Fornham St Martin
Encyclopedia
Fornham St Martin is a village and civil parish
in the St Edmundsbury
district of Suffolk
in eastern England
. Located on the northern outskirts of Bury St Edmunds off east and west from the A134
, in 2005 its population was 1300. Its parish council is shared with neighbouring Fornham St Genevieve
, and is known as Fornham St Martin cum St Genevieve Parish Council.
Once having a reputation for "pie-ladies" – women who walked to the abbey in Bury St Edmunds to feed the monks – today it is dominated by modern housing. The village appears on John Speed's 1610 map as "Fernham mertin".
One of the most significant battles in the history of England took place in Fornham Park and the surrounding area in 1173. Scribes of the time variously estimated that between 3000 and 10,000 were slaughtered and lie beneath the fields, woodland and ditches.
Architect Robert Abraham was involved with Fornham Hall in the 19th century. The Hall was occupied by the British Army during the Second World War, and the grounds used for tank maintenance and training. Later on Italian prisoners of war lived at the Hall whilst they worked on local farms in support of UK food production.
Fornham St Martin Church (OS grid TL8566) with King George's playing field across the way at the south end of B1106 to the village.
Near the current Lark Valley Drive, a smock windmill used to stand. It collapsed in 1927.
The village has one public house
, the Woolpack, but no shops. Its school closed in the early 1950s.
New houses are being built on Hall Farm to the east of the A134.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the St Edmundsbury
St Edmundsbury
St Edmundsbury may refer to:* The old or poetic name for Bury St Edmunds* St Edmundsbury, a borough centred on the town of Bury St Edmunds* The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, the Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and St James's Cathedral, St Edmundsbury...
district of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in eastern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Located on the northern outskirts of Bury St Edmunds off east and west from the A134
A134 road
The A134 road runs from Colchester to Kings Lynn. Other towns on the A134 road include Sudbury, Bury St. Edmunds and Thetford....
, in 2005 its population was 1300. Its parish council is shared with neighbouring Fornham St Genevieve
Fornham St Genevieve
Fornham St Genevieve is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around 500m north of Fornham_St_Martin and a mile and half north of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 110...
, and is known as Fornham St Martin cum St Genevieve Parish Council.
Once having a reputation for "pie-ladies" – women who walked to the abbey in Bury St Edmunds to feed the monks – today it is dominated by modern housing. The village appears on John Speed's 1610 map as "Fernham mertin".
One of the most significant battles in the history of England took place in Fornham Park and the surrounding area in 1173. Scribes of the time variously estimated that between 3000 and 10,000 were slaughtered and lie beneath the fields, woodland and ditches.
Architect Robert Abraham was involved with Fornham Hall in the 19th century. The Hall was occupied by the British Army during the Second World War, and the grounds used for tank maintenance and training. Later on Italian prisoners of war lived at the Hall whilst they worked on local farms in support of UK food production.
Fornham St Martin Church (OS grid TL8566) with King George's playing field across the way at the south end of B1106 to the village.
Near the current Lark Valley Drive, a smock windmill used to stand. It collapsed in 1927.
The village has one public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the Woolpack, but no shops. Its school closed in the early 1950s.
New houses are being built on Hall Farm to the east of the A134.