North Cove

Barnby is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. The village is 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Lowestoft and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Beccles in the north of the county. It is effectively merged with the village of North Cove which constitutes a separate parish. At the 2011 United Kingdom census the population of the parish was 479. This had fallen slightly from a mid-2005 estimated population of 510. Other than North Cove, it is bordered by Carlton Colville to the east, Mutford to the south, and to the north the Norfolk parish of Burgh St Peter across the river. The northern border of the parish is marked by the River Waveney and the northern area lies within The Broads National Park. The village lies on the A146 road running between Norwich and Lowestoft. This bypasses the built up area on a series of bends known locally as the "Barnby bends". The Ipswich to Lowestoft railway line runs through the north of the parish, with the nearest stations at Oulton Broad South and Beccles.

North Cove is a 15.5-hectare (38-acre) nature reserve between Beccles and Lowestoft in Suffolk. It is managed by the owner and Beccles Bird Society, is part of the Barnby Broad and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest the Broadland Ramsar internationally important wetland site, the Broadland Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation. The site has wet woodland, grazing marsh, ponds and dykes. There are birds such as sparrowhawks, woodcocks, redpolls, siskins and the three species of woodpecker. Flora include opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage, bog pimpernel and the nationally scarce marsh fern. There is access from a footpath between Barnby and the Angles Way.

Castle Marshes is a 71 hectare nature reserve west of Lowestoft in Suffolk. It is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Barnby Broad and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest the Broadland Ramsar internationally important wetland site, the Broadland Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation. The site has fen, freshwater dykes and grazing marshes. Resident wildfowl include wigeons, gadwalls, teals and shovelers are joined in winter by migrants when the marshes are flooded. Scarce chaser and the nationally rare Norfolk hawker dragonflies breed on the site, and there are blue-tailed damselflies. There is no public access but the Angles Way footpath runs along the northern boundary.

Beccles Airfield, also known as Beccles Airport or Beccles Aerodrome (ICAO: EGSM), is located in Ellough, 2 NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) southeast of Beccles in the English county of Suffolk. Built during the Second World War, it has operated as a heliport servicing the North Sea oil and gas industry and currently operates as a base for private flights, flight training and parachuting. Beccles Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P837) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (RainAir (Beccles) Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use. The current airstrip consists of around 450 metres (1,480 ft) of the original wartime concrete surface with 150 metres (490 ft) of grass airstrip.

Mutford is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk District of the English county of Suffolk. The village is 5 miles (8.0 km) south-west of Lowestoft and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Beccles in a rural area. The parish borders Barnby, Carlton Colville, Gisleham, Rushmere, Henstead with Hulver Street, Ellough and North Cove. The village gave its name to the Half Hundred of Mutford which is named in the Domesday Book. The parish had a population of 471 at the 2011 United Kingdom census. The A146 Beccles to Lowestoft road runs to north of the parish, cutting through the north-western corner. The Hundred River marks the southern boundary with Henstead with Hulver Street.

Ellough is a civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk, located approximately 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Beccles. The area is sparsely populated with a mid-2005 population estimate of 40. The parish, which has an area of 4.5 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi), borders Worlingham, North Cove, Mutford, Weston, Sotterley, Willingham St Mary and Henstead with Hulver Street. The parish council operates to administer jointly the parishes of Shadingfield, Willingham St Mary, Sotterley and Ellough. The village was the site of a World War II airfield built in 1943 and operated today as Beccles Airfield. Part of the former airfield is used as a kart racetrack and as an industrial estate, including the main production site of local printing firm William Clowes Ltd. The village itself is dispersed and has few services. The A145 road, forming part of the Beccles southern bypass, runs along part of the northern border of the parish.

Barnby Broad and Marshes is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. The site is 189.6 hectares (469 acres) in size. It is in the parishes of North Cove and Barnby, located between Beccles and Lowestoft in the north of the county. The site is bordered on its southern edge by the East Suffolk railway line and to the north by the River Waveney. It is a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area under the EC Birds Directive, and a Ramsar internationally important wetland site. There are two Suffolk Wildlife Trust nature reserves in the site, Castle Marshes and North Cove. The site consists of a mixture of grazing marsh, carr woodland, fen and open water habitats stretching from the edge of the villages of Barnby and North Cove northwards across flood plains to the river. Much of the site floods seasonally and provides a habitat for a variety of bird species.

Ellough Park Raceway is a kart racing track in Ellough in the English county of Suffolk. It is located around 2 miles (3 km) south-east of the market town of Beccles. It is primarily used for kart racing as it is a fast, but tight and twisty circuit. The track, which is fully floodlit, has existed on the old Ellough Airfield since the early 1960s, but was not fully developed until 2000, when ex-Formula 1 driver Jackie Oliver opened the circuit. The authorities at the circuit extended it in 2007, from 800m to just over 1000m to make it more suitable for other forms of kart and minimoto racing. The circuit was extended further in 2010 to incorporate a new pits complex and add extra paddock space for hosting the Formula Kart Stars championship. In 2022 the current owner of the circuit (Simon Francis) further extended the track. There is now a 190m straight which incorporates a breath taking and very physical chicane as well as 180 degree banked curve taken at full speed. The circuit is now over 1100m and is probably one the most demanding within the UK. Today, the track plays host to national and local kart championships, as well as charity events, stag parties and corporate days which use the arrive and drive facilities at the track. A small clubhouse, shop and changing facilities are available.

Worlingham is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) east of Beccles, with the two places effectively joined to form one urban area. At the 2011 census it had a population of 3,745; the combined population of Beccles and Worlingham is 13,868. The parish has increased in population in recent years due to the development of suburban housing areas within the built up area, going up by over 13% between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. Worlingham is around 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Lowestoft and 17 miles (27 km) south-east of the major city of Norwich in Norfolk The parish is bordered to the north by the River Waveney and northern sections form part of The Broads National Park area. The Ipswich to Lowestoft railway line passes through this area, with the nearest railway station at Beccles. Other than Beccles, the parish borders the parishes of North Cove, Mutford, Ellough and Weston. To the north the parish of Aldeby lies across the River Waveney in Norfolk. The A146 Beccles bypass, built during the 1980s, passes through the parish whilst the A145 Beccles southern relief road runs along the parish's eastern and southern borders. Parts of the Beccles Airfield site along the A145 are located within the parish; these are used for a variety of industrial uses, including the printing works of William Clowes which relocated from Beccles in the early 21st century.

Worlingham Hall is a Grade I listed Georgian country house in Worlingham, 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of Beccles in the English county of Suffolk. The hall was built in the 18th century, possibly based on an earlier 17th century house, and as of 2014 is a country house hotel. The hall is known to have been enlarged and remodelled in around 1800 by Francis Sandys for Robert Sparrow. The original building may have been built by John Felton who died in 1703, potentially dating the building to the 17th century. It is built in two storeys of brick and stucco, with a 7-bay frontage. To the left of the main block was originally an Orangery, now converted to other uses. The interior includes an octagonal staircase hall with a stone Imperial dividing staircase having wrought-iron balustrading and a mahogany handrail. The manor of Worlingham had been bought from the Duke family in the 17th century by John Felton, the son of Sir John Felton, of Playford. The Dukes had owned it for several generations. Felton's only daughter, Elizabeth, married Sir John Playters, of Sotterley, who sold Worlingham to Sir Thomas Robinson, Bart., of Kentwell Hall in Long Melford. He died without an heir in 1743 and the manor was eventually sold to Robert Sparrow in 1755. Sparrow's granddaughter Mary, who had married the Irish Peer the Right Hon. Archibald Acheson, Earl of Gosford in 1805, later inherited the property. The Earl served as Governor General of Canada from 1835 to 1838. The 2,800 acres (4.4 sq mi; 11 km2) estate was sold at auction by the 3rd Earl in August 1849 and thereafter passed through several hands before being gradually broken up and sold off. The hall itself fell into a state of disrepair. It was bought in 1962, standing in only 20 acres (0.031 sq mi; 0.081 km2) of land, by Viscount Colville, who undertook the restoration of the building. In 2010 it was offered for sale for approximately £4m.

Burgh St Peter is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Burgh St Peter is located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of Beccles and 17 miles (27 km) south-east of Norwich.

Wheatacre is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 4.38 km2 (1.69 sq mi) and had a population of 112 in 43 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 118 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of South Norfolk The villages name means 'Wheat land'. Notable residents include 80’s one-hit wonder Andrew Anthony.