Beccles
| Beccles | |
| Suffolk | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TM428897 |
| Location: | 52°27’4"N, 1°34’28"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 9,746 (2001) |
| Post town: | Beccles |
| Postcode: | NR34 |
| Dialling code: | 01502 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | East Suffolk |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Waveney |
Beccles is a pretty market town in Suffolk, on the River Waveney, which marks the border with Norfolk to the north.
It stands 33 miles north of Ipswich and 16 miles southeast of Norwich. Nearby towns include Lowestoft to the east and Great Yarmouth downriver to the northeast. The town marks the edge of the specially protected area of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads.
It had a population at the 2001 census of 9,746.
History
The name is conjectured to be derived from the Old English Bece læs ("Meadow stream"). Once a flourishing Anglo-Saxon riverport, it lies on the Waveney and is a popular boating centre.
The town was granted its Charter in 1584 by Elizabeth I.
Sir John Leman (died 1632) was a tradesman from Beccles who became Lord Mayor of London.
Long associated with Beccles (including recent mayors) is the Peck family.[1] Among those Pecks who have made a place in history is the Rev. Robert Peck, described by Blomfield in his history of Norfolk as a man with a 'violent schismatic spirit' who led a movement within the church of St Andrews in nearby Hingham, Norfolk, in opposition to the established Anglicanism of the day.[2] The Puritan Peck was eventually forced to flee to Hingham, Massachusetts, founded by many members of his parish, where he resided for several years, until King Charles I had been overthrown and beheaded by the Puritans, when Robert Peck returned to his post in St Andrews Church.
In 1794, François-René de Chateaubriand, while in exile, taught here French language and literature. He fell in love with Charlotte Ives, daughter of Bungay's vicar.[3]
Churches
The townscape is dominated by the detached sixteenth-century bell tower (known as the Beccles bell tower) of St Michael's church. Like the main body of the church, the tower is Perpendicular Gothic in style and is 97 ft tall. The interior of the church was badly damaged by fire in 1586. It has a 13th-century font.
The tower is not attached to the church and at the wrong end of the church as the correct end would be too close to a large cliff.
It was at this church in 1749 that the mother of Horatio Nelson, Catherine Suckling, married the Reverend Edmund Nelson (a former curate of Beccles). The Suffolk poet George Crabbe married Sarah Elmy at Beccles church in the 18th century.
Churches in the town include:
- Church of England:
- St Michael's
- St Luke's
- Baptist: http://www.becclesbaptistchurch.co.uk Beccles Baptist Church]
- Methodist: Beccles Methodist Church
- New Life Christian Fellowship Church
- Roman Catholic: St Benets
Buildings and industry
There is an 18th-century octagonal Town Hall.
Beccles Museum is housed in Leman House, a Grade I listed building and has a collection of agricultural, industrial and domestic items, including collections of tools, boat building, printing, costumes and natural history.
Transport
The river was long the major thoroughfare and still bears many boats, for leisure more than commercel these days.
Beccles Airport is 2.3 miles southeast of the town.
Until 1960 the Beccles to Yarmouth Railway ran across the marshes. The town is still served by Beccles railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Today it can be reached by the A146 road.
Many of the modern streets have the suffix 'gate'; for example, Hulvergate, Smallgate and Blyburgate. This is derived from the Old Norse for "street", and is identical to the modern Danish word in spelling.
Big Society
Beccles is home to 759 (Beccles) Air Cadets,[1] who take part in a variety of activities such as flying and gliding, expeditions and sports. Beccles Air Cadets play a small role in the community by assisting organisations and activities such as the Beccles Carnival.
Beccles' main football team is Beccles Town FC, established in 1919. As of the 2012–13 season, they are members of the Anglian Combination Premier Division. Beccles also has a football team called Beccles Caxton.
Ellough Park Raceway is south-east of Beccles on the site of the old Ellough airfield. It is a local centre for kart racing.[4]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Beccles) |
References
- ↑ An Account of the Beccles Fen in the County of Suffolk, with a Translation of Their Charter, Drawn up in the Year 1807 for the use of the Corporation, 1826]
- ↑ [The Nonconformist's Memorial: Being An Account of the Ministers, Who Were Ejected or Silenced After the Restoration], Samuel Palmer, London, 1775.
- ↑ Les Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe, book 10, chapter 9 "Charlotte"
- ↑ Ellough Park Raceway