East Bergholt

East Bergholt
East Bergholt  East Bergholt shown within Suffolk
OS grid reference	TM072351
District	Babergh
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	COLCHESTER
Postcode district	CO7
Dialling code	01206
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	South Suffolk
List of places: UK • England • Suffolk

Waterloo celebration in East Bergholt, John Constable, 1st quarter of 19th century

         

East Bergholt is a village in the south of Suffolk, England, just north of the Essex border. It is "twinned" with the village of Barbizon, France.

East Bergholt and Hadleigh are the largest villages in the Stour Valley, a region historically known for its manufacture of linens^{[citation needed]} The nearest town and railway station, a few miles away, is Manningtree, Essex. East Bergholt is situated 10 miles north of Colchester and 8 miles south of Ipswich. Schools include East Bergholt High School, a comprehensive for children aged 11-16, and a primary school.

During the 16th century, its inhabitants became well known for Protestant radicalism^{[citation needed]} A few of its citizens were martyred during the reign of Queen Mary I, and the Protestant martyrologist John Foxe recorded their stories in his famous work Acts and Monuments (also known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs).

East Bergholt is the birthplace of the painter John Constable. Flatford and Dedham, Essex, both made famous by John Constable, are within walking distance of East Bergholt.

St. Mary's Church and its famous bell cage

Bellcage of St. Mary's Church

         

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin was built in the 15th and 16th centuries, but is well known for the absence of a tower or spire to house the bells. Work had begun on a tower in 1525, but Cardinal Wolsey's fall from grace in 1530 brought construction to a halt and the following year a temporary wooden bell cage had to be erected in the churchyard for the bells. However, this temporary structure still exists some 500 years or so later, although not in its original position. It was moved from the south to the north side of the church in the seventeenth century because the then occupant of Old Hall objected to the noise of the bells. The bells are exceptional in that they are not rung from below by ropes attached to wheels, as is usual in change ringing, but the headstock is manipulated by hand by ringers standing right beside the bells.

The bells themselves are believed to be the heaviest five (A, G, F#, E, and D) that are rung in England today, with a weight of 4¼ tons.

Other important buildings

As well as the church, the following buildings are also to be found in East Bergholt:

• Old Hall (a former nunnery, later friary, which now houses the Old Hall Community, a single household of about 60 people who are drawn together by their desire to live co-operatively and farm organically)
• Stour House (once the home of Randolph Churchill)
• East Bergholt Place (home of the Eley family and "The Place for Plants" garden centre, noted for its camelias)
• Lambe School (the former schoolrooms now used for public and private functions)
• Bridge Cottage, a 16th Century cottage, used as a location by John Constable.

External links

• East Bergholt Village Website
• St Mary the Virgin, East Bergholt, A Church Near You
• East Bergholt and Constable Country