Wangford
Encyclopedia
Wangford is a village in Suffolk
, England
, just off the A12 trunk road on the edge of the Henham Park
estate just outside Southwold
. (NB there are two villages named Wangford in Suffolk: the other is in West Suffolk, in the Lark Valley. This article refers to the eastern village).
Wangford is connected to the rest of Suffolk by two main roads. At one side of the village the road leads straight on to the A12 (dual carriage way), and the other side of the village leads to Reydon
, and Southwold
(B1126).
Wangford has approximately 640 residents and the main village covers about 50 acres (202,343 m²). The parish also includes Henham Park and the hamlet
of Barnaby Green.
At the centre of the village there is a community centre
, containing a reasonable sized hall, a bar, a kitchen and a small games room. There is also a shop, post-office, two pubs - the Angel Inn and the Plough, a farm shop, a playing field and allotments, tennis courts and the local vet.
The Parish church of Wangford cum Henham is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul; situated near the centre of the village. The church here was near derelict by the mid-19th century. It was all that survived of a Cluniac Priory, a cell to the mother Priory at Thetford
in Norfolk. Left derelict at the end of the 19th century, it was restored by the local Rous family, the Earls of Stradbroke
who set about creating a monument to themselves here because there is no church in the parish of Henham. The architect was A. L. Blackburne. All was demolished except for the nave walls. A grand chancel was then built at the east end, and beside it in the 1870s, an impressive tower. The top of the tower is finished in the 14th century Suffolk manner. It sits at the east end of the north aisle. Inside, the west end of the nave has a huge window, which may possibly be the rebuilding of a previous tower arch. The north porch is the only other medieval survival which seems to have had a side sliced off it by the buttress to the north aisle. As the church is principally 19th century, so is all the stained glass.
Angels look down from the simple but affective the roof. The lectern is made of brass, and the column is surrounded by angels about to take flight. The pulpit is 17th century and was brought here from the chapel at Henham Hall along with the reading desk. The font is 14th century but with a later cover. The walls are covered with memorials to the Rouses. The building is currently suffering from water damage but fundraising is continuing with the aim of reroofing. The Parish of Wangford is part of the Sole Bay Team Ministry (formed in 1999) , along with the Parishes of Blythburgh
, Reydon
, Sotherton
, South Cove, Southwold
, Uggeshall
and Walberswick
.
. The bells hang in a derelict timber frame with dilapidated fittings and have not been rung for many years. The treble (the smallest) is the oldest bell in the tower being cast by William Brend of Norwich
in 1624. The following year, in 1625, the tenor (the largest) was cast at the same foundry by William & Alice Brend. The third was cast by John Darbie of Ipswich
in 1668 and the fourth dates from 1721 and is by John Stephens of Norwich. The newest bell in the tower is the second which was cast by John Warner & Sons
of London
in 1863. This bell was recast from the metal of an earlier bell also cast by John Stephens. The precise weight of the bells is not known but the tenor is estimated to weigh between 8 and 9 hundredweight
.
'. Fred Copeman
OBE, who served in the International Brigades
in the Spanish Civil War
and organised London's air raid defences during the Second World War, was born in Wangford Union Workhouse
in 1907.
The annual Latitude pop and arts festival is held at Henham Hall Park in the parish.
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...
, just off the A12 trunk road on the edge of the Henham Park
Henham Park
Henham Park is an estate just north of the village of Blythburgh in Suffolk, England. It lies at the intersection of the A12 and A145 main roads. The current owner is Keith Rous, The Sixth Earl of Stradbroke, ‘The Aussie Earl’.-History:...
estate just outside Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
. (NB there are two villages named Wangford in Suffolk: the other is in West Suffolk, in the Lark Valley. This article refers to the eastern village).
Wangford is connected to the rest of Suffolk by two main roads. At one side of the village the road leads straight on to the A12 (dual carriage way), and the other side of the village leads to Reydon
Reydon
Reydon is a village and civil parish, north-west from Southwold and south east of Wangford in Waveney District and the ceremonial county of Suffolk in England. It has a population of 2,567....
, and Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
(B1126).
Wangford has approximately 640 residents and the main village covers about 50 acres (202,343 m²). The parish also includes Henham Park and the hamlet
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...
of Barnaby Green.
At the centre of the village there is a community centre
Community centre
Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...
, containing a reasonable sized hall, a bar, a kitchen and a small games room. There is also a shop, post-office, two pubs - the Angel Inn and the Plough, a farm shop, a playing field and allotments, tennis courts and the local vet.
The church of St Peter and St Paul
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
in Norfolk. Left derelict at the end of the 19th century, it was restored by the local Rous family, the Earls of Stradbroke
Earl of Stradbroke
Earl of Stradbroke, in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1821 for John Rous, 1st Baron Rous, who had earlier represented Suffolk in the House of Commons...
who set about creating a monument to themselves here because there is no church in the parish of Henham. The architect was A. L. Blackburne. All was demolished except for the nave walls. A grand chancel was then built at the east end, and beside it in the 1870s, an impressive tower. The top of the tower is finished in the 14th century Suffolk manner. It sits at the east end of the north aisle. Inside, the west end of the nave has a huge window, which may possibly be the rebuilding of a previous tower arch. The north porch is the only other medieval survival which seems to have had a side sliced off it by the buttress to the north aisle. As the church is principally 19th century, so is all the stained glass.
Blythburgh
Blythburgh is a small English village in an area known as the Sandlings, part of the Suffolk heritage coast. Located close to an area of flooded marshland and mud-flats, in 2007 its population was estimated to be 300. Blythburgh is best known for its church, Holy Trinity, internationally known as...
, Reydon
Reydon
Reydon is a village and civil parish, north-west from Southwold and south east of Wangford in Waveney District and the ceremonial county of Suffolk in England. It has a population of 2,567....
, Sotherton
Sotherton
Sotherton is a dispersed village in Suffolk, England, located approximately 7 miles south of Beccles and 3¾ miles north east of Halesworth close to the A145. The mid-2005 population estimate for Sotherton parish was 70...
, South Cove, Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
, Uggeshall
Uggeshall
Uggeshall is a village in Suffolk, England, located approximately 6 miles south of Beccles and 4 miles north east of Halesworth close to the A145. The mid-2005 population estimate for Uggeshall parish was 170. Sotherton is located just to the south-west, Wangford to the south-east and Brampton...
and Walberswick
Walberswick
Walberswick is a village on the Suffolk coast in England, across the River Blyth from Southwold. Coastal erosion and the shifting of the mouth of the River Blyth meant that the neighbouring town of Dunwich was lost as a port in the last years of the 13th century...
.
The church bells of St Peter and St Paul
Wangford church has an unringable peal of five bells. Originally the bells were intended for change ringingChange ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
. The bells hang in a derelict timber frame with dilapidated fittings and have not been rung for many years. The treble (the smallest) is the oldest bell in the tower being cast by William Brend of 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...
in 1624. The following year, in 1625, the tenor (the largest) was cast at the same foundry by William & Alice Brend. The third was cast by John Darbie of 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...
in 1668 and the fourth dates from 1721 and is by John Stephens of Norwich. The newest bell in the tower is the second which was cast by John Warner & Sons
John Warner & Sons
John Warner and Sons was a Bellfoundry in various locations in London, UK.-Notable Bells:Warners cast some notable bells including the clock chime at the Houses of Parliament, although Big Ben was later re-cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. In 1913, Warners cast the peal of 12 bells at...
of 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...
in 1863. This bell was recast from the metal of an earlier bell also cast by John Stephens. The precise weight of the bells is not known but the tenor is estimated to weigh between 8 and 9 hundredweight
Hundredweight
The hundredweight or centum weight is a unit of mass defined in terms of the pound . The definition used in Britain differs from that used in North America. The two are distinguished by the terms long hundredweight and short hundredweight:* The long hundredweight is defined as 112 lb, which...
.
Famous people and connections
Reputedly, Wangford provided the inspiration for the stage name of Sam Hutt, a well-known London gynaecologist, who specialises in spoof Country and Western music. The chosen name being 'Hank WangfordHank Wangford
Hank Wangford is a distinguished English country and western songwriter. Hank Wangford is the stage name of Dr. Samuel Hutt, . His music is notable for its humour and cheerful irony, and occasional excursions into biting political undercurrent....
'. Fred Copeman
Fred Copeman
Fred Copeman OBE was an English volunteer in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, commanding the British Battalion...
OBE, who served in the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and organised London's air raid defences during the Second World War, was born in Wangford Union Workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
in 1907.
The annual Latitude pop and arts festival is held at Henham Hall Park in the parish.