Woodbridge, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk
, East Anglia
, England
. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben
, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station
on the Ipswich
-Lowestoft
East Suffolk Line
. Woodbridge is twinned with Mussidan
in France
. Woodbridge incorporates probably the most important Anglo-Saxon site in the United Kingdom - the Sutton Hoo Saxon royal burial ship. With 1400 years of recorded history, the town has retained an interesting variety of historical architecture, making it an interesting town just to walk around; there is also the River Deben, for boating and riverside walks. It was voted by Country Living in April 2010 as one of only six top Foodie Town's in the UK
district of the shire county of Suffolk. The Town Council
was formed in 1974 as a third-tier successor to the Urban District Council and has a mayor and 16 councillors elected for four wards. The town lies in Suffolk Coastal parliamentary constituency
and is currently represented by Conservative
Therese Coffey
. and County Councillor Liberal Democrat Caroline Page.
The area was under Roman occupation for 300 years following Queen Boadicca's failed rebellion in 59 A.D. but there is little evidence of the Romans' presence. When the Roman soldiers were recalled to Rome in 410 A.D., there was a substantial Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) settlement. It was the Angles who gave East Anglia its name.
In the early 7th century East Anglia rose in importance, under its ruler from the Wuffing dynasty, Redwald of Rendlesham. On his death, around 625 A.D., Redwald was interred in an 80-foot long burial ship, along with many treasures, just across the river Deben from Woodbridge, at Sutton Hoo. When these remains were discovered in 1939, they were the richest treasure ever found in British soil. The treasures are presently kept in the British Museum in London. Replicas of some items, and the story of the finds, are to be found in the Woodbridge Museum, and the National Trust has built a Visitor Centre on the site.
The earliest record of Woodbridge dates from the mid-10th century, when it was acquired by St Aethelwold, bishop of Winchester
, who made it a part of the endowment of the monastery
he helped to refound at Ely, Cambridgeshire
in AD 970. The Domesday Book of 1086 describes Woodbridge as part of the Loes Hundred. Much of Woodbridge was granted to the powerful Bigod family, who built the famous castle at Framlingham.
The town has been a centre for boat-building
, rope-making
and sail-making
since the Middle Ages
. Edward III
and Sir Francis Drake
had fighting ships built in Woodbridge. The town suffered in the plague of 1349, but recovered enough, and with encouragement from the Canons, and growing general prosperity, to have a new church (now St. Mary's, behind the buildings on the south side of Market Hill)) constructed with limestone from the Wash and decorated with Thetford flint. By the mid 15th century the Brews family had added a tower and porch.
On 12 October 1534, Prior Henry Bassingbourne confirmed Henry VIII’s supremacy over the Church and rejected the incumbent "Roman Bishop". Nonetheless, Woodbridge Priory
was dissolved three years later.
As religious unrest continued in the reign of the Roman Catholic Mary Tudor, Alexander Gooch, a weaver of Woodbridge, and Alice Driver of Grundisburgh were burnt for heresy on Rushmere Heath. Alice previously had her ears cut off for likening queen Mary to Jezebel. The subsequent religious settlement under Elizabeth I helped Woodbridge industries such as weaving, sail-cloth manufacture, rope-making and salt making to prosper, along with the wool trade. The port was enlarged, and shipbuilding and timber trade became very lucrative, so that a customs house was established in 1589.
Around the town there are various buildings from the Tudor
, Georgian
, Regency and Victorian
eras. Woodbridge has a tide mill in working order, one of only two in the UK and among the earliest. The mill first recorded on the site in 1170 was run by the Augustinian canons. In 1536 it passed to King Henry VIII
. In 1564, Queen Elizabeth I
granted the mill and the priory to Thomas Seckford
. In 1577 he founded Woodbridge School
and the Seckford Almshouses
, for the poor of Woodbridge. Two windmill
s survive, Buttrum's Mill
, and Tricker's Mill
. The former is open to the public.
, Woodbridge School
, with junior and senior departments and facilities for boarding.
Woodbridge has its own brass band
, the Excelsior, which was formed in 1846 and is the oldest community brass band in East Anglia
. There is a local radio station. The town also has a well-maintained two-hectare walled park. Also of interest ecologically are the Quaker Burial Ground and Fen Meadow, 2.67 hectares of traditionally managed grassland.
There are numerous clubs and associations in the town, including sports clubs for association football, badminton, birdwatching, bowls, cricket, cruising, netball, road running, rugby football, swimming, tennis and yachting.
churches: the medieval St Mary's on Market Hill, and the Victorian St John's on St John's Hill.
The Woodbridge Quay Church in Quay Street, once known as the Quay Meeting House, took its present form when the town's Baptist
and United Reformed congregations merged in 2006. It is now affiliated to the Baptist Union of Great Britain and to the Evangelical Alliance. There is also a Methodist Church in St John's Street, a Salvation Army
hall in Gobitt's Yard, and the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury in St John's Street forms a joint parish with Framlingham
.
Foxborrow Farm Foxborrow Farm - a Suffolk Wildlife Trust site. "A wander along the farm trails gives visitors a chance to see some of the work done by the Trust and our tenant farmers to improve the site's wildlife interest."
For a list of the 54 other SWT sites, visit their web site.
RSPB Reserve at Minsmere - famous for Avocet, Little Tern, Bittern, Marsh Harrier and many others. Excellent visitor centre.
RSPB Reserve on Havergate Island - wilderness on a shingle island.
Rendlesham Forest - now recovered from the Great Storms of 1987 and 1989. Picnic areas, cycle ways and waymarked walks. The deer, above, were photographed in Rendlesham Forest.
Daisy's Walk is a particularly delightful short walk near to Rendlesham Forest.
took place in nearby Rendlesham Forest
in 1980. Unexplained lights were seen in the sky close to RAF Woodbridge
, a United States Airforce airfield, and there were claims that a UFO had landed in the forest. The incident continues to interest ufologists and vigorous debates take place between those who believe that an alien spacecraft landed there and the sceptics who offer alternative explanations.
.jpg)
and Anne Knight
were born in Woodbridge, and fellow writer Bernard Barton
lived in the town in later life. Other residents of note include musicians Brian Eno
, Nate James
and Charlie Simpson
; actors Brian Capron
and Nicholas Pandolfi
; painter Thomas Churchyard
; director-general of the BBC
Ian Jacob
; abolitionist John Clarkson
; Roy Keane
the football manager, and Thomas Seckford
, official at the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
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...
, 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...
, 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 in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben
River Deben
The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising in Debenham -to be precise it has two main sources but the others are mostly fields runoff then , passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry...
, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station
Woodbridge railway station
Woodbridge is a railway station serving the town of Woodbridge in Suffolk. The station is located on the East Suffolk Line .-History:...
on the Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
-Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
East Suffolk Line
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
. Woodbridge is twinned with Mussidan
Mussidan
Mussidan is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-International relations:It is twinned with Woodbridge, Suffolk, England.* Vigy, France; since 1990-References:*...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Woodbridge incorporates probably the most important Anglo-Saxon site in the United Kingdom - the Sutton Hoo Saxon royal burial ship. With 1400 years of recorded history, the town has retained an interesting variety of historical architecture, making it an interesting town just to walk around; there is also the River Deben, for boating and riverside walks. It was voted by Country Living in April 2010 as one of only six top Foodie Town's in the UK
Governance
Woodbridge lies in the Suffolk CoastalSuffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Woodbridge. Other towns include Felixstowe.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Aldeburgh, along with Felixstowe,...
district of the shire county of Suffolk. The Town Council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
was formed in 1974 as a third-tier successor to the Urban District Council and has a mayor and 16 councillors elected for four wards. The town lies in Suffolk Coastal parliamentary constituency
Suffolk Coastal (UK Parliament constituency)
Suffolk Coastal is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.This East Anglian constituency was created in 1983....
and is currently represented by Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Therese Coffey
Therese Coffey
Therese Anne Coffey, Ph.D, is an English Conservative Party politician. She is the Member of Parliament for the Suffolk Coastal constituency, having won the seat at the general election in May 2010.-Early life and career:...
. and County Councillor Liberal Democrat Caroline Page.
History and heritage
Archaeological finds in the area show habitation from the Neolithic Age (2500-1700 B.C.).The area was under Roman occupation for 300 years following Queen Boadicca's failed rebellion in 59 A.D. but there is little evidence of the Romans' presence. When the Roman soldiers were recalled to Rome in 410 A.D., there was a substantial Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) settlement. It was the Angles who gave East Anglia its name.
In the early 7th century East Anglia rose in importance, under its ruler from the Wuffing dynasty, Redwald of Rendlesham. On his death, around 625 A.D., Redwald was interred in an 80-foot long burial ship, along with many treasures, just across the river Deben from Woodbridge, at Sutton Hoo. When these remains were discovered in 1939, they were the richest treasure ever found in British soil. The treasures are presently kept in the British Museum in London. Replicas of some items, and the story of the finds, are to be found in the Woodbridge Museum, and the National Trust has built a Visitor Centre on the site.
The earliest record of Woodbridge dates from the mid-10th century, when it was acquired by St Aethelwold, bishop of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
, who made it a part of the endowment of the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
he helped to refound at Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
in AD 970. The Domesday Book of 1086 describes Woodbridge as part of the Loes Hundred. Much of Woodbridge was granted to the powerful Bigod family, who built the famous castle at Framlingham.
The town has been a centre for boat-building
Boat building
Boat building, one of the oldest branches of engineering, is concerned with constructing the hulls of boats and, for sailboats, the masts, spars and rigging.-Parts:* Bow - the front and generally sharp end of the hull...
, rope-making
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
and sail-making
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
and Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
had fighting ships built in Woodbridge. The town suffered in the plague of 1349, but recovered enough, and with encouragement from the Canons, and growing general prosperity, to have a new church (now St. Mary's, behind the buildings on the south side of Market Hill)) constructed with limestone from the Wash and decorated with Thetford flint. By the mid 15th century the Brews family had added a tower and porch.
On 12 October 1534, Prior Henry Bassingbourne confirmed Henry VIII’s supremacy over the Church and rejected the incumbent "Roman Bishop". Nonetheless, Woodbridge Priory
Woodbridge Priory
Woodbridge Priory was a small Augustine priory in Woodbridge in the English county of Suffolk. The priory was founded in about 1193 by Ernald Rufus and was dissolved in about 1537 during the dissolution of the monasteries. The site was given to the Wingfield family before passing to Thomas Seckford...
was dissolved three years later.
As religious unrest continued in the reign of the Roman Catholic Mary Tudor, Alexander Gooch, a weaver of Woodbridge, and Alice Driver of Grundisburgh were burnt for heresy on Rushmere Heath. Alice previously had her ears cut off for likening queen Mary to Jezebel. The subsequent religious settlement under Elizabeth I helped Woodbridge industries such as weaving, sail-cloth manufacture, rope-making and salt making to prosper, along with the wool trade. The port was enlarged, and shipbuilding and timber trade became very lucrative, so that a customs house was established in 1589.
Around the town there are various buildings from the Tudor
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
, Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, Regency and Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
eras. Woodbridge has a tide mill in working order, one of only two in the UK and among the earliest. The mill first recorded on the site in 1170 was run by the Augustinian canons. In 1536 it passed to King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. In 1564, Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
granted the mill and the priory to Thomas Seckford
Thomas Seckford
Thomas Seckford was an official at the court of Queen Queen Elizabeth I.Born near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, Seckford was educated at Cambridge, and in 1540 entered Gray's Inn, Thomas became one of Queen Elizabeth I’s two Masters in Ordinary of the Court of Requests which dealt with poor men’s...
. In 1577 he founded Woodbridge School
Woodbridge School
Woodbridge School is an independent school in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, founded in 1577, for the poor of Woodbridge. It was later supported by the Seckford Scheme.Woodbridge School has been co-educational since 1975.-History:...
and the Seckford Almshouses
Seckford Trust
The Seckford Trust is a charitable trust founded in the 16th century by Thomas Seckford that remains active to this day. The trust is based in and operates in the area of Woodbridge, Suffolk. The trust operates the Woodbridge School, a co-educational boarding school founded in 1577 with over 900...
, for the poor of Woodbridge. Two windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s survive, Buttrum's Mill
Buttrum's Mill, Woodbridge
Buttrum's Mill or Trott's Mill is a Grade II listed tower mill at Woodbridge, Suffolk, England which has been restored to working order.-History:...
, and Tricker's Mill
Tricker's Mill, Woodbridge
Tricker's Mill is a Grade II listed tower mill at Woodbridge, Suffolk, England which has been incorporated to a sheltered housing scheme.-History:...
. The former is open to the public.
Education, arts and sports
The town has state and grant-aided primary and secondary education at Farlingaye High School, Woodbridge Primary School, Kyson Primary School, and St Mary's Church of England Voluntarily Aided Primary School. It has a coeducational independent schoolIndependent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, Woodbridge School
Woodbridge School
Woodbridge School is an independent school in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, founded in 1577, for the poor of Woodbridge. It was later supported by the Seckford Scheme.Woodbridge School has been co-educational since 1975.-History:...
, with junior and senior departments and facilities for boarding.
Woodbridge has its own brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
, the Excelsior, which was formed in 1846 and is the oldest community brass band in 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...
. There is a local radio station. The town also has a well-maintained two-hectare walled park. Also of interest ecologically are the Quaker Burial Ground and Fen Meadow, 2.67 hectares of traditionally managed grassland.
There are numerous clubs and associations in the town, including sports clubs for association football, badminton, birdwatching, bowls, cricket, cruising, netball, road running, rugby football, swimming, tennis and yachting.
Places of worship
There are two Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
churches: the medieval St Mary's on Market Hill, and the Victorian St John's on St John's Hill.
The Woodbridge Quay Church in Quay Street, once known as the Quay Meeting House, took its present form when the town's Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and United Reformed congregations merged in 2006. It is now affiliated to the Baptist Union of Great Britain and to the Evangelical Alliance. There is also a Methodist Church in St John's Street, a Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
hall in Gobitt's Yard, and the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury in St John's Street forms a joint parish with Framlingham
Framlingham
Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District of Suffolk, England. Commonly referred to as "Fram" by the locals, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has a population of 3,114 at the 2001 census...
.
Local Wildlife
Dunwich Heath - a National Trust property adjacent to Minsmere RSPB reserve.Foxborrow Farm Foxborrow Farm - a Suffolk Wildlife Trust site. "A wander along the farm trails gives visitors a chance to see some of the work done by the Trust and our tenant farmers to improve the site's wildlife interest."
For a list of the 54 other SWT sites, visit their web site.
RSPB Reserve at Minsmere - famous for Avocet, Little Tern, Bittern, Marsh Harrier and many others. Excellent visitor centre.
RSPB Reserve on Havergate Island - wilderness on a shingle island.
Rendlesham Forest - now recovered from the Great Storms of 1987 and 1989. Picnic areas, cycle ways and waymarked walks. The deer, above, were photographed in Rendlesham Forest.
Daisy's Walk is a particularly delightful short walk near to Rendlesham Forest.
UFO sighting
The so-called Rendlesham Forest incidentRendlesham Forest Incident
The Rendlesham Forest Incident is the name given to a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights and the alleged landing of a craft or multiple craft of unknown origin in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, in late December 1980, just outside RAF Woodbridge, used at the time by the U.S....
took place in nearby Rendlesham Forest
Rendlesham Forest
Rendlesham Forest is a 1500-hectare mixed woodland in Suffolk owned by the Forestry Commission with recreation facilities for walkers, cyclists and campers. Catering to enthusiasts of the 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident, there is a special UFO trail....
in 1980. Unexplained lights were seen in the sky close to RAF Woodbridge
RAF Woodbridge
Royal Air Force Station Woodbridge, more commonly referred to as RAF Woodbridge, is a former Royal Air Force military airbase situated to the east of Woodbridge in the county of Suffolk, England...
, a United States Airforce airfield, and there were claims that a UFO had landed in the forest. The incident continues to interest ufologists and vigorous debates take place between those who believe that an alien spacecraft landed there and the sceptics who offer alternative explanations.
Notable residents
Writers Edward FitzGeraldEdward FitzGerald (poet)
Edward FitzGerald was an English writer, best known as the poet of the first and most famous English translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The spelling of his name as both FitzGerald and Fitzgerald is seen...
and Anne Knight
Anne Knight (children's writer)
For this author's namesake, the social reformer, see Anne Knight.Anne Knight was a Quaker children's writer and educationalist.-Life:...
were born in Woodbridge, and fellow writer Bernard Barton
Bernard Barton
-External links:* at Find-A-Grave...
lived in the town in later life. Other residents of note include musicians Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Nate James
Nate James
Nathaniel James Harold Speas, known as Nate James, is a British soul singer-songwriter. James released his debut soul album Set the Tone in 2005 which won him two MOBO Nominations for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Artist.He released on his Frofunk imprint via Independent Labels around the world and...
and Charlie Simpson
Charlie Simpson
Charles Robert Simpson , is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was the youngest member of multi BRIT Award-winning band Busted, and is the lead vocalist, guitarist and co-lyricist in alternative rock band Fightstar...
; actors Brian Capron
Brian Capron
Brian Capron, born 11 February 1947 at Eye in Suffolk, is a British actor, who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . His father was an Algerian pilot, of French descent, who died in a plane crash before Brian was born....
and Nicholas Pandolfi
Nicholas Pandolfi
Nicholas Pandolfi, also known as Nick Pandolfi, is an English actor, voice artist & radio presenter, who has worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation and Global Radio . He was named BBC Local Radio "Presenter of the Year" at the 2004 Frank Gillard Awards and won the bronze in the category...
; painter Thomas Churchyard
Thomas Churchyard (painter)
Thomas Churchyard was an English lawyer and painter of Woodbridge, Suffolk. He was trained as a solicitor, and worked in the law for many years, but his real interest was landscape painting...
; director-general of the BBC
Director-General of the BBC
The Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC.The position was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC and is now appointed by the BBC Trust....
Ian Jacob
Ian Jacob
Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Ian Claud Jacob GBE, CB, , known as Ian Jacob, was the Military Assistant Secretary to Winston Churchill's war cabinet and later a distinguished broadcasting executive, serving as the Director-General of the BBC from 1952 to 1960.-Early life:Jacob was born in 1899 in...
; abolitionist John Clarkson
John Clarkson (abolitionist)
Lieutenant John Clarkson, RN was the younger brother of Thomas Clarkson, one of the central figures in the abolition of slavery in England and the British Empire at the close of the 18th century...
; Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
the football manager, and Thomas Seckford
Thomas Seckford
Thomas Seckford was an official at the court of Queen Queen Elizabeth I.Born near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, Seckford was educated at Cambridge, and in 1540 entered Gray's Inn, Thomas became one of Queen Elizabeth I’s two Masters in Ordinary of the Court of Requests which dealt with poor men’s...
, official at the court of Queen Elizabeth I.