Somerleyton
Encyclopedia
Somerleyton is a village
close to the River Waveney
in the Waveney District
of the English
county
of Suffolk
. Somerleyton is located around 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Lowestoft
and 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Great Yarmouth
. The village lies on the edge of the The Broads National Park
.
Many of the houses consist of the model village
built around a green that once belonged to the Somerleyton Estate, formerly the property of Samuel Morton Peto
. Somerleyton Hall
is still a private residence, and is open to the public.
and village shop. Somerleyton railway station
is nearby, on the Norwich
to Lowestoft
line. There is also a pub, The Dukes Head, until circa 1959 another pub, The Crown was also open in the village. The Crown was officially an 'off-licence' meaning alcoholic drinks could only be bought, not consumed there. The resident policeman, who at that time lived in the police house adjacent to Somerleyton CP School, could be relied upon to make his approach known so that drinkers could have their pints hidden under the bar in time to avoid prosecution! The village store, part of Waveney Co-operative Society and closed circa 1968, was on the opposite side of the road from The Crown adjacent to the village pond in the Street and operated a door-to-door delivery service for groceries via trade-bike and the milk delivery van. Both are now private houses as is The Reading Room, which was provided for the use of residents with snooker table etc. until being closed and converted to a dwelling circa 1968.
under the name of Sumerledetuna.
Somerleyton Hall
was established in 1240 and has been home to Admiral Sir Thomas Allin
and Samuel Morton Peto
, who oversaw the latest rebuilding in 1843. Peto also had the ancient Parish Church of St Mary rebuilt in 1854 but retaining many historic features including the 15th century tower and rood screen
; it is a Grade II* Listed building
Somerleyton was the home of Christopher Cockerell
while he invented the hovercraft
using the resources of 'Ripplecraft' a business operating cabin cruisers for the boat hire trade serving holidaymakers cruising the Norfolk Broads Somerleyton Hovercraft. The River Waveney runs along the edge of Somerleyton giving access to the Broads and visitors may find the rail swing bridge which crosses the river in Somerleyton of interest. This can be viewed by taking the un-metalled road down to the River adjacent to the 'Duke's Head'.
There was a small brickworks in the village which provided bricks for the construction of Liverpool Street Station among other sites before closing circa 1947. The remains can still be seen on the track which leads from the Brickfields cottages to the railway station. The last remaining chimneys were demolished with dynamite in about 1959.
A memorial to the airmen killed when their aeroplane crashed during the Second World War (1939–1945) can be seen on Waddling Way, an un-metalled road to the East of the village which runs to Flixton, near Blundeston. The aircraft was an RAF Mosquito nightfighter being flown by two young airmen of the United States Navy. On 14 November 1944, they were chasing an air-launched V1
flying bomb but were mistakenly shot down by British anti-aircraft fire. The full story can be found in Final Flights by Ian McLachlan.
at Somerleyton Hall on the 10th September 2009.
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...
close to the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
in the Waveney District
Waveney
Waveney is a local government district in Suffolk, England, named after the River Waveney that forms its north-west border. The district council is based in Lowestoft, the major settlement in Waveney, which is the only unparished area in the district...
of the English
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...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of 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...
. Somerleyton is located around 5 miles (8 km) north-west of 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...
and 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. The village lies on the edge of the The Broads National Park
The Broads
The Broads are a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads, and some surrounding land were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a UK National Park by The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act of 1988...
.
Many of the houses consist of the model village
Model village
A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers...
built around a green that once belonged to the Somerleyton Estate, formerly the property of Samuel Morton Peto
Samuel Morton Peto
Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet was an English entrepreneur and civil engineer in the 19th century. A partner in Grissell and Peto, he managed construction firms that built many major buildings and monuments in London...
. Somerleyton Hall
Somerleyton Hall
Somerleyton Hall is a country house in the village of Somerleyton near Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. It has a notable garden.-History:In 1240, a manor house was built on the site of Somerleyton Hall by Sir Peter Fitzosbert whose daughter married into the Jernegan family. The male line of the...
is still a private residence, and is open to the public.
Shops and public houses
The village has a County Primary school and a thatched combined post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and village shop. Somerleyton railway station
Somerleyton railway station
Somerleyton railway station is a quiet rural two-platform station serving the village of Somerleyton in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. It is less than two miles on foot from Somerleyton Hall which is open to the public....
is nearby, on the 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...
to 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...
line. There is also a pub, The Dukes Head, until circa 1959 another pub, The Crown was also open in the village. The Crown was officially an 'off-licence' meaning alcoholic drinks could only be bought, not consumed there. The resident policeman, who at that time lived in the police house adjacent to Somerleyton CP School, could be relied upon to make his approach known so that drinkers could have their pints hidden under the bar in time to avoid prosecution! The village store, part of Waveney Co-operative Society and closed circa 1968, was on the opposite side of the road from The Crown adjacent to the village pond in the Street and operated a door-to-door delivery service for groceries via trade-bike and the milk delivery van. Both are now private houses as is The Reading Room, which was provided for the use of residents with snooker table etc. until being closed and converted to a dwelling circa 1968.
History
Somerleyton is described in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
under the name of Sumerledetuna.
Somerleyton Hall
Somerleyton Hall
Somerleyton Hall is a country house in the village of Somerleyton near Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. It has a notable garden.-History:In 1240, a manor house was built on the site of Somerleyton Hall by Sir Peter Fitzosbert whose daughter married into the Jernegan family. The male line of the...
was established in 1240 and has been home to Admiral Sir Thomas Allin
Sir Thomas Allin, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Allin, 1st Baronet was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service in the English Civil War, and the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars...
and Samuel Morton Peto
Samuel Morton Peto
Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet was an English entrepreneur and civil engineer in the 19th century. A partner in Grissell and Peto, he managed construction firms that built many major buildings and monuments in London...
, who oversaw the latest rebuilding in 1843. Peto also had the ancient Parish Church of St Mary rebuilt in 1854 but retaining many historic features including the 15th century tower and rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
; it is a Grade II* Listed building
Somerleyton was the home of Christopher Cockerell
Christopher Cockerell
Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell CBE FRS was an English engineer, inventor of the hovercraft.-Life:Cockerell was born in Cambridge, where his father, Sir Sydney Cockerell, was curator of the Fitzwilliam Museum, having previously been the secretary of William Morris. Christopher Cockerell was...
while he invented the hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
using the resources of 'Ripplecraft' a business operating cabin cruisers for the boat hire trade serving holidaymakers cruising the Norfolk Broads Somerleyton Hovercraft. The River Waveney runs along the edge of Somerleyton giving access to the Broads and visitors may find the rail swing bridge which crosses the river in Somerleyton of interest. This can be viewed by taking the un-metalled road down to the River adjacent to the 'Duke's Head'.
There was a small brickworks in the village which provided bricks for the construction of Liverpool Street Station among other sites before closing circa 1947. The remains can still be seen on the track which leads from the Brickfields cottages to the railway station. The last remaining chimneys were demolished with dynamite in about 1959.
A memorial to the airmen killed when their aeroplane crashed during the Second World War (1939–1945) can be seen on Waddling Way, an un-metalled road to the East of the village which runs to Flixton, near Blundeston. The aircraft was an RAF Mosquito nightfighter being flown by two young airmen of the United States Navy. On 14 November 1944, they were chasing an air-launched V1
V1
V1 can refer to:* V-1 , a World War II German weapon* V.1, a telephone communications standard of the ITU-T* Area V1 of the visual cortex* Ophthalmic nerve , the first division of the trigeminal nerve...
flying bomb but were mistakenly shot down by British anti-aircraft fire. The full story can be found in Final Flights by Ian McLachlan.
Cultural associations
The village has had the Antiques RoadshowAntiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
at Somerleyton Hall on the 10th September 2009.