Homersfield
Encyclopedia
South Elmham St Mary, known as Homersfield, is a small village
and civil parish
located on the banks of the River Waveney
in Suffolk
, UK
, on the border with Norfolk
. It is one of The Saints
. It is the home of the oldest surviving concrete bridge in Britain, a 50-foot span built in 1870 by the Adair estate
. It was restored during the 1990s by a partnership between the parish council and various local authorities and heritage bodies.
The village is centred around a small green, around which lie houses from various periods, including a number of traditional thatched houses.
Although the village once had a post office and village shop, only the Black Swan pub now remains, a free house serving Adnams ale and food. There also was once a water mill sited just outside of the village on the road towards St Cross. This was demolished in the 1930s after the Waveney became too silted up to run the mill. A modern house, built in the approximate style of the previous mill, was built around 1999. Homersfield
's old railway station is actually just across the river in Norfolk, the line
finally closed in the mid 60's.
Homersfield is bordered by a strip of woodland in which sits the flint-built village church. Behind the woodland is a large lake, the site of a former gravel pit. Although once open as an amenity to the village, it is now a private fishing lake.
Sands and gravels have been quarried at Homersfield since the 1940s. They have yielded bones, teeth and tusks of woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, wild horse, bison and reindeer, dating from colder phases of the Ice Age. A mammoth tusk is on display at the Black Swan inn. A panel explaining the Ice Age wildlife interest is located on the village green.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
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...
located on the banks of the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
in 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...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, on the border with Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. It is one of The Saints
The Saints, Suffolk
The Saints are a group of villages in Suffolk, England, between the rivers Blyth and Waveney near to the border with Norfolk. The villages are all named after a saint , and either South Elmham or Ilketshall named after the 'hall of Alfkethill'...
. It is the home of the oldest surviving concrete bridge in Britain, a 50-foot span built in 1870 by the Adair estate
Adair Baronets
The Adair Baronetcy, of Flixton Hall in the County of Suffolk, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 2 August 1838 for Robert Adair. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baronet. He sat as Member of Parliament for Cambridge. In 1873 he was created Baron...
. It was restored during the 1990s by a partnership between the parish council and various local authorities and heritage bodies.
The village is centred around a small green, around which lie houses from various periods, including a number of traditional thatched houses.
Although the village once had a post office and village shop, only the Black Swan pub now remains, a free house serving Adnams ale and food. There also was once a water mill sited just outside of the village on the road towards St Cross. This was demolished in the 1930s after the Waveney became too silted up to run the mill. A modern house, built in the approximate style of the previous mill, was built around 1999. Homersfield
Homersfield railway station
Homersfield was a railway station which served the Suffolk village of Homersfield in Suffolk, although it was situated in Alburgh on the Norfolk side of the county boundary which runs through the settlement. The station was part of the Waveney Valley Line...
's old railway station is actually just across the river in Norfolk, the line
Waveney Valley Line
The Waveney Valley Line was a branch line running from in Norfolk to Beccles in Suffolk connecting the Great Eastern Main Line at Tivetshall with the East Suffolk Line at . It provided services to Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Ipswich and many other smaller towns in Suffolk with additional...
finally closed in the mid 60's.
Homersfield is bordered by a strip of woodland in which sits the flint-built village church. Behind the woodland is a large lake, the site of a former gravel pit. Although once open as an amenity to the village, it is now a private fishing lake.
Sands and gravels have been quarried at Homersfield since the 1940s. They have yielded bones, teeth and tusks of woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, wild horse, bison and reindeer, dating from colder phases of the Ice Age. A mammoth tusk is on display at the Black Swan inn. A panel explaining the Ice Age wildlife interest is located on the village green.