Covehithe is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

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

East Suffolk East Suffolk may refer to the following places in Suffolk, England: * East Suffolk (county), a county until 1974 * East Suffolk District, a local government district established in 2019 * East Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency), an electoral dist ...

district 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 ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. It lies 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 around north of Southwold and south 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 ...

. Neighbouring settlements include Benacre, South Cove and Frostenden. The coastline in the Covehithe area suffers from the highest rate of erosion in the UK, and the settlement has suffered significant loss of land and buildings in the past. Attempts to slow erosion are thought to be unsustainable, and estimates suggest that Covehithe will disappear entirely within 100 years. The village is located within the

Suffolk Coast & Heaths The Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Suffolk and Essex, England. The AONB covers ancient woodland, commercial forestry, the estuaries of the Alde, Blyth, Deben, Orwell and Stour rivers, farmland, sal ...

AONB An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

History

A possible section of

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

has been discovered in the parish which, along with pottery finds and a possible Roman enclosure, suggests that the area was inhabited in the Roman period.https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-1893-1/dissemination/pdf/englishh2-376310_1.pdf, Hegarty, C. and Newsome, S. (2005). Retrieved 2022-02-21. Anglo-Saxon remains, including a possible cemetery and evidence of sunken feature buildings, have been found in the area around St Andrew's church and suggest habitation from the post Roman period. A number of mid to late Saxon finds, including an 8th or 9th century dugout canoe found at the coast, support this theory. At the Domesday survey of 1086 the village is named as ''Nordhalla'' or ''Nordhals'',Covehithe
''The Domesday Book online''. Retrieved 2012-11-01. and is recorded as being a medium-sized settlement with 13 households of freemen or smallholders.Covehithe
, ''Open Domesday''. Retrieved 2012-11-01. The land was held by William son of Reginald from

William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Lord of Lewes, Seigneur de Varennes (died 1088), was a Norman nobleman created Earl of Surrey under William II Rufus. He is among the few known from documents to have fought under William the Conqueror at ...

, although other tenants in chief included the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and Roger Bigod. In the Middle Ages Covehithe prospered as a small town and during the reign of

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

was granted a fair on the feast day of St Andrew. It takes its modern name from the de Cove family who held land there at that time, and the fact that it had a hithe, or quay, for loading and unloading small vessels. By the 17th century however it had fallen victim, like nearby Dunwich, 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 ...

. The large church of St Andrew, which had been built on the back of its wealth, was largely pulled down, although its tall tower remains, and a smaller thatched church was erected amongst the ruins in 1672. There is archaeological evidence of the linen industry having been carried out at Covehithe until the 18th century. St Andrews Covehithe - geograph

In 1910

Peter Ditchfield Rev. Peter Hempson Ditchfield, FSA (1854–1930) was a Church of England priest, an historian and a prolific author. He is notable for having co-edited three Berkshire volumes of the ''Victoria County History'' which were published between 1907 ...

wrote:Ditchfield P (1910)
Vanishing England
'. Retrieved 2010-09-17. Erosion caused the coastline at Covehithe to retreat more than 500 metres between the 1830s and 2001, according to contemporary Ordnance Survey maps. This can be seen most obviously on the sand cliffs above the beach where the road running from the church simply falls away down onto the beach. The only recorded pub in the village, the Anchor public house, had closed by 1882 although the building remains in use as a house.Covehithe Anchor
''Suffolk Camra website''. Retrieved 2012-11-01.Anchor House, Covehithe
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2016-08-29. 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 ...

Covehithe airfield, a night-landing ground, was operated from 1915 to 1919 by the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

as a satellite station for RNS Great Yarmouth. The airfield, covering and equipped with searchlights and paraffin lights for night landing, was used for anti-

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

patrols by the Number 73 Wing.Covehithe airfield
''Heritage Gateway''. Retrieved 2012-11-01. In 1918 the station was transferred to 273 Squadron of

No. 4 Group RAF No. 4 Group was a Royal Air Force group, originally formed in the First World War, and reformed in the wake of the Second World War, mostly part of RAF Bomber Command, but ending its days in RAF Transport Command. History Formation in the Firs ...

which flew DH9, DH4 and

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

aircraft from the site. The Covehithe airfield was closed in 1919, its land returned to agricultural use.Royal Naval Air Stations
Retrieved 2012-11-01.Covehithe
''Suffolk Camra website''. Retrieved 2012-11-01. During

World War II 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 opposin ...

the coastline at Covehithe formed part of the defence line against possible German invasion. A series of pillboxes and other defences were in place, although most of these have since been lost to coastal erosion. A

Chain Home Chain Home, or CH for short, was the codename for the ring of coastal Early Warning radar stations built by the Royal Air Force (RAF) before and during the Second World War to detect and track aircraft. Initially known as RDF, and given the off ...

Extra Low radar station was established at Covehithe in 1942 by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

.Chain Home Extra Low Station K163
''Heritage Gateway''. Retrieved 2012-11-01.

Geography

The coastal cliffs at Covehithe are formed of glacial sands and other deposits. Loose and unconsolidated, they erode rapidly, currently at around 4.5 metres a year,Suffolk SMP2 Sub-cell 3c - Policy Development Zone 2 – Benacre Ness to Easton Broad
, Shoreline Management Plan, ''Royal Haskoning'', June 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-01. although

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

studies found that had been lost between 1992 and 2006 at a rate of a year.Hill C (2008
Landmark church may be victim of sea
'' Eastern Daily Press'', 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2016-08-29. The main part of the settlement at Covehithe, around 250 metres from the current shoreline, is expected to be lost to erosion by 2110, possibly even by 2040.Village in Suffolk lost to sea in coastal plan
''BBC news website'', 2010-02-25. Retrieved 2012-11-01.Robinson C (2011
Covehithe: Landowner raises fears over coastal defence proposals
, '' Eastern Daily Press'', 2011-10-29. Retrieved 2016-08-29. Any future attempts to protect Covehithe are thought to be unsustainable, and would likely increase erosion rates at the larger settlement of Southwold to the south. To the north of Covehithe,

Benacre Broad Benacre Broad is an isolated coastal lagoon on the North Sea coast of the English county of Suffolk. It is located in the parish of Benacre around north of the village of Covehithe. It is about east of Wrentham, north of Southwold and south ...

is an area of open water lagoons and reed beds with a shingle beach and alder carr woodland.Wooded fens
Suffolk landscape character typology, ''Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 2012-11-01. These form important habitats for bird species such as

marsh harrier The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds. They are found almost worldwide, excluding o ...

bearded reedling The bearded reedling (''Panurus biarmicus'') is a small, sexual dimorphism, sexually dimorphic reed bed, reed-bed passerine bird. It is frequently known as the bearded tit, due to some similarities to the long-tailed tit, or the bearded parrotbil ...

and water rail.

Bitterns Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ''hæferblæte'' in Old English; the word "bittern" ...

have been recorded in the area.Benacre NNR
''Natural England''. Retrieved 2012-11-01. Along with Covehithe Broad and Easton Broad to the south this forms

Benacre National Nature Reserve Benacre National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve in the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast in the parishes of Benacre, Covehithe, Reydon and South Cove. It lies between the towns of Lowestoft and Southw ...

, and falls within the Pakefield to Easton Bavents

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

.Pakefield to Easton Bavents
, SSSI Listing, Natural England. Retrieved 2016-08-29.

Present day

Modern Covehithe has a population of around 20.Covehithe
, Parish profile, Healthy Suffolk, updated 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-08-29. The parish of Covehithe has been combined for ecclesiastical purpose with that of neighbouring Benacre.Covehithe with Benacre, St Andrew
, ''Church of England''. Retrieved 2012-11-01. The area is largely used for agriculture and has formed part of the

Benacre Estate Benacre Hall is a Grade II listed country house and estate in Benacre, Suffolk. The current house is high Georgian, with Palladian geometric influence and figures externally roughly as it stood on its building, in 1764. It is the seat of the Go ...

since 1742 and owned by the Gooch family since 1746.Covehithe
, Parish profile, Suffolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 2016-08-29. A

P. D. James Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, (3 August 1920 – 27 November 2014), known professionally as P. D. James, was an English novelist and life peer. Her rise to fame came with her series of detective novels featuring th ...

mystery, ''

Death in Holy Orders ''Death in Holy Orders'' is a 2001 detective novel in the Adam Dalgliesh series by P. D. James. Setting The novel is mainly set in and around an Anglo-Catholic theological college, Saint Anselm's, on the windswept coast of East Anglia. It prov ...

'', was set in Covehithe, and a television episode was filmed at the church ruins,Crime author P.D. James, who was inspired by the landscape of Suffolk, has died aged 94
, ''Ipswich Star'', 2014-11-22. Retrieved 2016-08-29. and in 1999–2000 an adaptation of '' David Copperfield'' filmed a boat beach scene on the beach nearby. The village also featured in

W. G. Sebald Winfried Georg Sebald (18 May 1944 – 14 December 2001), known as W. G. Sebald or (as he preferred) Max Sebald, was a German writer and academic. At the time of his death at the age of 57, he was being cited by literary critics as one of the g ...

's ''

The Rings of Saturn ''The Rings of Saturn'' (german: Die Ringe des Saturn: Eine englische Wallfahrt - An English Pilgrimage) is a 1995 novel by the German writer W. G. Sebald. Its first-person narrative arc is the account by a nameless narrator (who resembles the ...

'', a record of the author's journey on foot through coastal East Anglia.Jefferies S (2011)
WG Sebald: Darkness on the edge of Anglia
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2016-08-29. The

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

sketch "The First Man to Jump the Channel" was partly filmed at Covehithe beach.

References

{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Populated coastal places in Suffolk Coastal erosion in the United Kingdom

History

Geography

Present day

See also

References