Suffolk (pop. 760,688) is a county on the eastern coast of England. Many people live in such towns as Ipswich, the administrative center; Lowestoft; and Bury St. Edmunds. But Suffolk remains a county of farming country and small market towns. The county covers an area of 1,467 square miles (3,800 square kilometers).
Suffolk once formed the southern part of the ancient kingdom of East Anglia. Until 1974, Suffolk was divided into two separate administrative counties, East Suffolk and West Suffolk. In 1974, these two were combined into one county. At that time, a small area north of Lowestoft was taken from Suffolk into the neighboring county of Norfolk. That area today forms part of the Norfolk district of Great Yarmouth.
People and government
Local customs.
Hoxne is, by tradition, the place where the Anglo-Saxon King Edmund was executed. He was tied to an oak tree, the site of which is now marked by a marble cross. According to legend, Edmund was betrayed by a bride crossing the bridge under which he was hiding. He cursed the bridge, and ever since local brides have avoided the bridge on the way to their weddings.
Recreation.
Many people enjoy Suffolk’s beautiful landscape. Fishing and sailing are popular. Bird watchers visit Suffolk’s famous bird sanctuaries, at Minsmere, near Dunwich, or at Havergate Island, Orford Ness. Newmarket is a leading horse-racing center. Ipswich has a professional soccer team.
Local government.
Suffolk County Council, with headquarters at Ipswich, provides some public services. There are also five local government districts: Babergh, which includes Hadleigh and Sudbury; East Suffolk, which includes Aldeburgh, Felixstowe, and Lowestoft; Ipswich; Mid Suffolk, which includes Stowmarket; and West Suffolk, which includes Newmarket and St. Edmundsbury. The crown court meets at Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds. The county’s police, the Suffolk Constabulary, have headquarters at Martlesham, near Ipswich.
Economy
Agriculture.
Suffolk is mainly a farming county. Much of the land is used for growing cereals. The land in the river valleys and along the coast is permanent pastureland. Suffolk farmers grow mainly barley and wheat, but they also grow some oats. Some farmers grow sugar beets. The beet pulp, which remains after sugar has been extracted, is used to feed cattle. Farmers also grow clover, marigolds, rutabagas, and turnips to feed livestock. Many farmers keep beef or dairy cattle. The drier pastures support sheep. Some farmers breed hogs and poultry. The county was once famous for the Suffolk Punch, a breed of horse used for pulling heavy loads.
Fishing
is centered on Lowestoft. Cod and flatfish are caught from trawlers. Herring fishing is also important.
Manufacturing.
Many of the county’s manufacturing industries use agricultural produce. These industries include canning, flour milling, malting and brewing, and sugar refining. Other industries in Suffolk produce agricultural machinery and artificial fertilizers.
Felixstowe is the county’s main port. Ipswich has brewing, flour milling, and sugar refining. Ipswich manufacturers also make clothing, electronic goods, farm machinery, and fertilizers.
Bury St. Edmunds is a market town. Its industries include bacon curing, sugar refining, and production of farm machinery. In addition to fishing and servicing the offshore oil industry, Lowestoft’s industries include engineering, food processing, and shipbuilding. Haverhill, a developing town, produces chemicals, clothing, electronic goods, plastics, sports equipment, and textiles.
Tourism.
Felixstowe and Lowestoft are large, popular resorts. The smaller resorts of Aldeburgh and Southwold are also popular. Aldeburgh attracts many visitors to its music festival each June.
Transportation and communication.
Ipswich has rail links with London, Norwich, Cambridge and Peterborough. A coastal line links Ipswich, Lowestoft, and Yarmouth. The main trunk roads are the A12 from London to Ipswich and Lowestoft, and the A14 (A45) from Felixstowe to the Midlands. Felixstowe is a major container port. Ipswich docks also handle trade from European ports.
Ipswich publishes two daily newspapers. The county has four local radio stations.
Land
Location and size.
Suffolk is bounded by Norfolk on the north, the North Sea on the east, Essex on the south, and Cambridgeshire on the west. The county measures about 59 miles (95 kilometers) from east to west and 46 miles (74 kilometers) from north to south. The Waveney and Little Ouse rivers form most of the northern border of Suffolk. The River Stour forms the southern border.
Land regions.
Most of Suffolk is low-lying. Few hills rise more than 300 feet (90 meters) above sea level. The East Anglian Heights, in the southwest, are the highest ground. They rise to 420 feet (130 meters). They are the extreme northeastern extension of the Chiltern Hills. Most of the river valleys are less than 100 feet (30 meters) above sea level, and so rivers are liable to flood. Nearby towns and villages were built above the flood level of the rivers. Breckland, an infertile sandy region, lies in the northwest of Suffolk.
The coast is 50 miles (80 kilometers) long. In the past, the sea submerged much of the coastal area. The wide estuaries of the Stour and Orwell were caused by the subsidence of their lower valleys. In places, silt brought down by such rivers as the Alde has formed land, such as Orford Ness. Other rivers in Suffolk include the Deben and the Little Ouse, which drains northwest Suffolk.
Climate.
Suffolk has colder winters than most of the United Kingdom, but it is also one of the sunniest and driest counties. The annual rainfall averages about 25 inches (635 millimeters). The average January temperature is less than 39 °F (4 °C). The average July temperature is 63 °F (17 °C).
History
Such place names as Ixworth, Iken, and Icknield Way suggest that the Iceni, an ancient British tribe that Boudicca (sometimes spelled Boadicea) led against the Romans, lived in Suffolk. But historians are not certain. The Romans built a fort at Burgh Castle, near Yarmouth, in Norfolk. At Walton, near Felixstowe, the sea has covered another fort.
The Kingdom of East Anglia, formed in Saxon times, included Suffolk. The Suffolk coastal village of Dunwich was capital of the kingdom and seat of the first bishop of East Anglia, St. Felix. He lived in the 600’s. The Danes invaded the kingdom during the 700’s and 800’s.
Two great artists, Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable, were born in Suffolk, as also was the painter Sir Alfred Munnings. Other people born in Suffolk include the poet George Crabbe; the composer Benjamin Britten; and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, one of the most powerful men in England in the 1500’s.
