Sicklesmere is a village 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...

, 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 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....

 around a mile south of Bury St Edmunds, the village is divided between the 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...

es of Little

Little Whelnetham

Little Whelnetham is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around two miles south of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 180....

 and Great Whelnetham

Great Whelnetham

Great Whelnetham is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around two miles south of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 820....

.

History

Recorded in 1272 as Sykolvesmere, that is, Sigolfr's mere (W. Rye, A Calendar of the Feet of Fines for Suffolk, 1900), the village is named after a mere or lake that used to be present near the River Lark

River Lark

The River Lark is a river in England, which crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse, and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for navigation since Roman times, and...

. In truth it is no more than a small cluster of properties besides the River Lark. Many of these are flint built cottages.

A circular shaped building known as the Toll House is located on the main road. In the days of coach travel there was a regular service between Norwich

Norwich

Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

 and London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 via Sudbury

Sudbury, Suffolk

Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...

 which ran four times a day through Sicklesmere. The village was also previously served by Welnetham railway station

Welnetham railway station

Welnetham railway station was a station on the Long Melford-Bury St Edmunds branch line serving Great Whelnetham, Little Whelnetham and Sicklesmere in Suffolk.Former Services-External links:*...

 until the Beeching Axe

Beeching Axe

The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...

.