Benhall 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 the East Suffolk district of

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Located to the south 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 ...

, in 2007 its population was estimated to be 560, reducing to 521 at the 2011 Census.

Geography

Benhall is split into two; one side of the A12 road is Benhall Low Street, whereas the other is Benhall Green. Benhall Green has a small primary school and a playgroup. There is no public house in the village. However, Benhall & Sternfield Ex. Servicemens Club, which is located off School Lane in Benhall Green, provides the village with a warm and welcoming bar with pool, snooker, live sports on TV, and regular member events. It also has a function hall available to hire for all occasions. The Club is open Monday-Wednesday and Fridays in the week from 6pm and at weekends from 12 noon. The 15th century church of St Mary is a grade II* listed building. The actor Guy Rolfe is buried in the churchyard.

History

The manor of Benhall was granted in 1086 to Robert de Malet, and has since had a long and complicated history, having been owned by many of the most powerful people of their time, including the De La Poles, the Howards and King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

Benhall Lodge

The great house of the area is Benhall Lodge. A manor house had existed on the Benhall estate since at least 1225, when it was fortified by Ralph de Sunderland. Long known as Benhall Lodge, the house has been rebuilt by various Lords of the Manor: including in 1638 by Sir Edward Duke, Bt., in 1790 by William Beaumaris Rush, and in 1810 by Edward Hollond. The mansion house has suffered serious fires in 1885 and in 1967, and was restored and slightly remodelled after each. The walled kitchen garden of the country house is now a separate business concern, but the house itself and the surrounding gardens and parkland remains private residential property.

Sport

Benhall St Mary Football Club recently won SIL Division 2 2013/14 season. The Badgers, as the club has been nicknamed due to their kit colour, will now progress into Division 1 for the 2014/15 season. They play their home games on the pitch at Benhall & Sternfield Ex Servicemens Club (which they affectionately call 'The Den').

Notable residents

* Edward Glemham, privateer * Sir Edward Duke, 1st Baronet * Sir John Duke, 2nd Baronet * Hyde Parker,

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

* William Christian Sellé, musician * Guy Rolfe, actor

References

External links

*
Benhall and Sternfield Parish CouncilBenhall
Near the Coast Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk {{Suffolk-geo-stub