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The River Rat is a river in the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, England.Its source is to the south of the village of Felsham, and is the major tributary of the River Gipping. The River Rat joins the River Gipping at Pikes Meadow in Stowmarket. The river flows through the village of Rattlesden, and is also known as the Rattlesden River.

The Stowmarket Guncotton Explosion happened on 11 August 1871 at the Prentices Guncotton Factory in Stowmarket, Suffolk. It was blown up by two massive explosions, that occurred within the factory, killing 28 people and injuring approximately 70 others.

The Stowmarket Guncotton Company was an explosives company established in the 19th century by Messrs Prentice that operated a gun-cotton factory in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England. The factory was the scene of an explosion in 1871 that claimed the lives of 28 people.

Stowmarket railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England, serving the market town of Stowmarket, Suffolk. It is 80 miles 9 chains (128.9 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Needham Market to the south and Diss to the north. It is also the junction where the Ipswich to Ely Line joins the GEML. Its three-letter station code is SMK. The station is currently operated by Abellio Greater Anglia, which also runs all trains that serve the station.

Stowmarket ( STOH-mar-kət) is a market town in Suffolk, England, on the busy A14 trunk road between Bury St Edmunds to the west and Ipswich to the southeast. The town lies on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) between Diss and Needham Market, and lies on the River Gipping, which is joined by its tributary, the River Rat, to the south of the town. The town takes its name from the Old English word stōw meaning "principal place", and was granted a market charter in 1347 by Edward III. A bi-weekly market is still held there today on Thursday and Saturday. The population of the town has increased from around 6,000 in 1981 to around 19,000 in 2011, with considerable further development planned for the town and surrounding villages as part of an area action plan. It is the largest town in the Mid Suffolk district and is represented in parliament by the MP for Bury St Edmunds, currently Jo Churchill.

The Church of St Peter and St Mary stands in the town of Stowmarket, Suffolk, England. It is an active Church of England parish church in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The church dates from the 14th century and is a Grade I listed building.

The Food Museum, formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life, is a museum in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England, which specialises in presenting the agricultural history of East Anglia through a mixture of exhibits and living history demonstrations.

Eastbridge Windpump is a smock mill that served as a pumping station until it was relocated to the Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket, Suffolk, England and which was then restored to working order.

Stow was a hundred of Suffolk, consisting of 22,710 acres (91.9 km2).Stow Hundred a fertile and picturesque district in central Suffolk around seven miles (11 km) in length and breadth. It is bounded by Cosford, Bosmere and Claydon, Thedwestry, Blackbourn and Hartismere Hundreds. It is in the Deanery to which it gives name and was in the Archdeaconry of Sudbury until 1837 when it was added to the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, and is thus still in the Diocese of Norwich. It is watered by the River Gipping. The word "stow" means place, as in "stow away", and the name of the hundred was probably derived from an old name for Stowmarket, the hundred's largest town.

Suffolk ( SUF-ək) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county town. The county has an area of 3,798 km2 (1,466 sq mi) and a population of 758,556. After Ipswich (144,957), in the south, the largest towns are Lowestoft (73,800) in the north-east and Bury St Edmunds (40,664) in the west. Suffolk contains 5 local government districts, which are part of a two-tier non-metropolitan county also called Suffolk. The Suffolk coastline is a complex habitat, formed by London clay and crag underlain by chalk and therefore susceptible to erosion. It contains several deep estuaries, including those of the rivers Byth, Deben, Orwell, Stour, and Alde/Ore; the latter is 25.5 km (15.8 mi) long and separated from the North Sea by Orford Ness, a large spit. Large parts of the coast are backed by heath and wetland habitats, such as Sandlings. The north-east of the county contains part of the Broads, a network of rivers and lakes. Inland, the landscape is flat and gently undulating, and contains part of Thetford Forest on the Norfolk border and Dedham Vale on the Essex border. It is also known for its extensive farming and has largely arable land. Newmarket is known for horse racing, and Felixstowe is one of the largest container ports in Europe.

Combs Ford is a suburb of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. It sits at the confluence between the rivers Gipping and Rattlesden. Combs Ford is where the procession of the Stowmarket Carnival changes as it swings between The Magpie and The Gladstone public houses and proceeds towards Ipswich Street. It is held in popular local folklore that Dick Turpin once resided at the bottom of Poplar Hill near where the hairdressers on Poplar Hill is now. He was barred from local public houses and had to travel into Stowmarket to drink in the Market Place. Rumour also has it he left Combs Ford for a woman whom he loved. Combs Ford is home to a number of local characters. Deejay Johnny Double is the local master of Hip Hop and is well known for his love of Hip Hop. He is often heard playing to the locals at the bottom of Poplar Hill. The Lord of The Ford, is another local who is renowned for clearing the River Rat at Boulters Bridge. Another local celebrity is the legendary DJ Wyld. Who produces a Harder style of Dance music. And can be sometimes seen along Poplar Hill.

Combs Wood is a 15.1 hectares (37 acres) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the southern outskirts of Stowmarket in Suffolk. It is owned and managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.This is ancient coppice woodland on boulder clay, with variable quantities of sand and loess resulting in different soil types. In areas of pedunculate oak and hornbeam the ground flora is sparse, but it is rich and diverse in ash and maple woodland. Grassy rides and a pond provide additional habitats for invertebrates.There is access through the church grounds and through Holyoak Farm.