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Wattisfield

Civil parishes in SuffolkMid SuffolkUse British English from May 2025Villages in Suffolk
St Margaret's church, Wattisfield geograph.org.uk 2128010
St Margaret's church, Wattisfield geograph.org.uk 2128010

Wattisfield is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the A143 around seven miles south-west of Diss, in 2005 its population was 440, increasing to 475 at the 2011 Census. The village name in Domesday Book is Watesfelda, derived from the Old English meaning Wastel's clearing. It is situated in the ancient hundred of Blackbourne. Its Grade II* listed medieval church is dedicated to St. Margaret. Due to the abundant source of mica clay the village has a tradition of pottery making going back to the Bronze Age and there is still a commercial pottery called Watsons which has a factory shop open to the public. A Romano-British or Anglo-Saxon cemetery was found in 1934 by Basil Brown, who later rose to fame for his discoveries at Sutton Hoo. The village once had three licensed pubs but now it has none. The Royal Oak was part of Whitbread's pub estate but closed in 1968 and was sold on as a private dwelling, which it remains today directly opposite the church of St. Margaret's. The white post outside the building is a vestige of the old pub sign which used to hang from it. The White Swan was built in the 17th century and closed early 20th century; the building remains as a farmhouse to the north of the A143. The Black Swan closed in the 1920s but the building remains as a private dwelling on the south side of the A143 near its junction with Calkewood Lane. A post-Medieval post mill stood near Manning's Lane; it was demolished circa 1965. The Post Office and general store closed in 1997 and the building is currently occupied by a ladies hair stylist. A stream which rises to the south of the village is called The Grundle and is one of the tributaries of the Little Ouse river which eventually joins the Great Ouse and discharges into The Wash.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Wattisfield (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Wattisfield
Diss Road, Mid Suffolk

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Wikipedia: WattisfieldContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.332 ° E 0.95 °
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Address

Diss Road

Diss Road
IP22 1NJ Mid Suffolk
England, United Kingdom
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St Margaret's church, Wattisfield geograph.org.uk 2128010
St Margaret's church, Wattisfield geograph.org.uk 2128010
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Badwell Ash
Badwell Ash

Badwell Ash is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, near Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket. According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the village name is Bada's stream near the field with ash trees, however this source lacks validity in terms of the oak mysteries. The 'Ash' is believed to be derived from the 'Reaping of the Bad' of 1659 when the local Lord burned the settlement of 'the Bad' in an attempt to eradicate an outbreak of plague which had developed. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 685, increasing to 770 at the 2011 Census. Facilities in the village include a church, pub, fish and chip shop, and a Post Office/Village shop that is stocked with everyday items. There are daily bus services from the village to nearby towns and the main A14 trunk road is less than a 10-minute drive away. The primary school unfortunately was forced to close after a struggle of being placed under the category of Special Measures by Ofsted. Closure was suggested by Suffolk County Council in May 2013. The closure happened in December 2013.There are several groups in the village providing activities for the whole age range (Silver Ash, Gun Club, Bowls Club, Art Club, and as of August 2007, a Youth Club run by Stacey Hawes and a Football club). Thus encompassing the wide-ranging Civil Society groups in the village. There are five bells that hang at St Mary's with the largest weighing 13-2-9 cwt. The oldest bell was cast in 1630 by John Draper. In 2017 the clock and bells of the church were refurbished and now the bells ring every hour on the hour. In 2006, in response to a questionnaire circulated round the village, a Community Forum was established which organised and ran a village fete - the first one for many years. In 2007 the Forum merged with an existing village hall committee, and has since run a second village fete. Tourism to the village is encouraged due to the Badwell Ash Holiday Lodges.