Shingle Street
Encyclopedia
Shingle Street is a small coastal hamlet
in Suffolk
, England, at the mouth of Orford Ness
, situated between Orford
and Bawdsey
. This part of the coast is also known as Hollesley Bay
and there is the HM Young Offender Institution, Hollesley Bay Colony
nearby.
Shingle Street was originally a home for fishermen and river pilots for the River Ore
. Early in the 19th century a Martello tower
was built, and was later home for coastguards
. Many of the original buildings date from this period, also several buildings were destroyed during World War II
, including the Lifeboat Inn, the hamlet's only pub. A report from October 2004 suggests that Shingle Street is at risk from the sea and could disappear within 20 years if sea defences are not erected.
Shingle Street was the inspiration of the Thomas Dolby
song "Cloudburst at Shingle Street", from the album The Golden Age of Wireless
.
many strange happenings were reported to have taken place at Shingle Street, including a failed German invasion
.
Since the civilian population had been evacuated in May 1940 there were no eyewitness reports, although official documents remained classified until questions in the House of Commons led to their early release in 1993.
These papers disclosed no German landing, but did reveal that the Lifeboat Inn has been used to test an uncharged chemical bomb devised by Porton Down. In fact rumours of a failed invasion on the South and East Coasts were commonplace in September 1940 and helped to boost morale. Author James Hayward has proposed that these rumours, which were widely reported in the American
press, were a successful example of black propaganda
with an aim of ensuring American co-operation and securing lend lease resources by showing that the United Kingdom
was capable of successfully resisting the German Army
.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
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, at the mouth of Orford Ness
Orford Ness
Orford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Wier Point, opposite Shingle Street. It is divided from the mainland by the River Alde, and was formed by longshore...
, situated between Orford
Orford, Suffolk
Orford is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Like many Suffolk coastal towns it was of some importance as a port and fishing village in the Middle Ages. It still has a fine mediaeval castle, built to dominate the River Ore.The main geographical feature of the...
and Bawdsey
Bawdsey
Bawdsey is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, eastern England. Located near Felixstowe, it had an estimated population of 340 in 2007.Bawdsey Manor is notable as the place where radar research took place early in World War II, before moving to Worth Matravers, which is four miles to the west of...
. This part of the coast is also known as Hollesley Bay
Hollesley Bay
Hollesley Bay may refer to:* Hollesley Bay , near Woodbridge, Suffolk* HMS Hollesley Bay a Bay-class anti-aircraft frigate of the British Royal Navy* Hollesley Bay, Suffolk, part of the coast of Suffolk near the village of Hollesley...
and there is the HM Young Offender Institution, Hollesley Bay Colony
Hollesley Bay (HM Prison)
HM Prison Hollesley Bay, known locally as Hollesley Bay Colony or simply The Colony, is a Category D men's prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in the village of Hollesley, about 8 miles from the town of Woodbridge in Suffolk, England...
nearby.
Shingle Street was originally a home for fishermen and river pilots for the River Ore
River Ore
The River Ore is the name of the final section of the River Alde in Suffolk, England from just above Orford to the sea. It has one tributary, the River Butley, and Havergate Island is found at their confluence....
. Early in the 19th century a Martello tower
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
was built, and was later home for coastguards
Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
. Many of the original buildings date from this period, also several buildings were destroyed 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...
, including the Lifeboat Inn, the hamlet's only pub. A report from October 2004 suggests that Shingle Street is at risk from the sea and could disappear within 20 years if sea defences are not erected.
Shingle Street was the inspiration of the Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby is an English musician and producer. Best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", he has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician.-Early life:Dolby was born in London, England, contrary to information in early 1980s...
song "Cloudburst at Shingle Street", from the album The Golden Age of Wireless
The Golden Age of Wireless
The Golden Age of Wireless is a 1982 album by Synthpop pioneer Thomas Dolby. The album is notable for containing the pop hit "She Blinded Me with Science" in its later resequencings...
.
World War II
After World War IIWorld 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...
many strange happenings were reported to have taken place at Shingle Street, including a failed German invasion
Operation Sealion
Operation Sea Lion was Germany's plan to invade the United Kingdom during the Second World War, beginning in 1940. To have had any chance of success, however, the operation would have required air and naval supremacy over the English Channel...
.
Since the civilian population had been evacuated in May 1940 there were no eyewitness reports, although official documents remained classified until questions in the House of Commons led to their early release in 1993.
These papers disclosed no German landing, but did reveal that the Lifeboat Inn has been used to test an uncharged chemical bomb devised by Porton Down. In fact rumours of a failed invasion on the South and East Coasts were commonplace in September 1940 and helped to boost morale. Author James Hayward has proposed that these rumours, which were widely reported in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
press, were a successful example of black propaganda
Black propaganda
Black propaganda is false information and material that purports to be from a source on one side of a conflict, but is actually from the opposing side. It is typically used to vilify, embarrass or misrepresent the enemy...
with an aim of ensuring American co-operation and securing lend lease resources by showing that the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was capable of successfully resisting the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
.