Stowmarket ( ) is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in Suffolk, England,OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A2 edition. Publishing Date:2008. on the busy A14 trunk road between Bury St Edmunds to the west and

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

to the southeast. The town is on the main railway line between

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, and lies on the

River Gipping The River Gipping is the source river for the River Orwell in the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, England, which is named from the village of Gipping, and which gave its name to the former Gipping Rural District. The name is unrelated to ...

, which is joined by its tributary, the

River Rat The River Rat is a river in the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, England. Its source is to the south of the village of Felsham, and is the major tributary of the River Gipping. The River Rat joins the River Gipping at Pikes Meadow in Stowm ...

, to the south of the town. The town takes its name from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

word ''stōw'' meaning "principal place", and was granted a market charter in 1347 by Edward III. A bi-weekly market is still held there today on Thursday and Saturday. The population of the town has increased from around 6,000 in 1981 to its current level of around 19,000, with considerable further development planned for the town and surrounding villages as part of an area action plan. It is the largest town in the

Mid Suffolk Mid Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Needham Market until late 2017, and is currently sharing offices with the Suffolk County Council in Ipswich. The largest town of Mid Suffolk is Stowmarket. ...

district and is represented in parliament by the MP for Bury St Edmunds, currently Jo Churchill.

Historic events

Disaster struck Stowmarket on 11 August 1871, when an explosion at a local

gun cotton Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...

factory claimed twenty-eight lives and left seventy five injured. The site of the explosion is now home to a large paint factory. In 1909 Stowmarket High School was founded. On the 8 June 1918 the first UK astronomical observation of nova

V603 Aquilae V603 Aquilae (or Nova Aquilae 1918) was a bright nova first observed (from Earth) in the constellation Aquila in 1918. It was the brightest "new star" to appear in the sky since Kepler's Supernova in 1604. Like all novae, it is a binary ...

was made from Stowmarket by A. Grace Cook. History repeated itself on 13 December 1934 when amateur astronomer J. P. M. Prentice discovered

DQ Herculis DQ Herculis, or Nova Herculis 1934, was a slow, bright nova occurring in the northern constellation of Hercules in December 1934. This cataclysmic variable star was discovered on 13 December 1934 by J. P. M. Prentice from Stowmarket, ...

from the town. Just before midday on Friday 31 January 1941, a solitary German bomber plane (eyewitness accounts differ on the model) was spotted over Stowmarket firing its guns. The bomber strafed a large area of the town, before dropping bombs onto the high street. The Stowmarket Congregational Chapel, a gothic style building that was built in the 19th century, was completely destroyed. There was one casualty, Mrs Rhoda Farrow, who had just returned from seeing her son Ronald and his fiancée off at the railway station. On 17 July 2002, Her Majesty Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

, visited Stowmarket during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations. This was the Queen's second visit to Stowmarket, having first visited the town not long into her reign as Queen in July 1961. During the visit, Her Majesty and Prince Philip visited the local market, meeting stall holders before the Queen unveiled a new Town Sign and met representatives from local organisations while the Duke of Edinburgh met students who took part in

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

and viewed a display at the

Museum of East Anglian Life The Food Museum, formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life, is a museum in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England, which specialises in presenting the agricultural history of East Anglia through a mixture of exhibits and living history demonstrations. Hi ...

Landmarks

Stowmarket - Church of St Peter & St Mary

The church of St Peter and St Mary is in the Decorated style and dates to the 14th century. The 16th-century former vicarage, now the

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second t ...

offices and

register office A register office or The General Register Office, much more commonly but erroneously registry office (except in official use), is a British government office where births, deaths, marriages, civil partnership, stillbirths and adoptions in England ...

, has associations with John Milton; Milton's Tree in its grounds is believed to be an offshoot of one of the many trees he planted there.

Haughley Park Haughley Park House in Stowmarket, Suffolk is an historical house of significance listed in the English Heritage Register. It is a large red brick country house built in about 1620 for the Sulyard family who were very prominent landowners in this ...

is an historical house situated in Haughley to the west of the town, of some significance, listed in the English Heritage Register. It is a large red brick country house built in about 1620 for the Sulyard family who were very prominent landowners in this area. Opened in 1967,

The Food Museum The Food Museum, formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life, is a museum in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England, which specialises in presenting the agricultural history of East Anglia through a mixture of exhibits and living history demonstrations. Hi ...

(formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life) occupies a site close to the town centre. The Karnser is a raised pavement in Station Road West, next to the church. The name is the East Anglian dialect word ''caunsey'', meaning a causey (causeway).

Transportation

2013 at Stowmarket station - main buildings

In the 18th century the Gipping was made navigable between Stowmarket and

by a series of locks. The newly created canal was known as the

Ipswich and Stowmarket Navigation The River Gipping is the source river for the River Orwell in the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, England, which is named from the village of Gipping, and which gave its name to the former Gipping Rural District. The name is unrelated to the ...

. Stowmarket railway station, on the Great Eastern Main Line, is served by numerous train services operated by Greater Anglia: Peterbrough to

(via Ely, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket);

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

to Ipswich (via Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and

Needham Market Needham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. The town of Needham, Massachusetts, was named after Needham Market. History It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 166 ...

); and

London Liverpool Street Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...

(via Diss / Ipswich /

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It ...

/ Stratford). Suffolk County Council has built a road from the Central Roundabout, a short distance to the east of Stowmarket, to Gipping Way in central Stowmarket at a cost of £21 million. The scheme was completed in summer 2010. The new road bridges the railway line and the River Gipping.

Governance

Stowmarket Town Council Stowmarket Town Council is a parish council for the parish of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. History Formed in 1974 from the former Stowmarket Urban District Council, the Town Council serves a population of approximately 20,000 people in fo ...

is the first tier of local government for Stowmarket. Formed in 1974 from the Stowmarket Urban District Council, the Town Council serves a population of approximately 20,000 people in four wards. It is made up of 16 elected members backed up by a staff of over 30. The council is located in the historic Milton House. Stowmarket is also home to Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council offices.

County Councillors

Sport and leisure

John Peel Centre Centre for Creative Arts

Stowmarket has a non-League football club Stowmarket Town F.C., which plays at Greens Meadow. There is also a rugby club located at Chilton Fields, to the north of the town. Stowmarket is home to a handful of gyms and also boasts its own leisure centre complete with swimming pools, climbing wall, bowls green, gym, and artificial-turf football pitch. The town has a plethora of grassroots clubs playing a multitude of sports. The Regal Theatre

Cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

has been in operation in the town centre for more than fifty years, offering films, concerts and theatre productions. The former

Corn Exchange A corn exchange is a building where merchants trade grains. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley; in the United States these buildings were called grain exchange. Such trade was common in towns ...

underwent a £1 million refurbishment in 2012 to become a music venue, art gallery and theatre named the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts. It is named after the late influential DJ and broadcaster who lived just outside the town.

Climate

Stowmarket has a maritime climate type as is typical for the bulk of the British Isles. Wattisham is the nearest official weather station, about 4 miles south south west of Stowmarket Town centre. The absolute maximum temperature recorded was during the August 2003 heatwave. In an average year 11.9 days will report a temperature of or above, with the warmest day of the year rising to . The absolute minimum temperature is , set in January 1979, although given online records only date back to 1960; it is likely the winter of 1947 saw lower temperatures. In an average year, 48.3 air frosts can be expected. Sunshine, averaging over 1635 hours a year, is amongst the highest for inland areas of Britain. Annual rainfall totals average below 575mm, with over 1mm of rain falling on 109.4 days. All averages refer to the observation period 1971–2000.

Stowmarket today

Stowmarket has held an annual carnival for well over 50 years in the recreation park featuring a fun fair, fireworks, a procession through the town and local entertainment. Stowmarket also plays host to the music festival Stow-Fest, a live music open-air event that takes place annually at Chilton Fields in the North of Stowmarket. Since 2010 the town has hosted the Stowblues Festival, organised in partnership with

BBC Radio Suffolk BBC Radio Suffolk is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Suffolk. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on St Matthews Street in Ipswich. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience ...

. The Mix is located on Ipswich Street, and is a flagship youth and community centre in Suffolk.

Notable residents

The poet John Milton made regular visits to the town as his tutor, Dr Thomas Young, became vicar of Stowmarket in 1628. Other notable residents included political writer William Godwin, who spent time as minister at the Stowmarket Independent Church; and singer / West End actress,

Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...

, who was brought up in the nearby village of

Haughley Haughley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk, about two miles from Stowmarket in the Mid Suffolk District. The village is located miles northwest of the town of Stowmarket, overlooking the Gipping valley, next to the ...

and attended Stowmarket's High School.

Delia Smith Delia Ann Smith (born 18 June 1941) is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills in a no-nonsense style. One of the best known celebrity chefs in British popular culture, Smith has influenced viewers t ...

also resides nearby in Combs. Stow has produced professional footballers, James Scowcroft who played for the local junior sides and

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

among others. Professional wrestler Neil Faith has lived in Stowmarket. As well as poet George Crabbe, who went to school in the town. The amateur astronomers A. Grace Cook and J. P. M. Prentice lived in the town. Former MP Gareth Snell is from Stowmarket. Murder victim Matthew Pyke grew up in this town.

References

External links

Stowmarket Town Council

Stowmarket Area Guide

Stowmarket History and Heritage

Stowmarket Flyer (Local News – Printed Monthly and Online

Stowmarket Sport (Grassroots coverage of sports, clubs and teams in a three-mile radius of Stowmarket)

Stowmarket Church (St. Peter and St. Mary Stowmarket)
{{authority control Stowmarket, Market towns in Suffolk Mid Suffolk District Towns in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk