Wattisfield
Encyclopedia
Wattisfield is a village and civil parish
in the Mid Suffolk
district of Suffolk
in eastern England
. Located on the A143
around seven miles south-west of Diss
, in 2005 its population was 440.
The village name in Domesday Book is Watesfelda, derived from the Old English meaning Wastel’s clearing. It is situated in the ancient hundred of Blackbourne.
Its medieval church is dedicated to St. Margaret
.
Due to the abundant source of mica clay the village has a traditional of pottery making going back to the Bronze Age and there is still a commercial pottery called Watsons which has a factory shop open to the public.
The village once had three licenced pubs but now it has none. The Royal Oak was part of Whitbread's pub estate but closed in 1968 and was sold on as a private dwelling, which it remains today directly opposite the church of St. Margaret's. The white post outside the building is a vestige of the old pub sign which used to hang from it.
The Post Office and general store closed in 1997 and the building is currently occupied by a ladies hair stylist.
A stream which rises to the south of the village is called The Grundle and is one of the tributaries of the Little Ouse river which eventually joins the Great Ouse and discharges into The Wash
.
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 the Mid Suffolk
Mid Suffolk
Mid Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Needham Market, and the largest town is Stowmarket.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Borough of Eye, Stowmarket urban district, Gipping Rural District, Hartismere Rural District and...
district 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...
in eastern 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 A143
A143 road
The A143 is a road that runs from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk to Haverhill in Suffolk.For much of the route the road is classified as a primary route. Over the years the road has been much improved with new by-passes opening at regular intervals...
around seven miles south-west of Diss
Diss
Diss is a town in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.The town lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere that covers . The mere is up to deep, although there is another of mud, making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes...
, in 2005 its population was 440.
The village name in Domesday Book is Watesfelda, derived from the Old English meaning Wastel’s clearing. It is situated in the ancient hundred of Blackbourne.
Its medieval church is dedicated to St. Margaret
Margaret the Virgin
Margaret the Virgin, also known as Margaret of Antioch , virgin and martyr, is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20; and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. Her historical existence has been questioned; she was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius I in 494,...
.
Due to the abundant source of mica clay the village has a traditional of pottery making going back to the Bronze Age and there is still a commercial pottery called Watsons which has a factory shop open to the public.
The village once had three licenced pubs but now it has none. The Royal Oak was part of Whitbread's pub estate but closed in 1968 and was sold on as a private dwelling, which it remains today directly opposite the church of St. Margaret's. The white post outside the building is a vestige of the old pub sign which used to hang from it.
The Post Office and general store closed in 1997 and the building is currently occupied by a ladies hair stylist.
A stream which rises to the south of the village is called The Grundle and is one of the tributaries of the Little Ouse river which eventually joins the Great Ouse and discharges into The Wash
The Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
.