Laxfield
Encyclopedia
Laxfield is a small ancient village in northern Suffolk
, England
. It is located at a distinct bend in today's B1117
road.
. In 1226 Laxfield was given charter to hold a market and Saturday was selected.
The All Saints Church in Laxfield is largely of 14th century construct and was essentially complete by 1488.
The village and the surrounding area, like much of East Anglia
, was a hotbed of Puritan
sentiment during much of the 17th century. Being the birthplace of the intolerant William Dowsing
as well as the home of many of his kin, it was natural enough that Laxfield became a puritan parish. By the mid-1630s, the Fiske family and others had departed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony
as part of the wave of emigration that occurred during the Great Migration
.
Laxfield was the final station on the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway
, which ran from the Great Eastern Railway
line at Haughley
. The railway opened in 1904 and eventually closed in 1952. Eventulally the line reached Cratfield
The Hardware Store, Greyston Brothers, was formerly a full garage, but now only performs minor repair work and tyre changes.
The King's Head Pub is one of few in the country that lacks a bar counter, instead having a traditional tap room.
Laxfield has its own village band "King Wooly", a 5 piece band who perform tongue in cheek versions of Monkey Man, Stray Cat Strut, 9 to 5, In the Country and more.
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
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...
. It is located at a distinct bend in today's B1117
B roads in Zone 1 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 1 :-Zone 1 :...
road.
History
Laxfield arose in Saxon times as it is known that an early church was there and the village itself appears in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. In 1226 Laxfield was given charter to hold a market and Saturday was selected.
The All Saints Church in Laxfield is largely of 14th century construct and was essentially complete by 1488.
The village and the surrounding area, like much of East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, was a hotbed of 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...
sentiment during much of the 17th century. Being the birthplace of the intolerant William Dowsing
William Dowsing
William Dowsing was an English iconoclast who operated at the time of the English Civil War. Dowsing was a puritan soldier who was born in Laxfield, Suffolk...
as well as the home of many of his kin, it was natural enough that Laxfield became a puritan parish. By the mid-1630s, the Fiske family and others had departed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
as part of the wave of emigration that occurred during the Great Migration
Great Migration (Puritan)
The Puritan migration to New England was marked in its effects in the two decades from 1620 to 1640, after which it declined sharply for a while. The term Great Migration usually refers to the migration in this period of English settlers, primarily Puritans to Massachusetts and the warm islands of...
.
Laxfield was the final station on the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway
Mid-Suffolk Light Railway
The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway is a heritage railway in Suffolk, which in its heyday it was a branch line which ran for just from Haughley to Laxfield, Suffolk. The line became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1924 and the last trains ran on 26 July 1952...
, which ran from the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
line at Haughley
Haughley
Haughley is a village in the English county of Suffolk.-External links:*...
. The railway opened in 1904 and eventually closed in 1952. Eventulally the line reached Cratfield
Laxfield today
The Village has local amenities such as a hardware store, a village shop (currently run by the Co-Op) and a Primary school. It is home to All Saint's Church, the Royal Oak Pub, and the Kings Head Pub (known as the low house). Laxfield has one of the biggest communal playing fields in Suffolk, at almost eight acres, which has a large children's play area and a bowls green. There is also a newly-refurbished village hall at the centre of the village as well as a small museum in the Guildhall (ca. 1520). This building also houses a doctor's surgery on Thursdays.The Hardware Store, Greyston Brothers, was formerly a full garage, but now only performs minor repair work and tyre changes.
The King's Head Pub is one of few in the country that lacks a bar counter, instead having a traditional tap room.
Laxfield has its own village band "King Wooly", a 5 piece band who perform tongue in cheek versions of Monkey Man, Stray Cat Strut, 9 to 5, In the Country and more.