Winston 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
Mid Suffolk
Mid Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. The district is primarily a rural area, containing just three towns, being Stowmarket, Needham Market and Eye. Its council was based in Needham Market until 2017 when it moved to sha ...
district of
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 ...
in eastern England. Located around east of
Stowmarket
Stowmarket ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England,OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket
Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A2 edition. Publishing Date:2008. o ...
, the 2011 Census showed that the population of the parish of Winston is 159.
The parish also contains the settlements of Winston Green and Fenn Street. There is a church and an old school room, and every year there is a Winston Village Fete. A lot of the village of Winston is based around 14th Century Church, with multiple 16th Century cottages and farmhouses along church lane, showing the villages agricultural past, the area of Winston is still agricultural based with farms and fields all over the parish. Winston and the surrounding area is approximately 45m-50m above sea level making the area unlikely to flood, unless in exceptional circumstances.
In the 1870s Winston was described as:
Winston, a parish, with a village, in Bosmere district, Suffolk; 1 mile SSE of Debenham, and 7 NE of Needham r. station.
History
The parish of Winston first appears 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 ...
, written in 1066, stating that the population was "43.5 households (very large)". However the Domesday Book representation of the population is misleading, as the figure is based on heads of families so it may be up to 5 times more than the figure stated. The records show that from the first Census conducted in 1801 the population of Winston was 261. The population declined after the 1851 census, with almost everyone in the village at the time working on the land, it may be possible that due to the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
, Winston saw many of the residents move to local large towns like
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
. The population in Ipswich boomed during this period as many workers came from the rural area to the industrial area in search of more money and a better life. The parish of Winston contains 5 listed buildings, all of which are listed as grade II by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
, mainly dating from the 16th and 17th Century.
According to the genealogy of the Suffolk family of Bacon, one Grimald, or Grimaldus, a relative of
William de Warenne, who came to England in 1066. The Bacon family resided in the area around Winston, many birth and death records show that in the period of c.1475 to c.1640 the Bacon family lived in or around the area of Winston, which once had an estate which was handed down through the family. There is a War Memorial in Winston dating from 1923, it bears the names of 5 men lost in the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and 2 men lost in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Employment

The 1831 Census showed that around 87% of people living within the parish of Winston worked in agriculture and by 1881 this was down to 53% working in agriculture.
This shows a decline in employment in agriculture at the same time as a decline in population in the Parish. Around 13% of women living with Winston were enrolled in Domestic Services and Offices, the rest of female occupation being unknown or they did not have an occupation.
The present day employment figures differ a lot from those in the 19th Century, for example only 5.1% of the population of Winston work in agriculture. Winston also has a low number of unemployed, the figure stands at 1.9%, which is well below 4.4% unemployed on average throughout England. Winston also has a very high percentage of residents that are self-employed at 28.3% as of 2011, much higher than the 9.8% average for the whole of England
Church
The local parish church called St Andrews was founded in around the 15th century. With extensions built during the 14th and 16th centuries, while being heavily restored during the 19th century, however it retains a lot of the original architecture, the church is listed as a grade II listed building. Records show that St Andrews church was used for many burials starting at around 1550. The last mention of the use of the school building in Winston is in 1897, where a letter was written concerning Winston school.
Travel
The nearest station to the village of Winston is in
Stowmarket
Stowmarket ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England,OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket
Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A2 edition. Publishing Date:2008. o ...
, which is 11 miles away or roughly a 25-minute drive from the centre of Winston. The station at Stowmarket is on the main line between
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
and London. Winston lies just off the A1120 which is a direct road to Stowmarket, the nearest market town. The Village of
Debenham
Debenham is a village and civil parish located north of Ipswich in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket
Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A2 edition. Pub ...
nearby provides the local primary and secondary schools, while also providing local police and fire station, the centre of Debenham is approximately 1.5 miles from the centre of Winston, making it an easy place to get to. The nearest major town is Ipswich which is 30-minute drive and just under 13 miles to the centre of Ipswich from the village of Winston. This gives the residents of Winston options for a range of different services with two large towns in close proximity, making it an ideal place to live if you want to be in the countryside yet not in complete isolation. Winston is a 1-hour 30-minute drive from the nearest major airport which is
Stansted
Stansted Airport is an international airport serving London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Uttlesford, Essex, northeast of Central London.
As London's third-busiest airport, Stan ...
and a 2 hours 20-minute drive from the airport of
Heathrow
Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...
. The centre of London is a 2:30-hour drive from the centre of the village of Winston, this makes the village of Winston easily within driving range of the biggest metropolitan area in the UK.
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in Suffolk
Civil parishes in Suffolk
Mid Suffolk District