Oulton is a

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

on the western edge of the town of

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

in the north of the

English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. It is in the East Suffolk district. The eastern part of the parish forms part of the suburbs of Lowestoft, whilst the western section extends into

The Broads The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used ...

national park, reaching the River Waveney and Oulton Dyke.Oulton
Suffolk Heritage Explorer,

Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the upper-tier Local government in England, local 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 Governme ...

. Retrieved 7 March 2021. At the

2011 United Kingdom census A Census in the United Kingdom, census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Inter ...

the parish had an estimated population of 4,020. It borders the Suffolk parishes of Blundeston,

Carlton Colville Carlton Colville is a seaside town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is south-west of the centre of the town of Lowestoft in the East Suffolk district. The area lies along the A146 Lowestoft to Beccles road. Carlton Colvi ...

, Corton, Flixton, Lowestoft and

Oulton Broad Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. The suburb is located west of the centre of Lowestoft. It became a civil parish in 2017. It had an estimated population of 10,338 at the 2011 United Kingdom cen ...

and the Norfolk parish of Burgh St Peter across the River Waveney. The B1074 Lowestoft to Somerleyton road passes through the parish, as do the A117 and B1375 roads running north to the

A47 road The A47 is a major trunk road in England linking Birmingham to Lowestoft, Suffolk, maintained and operated by National Highways. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114 road, B4114. From Peterborough ...

. The Lowestoft to Norwich railway line passes through the western part of the parish, running through areas of marshland near to the River Waveney. The nearest railway station is Oulton Broad North.

History

The Anglo Saxon village of Dunestuna or Dunston, which is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, is thought to have been within the current area of Oulton. Oulton first appeared as Olton and Oldton on maps from the late 16th-century. A manor called Houghton or Houton existed in the area in the later medieval period and the name of the current parish may well have developed from this.Oulton Broad Conservation Area

Broads Authority The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used ...

, 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2021. In September 2020, archaeologists announced the discovery in the parish of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery with 17 cremations and 191 burials dating back to the 7th century, comparable to the date of

Sutton Hoo Sutton Hoo is the site of two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries dating from the 6th to 7th centuries near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. Archaeology, Archaeologists have been excavating the area since 1938, when an undisturbed ship burial containing a wea ...

to the south. The graves contained the remains of men, women and children, as well as artefacts including small iron knives and silver pennies, wrist clasps, strings of amber and glass beads. According to Andrew Peachey, who carried out the excavations, the skeletons had mostly vanished because of the highly acidic soil. They, fortunately, were preserved as brittle shapes and "sand silhouettes" in the sand. The neighbouring area of Oulton Broad was once part of the parish, but became its own parish in 1904.

Landmarks

There are six

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

in Oulton, including a late 16th-century manor house.Manor house
List entry,

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

. Retrieved 7 March 2021. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

is dedicated to St Michael. It dates from the 12th-century, although there may have been a church on the site at the time of the Domesday Book. It was built with a

cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

pattern and a low tower and retains a Norman doorway and 15th-century octagonal font. The church is the only Grade I listed building in the parish.Church of St Michael
List entry,

. Retrieved 7 March 2021. Two commemorative brass plates, one of which was dedicated to the memory of John Fastolf and his wide Katherine, were stolen when the church was refurbished in 1857.

Notes

References

External links

{{Authority control Populated places in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Lowestoft