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Beccles ( ) is a
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in the English county of Suffolk.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is shown on the
milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
as from London via the A145 and
A12 road This is a list of roads designated A12. Entries are sorted in alphabetical order by country. * A012 road (Argentina), a road around the city of Rosario * A12 motorway (Austria), a road connecting Kufstein and the German Autobahn A 93 to Landec ...
s, north-east of London
as the crow flies __NOTOC__ The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points, rather similar to "in a beeline". This meaning is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver ...
, south-east of
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
and north-northeast of the county town of
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...
. Nearby towns include Lowestoft to the east and Great Yarmouth to the north-east. The town lies on the
River Waveney The River Waveney is a river which forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads. The "ey" part of the name means "river" thus the name is tautological. Course The source of the River Wavene ...
on the edge of The Broads National Park. It had a population at the 2011 census of 10,123.
Worlingham Worlingham is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is about east of Beccles, with the two places effectively joined to form one urban area. At the 2011 census it had a population of 3, ...
is a suburb of Beccles; the combined population is 13,868. Beccles twinned with
Petit-Couronne Petit-Couronne () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A port town of oil refineries, light industry and forestry situated by the banks of the Seine, just south of the centre of R ...
in France in 1978.


History

The name is conjectured to be derived from Becc-Liss* (Brittonic=Small-court). However, also offered is Bece-laes* (Old English=Meadow by Stream), as well as a contraction of ''Beata Ecclesia'', the name of the Christian temple erected c. 960 by the monks of the monastery of Bury. Once a flourishing Anglian riverport, it lies in the Waveney valley and is a popular boating centre. The town was granted its Charter in 1584 by
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
. Sir John Leman (died 1632) was a tradesman from Beccles who became
Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...
. Long associated with Beccles (including recent mayors) is the Peck family. Among those Pecks who have made a place in history is the Rev. Robert Peck, described by Blomfield in his history of Norfolk as a man with a 'violent schismatic spirit' who led a movement within the church of St Andrew's in nearby Hingham, Norfolk, in opposition to the established Anglicanism of the day. The Puritan Peck was eventually forced to flee to
Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, t ...
, founded by many members of his parish, where he resided for several years, until King
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
had been executed and
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...
had taken the reins of government. Robert Peck then elected to return to Hingham, Norfolk, and resumed as rector of St Andrew's Church. He died in Hingham but left descendants in America, including his brother Joseph Peck, who settled in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Robert's daughter Ann Peck (16 November 1619 – 30 June 1672) also remained in Massachusetts, and married John Mason, who led colonial forces in the Pequot War. In 1794,
François-René de Chateaubriand François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September 1768 – 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian who had a notable influence on French literature of the nineteenth century. Descended from an old aristocrati ...
, while in exile, taught here French language and literature. He fell in love with Charlotte Ives, daughter of Bungay's reverend. (See: first part of ''
Mémoires d'outre-tombe ''Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe'' () is the memoir of François-René de Chateaubriand (1768–1848), collected and published posthumously in two volumes in 1849 and 1850, respectively. Chateaubriand, a writer, politician, diplomat and historian, rema ...
'', book 10, chapter 9 "Charlotte".) Under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 the borough was reformed, Beccles retaining
municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...
status until the reorganisation of local government in 1974, when it was merged with surrounding authorities to become Waveney District. The successor civil parish has adopted town status.


Landmarks

Many of the streets in the town centre have the suffix 'gate', for example, Hulvergate, Smallgate and Blyburgate. This is derived from the Old Norse for 'street' and is similar to the modern
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
word ''gade''.Ganther S (2014
Beccles Conservation Area Character Appraisal
Waveney District Council Waveney may refer to: * River Waveney, a river that forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England * Waveney District, a local government district in Suffolk, England * Waveney (UK Parliament constituency) * Waveney class lifeboat, a class ...
, p.21. Available online at East Suffolk Council. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
The townscape is dominated by the detached 16th century bell tower of St Michael's Church.Ganther, p.15. Like the main body of the church, the tower is Perpendicular Gothic in style and is tall. The church was built in the 14th century but was rebuilt after being badly damaged by fire in 1586. It has a 13th-century octagonal baptismal font and 14th century south porch.Ganther, p.25–26. Both the church and the tower are
Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s.Building record BCC 013 - Church of St Michael
Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
Catherine Suckling Catherine Suckling (9 May 1725 – 26 December 1767) was the mother of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson. Catherine had eleven children of which Nelson was the third surviving son. Family and marriage Catherine was born on 9 May 1725 in Barsh ...
married the Reverend Edmund Nelson, a former curate of Beccles, at the church in 1749. Their son, Horatio Nelson, was born in 1758 in
Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
. The Suffolk poet
George Crabbe George Crabbe ( ; 24 December 1754 – 3 February 1832) was an English poet, surgeon and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people. In the 177 ...
married Sarah Elmy at the church in the 18th century. Opposite the church is Beccles Town Hall, built on the site of the town's market cross.Ganther, p.27. This is at the centre of the Newmarket area, which still features a weekly market. Beccles Museum is housed in Leman House, a Grade I listed building to the south of the town centre on Ballygate. The building dates from the 16th century and was the original site of the town's
Grammar School A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
, named after John Leman who endowed it following his death in 1631.Leman House
list entry,
Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...
. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
Ganther, p.49.Ganther, p.55. Beccles Common is an area of
common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person who has a ...
, to the north west of the town. In the centre of Beccles Common sits a
World War Two World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
era
Pillbox Pillbox may refer to: * Pill organizer, a container for medicine * Pillbox hat, a woman's hat with a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim * Pillbox (military) A pillbox is a type of blockhouse, or concrete dug-in guard-post, norm ...
built in 1940 or 1914. The area hosts Boney's Island, a man made mound on the common. The name comes from Bonaparte's Island. There are two different sources of the name Boney's Island. the more popular origin is that it was a prisoner of war camp during the
Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. The less popular origin is that a large bonfire was lit on the island to celebrate the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1814.


Transport


Bus

A number of bus services link the town with both Norwich and Lowestoft, as well as surrounding villages. Also, it runs a town service bus, every hour, during the daytime.


Railway

The town is served by Beccles railway station on the East Suffolk Line between
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...
and Lowestoft. Services run hourly in each direction on weekdays, following the completion of the Beccles rail loop in 2012. This rebuilt the disused island platform and relaid track to allow trains to pass at Beccles, the only point north of
Saxmundham Saxmundham ( ) is a market town in Suffolk, England, set in the valley of the River Fromus about north-east of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the main A12 road between London and Lowestoft. The town is ser ...
where this is possible. Services are operated by
Abellio Greater Anglia Greater Anglia (legal name Abellio East Anglia Limited) is a train operating company in Great Britain owned as a joint venture by Abellio, the international arm of the state-owned Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, and the J ...
. The town was formerly the southern terminus of the
Yarmouth to Beccles Line Yarmouth may refer to: Places Canada *Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia **Yarmouth, Nova Scotia **Municipality of the District of Yarmouth **Yarmouth (provincial electoral district) **Yarmouth (electoral district) * Yarmouth Township, Ontario * New ...
, which ran across the River Waveney marshes to Great Yarmouth, and the eastern terminus of the Waveney Valley Line, linking to the Great Eastern Main Line at Tivetshall in Norfolk. Both lines closed, in 1954 and 1966 respectively; the latter as a result of the
Beeching Cuts The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the M ...
.


Air

Beccles Airfield is located at
Ellough Ellough is a civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk, located approximately south-east of Beccles. The area is sparsely populated with a mid-2005 population estimate of 40. The parish, which has an area of , ...
, around south-east of the town. Originally built in 1942 as a wartime airfield,Beccles (Ellough) Airfield
Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
it was used as a heliport servicing the North Sea petrochemical industry and is now a base for light aircraft and parachuting.
.

21 July 2011), RainAir (Beccles). Retrieved 25 June 2011.
History
UK Parachuting. Retrieved 25 May 2011.


Cycling

National Cycle Route 1 The cycle-path is located in the United Kingdom. Route Dover to Canterbury Dover , Deal , Sandwich , Canterbury Links with National Cycle Route 2, Regional route 16, and Regional route 17 in Dover. Leaves Dover passing Dover Castle. S ...
, which runs from London to the Orkney Islands, passes through Beccles. Regional Route 30, which runs between
Wells-next-the-Sea Wells-next-the-Sea is a port town on the north coast of Norfolk, England. The civil parish has an area of and in 2001 had a population of 2,451,Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household c ...
and
Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...
, and Regional Route 31, from Reedham Ferry to
Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is ...
, also pass through the town.


Road

The town is by-passed to the north by the
A146 road The A146 is an A road that connects Norwich in Norfolk and Lowestoft in Suffolk, two of East Anglia's largest population centres. It is around in length and has primary classification along its entire route. It is mainly single carriagewa ...
between
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
in Norfolk and Lowestoft in Suffolk. The by-pass was built in the 1980s and the main road previously ran through the town, crossing the
River Waveney The River Waveney is a river which forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads. The "ey" part of the name means "river" thus the name is tautological. Course The source of the River Wavene ...
at the narrow Beccles bridge. The link road between the A146 and the town is George Westwood Way, in memory of a Deputy Mayor, George Lionel Westwood, who fought hard for the construction of the by-pass. The A145 used to run from the A146 through the town centre to link with the A12 at
Blythburgh Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Southwold and south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth. The A12 road runs through the village which is split ...
, to the south of Beccles. The official route of the road now runs via the Beccles Southern Relief Road to indicate to drivers, particularly those of HGVs, that they can avoid the town; this is intended to make the relief road effective in keeping unnecessary traffic out of the town.


Beccles Southern Relief Road

In 2006, a southern relief road for Beccles was approved, running from a roundabout just south of the town towards
Ellough Ellough is a civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk, located approximately south-east of Beccles. The area is sparsely populated with a mid-2005 population estimate of 40. The parish, which has an area of , ...
where the A145 connects with an industrial area, before joining with the A146 at North Cove.Another step forward for relief road project
'' Beccles and Bungay Journal'', 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
The completion cost was around £7.0 million and the road forms part of Suffolk County Council traffic management plans.Suffolk Local Transport Plan 2006–11
, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
It allows north–south industrial traffic to by-pass the narrow streets of the town centre, reducing congestion and increasing safety and officially opened on 25 September 2018.


Education

Beccles is served by Sir John Leman High School (age 11–18) and SET Beccles School (11–16) for
secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
, both of which admit children from the town and the surrounding area, including from primary schools in Norfolk. Until 2012 a middle school system operated in the town, with most children moving to middle school at age 9 and on to high school at age 13.Wood R (2012
New era for education across Beccles, Bungay and Halesworth
''
Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is published daily in Norwich, UK. Founded in 1870 as a broadsheet called the ''Eastern Counties Daily P ...
'', 7 September 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
Wood R (2012
New chapter for Sir John Leman High School in Beccles
''Beccles and Bungay Journal'', 7 September 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
Background to the School Organisation Review and archive
Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
Beccles
Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
The Sir John Leman High School dates from 1632 when it was established in the town after the death of
John Leman Sir John Leman (1544–1632) was a tradesman from Beccles, England who became Lord Mayor of London. Career Leman's business interests grew across the district of Waveney, which spans the Norfolk–Suffolk border. In the 1580s he moved to London ...
.History of the Building
Beccles and District Museum. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
It was a
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
between 1914 and 1971. Three
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
s operate in Beccles providing education from age 5 to 11: Beccles Primary Academy (formerly Crowfoot Primary School); St Benet's Catholic Primary School; and The Albert Pye School which is federated with Ravensmere Infants School (5–8). Children from the town also attend primary school in Worlingham as well as surrounding villages.Suffolk infoLink
Retrieved 31 October 2020.


Leisure

The annual Beccles Carnival and Family Fun weekend is held during the third weekend in August, which includes the popular Duck Race on the River Waveney. The town's local newspaper is the weekly Beccles & Bungay Journal, formed in 1933. Two
Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was form ...
groups, 2nd Beccles and 5th Beccles operate in the town, as do Girlguiding groups. Beccles Sea Cadets and Beccles Royal Marines Cadets run Training Ship Brave and the town is also home to 759 (Beccles) Air Cadets. Beccles' main football team is Beccles Town F.C., established in 1919. As of the 2022–13 season, they are members of the Anglian Combination Premier Division. Beccles also has a football team called Beccles Caxton F.C., with 'Caxton' being a name commonly found in Beccles, including the social club the 'Caxton Club', the pub the 'Caxton Arms' and the street 'Caxton Road'. Ellough Park Raceway is south-east of Beccles on the site of the old
Ellough Ellough is a civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk, located approximately south-east of Beccles. The area is sparsely populated with a mid-2005 population estimate of 40. The parish, which has an area of , ...
airfield. It is a local centre for kart racing.


Notable people

*
Claude Auchinleck Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, (21 June 1884 – 23 March 1981), was a British Army commander during the Second World War. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he rose to become Commander ...
, general in India and North Africa during the Second World War; *
Martin Bell Martin Bell, (born 31 August 1938) is a British UNICEF (UNICEF UK) Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician who became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton from 1997 to 2001. He is sometimes known as " ...
, retired journalist and newsreader; * Tim Buck, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Canada between 1929 and 1962 * Hester Burton, author of children's historical fiction, whose father served as Mayor three times. *
Jordan Catchpole Jordan Michael Catchpole (born 5 October 1999) is a British Paralympic swimmer from Beccles. He won gold in the mixed freestyle relay S14 at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Diagnosed with autism, his coach is Tim Millett and he is a member of Tea ...
, British Paralympic swimmer. He won gold at the 2020 Summer Paralympics *
Grantly Dick-Read Grantly Dick-Read (26 January 1890 – 11 June 1959) was a British obstetrician and a leading advocate of natural childbirth. Early life and education Dr. Grantly Dick-Read was born in Beccles, Suffolk on 26 January 1890, the son of a Norfolk ...
(1890-1959),
obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgic ...
and a leading advocate of
natural childbirth Natural childbirth is childbirth without routine medical interventions, particularly anesthesia. Natural childbirth arose in opposition to the techno-medical model of childbirth that has recently gained popularity in industrialized societies. Natur ...
. * William Fiske, goalkeeper for Blackpool * David Frost, broadcaster * Charles Hartley, educationist and the Principal of Royal College, Colombo * Dorothy Hodgkin,
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
winner; *
Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Uni ...
, forward for Bristol City F.C.
/ref> *
William Aldis Wright William Aldis Wright (1 August 183119 May 1914), was an England, English writer and editor. Wright was son of George Wright, a Baptist minister in Beccles, Suffolk. He was educated at Beccles Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where ...
, writer, editor and philologist


See also

*
Beccles Airport Beccles Airfield, also known as Beccles Airport or Beccles Aerodrome , is located in Ellough, 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 an ...
* Beccles bell tower * Beccles Lido * Beccles railway station * Beccles Town F.C. * Alan of Beccles


References


External links

* {{Authority control Market towns in Suffolk Towns in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Waveney District