Lakenheath
Encyclopedia
Lakenheath is a village in Suffolk
, England. It has around 8,200 residents, and is situated in the Forest Heath
district of Suffolk, close to the county boundaries of both Norfolk
and Cambridgeshire
, and at the meeting point of the The Fens
and the Breckland
natural environments.
Lakenheath is host to the largest USAF base in the United Kingdom, RAF Lakenheath
.
Lakenheath Fen Nature Reserve, created in 1996, restored wetlands from agricultural fields that were growing carrots. In May 2007, it was reported that cranes
were nesting in the site for the first time since the fen lands were drained in the sixteenth century.
The village has a single Victorian primary school, constructed in 1878, which was extended in 1969 and again in 2004. There is a small shopping street, with a grocery store, two newsagents, an opticians shop, a Chinese restaurant, fish and chip shop, and Filipino restaurant. The village has a library with internet access. Along this stretch of road a small skate park, a playing field and a children's play park can also be found.
Lakenheath has only one pub; The Brewers Tap, though historically it had at least sixteen more, the most recent closure being the The Plough (closed August 2011, being converted to a Chinese restaurant). The Royal British Legion is a members only club.
Lakenheath is remarkable for its medieval church, built in the local flint
construction style. The church contains medieval paintings and medieval carving on the pews. The faces of the church's wooden angels bear the scars of the English Civil War
, as none of the angels retain their original facial detail, due to religiously motivated vandalism by puritan
soldiers In early 2009, the church received a large grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund
and local organisations to restore its rare medieval wall paintings. The wall paintings, depicting local saint St Edmund, angels, and birds amongst other subjects, are believed to date from the 13th Century.
As well as the Anglican parish church, Lakenheath has churches representing the Methodist, Strict Baptist
and Pentecostal (AOG
) denominations. All three of the non-Anglican church buildings are also primarily constructed of local flint
, albeit with later modifications in brick.
Lakenheath railway station
is three miles away from the village and not served by a car park. Consequently, it is rarely used by travellers.
Notable Famous people who have lived in Lakenheath include Gok Wan
(from the age of 4-6 while his Dad was in charge of The Rising Star Chinese takeaway as the co-founder), as well as Timmy Mallet who owned a holiday home in the village from 1986 until he sold the property in 1998 and Carrie Henn, who attended school in Lakenheath when she was cast as Newt in Aliens
.
Lakenheath is host to the largest deployment of United States Air Force personnel in the United Kingdom: RAF Lakenheath
. The social impact of the United States Air Force
fighter airbase
and its nearby sister, RAF Mildenhall
, on the economy of Lakenheath and on the nearby towns and villages is important.
The United States has maintained a presence in the community since bombers were stationed there during WWII conducting raids on Europe. The base has a population of around 7000 service personnel. This does not account for non-combatant personnel and families.
During the mid-eighties there was a peace camp
outside RAF Lakenheath. On one occasion, a handful of protestors briefly infiltrated the base, with a few climbing on top of a Tab-Vee (aircraft shelter) until being hosed down by USAF firefighters and arrested.
There are three squadrons of F-15 fighters and their support and maintenance personnel stationed at RAF Lakenheath. The 492nd and 494th Fighter Squadrons fly the multi-role F-15E Strike Eagle and the 493rd Fighter Squadron flies the air-to-air F-15C Eagle variant. The 48th Fighter Wing, "Liberty Wing", is the parent unit exercising command of the base in conjunction with the RAF.
An American school system exists on the base with Lakenheath Elementary,Pre-K to 3rd, Liberty Intermediate, 4th-5th and Lakenheath High School, 9th-12th.
During the Ice Age
, the River Bytham flowed through the area that is now Lakenheath, depositing much of the modern geology found in the area.
Excavation of three early Anglo Saxon cemeteries at RAF Lakenheath between 1997 and 2002 uncovered a total of 394 inhumation and 17 cremation burials.
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...
, England. It has around 8,200 residents, and is situated in the Forest Heath
Forest Heath
Forest Heath is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Mildenhall. Other towns in the district include Newmarket....
district of Suffolk, close to the county boundaries of both 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...
and Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, and at the meeting point of the The Fens
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
and the Breckland
Breckland
The Breckland as a landscape region is an unusual natural habitat of England. It comprises the gorse-covered sandy heath that exists in the north of the county of Suffolk and the south of Norfolk. An area of considerable interest for its unusual flora and fauna, it lies to the south east of another...
natural environments.
Lakenheath is host to the largest USAF base in the United Kingdom, RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...
.
Lakenheath Fen Nature Reserve, created in 1996, restored wetlands from agricultural fields that were growing carrots. In May 2007, it was reported that cranes
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
were nesting in the site for the first time since the fen lands were drained in the sixteenth century.
The village has a single Victorian primary school, constructed in 1878, which was extended in 1969 and again in 2004. There is a small shopping street, with a grocery store, two newsagents, an opticians shop, a Chinese restaurant, fish and chip shop, and Filipino restaurant. The village has a library with internet access. Along this stretch of road a small skate park, a playing field and a children's play park can also be found.
Lakenheath has only one pub; The Brewers Tap, though historically it had at least sixteen more, the most recent closure being the The Plough (closed August 2011, being converted to a Chinese restaurant). The Royal British Legion is a members only club.
Lakenheath is remarkable for its medieval church, built in the local flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
construction style. The church contains medieval paintings and medieval carving on the pews. The faces of the church's wooden angels bear the scars of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, as none of the angels retain their original facial detail, due to religiously motivated vandalism by puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
soldiers In early 2009, the church received a large grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
and local organisations to restore its rare medieval wall paintings. The wall paintings, depicting local saint St Edmund, angels, and birds amongst other subjects, are believed to date from the 13th Century.
As well as the Anglican parish church, Lakenheath has churches representing the Methodist, Strict Baptist
Strict Baptist
Strict Baptists, also known as Particular Baptists, are Baptists who believe in a Calvinist or Reformed interpretation of Christian soteriology. The Particular Baptists arose in England in the 17th century and took their namesake from the doctrine of particular redemption.-Further reading:*History...
and Pentecostal (AOG
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
) denominations. All three of the non-Anglican church buildings are also primarily constructed of local flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
, albeit with later modifications in brick.
Lakenheath railway station
Lakenheath railway station
Lakenheath railway station serves the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England.The station lies some three miles north of the village of Lakenheath, and is not within convenient walking distance of any sizable population...
is three miles away from the village and not served by a car park. Consequently, it is rarely used by travellers.
Notable Famous people who have lived in Lakenheath include Gok Wan
Gok Wan
Gok Wan is a British fashion consultant, author and television presenter of British Chinese heritage. He is known for his appearances on many television programmes , for providing fashion advice to celebrities and for contributing his views to fashion magazines published internationally.-Early...
(from the age of 4-6 while his Dad was in charge of The Rising Star Chinese takeaway as the co-founder), as well as Timmy Mallet who owned a holiday home in the village from 1986 until he sold the property in 1998 and Carrie Henn, who attended school in Lakenheath when she was cast as Newt in Aliens
Aliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
.
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...
. The social impact of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
fighter airbase
Airbase
An airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
and its nearby sister, RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
, on the economy of Lakenheath and on the nearby towns and villages is important.
The United States has maintained a presence in the community since bombers were stationed there during WWII conducting raids on Europe. The base has a population of around 7000 service personnel. This does not account for non-combatant personnel and families.
During the mid-eighties there was a peace camp
Peace camp
Peace camps are a form of physical protest camp that is focused on anti-war activity. They are set up outside military bases by members of the peace movement who oppose either the existence of the military bases themselves, the armaments held there, or the politics of those who control the bases...
outside RAF Lakenheath. On one occasion, a handful of protestors briefly infiltrated the base, with a few climbing on top of a Tab-Vee (aircraft shelter) until being hosed down by USAF firefighters and arrested.
There are three squadrons of F-15 fighters and their support and maintenance personnel stationed at RAF Lakenheath. The 492nd and 494th Fighter Squadrons fly the multi-role F-15E Strike Eagle and the 493rd Fighter Squadron flies the air-to-air F-15C Eagle variant. The 48th Fighter Wing, "Liberty Wing", is the parent unit exercising command of the base in conjunction with the RAF.
An American school system exists on the base with Lakenheath Elementary,Pre-K to 3rd, Liberty Intermediate, 4th-5th and Lakenheath High School, 9th-12th.
During the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, the River Bytham flowed through the area that is now Lakenheath, depositing much of the modern geology found in the area.
Excavation of three early Anglo Saxon cemeteries at RAF Lakenheath between 1997 and 2002 uncovered a total of 394 inhumation and 17 cremation burials.