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Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast 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
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 at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is about 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 ...
, north-east of Ipswich and north-east of London, within the parliamentary constituency of
Suffolk Coastal Suffolk Coastal was a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Melton, having moved from neighbouring Woodbridge in 2017. Other towns include Felixstowe, Framlingham, Leiston, Aldeburgh, and Saxmundham. The ...
. The "All Usual Residents" 2011 Census figure gives a total of 1,098 persons for the town. The 2012 Housing Report by the Southwold and Reydon Society concluded that 49 per cent of the dwellings are used as second homes or let to holiday-makers.


History

Southwold was mentioned in '' Domesday Book'' (1086) as a fishing port, and after the "capricious River Blyth withdrew from Dunwich in 1328, bringing trade to Southwold in the 15th century", it received its town charter from Henry VII in 1489. The grant of the charter is marked by the annual Trinity Fair, when it is read out by the Town Clerk. Over following centuries, however, a
shingle Shingle may refer to: Construction *Roof shingles or wall shingles, including: **Wood shingle ***Shake (shingle), a wooden shingle that is split from a bolt, with a more rustic appearance than a sawed shingle ***Quercus imbricaria, or shingle oak ...
bar built up across the harbour mouth, preventing the town from becoming a major Early Modern port: "The shingle at Southwold Harbour, the mouth of the Blyth, is ever shifting," William Whittaker observed in 1887. Southwold was the home of a number of Puritan emigrants to the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
in the 1630s, notably a party of 18 assembled under Rev. Young, which travelled in the ''Mary Ann'' in 1637. Richard Ibrook, born in Southwold and a former bailiff of the town, emigrated to Hingham, Massachusetts, along with Rev. Peter Hobart, son of Edmund Hobart of
Hingham, Norfolk Hingham is a market town and civil parish in mid-Norfolk, England. The civil parish covers an area of and had a population of 2,078 in 944 households at the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census, increasing to 2,367 at the 2011 Cen ...
. Rev. Hobart had been an assistant vicar of St Edmund's Church, Southwold, after graduating from
Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
. Hobart married in America Rebecca Ibrook, daughter of his fellow Puritan Richard Ibrook. The migrants to Hingham were led by Robert Peck, vicar of St Andrew's Church in Hingham and a native of Beccles. A fire in 1659 devastated most of the town, creating spaces that were never built on again. Today this "series of varied and very delightful village greens" and the restriction of expansion by the surrounding marshes, have preserved the town's tidy appearance. On the green just above the beach, descriptively named Gun Hill, six 18-pounder cannon commemorate the Battle of Sole Bay, fought in 1672 between English and French fleets on one side and the Dutch (under Michiel de Ruyter) on the other. The battle was bloody but indecisive and many bodies were washed ashore. Southwold Museum has a collection of mementos of the event. These cannon were captured from the Scots at Culloden and given to the town by the Duke of Cumberland, who had landed at Southwold in October 1745 having been recalled from Europe to deal with the Jacobite threat. In World War II they were prudently removed, reputedly buried for safety, and returned to their former position after hostilities. On 15 May 1943, low-flying German fighter-bombers attacked the town and killed eleven people.


Governance

Up to 1 April 2019, Southwold was part of the Southwold and Reydon
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 ...
in the Waveney District Council area. The ward population at the 2011 census was 3,680; the resident population of the neighbouring village of Reydon was more than double that of the town of Southwold. Although the town lost its independent Municipal Borough status in the Local Government reforms of 1974 and consequent incorporation in Waveney District, it continues to have an elected, non-partisan Town Council and Mayor, based at
Southwold Town Hall Southwold Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Southwold, Suffolk, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Southwold Town Council, is a Grade II listed building. History The first municipal building in the town ...
. With the 1 April 2019 amalgamation of the
Waveney 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 ...
and
Suffolk Coastal Suffolk Coastal was a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Melton, having moved from neighbouring Woodbridge in 2017. Other towns include Felixstowe, Framlingham, Leiston, Aldeburgh, and Saxmundham. The ...
districts into a new
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, Southwold became an expanded ward with Reydon and
Walberswick Walberswick is a village and civil parish on the Suffolk coast in England. It is at the mouth of the River Blyth on the south side of the river. The town of Southwold lies to the north of the river and is the nearest town to Walberswick, around ...
, represented by a single councillor. Previously, the Southwold and Reydon ward, under Waveney District, elected two councillors.


Economy

Once home to several industries, Southwold's economy centres on services: hotels, holiday lets, catering and tourism. With surrounding areas largely given to agriculture, the town is an important commercial centre, with independent shops, cafés and restaurants and a market on Mondays and Thursdays, although there has been a recent trend for retail chains in food and beverages, clothing and stationery to take over the independent units. Adnams Brewery remains in Southwold as its largest single employer. The fishing fleet is much diminished, but Southwold Harbour remains one of the main fishing ports on the Suffolk coastline. In 2012, additional fleet facilities were constructed there as part of the repair and reinstatement of the Harbour's North Wall.


Education


Primary

Southwold Primary School, adjacent to St. Edmund's Church, currently caters for children aged 2 to 11 years. As a member of the Yox Valley Partnership of Schools, it works in partnership with Yoxford and Peasenhall Primary School in Yoxford and Middleton Primary School, near Dunwich.


Secondary

The nearest secondary school for Southwold children was Reydon High School until it closed in 1990. Thereafter, most pupils were bussed to the
Sir John Leman High School Sir John Leman High School is a coeducational 11–18 secondary school with academy status serving part of the Waveney region in north Suffolk, England. The school is located on the western edge of the town of Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market ...
in Beccles or to
Bungay High School Bungay High School is a mixed-sex secondary school with academy status in the town of Bungay in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It caters for children aged 11 to 18. The school was founded as Bungay Grammar School in 1565 and became B ...
. These schools have been joined by
SET Beccles School SET Beccles School (formerly Beccles Free School) is a coeducational secondary free school located in Beccles in the English county of Suffolk. History The school opened in September 2012, the first free school to open in the Waveney district. T ...
, opened in 2012 and catering for pupils aged 11–16. In line with a 2019 decision by
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 ...
on changes to free school transport, the default 11–16 secondary school for Southwold and Reydon students is
Pakefield High School Pakefield High School is a co-educational secondary school located in Pakefield, a suburb of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The school opened in September 2011, initially with Years 7 and 8 only, using buildings which were previously ...
at
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 ...
. Private education for pupils aged 2–18 is offered at Saint Felix School, an
independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
in nearby Reydon.


Landmarks and features


Railway

The narrow-gauge
Southwold Railway The Southwold Railway was a narrow gauge railway line between Halesworth and Southwold in the English county of Suffolk. long, it was narrow gauge. It opened in 1879 and closed in 1929. Intermediate stations were at Wenhaston, Blythburgh ...
connecting the town to Halesworth ran from 24 September 1879 to 11 April 1929. In 2007 the Southwold Railway Society submitted plans to build a new line between the parish of
Easton Bavents Easton Bavents is a hamlet and former civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the county of Suffolk, England. It now belongs to the civil parish of Reydon. Once an important village with a market, it has been much eroded by the North Sea. ...
and Henham Park, to link the town to the nearest mainline service at Halesworth. However, these plans were criticised for having no relation to the original route of the railway and for environmental and other reasons. In July 2007 the plans were rejected by
Waveney 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 ...
and by
Suffolk Coastal Suffolk Coastal was a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Melton, having moved from neighbouring Woodbridge in 2017. Other towns include Felixstowe, Framlingham, Leiston, Aldeburgh, and Saxmundham. The ...
District Councils. In December 2008 the Society introduced a new proposal for a Railway Park, including railway track and a museum, on a site at present occupied by a car-breaker's yard, next to the local sewage works. That proposal was superseded by another, in which a short section of railway, together with other attractions and facilities, would be constructed in the village of
Wenhaston Wenhaston is a village situated to the south of the River Blyth in northeastern Suffolk, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 563. History Roman coins, pottery and building materials unearthed in local fields indicate the existenc ...
, a few miles inland from Southwold and once a stop on the Southwold Railway. The plan did not meet with universal approval. In February 2016, the original Railway Park proposal for Blyth Road, Southwold, on the site of the town's former gasholders, was revived, and a new planning application was submitted and approved. Construction of the Railway Park began in 2017.


Lighthouse

Southwold lighthouse was commissioned in 1890 and automated and electrified in 1938.Southwold
, ''Trinity House''. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
It stands as a prominent landmark in the centre of the town and is a Grade II listed building.The Lighthouse, Southwold
''British Listed Building''. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
It is metres tall, standing metres above sea level. It is built of brick and painted white and has 113 steps around a spiral staircase.See inside a lighthouse
, ''Trinity House''. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
The lighthouse replaced three local lighthouses that were under serious threat from coastal erosion. It suffered a fire in its original oil fired lamp just six days after commissioning but survived and today operates a rotating 150-watt lamp with a range of .Application note 32064 – Southwold Conversion
, Pelangi. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
Discovering Southwold
''BBC Suffolk''. Retrieved 29 October 2012.

''Southwold museum''. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
Guided visits are run by the Southwold Millennium Foundation.


Brewery

Adnams brewery Adnams is a regional brewery founded in 1872 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. It produces cask ale and bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000 barrels. In 2010, the company established the Copper House d ...
was established in the town by George and Ernest Adnams in 1872 with the purchase of the Sole Bay Brewery, which had been founded in 1818.Suffolk brewer Adnams starts distillery
BBC news website, 12 November 2010. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
Point 7 – The Brewery
BBC Suffolk. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
Our history
Adnams. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
In 1890 the brewery was re-built on its current site in the centre of the town. The brewery is the town's largest employer and has been modernised and expanded in recent years, with development of an energy efficient brewery, a distribution centre in the nearby village of Reydon, and a distillery. In 2011 it received the Good Pub Guide Brewery of the Year Award.Adnams claims national title
, ''Eastern Daily Press'', 7 October 2010. Retrieved 2013-01-02.


Pier

Southwold Pier Southwold Pier is a pier in the coastal town of Southwold in the English county of Suffolk. It is on the northern edge of the town and extends into the North Sea. Whilst many English seaside piers are in decline, Southwold Pier is enjoying rene ...
was built in 1900. At it was long enough to accommodate the Belle steamers that carried trippers along the coast at that time. In World War II, it was weakened by two breaches, and in 1955 a large section was destroyed by a gale. The pier was entirely rebuilt and restored in 2001 and is now about long. While many English seaside piers are in decline, Southwold Pier is enjoying renewed popularity, helped by a collection of modern coin-operated novelty machines made by Tim Hunkin and the occasional berth of paddle steamers such as PS Waverley and the MV Balmoral. A model boat pond adjacent to the pier is used for the Southwold Model Yacht regattas that have been held since the late Victorian period.The SMYR Handbook
''Southwold Model Yacht Regattas''. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
Some of the boats entered are up to 80 years old and include replicas of beach yawls. Regattas are usually held in the spring and summer with the largest, the annual regatta, held at the end of the summer season.


Water towers

The Old Water Tower, in the middle of Southwold Common, was built in 1890. The tank held 40,000 gallons of water and was powered by huge sails. On St Valentine's Day 1899, George Neller, a respected local man, died when his coat got caught in its machinery. In 1937 a new 150,000 gallon capacity Art Deco water tower was built next door. The then Southwold Borough Council bought the Old Water Tower before it came into the hands of successive water companies. It was returned to the Town Council for a nominal fee of £100 in 1987. The Old Water Tower has since been used as the Lifeboat Museum and was later used by Adnams for a number of years.


Electric Picture Palace

The Electric Picture Palace cinema was opened in 2002, as a
pastiche A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it ...
of the original 1912 cinema that stood nearby in York Road.


Museum

Southwold Museum holds a number of exhibits focused on the local and natural history of the town. The museum is owned and managed by the Southwold Museum & Historical Society. It is part of the Maritime Heritage East programme which unites more than 30 maritime museums on the East Coast.


Sailors' Reading Room

The
Southwold Sailors' Reading Room The Southwold Sailors' Reading Room is a Grade II listed building on the seafront at Southwold, 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. ...
is a Grade II listed building on the seafront at Southwold. It was built in 1864 as a place for fishermen and mariners to read, as an alternative to drinking in pubs, and also to encourage the pursuit of Christian ideals. The room has a number of historic displays of model boats and other maritime objects in glass cabinets.


Golf club

Southwold Golf Club was founded on 4 January 1884 as a Golf and Quoit Club. At the time there were only three other golf clubs in East Anglia – Cambridge University, Yarmouth and Felixstowe. The first game on the nine-hole course was played on 28 August 1884. Originally membership was not accepted from shopkeepers or manual workers, but in 1925 Mr J. B. Denny successfully persuaded the committee to form an Artisans' Section, which was originally restricted to 30 members.


St Edmund's Church

The Grade I listed parish church of Southwold is dedicated to
St Edmund Saint Edmund may refer to: * Saint Edmund the Martyr (d. 869), king of East Anglia who was venerated as a martyr saint soon after his death at the hands of Vikings * Saint Edmund Arrowsmith (1585–1628), Jesuit, one of the Forty Martyrs of England ...
and considered one of Suffolk's finest. It lies under one continuous roof, and was built over about 60 years from the 1430s to the 1490s; replacing a smaller, 13th-century church that was destroyed by fire. The earlier church dated from the time when Southwold was a small fishing hamlet adjacent to the larger Reydon. By the 15th century Southwold was an important town in its own right, and the church was rebuilt to reflect that power and wealth.


Harbour

Southwold
Harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
lies south of the town on the River Blyth. Vehicle access is via York Road and Carnsey Road to the west and Ferry Road to the east. The harbour extends nearly a mile upstream from the river mouth and is mainly used by fishing boats, yachts and small pleasure boats. The clubhouse of Southwold Sailing Club is on the north side of the harbour adjacent to ''The Harbour Inn''. The quay and area in front of the inn and clubhouse is called Blackshore; although the name has often been used incorrectly for the whole harbour in recent years. At the seaward end of the harbour is
Southwold Lifeboat Station Southwold Lifeboat Station is an RNLI operated lifeboat station located in the town of Southwold in the English county of Suffolk.''OS Explorer Map 231 – Southwold & Bungay''. . The station operates an lifeboat called ''Annie Tranmer'' whi ...
, operated by the
RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
. The former Cromer lifeboat shed houses the Alfred Corry Museum, which features the Southwold lifeboat "Alfred Corry", which was in service from 1893 to 1918. An extensive and now-complete restoration to her original state has been carried out by volunteers over several years. The river can be crossed on foot or bicycle by a public footbridge upstream from ''The Harbour Inn'', which leads to the village of
Walberswick Walberswick is a village and civil parish on the Suffolk coast in England. It is at the mouth of the River Blyth on the south side of the river. The town of Southwold lies to the north of the river and is the nearest town to Walberswick, around ...
. This bridge is known as the Bailey Bridge and rests on the
piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
and footings of the original iron Southwold Railway swing bridge. It had a central swinging section to allow the passage of wherries and other shipping on the
Blyth Navigation The Blyth Navigation was a canal in Suffolk, England, running from Halesworth to the North Sea at Southwold. It opened in 1761, and was insolvent by 1884. Its demise was accelerated by an attempt to reclaim saltings at Blythburgh, which result ...
, but this was largely removed at the start of World War II under the precautions against German invasion. Towards the mouth of the Blyth, a rowed ferry service runs between the Walberswick and Southwold banks. It has been operated by the same family since the 1920s, when it was a
chain ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...
that could take cars. The chain ferry ceased working in 1941, but some vestiges remain at the Walberswick slipway.


Beach

The beach is a combination of sand and
shingle Shingle may refer to: Construction *Roof shingles or wall shingles, including: **Wood shingle ***Shake (shingle), a wooden shingle that is split from a bolt, with a more rustic appearance than a sawed shingle ***Quercus imbricaria, or shingle oak ...
. In 2005/06 it was further protected by a coastal management scheme which includes beach nourishment, new
groyne A groyne (in the U.S. groin) is a rigid hydraulic structure built perpendicularly from an ocean shore (in coastal engineering) or a river bank, interrupting water flow and limiting the movement of sediment. It is usually made out of wood, concre ...
s on the south side of the pier and riprap to the north. It is overlooked by brightly painted beach huts.


Culture


Film and television

The fictional Southwold Estate, seat of the equally fictional Earls of Southwold, is the country estate of the family of Lady Marjorie Bellamy in the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
British drama ''
Upstairs, Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to: Television *Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975 *Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...
''. The town and its vicinity has been used as the setting for numerous films and television programmes, including '' Iris'' about the life of Iris Murdoch starring Judi Dench, '' Drowning by Numbers'' by Peter Greenaway, ''
Kavanagh QC ''Kavanagh QC'' is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV between 1995 and 2001. All five series are available on DVD in both Region 1 and Region 2. Plot The series starred John Thaw as barrister James Kavanagh QC, wh ...
'' starring John Thaw, ''East of Ipswich'' by Michael Palin, ''
Little Britain Little Britain may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show ** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off * "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album '' Second Light'' ...
'' with Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and a 1969 version of '' David Copperfield''. The BBC children's series '' Grandpa in My Pocket'' was filmed in Southwold, Walberswick and Aldeburgh. Only exteriors of buildings were filmed, e.g. the Lighthouse – no acting was done there. An ITV1 drama, ''
A Mother's Son ''A Mother's Son'' is a British crime drama television mini-series, created by Chris Lang, which was first broadcast on ITV1 on 4 and 5 September 2012. The series was produced by the ITV Studios. Hermione Norris, Martin Clunes, Paul McGann ...
'', first broadcast in September 2012, was filmed on location in Southwold.


Novels

Julie Myerson set her 2003 murder novel ''Something Might Happen'' in an unnamed Southwold – "a sleepy, slightly self-satisfied seaside town". She said that setting a murder in the car park made her feel as if she were "soiling something really good". She holidayed in the town as a child and remarked in an interview that everything else in her life had changed, but her mother and Southwold had stayed the same. She still owns a second home there. Other books set in Southwold include Esther Freud's novel ''Sea House'' (2004), with Southwold as Steerborough. Southwold native Neil Bell in ''Bredon and Sons'' (1933) about boat-building people). ''Forgive us our Trespasses'' (1947), based on a true story of twin boys lost at sea, renames the town Senwich. ''
The Bookshop ''The Bookshop'' is a 1978 novel by the British author Penelope Fitzgerald. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The novel was made into a film by Isabel Coixet in 2017. Plot The novel, set mainly in 1959, follows Florence Green, a ...
'' by Penelope Fitzgerald (1978) drew on her experiences working in a Southwold bookshop in the 1950s. An earlier book thought to be set in Southwold is ''Beside the Guns'' (1902) by the Christian author Mary Elizabeth Shipley. The German writer
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 ...
describes Southwold in ''
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 ...
'', an account of a walk through East Anglia. Two recent additions are ''A Southwold Mystery'' (2015) and ''Shot in Southwold'' (2017) by the Herefordshire author Suzette A. Hill, both murder mysteries set in the 1950s.


George Orwell

The writer
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
(real name Eric Blair) spent periods as a teenager and in his thirties in Southwold, living at his parents' home. A plaque can be seen next door to what is now a fish and chip shop at the far end of the High Street. After his departure from Eton College in December 1921, Orwell travelled to join his retired father, mother and younger sister Avril, who that month had moved to 40 Stradbroke Road, Southwold, the first of four homes in the town. In January–June 1922 he attended an educational crammer in Southwold to prepare for Indian Police Service exams and his career in Burma. In 1929, after 18 months in Paris, he returned to the family in Southwold and was based there for most of the next five years. He tutored a disabled child and a family of three boys and wrote reviews and developed '' Burmese Days''. He also spent nearly 18 months teaching in West London, until struck by a bout of pneumonia. His mother then insisted he stay at home instead of teaching. He spent the time writing ''
A Clergyman's Daughter ''A Clergyman's Daughter'' is a 1935 novel by English author George Orwell. It tells the story of Dorothy Hare, the clergyman's daughter of the title, whose life is turned upside down when she suffers an attack of amnesia. It is Orwell's most f ...
'', which is partly set in a fictionalised East Anglian town called "Knype Hill". His final visit to Southwold was in 1939.


Cultural events

The town has long hosted summer
repertory theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...
by various companies. For several years, Suffolk Summer Theatres have offered a varied programme of plays from July to September, staged in Southwold Arts Centre (formerly St Edmund's Hall). Every November the "Ways with Words" literature festival is held, with notable speakers appearing at various venues. In 2014 came the inaugural Southwold Arts Festival, which was repeated in future years. It offers a mix of literature, music, film and art exhibitions, with the main events over an eight-day period in the summer, bringing entertainers of diverse backgrounds together. In 2005, Southwold launched Suffolk's "answer to the Turner prize", the "Flying Egg" competition. This event also ran in 2006 and 2007, but not repeated in 2008.


Notable people

In alphabetical order: * William Alwyn (1905–1985), composer, lived in Southwold for his last 25 years, with a second wife, the composer
Doreen Carwithen Doreen Mary Carwithen (15 November 19225 January 2003) was a British composer of classical and film music. She was also known as Mary Alwyn following her marriage to William Alwyn. Biography Doreen Carwithen was born at 8, High Street, Haddenham, ...
. * James Barker (1622–1702) was an early leader and deputy governor of the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until ...
. * Lewis Blake (born 1946), poet and artist *
Jessie Forbes Cameron Jessie Forbes Cameron (1883 – 1968) was a British mathematician who in 1912 became the first woman to complete her doctorate in mathematics at the University of Marburg in Germany. Life and work Jessie Cameron was born on 8 January 1883 in S ...
(1883–1968), a famed Scottish mathematician, died in Southwold. * Colin Cook (born 1954), English motorcycle speedway rider *
Mark Crowe Mark Crowe is an American video game designer, artist, and writer who developed several adventure games, mostly for Sierra On-Line and its subsidiary Dynamix. He later worked at Pipeworks Software as Studio Design Director. Crowe is best known ...
(born 1965), professional footballer with over 100 professional appearances * Alexander Hyatt King (1911-1995), musicologist and bibliographer, founded the British Institute of Recorded Sound. *
Michael Imison Michael Imison (born in Hoylake, Cheshire, 9 February 1935) is a retired British television director and literary agent. He directed several productions for the BBC in the 1960s, including '' Doctor Who'', and subsequently served as the story ...
(born 1935), retired television director and literary agent *
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 ...
(1920–2014), crime writer *
Mother Maribel of Wantage Mother Maribel of Wantage (16 January 1887–29 January 1970) was an Anglican nun, artist and sculptor who was Mother General of the Community of St Mary the Virgin in Wantage from 1940 to 1953. Her artistic works, particularly her sculptures ...
(1887–1970), Anglican nun and artist *
Margaret Mellis Margaret Nairne Mellis (22 January 1914 – 17 March 2009) was a Scotland, Scottish artist, one of the early members and last survivors of the group of modernist artists that gathered in St Ives, Cornwall, St Ives, in Cornwall, in the 1940s. She ...
(1914–2009), a modernist artist of the St Ives School * John Miller (c. 1932–2020), a journalist and writer whose work was based mainly in Russia, served as Mayor of Southwold in 2002. *
Geoffrey Munn Geoffrey Charles Munn, OBE, MVO, FSA, FLS (born 11 April 1953 in Hastings) is a British jewellery specialist, television presenter and writer. He is best known as one of the experts on the BBC's ''Antiques Roadshow''. Career Munn's first ...
OBE, MVO (born 1953), television presenter for BBC's '' Antiques Roadshow'' lives near Southwold. *
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
(1903–1950), writer * Martin Shaw OBE FRCM (1875–1958), theatre producer, composer and conductor *
Stephen Southwold Stephen Southwold (1887–1964) attended St. Mark's College, Chelsea (1905–07) and worked as a schoolmaster. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1914 to 1919, then returned to teaching. He became a prolific British writer. Born Stephen ...
(pseudonym, 1887–1964), schoolmaster and prolific writer *
Agnes Strickland Agnes Strickland (18 July 1796 – 8 July 1874) was an English historical writer and poet. She is particularly remembered for her ''Lives of the Queens of England'' (12 vols, 1840–1848). Biography The daughter of Thomas Strickland and his wi ...
(1796–1874), historical writer and poet *
Henry Winslow Woollett Henry Winslow Woollett, (5 August 1895 – 31 October 1969) was a British flying ace and the highest scoring British balloon busting ace credited with 35 aerial victories, including eleven balloons, during the First World War. He continued to ...
DSO, MC and Bar (1895–1969), World War I flying ace *
John Youngs John Youngs may refer to: * John Youngs (minister) (–1672), English minister who founded Southold, New York * John E. Youngs (1883–1970), American politician * John William Theodore Youngs (1910–1970), American mathematician See also *Jo ...
(c. 1598–1672), a Puritan minister, founded Southold, New York.


See also

*
Latitude festival The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006 and has been held every year since, apart from 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 ...
* Southold (CDP), New York – village on Long Island, NY * Southold, New York – named after Southwold, UK * Southwold, Ontario – Canadian link


References


External sources

*Geoffrey Munn, ''Southwold: An Earthly Paradise'', Antique Collectors Club, (Woodbridge, 2006)


External links


A Short History of the Southwold Railway

Southwold MuseumA history of Southwold's shops and tradesOnline edition of free monthly newspaper ''Southwold Organ''

The "Alfred Corry" MuseumSouthwold OnlineExplore Southwold
{{authority control Towns in Suffolk Populated coastal places in Suffolk Seaside resorts in England Ports and harbours of Suffolk Port cities and towns of the North Sea Beaches of Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Waveney District