Stanstead, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Stanstead is a village and civil parish
in Suffolk
, England
. The name Stanstead comes from the Old English
for "Stony place". Located off the B1066, it is around 4 miles (6 km) from Sudbury
, and is part of Babergh
district. It is about 2 kilometres (1 mi) from the of Glemsford
, 12 miles (19 km) from Hadleigh, and 4 miles (6 km) from Lavenham
.
. The Parish borders Long Melford in the west, Glemsford to the south, Boxted to the east and Shimpling to the north and many fine walks and views can be enjoyed in this part of High Suffolk.
The village is "T shaped", the lower half of the settlement (Lower Street) follows the B1066 as it winds its way along the bottom of the valley past the old Stanstead osier beds. The upper part of the village is reached by a 30 metre climb up the hill past Stanstead Hall towards the church and a cluster of houses, a small green and then on to Upper Street and Blooms Hall Lane.
district of the shire county of Suffolk
. The three tiers of local government are administered by
In terms of community planning a few years ago parish members embarked on the preparation of a Village Plan.
The parish is located within an area defined as Special Landscape Area and also partly falls within the Dedham Vale & Stour Valley Countryside Projecy area. In addition parts of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest detailed below are defined within the parish.
lists the following listed buildings within the parish of Stanstead.
NB: The above property details represent the names and addresses that were used at the time that the buildings were listed. In some instances the name of the building may have changed over the intervening years
which is defined as ancient woodland
.
The parish also contains the Stanstead Great Wood wildlife site.
service operated by H.C. Chambers & Son
:
Older children attend Sudbury Upper School and Arts Collegel.
, at the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001
, Stanstead had a population of 316 with 127 households.
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 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...
. The name Stanstead comes from the Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
for "Stony place". Located off the B1066, it is around 4 miles (6 km) from 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:...
, and is part of Babergh
Babergh
Babergh is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council headquarters is based in Hadleigh, whilst its largest town is Sudbury.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Borough of Sudbury, Hadleigh urban district, Cosford Rural District, Melford Rural District and...
district. It is about 2 kilometres (1 mi) from the of Glemsford
Glemsford
Glemsford is a village in the Babergh district in Suffolk, England, near the town of Sudbury. Glemsford is located near the River Glem and the River Stour also flows nearby...
, 12 miles (19 km) from Hadleigh, and 4 miles (6 km) from Lavenham
Lavenham
Lavenham is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is noted for its 15th century church, half-timbered medieval cottages and circular walk. In the medieval period it was among the 20 wealthiest settlements in England...
.
History
Background
Stanstead is situated in Glem Valley to the north east of SudburySudbury, 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:...
. The Parish borders Long Melford in the west, Glemsford to the south, Boxted to the east and Shimpling to the north and many fine walks and views can be enjoyed in this part of High Suffolk.
The village is "T shaped", the lower half of the settlement (Lower Street) follows the B1066 as it winds its way along the bottom of the valley past the old Stanstead osier beds. The upper part of the village is reached by a 30 metre climb up the hill past Stanstead Hall towards the church and a cluster of houses, a small green and then on to Upper Street and Blooms Hall Lane.
Early History
The name Stanstead is Anglo Saxon for "stony place" and it is easy to appreciate how this came about when viewing the surrounding fields, particularly in the lower part of the village, which are strewn with glacial flint. There is much evidence of earlier Iron Age and Roman settlements in the surrounding area.ref>Sense of Community
Like many other small rural communities Stanstead has lost its Public House, this was the White Hart, which in past centuries is said to be the starting point for many horse races, we still retain our Village Hall/Community Centre and this continues to function as a focal point for the village.Governance
Stanstead lies in the BaberghBabergh
Babergh is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council headquarters is based in Hadleigh, whilst its largest town is Sudbury.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Borough of Sudbury, Hadleigh urban district, Cosford Rural District, Melford Rural District and...
district of the shire county 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...
. The three tiers of local government are administered by
- Suffolk County CouncilSuffolk County CouncilSuffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 72 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions...
- Babergh District Council
- Stanstead Parish Council
In terms of community planning a few years ago parish members embarked on the preparation of a Village Plan.
Church
- St James Church - This is a 15th century flint pebble church with stone dressings. The west tower is earlier, with diagonal buttresses and a castellated parapet. The church was heavily restoredVictorian restorationVictorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the late nineteenth century.
Village Hall
- The village has a community centre near the junction of Upper Street with Lower Street.
Planning
In the adopted Babergh Local Plan Alteration No. 2 (2006) the Built-up area boundary is defined for Stanstead with no sites allocated for new residential development. A small Area of Visual and/or Recreational Amenity is defined which protects important open space, visually important gaps in the street scene and recreational facilities.The parish is located within an area defined as Special Landscape Area and also partly falls within the Dedham Vale & Stour Valley Countryside Projecy area. In addition parts of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest detailed below are defined within the parish.
Listed buildings
English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
lists the following listed buildings within the parish of Stanstead.
Grade II*
- Church of St James, Upper Street - Images of England
- The Oaklands, Lower Street - Images of England
Grade II
- 16 and 17, Lower Street - Images of England
- 21-23, Lower Street - Images of England
- Barn at Barnfield, Upper Street
- Barn to the Oaklands, Lower Street - Images of England
- Barnfield Cottage, Upper Street
- Bretteston Hall, Upper Street - Images of England
- Fern Cottage, Upper Street - Images of England
- Grafton, Upper Street - Images of England
- Maltings, Upper Street - Images of England
- Mill Farmhouse, Lower Street
- Old Mill House, Lower Street - Images of England
- Potash House, Lower Street - Images of England
- Shelley, Upper Street - Images of England
- Sparrows Farmhouse, Lower Street
- Spring Hall, Upper Street - Images of England
- Stanstead Hall, Upper Street - Images of England
- White Hart Inn, Lower Street - Images of England
NB: The above property details represent the names and addresses that were used at the time that the buildings were listed. In some instances the name of the building may have changed over the intervening years
Biodiversity
The parish contains parts of a SSSIsSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
which is defined as ancient woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
.
- Kentwell Woods SSSI
The parish also contains the Stanstead Great Wood wildlife site.
Landscape
Within the Suffolk Landscape Character Assessment the parish of Stanstead is within an area defined as- Rolling valley farmlands - This landscape has small and medium sized fields on the valley sides with an organic form which was created by the piecemeal enclosure of common arable and pasture lands. As with the other valley side landscapes the field size tends to increase on the upper sides and plateaux edges of these valleys. Overall the growth and development of villages and small towns in this landscape has been driven by the quality of the land and the agricultural prosperity that it brought. Ancient woodland is mainly confined to the upper slopes of the valleys and is mostly in relatively small parcels.
- Undulating ancient farmlands - This is predominantly an area of ‘ancient enclosure’, with an irregular pattern of fields bounded by large, long-established hedges. The settlement pattern is one of dispersed farmsteads and hamlets, scattered between moderately sized green-edge settlements. The area is well stocked with ancient woods of moderate size, usually situated on the tops of the more poorly drained clay hills. In general there are long open views across this undulating landscape in which trees, either in hedges or in woods, are always a prominent feature. The historic pattern of field boundaries has been degraded through 20th century agricultural rationalisation that has resulted in a large number of hedges being removed.
- Valley meadowlands - This landscape character type is found principally in the floors of the river valleys of south and south-east Suffolk. These are flat valley floors made up of seasonally wet clays overlying alluvial deposits and peat. The damp nature of the land has led to a long use as meadows. These landscapes are generally unsettled although there are occasional farmsteads on the edge of the valleys or on locally higher spots.
Transport
Shimpling is served by one busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service operated by H.C. Chambers & Son
H.C. Chambers & Son
H.C. Chambers & Son or just Chambers is an independent bus and coach operator based in Bures in Suffolk, England. The company operates services over a wide area of Suffolk and Essex, running a fleet of around 30 buses.- History :...
:
- 375: GlemsfordGlemsfordGlemsford is a village in the Babergh district in Suffolk, England, near the town of Sudbury. Glemsford is located near the River Glem and the River Stour also flows nearby...
/ Long MelfordLong MelfordLong Melford is a large village and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England. It is on Suffolk's border with Essex, which is marked by the River Stour, approximately from Colchester and from Bury St. Edmunds...
- Stanstead - Alpheton - ShimplingShimplingShimpling is a village and civil parish in south Suffolk, England. Located around 7 miles from Bury St Edmunds, it is part of Babergh district. The village is essentially split into two halves, the newer Shimpling Street and around 2 miles away the actual village of Shimpling...
- LawshallLawshallLawshall is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Located around a mile off the A134 between Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury, it is part of Babergh district.-Background:...
- Hawstead - Bury St Edmunds (sponsored by Suffolk County CouncilSuffolk County CouncilSuffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 72 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions...
)
Education
The village is served by Hartest CEVCP School, a primary school currently catering for pupils aged 5–11.Older children attend Sudbury Upper School and Arts Collegel.
Demography
According to the Office for National StatisticsOffice for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
, at the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Stanstead had a population of 316 with 127 households.
Population change
| Population growth Population growth Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement.... in Stanstead from 1801 to 1891 |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1881 | 1891 | ||
| Population | 258 | 284 | 341 | 353 | 387 | 412 | 369 | 368 | ||
| Source: A Vision of Britain Through Time | ||||||||||
| Population growth Population growth Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement.... in Stanstead from 1901 to 2001 |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 | 1961 | 2001 | |||
| Population | 326 | 265 | 291 | 270 | 247 | 276 | 316 | |||
| Source: A Vision of Britain Through Time | ||||||||||
Location grid
External links
- Parish Council website
- St James's Church Suffolk Churches