Long Melford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Long Melford | |
  Long Melford shown within Suffolk |
|
| Population | 3,675[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Babergh |
| Shire county | Suffolk |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Sudbury |
| Postcode district | CO10 |
| Dialling code | 01787 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | South Suffolk |
| List of places: UK • England • Suffolk | |
Long Melford (or Melford, as it is known localy) is a large, ancient village and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, on the border with Essex, which is marked by the River Stour, approximately 16 miles from Colchester and 14 miles from Bury St. Edmunds. The parish also includes the hamlets of Bridge Street and Cuckoo Tye.
Its name is derived from the nature of the village's layout (originally concentrated along a 3 mile stretch of a single road) and the Mill ford crossing the Chad Brook (a tributary of the River Stour).
Long Melford is famous for its large collection of antiques shops and dealers.
Contents |
[edit] History
The area now occupied by Long Melford has been occupied since at least 100 B.C.. The village's layout was defined in Roman times, with the empire building two roads thorough Melford, the main one running from Chelmsford through to Pakenham.
The village is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 which lists the manor of Long Melford as an estate of 600 hectares, belonging to the Abbey of St.Edmundsbury. The neighbouring Manor of Kentwell is also recorded.
[edit] Holy Trinity Church
Long Melford is fairly unusual for a village in that it has a parish church of dimensions more suited to a cathedral. Holy Trinity Church, towards the northern end of the village, boasts a celebrated example of a three hares motif in stained glass. Edmund Blunden, the World War I poet, is buried in the churchyard.
[edit] Stately Homes
The village contains two stately homes, Kentwell Hall and Melford Hall (see Ha-ha), both in excellent states of repair, all built from the proceeds of the wool trade in the Middle Ages.
[edit] Transport
Long Melford once had a railway station on the Stour Valley Line, but this closed in March 1967 when the line was cut back to Sudbury. It is connected to several large towns by bus, notably Sudbury, Colchester, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill and Ipswich.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
 |
This Suffolk location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
