Raydon 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 authorit ...
in
Suffolk, England. Located around two miles south-east of
Hadleigh, it is part of
Babergh district. The parish also includes the
hamlets
A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...
of Lower Raydon (west) and The Woodlands (east). It was recorded in Domesday as "Reindune" or "Reinduna" and appears on John Speed's 1610 map as "Roydon".
Raydon is based along part of the B1070 named The Street (runs north–south) and St Mary's church is close to the T junction with Woodlands Road in the north of the village.
Raydon Mill dates from some time after the Mediaeval period located over a mile west of the village above Lower Raydon. It held some German POWs during the war. It's now residential, but the turbine and two pairs of stones remain.
The south and west of the parish, including Lower Raydon, is part of the
Dedham Vale
Dedham Vale is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Essex-Suffolk border in east England. It comprises the area around the River Stour between Manningtree and Smallbridge Farm, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Bures, including the ...
AONB. The northern part of the parish contains several
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
s; Raydon Great Wood, Long Wood, Squares Grove and Tom's Wood, all of which are
ancient woodland
In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...
. The abandoned
Hadleigh Railway
The Hadleigh Railway was a long single track branch railway line in Suffolk, England, that connected Hadleigh to the main line railway network at Bentley Junction. It was built by the nominally independent Eastern Union and Hadleigh Junction Ra ...
previously ran through the Great Wood, with a station at
Raydon Wood. The line is now also a nature reserve.
Brett Vale Golf Club is located to the west of the village.
Raydon Hall Farm is 1 km northeast from the village and the War Memorial is 1 km further on off Woodlands Road.
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 opposing ...
an airfield was built in this area, which was initially known as
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
(USAAF) Station 157, later becoming
RAF Raydon
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 ...
. Construction began when
American engineers from the 833rd and 862nd battalions arrived in summer 1942. Airfield personnel lived close to
Great Wenham.
Raydon airfield
Hadleigh website The remaining buildings from the airfield are today part of Notley Enterprise Park.
Raydon Hall (TM0529039055) in this area is a Grade II building.
Two pubs in the village have closed for many years, Chequers (formerly Horseshoes) and the Fox.
References
External links
Parish council websiteChequers PubRaydon Fox PubWar MemorialRaydon Hall
Villages in Suffolk
Babergh District
Civil parishes in Suffolk
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