Freston, Suffolk

Freston is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, an archaeological site near the village of Freston in Suffolk, England. Causewayed enclosures were built in England from shortly before 3700 until at least 3500 BC; they are characterised by the full or partial enclosure of an area with ditches that are interrupted by gaps, or causeways. Their purpose is not known; they may have been settlements, meeting places, or ritual sites. The Freston enclosure was first identified in 1969 from cropmarks in aerial photographs. At 8.55 ha (21.1 acres) it is one of the largest causewayed enclosures in Britain, and would have required thousands of person-days to construct. The cropmarks show an enclosure with two circuits of ditches, and a palisade that ran between the two circuits. There is also evidence of a rectangular structure in the northeastern part of the site, which may be a Neolithic longhouse or an Anglo-Saxon hall. In 2018, a group from McMaster University organized a research project focused on the site, beginning with a geophysical survey and a pedestrian survey to collect any items of archaeological interest from the surface of the site. This was followed by an excavation in 2019 which recovered some Neolithic material and obtained radiocarbon dates indicating that the site was constructed some time in the mid-4th millennium BC. Other finds included oak charcoal fragments believed to come from the palisade, and evidence of a long ditch to the southeast that probably predated the enclosure, and which may have accompanied a long barrow, a form of Neolithic burial mound. The site has been protected as a scheduled monument since 1976.

The Shotley Peninsula is a rural area east of the A137 Ipswich-Colchester road located between the rivers Stour and Orwell in Suffolk, England. The peninsula is named after the settlements of Shotley and Shotley Gate which are situated near its south-eastern tip. Other villages on the peninsula include Chelmondiston, Erwarton (Arwarton), Freston, Harkstead, Holbrook, Stutton, Tattingstone, Wherstead and Woolverstone. The population was 10,310 according to the 2001 Census, approximately 12.4% of the total population of Babergh District.

Freston Tower is a six-storey red brick folly south of Ipswich, Suffolk in the village of Freston. It stands on the banks of the River Orwell.

Holbrook Academy is a secondary school with academy status located in the village of Holbrook, 5 miles (8 km) south of Ipswich in the English county of Suffolk. It currently has about 580 students aged 11–16.The Holbrook Sports Centre is located on the school site. It was opened to the public on 20 January 2007 by Sally Kasnika (a former member of the English women's Basketball Team). The centre was built after the school received money from the Lottery Fund. The headteacher Simon Letman died on the 13 April 2019. The interim Acting Headteacher was Nicola Mayhew. Tom Maltby was appointed as headteacher from September 2020.

The Orwell Bridge is a concrete box girder bridge just south of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. Opened to road traffic in 1982, the bridge carries the A14 road (formerly the A45) over the River Orwell.

Freston and Cutler's Woods with Holbrook Park is a 142 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Ipswich in Suffolk. The site is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural BeautyThese ancient woods have woodland types typical of spring-fed valleys and light sandy soils. Holbrook Park has coppice stools over 3 metres in diameter, among the largest in Britain. Sweet chestnut, which was introduced in the Middle Ages, is found widely, and other trees include the rare wild service tree.Holbrook Park is private, but a public footpath goes through Cutler's Wood.

Wherstead Park Mansion in Suffolk is a house of historical significance and is listed on the English Heritage Register. It was built in 1792 for Sir Robert Harland (1765–1848) by the famous architect Sir Jeffry Wyatville on the site of an older house. It was the residence of many notable people over the next two centuries. It is now a venue for weddings, conferences and special events, but had previously been the headquarters of Eastern Electricity from 1948.

Holbrook is a village situated close to the northern shore of the estuary of the River Stour, in Suffolk, England. It is located on the Shotley Peninsula in Babergh district, around 5 miles (8 km) south of the centre of Ipswich. To the south of the village is the Royal Hospital School, which moved to this site in 1933 after having been housed at Greenwich Hospital since 1693. Lower Holbrook is a hamlet between the villages of Holbrook and Harkstead.

Pipers Vale is a 19.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve on the southern outskirts of Ipswich in Suffolk. It is owned and managed by Ipswich Borough Council.This site on the bank of the River Orwell is part of Orwell Country Park. Its diverse habitats include heath, reedbeds, scrub and alder carr. Over 100 bird species have been recorded, including redwings, whimbrels and bullfinches.There is access from Gainsborough Lane.

Woolverstone is a small village and civil parish in Suffolk, England located on the Shotley peninsula. It is situated about 6.4 km (4.0 mi) south of Ipswich, near the southern shore of the River Orwell. In 2005 it had a population of 240, increasing to 265 at the 2011 census.It is now home to the Ipswich High School, which moved to the vacated premises of the former Woolverstone Hall School in 1992 after having been well established in Ipswich since 1878. The Woolverstone Marina and the Royal Harwich Yacht Club are also located in the vicinity. HMS Woolverstone, a Royal Navy landing craft training and loading base, was housed in the school and used moorings in the River Orwell between 1943 and 1944.

Pipers Vale Pool was an outdoor swimming venue in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Bridge Wood is a 31 hectare Local Nature Reserve on the southern outskirts of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. It is owned and managed by Ipswich Borough Council, and is part of Orwell Country Park.One theory about the name Bridge Wood is that it might refer to an old Roman crossing point known as a "bridge". An artificial band of shale can see at low tide near the present Orwell Bridge and this may have been crossable in the past.This site has been managed as woodland at least since 1600, and it has several ancient oaks. There are also areas of pine, which are being thinned to create a more mixed woodland.There is access from the Stour and Orwell Walk, which goes through the wood.