de Glanville, Lord Chief Justice to Henry II...
lie northwest of the town.
Leiston thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a manufacturing town dominated by Richard Garrett & Sons
Richard Garrett & Sons
Richard Garrett & Sons was a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, steam engines and trolleybuses. Their factory was Leiston Works, in Leiston, Suffolk, United Kingdom.The company was active under its original ownership between 1778 and 1932....
, owners of the "Leiston Works". This firm made steam tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s and a huge variety of cast and machined metal products, including munitions during both world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s. The works closed in 1981 and the site was reused as a mixture of housing, flats and industrial uses. The Long Shop Museum, showing the history, vehicles and products of the works, remains as a heritage tourist attraction.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, RAF Leiston
RAF Leiston
RAF Leiston is a former airfield in the United Kingdom. The airfield is located northwest of Leiston and south of Theberton in Suffolk.-USAAF use:...
, 1 miles (1.6 km) northwest of the town in the neighbouring village of Theberton
Theberton
Theberton is a village in Suffolk, England. It is located northeast of Saxmundham, its post town. Located within the village is a National school for both sexes and Theberton Hall...
, sent fighter squadrons of the American 357th Fighter Group to fight the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. Famous American test pilot and fighter ace General Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager
Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...
(who, later, first broke the sound barrier) flew out of RAF Leiston. The Friends of Leiston Airfield hold a memorial service and flying display at the end of May each year, with veterans and their families attending.
Since the 1960s Leiston became famous outside the UK as the home of the Summerhill School
Summerhill School
Summerhill School is an independent British boarding school that was founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill with the belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around...
, founded by A.S. Neill in the 1920s, which was the first major "free school
Democratic education
Democratic education is a theory of learning and school governance in which students and staff participate freely and equally in a school democracy...
" - referring to freedom in education. Children are not required to attend classes and discipline is given by student self-government meetings. Summerhill has inspired a large "free school" movement and, more recently, "democratic schools" in several countries. The school occupies the former mansion of Richard Garrett, owner of the Leiston Works.
Economy, Culture and Community
Since the closure of Garretts, the town's economy has been dominated by the two nuclear power stationsSizewell nuclear power stations
Sizewell nuclear power stations are two nuclear power stations located near the small fishing village of Sizewell in Suffolk, England. Sizewell A, with two magnox reactors, is now in the process of being decommissioned, while Sizewell B has a single pressurised water reactor and is the UK's newest...
on the coast at Sizewell
Sizewell
Sizewell is a small fishing village with a few holiday homes in the county of Suffolk, England. It is located on the East Anglian coast just north of the larger holiday villages of Thorpeness and Aldeburgh, and two miles from the town of Leiston. It is within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.The...
: the now decommissioned Magnox
Magnox
Magnox is a now obsolete type of nuclear power reactor which was designed and is still in use in the United Kingdom, and was exported to other countries, both as a power plant, and, when operated accordingly, as a producer of plutonium for nuclear weapons...
reactor of Sizewell A and the more modern Pressurised Water Reactor of Sizewell B. A number of smaller companies operate from industrial areas within the town.
Leiston high street serves as the business and market hub of the surrounding agricultural district. The town's facilities include a leisure centre, parks, including a skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
, post office, library, banks, pubs and a range of shops and other services.
"Leiston Film Theatre", a half-timbered building with street front shops, is the oldest purpose-built cinema in Suffolk. The theatre is owned and run by Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council and supported by the Leiston Film Theatre Support Club which has raised money for stage refurbishment and enabled the theatre to install the latest digital 3D projection system.
Leiston Football Club play in the Ridgeons Premier League and in November 2008 reached the first round of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
for the first time in their history.
The town has a traditional Anglican church, St. Margaret's with an ancient tower and an unusual 19th century nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. In addition there are Roman Catholic and Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
churches at the edge of the town.
The people of Leiston used to speak with a heavy rural 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...
n accent, but this lessened in the latter half of the 20th century.
Transport
A rail branchspur from the Great Eastern LineGreat Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
, known as the Aldeburgh Branch Line, went from Saxmundham to Aldeburgh, with intermediate stations at Leiston and Thorpeness
Thorpeness
Thorpeness is a village in the county of Suffolk, England. It is part of the parish of Aldringham cum Thorpe and is within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.- Development of the community :...
. On 12 September 1966 British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
withdrew all passenger services to Leiston and beyond; however, the line to Leiston remains active, but only for the purpose of removing nuclear materials from Sizewell power station - which is expected to cease entirely by 2012.
Education
Other than Summerhill School, Leiston also has its own primary, middle and high schools. Leiston Primary School caters for pupils aged 5 to 9. The school also provides a nurseryNursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
with 52 places.
Leiston Middle School caters for pupils aged 9 to 13 and is a mixed comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
. Pupils join the school from schools in Leiston, Coldfair Green
Knodishall
Knodishall is a village in Suffolk, England. The village is located southeast of Saxmundham and southwest of Leiston, its post town. Most of the village is now in Coldfair Green, with only a few houses remaining in the original village by the parish church of St Lawrence.-Community:The village...
, Aldeburgh and Middleton
Middleton, Suffolk
Middleton is a village in Suffolk, England. It is located approximately north-west of Leiston, north east of Saxmundham and from the Suffolk coast. The village is on the B1122 east of Yoxford and had a population of 359 at the 2001 census....
. Leiston Community High School
Leiston Community High School
Leiston Community High School is a comprehensive school in Leiston in the English county of Suffolk. It has approximately 650 pupils aged 13 to 18...
is a 13-18 comprehensive school. In 2001 it became a Specialist Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
, and in the following year it was named as one of the most improved schools in England. The current executive Headteacher of both the Middle and High Schools is Mr Ian Flintoff.