Corton is a village 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 authority ...

in the north of the

English county The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

of Suffolk. It is north of the centre of

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...

in the

East Suffolk district East Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England, which was established on 1 April 2019, following the merger of the existing Suffolk Coastal and Waveney districts. At the 2011 census, the two districts had a combined population of ...

. The village is on the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

coast with the county border with

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 ...

to the north. It is a seaside holiday centre, with a number of facilities for visitors.

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...

is to the north. At the

2011 United Kingdom census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

the parish had a population of 1,099. It borders the Suffolk parishes of Lound, Blundeston and Flixton as well as the Lowestoft suburb of Gunton and, to the north, the Norfolk parish of

Hopton-on-Sea Hopton-on-Sea is a village, civil parish and seaside resort on the coast of East Anglia in the county of Norfolk. The village is south of Great Yarmouth, north-west of Lowestoft and near the UK's most easterly point, Lowestoft Ness. The vill ...

. The

A47 road The A47 is a major road in England linking Birmingham to Lowestoft, Suffolk. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114. From Peterborough eastwards, it is a trunk road (sections west of the A1 road ...

runs along much of the western border of the parish and cuts through the south-western portion, along with the A1117. The roads meet at a junction near the

Pleasurewood Hills Pleasurewood Hills is a theme park on a site between Corton and Gunton, near Lowestoft, Suffolk. History The park was created by entrepreneur Joe Larter in 1983 as a small American-themed family attraction, containing a miniature railway, C ...

theme park, located just south of the parish boundary in Gunton. The former Yarmouth–Lowestoft railway line ran through the village and

Corton railway station Corton railway station was a railway station serving the village of Corton, Suffolk on the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway line between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Central. The station opened on 13 July 1903. The station was host to a LN ...

operated between 1903 and 1970 when the line was closed.

History

Corton is recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 as Caretuna or Karetuna, a name probably derived from the Viking name Kari. It formed part of the Half Hundred of Lothingland, had a population of around 21 households and formed part of the King's holdings.Corton
Suffolk Heritage Explorer,

Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 75 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association. History Establ ...

. Retrieved 2021-03-13.Corton
Domesday Book Online. Retrieved 2011-04-23.Corton
Open Domesday. Retrieved 2021-03-13. This included the village of

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

which was lost to

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

during the medieval period. The remaining narrow strip of land was attached to Corton in 1515.Monument record COR 073 - Church of St Mary; Newton; The Gate. Formerly recorded as COR Misc
Suffolk Heritage Explorer,

. Retrieved 2021-01-17.Soanes
A Short History of Corton
Corton Parish Council. Retrieved 2021-01-15. Suckling AI (1846) 'Corton ', in ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk: Volume 1'', pp.340–348. Ipswich: WS Crowell.
Available online
at British History Online. Retrieved 2021-03-13. This land was transferred from Corton to Hopton, which was also in Suffolk at the time, as part of county reorganisation in 1974, at which point Hopton was renamed Hopton-on-Sea, as it then gained a coastline. During the 19th-century, the manor of Corton was owned by

Samuel Morton Peto Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet (4 August 1809 – 13 November 1889) was an English entrepreneur, civil engineer and railway developer, and, for more than 20 years, a Member of Parliament (MP). A partner in the firm of Grissell and Peto, he ...

, a railway developer who owned the nearby

Somerleyton Hall Somerleyton Hall is a country house and estate near Somerleyton and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England owned and lived in by Hugh Crossley, 4th Baron Somerleyton, originally designed by John Thomas. The hall is Grade II* listed on the National Heri ...

Corton Windmill Corton Mill is a Grade II listed tower mill at Corton, Suffolk, England which has been converted to residential accommodation. History Corton Mill was erected in 1837. It ceased work before the First World War World War I (28 July 191 ...

, a six-storey

tower mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...

, was built in the 1830s and operated until the early 20th-century. It has since been converted to a private residence and is a Grade II listed building. In the early 1870s,

John Marius Wilson John Marius Wilson (c. 1805–1885) was a British writer and an editor, most notable for his gazetteers. The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (published 1870–72), was a substantial topographical dictionary in six volumes. It was a c ...

Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales. Its six volumes h ...

described Corton as: A

lightvessel A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...

operated off the coast at Corton from the 1860s until the 20th-century protecting shipping from an area of sandbanks. One of the vessels was sunk by a submarine mine in 1916 during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Corton lightvessel
Wreck Site. Retrieved 2021-03-13. Corton railway station closed in 1970 and the station building is now used as a private residence.

Culture and community

Corton is a seaside holiday centre, with two holiday centres and a sandy beach.Corton
Suffolk Pubs, Suffolk

Campaign for Real Ale The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is th ...

. Retrieved 2021-03-13. Part of the beach was a popular naturist area, but the nudist area was de-designated in November 2009.Gunton Sands (Corton Beach)

British Naturism British Naturism (until 2009, Central Council for British Naturism) is a members organisation with both individual and organisation members. It promotes naturism in the United Kingdom, and it is recognised by the International Naturist Fed ...

. Retrieved 2021-03-13.Corton
''Eastern Daily Press'', 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
Archived
2011-06-10.) The parish church is dedicated to St Bartholomew, and is a partial ruin, with only the chancel roofed. It lies north of the village in an isolated position. The church was built in the medieval period, with some 14th-century stonework remaining, and may have been founded by John de Dersham, the abbot of

Leiston Abbey Leiston Abbey outside the town of Leiston, Suffolk, England, was a religious house of Canons Regular following the Premonstratensian rule (White canons), dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, St Mary. Founded in c. 1183 by Ranulf de Glanville (c. 11 ...

. It was largely derelict by the 17th century and was restored, with the chancel re-roofed, starting in the 1840s. It features a 15th-century tower and a 14th-century carved cross. The building is a Grade II* listed building.Knott S (2010
St Bartholomew, Corton
Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2011-04-23.Church of St Bartholomew
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 wit ...

. Retrieved 2021-03-13. The village has a primary school and a public house, the ''White Horse''. Three more pubs used to operate in the village, the ''Corton Hut'' closing in 2018.

Governance

Corton is part of the

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

called Gunton and Corton. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 4,400.

References

{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Lowestoft