Southwold
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Southwold is an ancient town in the Waveney district in Suffolk, East Anglia, England, at the mouth of the River Blyth.
History
Southwold was mentioned in the Domesday Book as an important fishing port, and it received a town charter from Henry VII in 1489. Over the following centuries, however, a shingle bar built up across the harbour mouth, and ruined any chance of the town becoming a major port.In 1659 a fire devastated most of the town and damaged St Edmunds Church whose original structure dated from the 12th century. The fire created a number of open spaces within the town which were never rebuilt. Today these greens, and the restriction of expansion because of the surrounding marshes, give the town a pleasant atmosphere.
On the green just above the beach, descriptively named Gun Hill, the six eighteen-pounder cannon commemorate the battle of Sole Bay, fought in 1672 between English and French fleets on one side and the Dutch (under Michiel de Ruyter) on the other. The battle was bloody but indecisive, and many bodies were washed ashore. Southwold museum has a collection of mementoes of the event.
The cannon were captured from the Scots at Culloden and given to the town by the Duke of Cumberland.
The Southwold Railway, a narrow-gauge line, ran from Southwold to Halesworth from 24 September 1879 to April 11 1929. There are plans to revive the Southwold Railway, partly on the original trackbed and partly on a new formation.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
Southwold lighthouse was constructed in 1887 by Trinity House. It stands as a landmark in the centre of the town. It replaced three local lighthouses which were under serious threat from coastal erosion. It started to operate in 1890. It was electrified and de-manned in 1938. Trinity House organises visits to the lighthouse during the summer.
In 1890 the Adnams Sole Bay brewery was re-built on the same site it has occupied since 1660.
Southwold Pier was built in 1900, was practically destroyed by a gale in 1934, and had a major refurbishment in 2001. Whilst many English seaside piers are in decline, Southwold Pier is enjoying renewed popularity. It includes a collection of modern coin-operated novelty machines.
Another memento of maritime heritage is the 1912 Looe lugger Girl Sybil.
During World War II, the cannon on Gun Hill meant that Southwold gained the status of "fortified town". Despite them being filled with concrete and unable to fire, Southwold became the target of many bombing raids by Germany.
The Electric Picture Palace cinema was opened in 2002, a pastiche of the original 1912 cinema that stood nearby.
The town also contains an Amber Museum.
George Orwell
The writer George Orwell lived from time to time in Southwold at his parents' home. A plaque can be seen next door to what is now the fish and chip shop at the far end of the High Street.From January to June 1922 he attended a cramming establishment in Southwold to prepare for his India Office exams. He returned in 1929 ill and broke after the experiences later described in Down and Out in Paris and London, and wrote Burmese Days.
In 1934 he spent ten months in the town after ill-health forced him to give up his teaching job, writing A Clergyman's Daughter which is partly set in a fictionalised Southwold..
His final visit to Southwold was in 1939.
River Blyth harbour
Southwold harbour lies south of the town on the River Blyth. It extends from the river mouth to nearly a mile upstream and serves mainly fishing and small pleasure boats. Many huts sell freshly caught fish, and at the upstream end of the harbour is the public house The Harbour Inn.The river can be crossed on foot or bicycle by a public footbridge close to The Harbour Inn giving access to the nearby village of Walberswick.
In summer, towards the mouth of the River Blyth, there is a rowing boat ferry. The ferry has been operated by the same family since the 1920s, when it was a chain ferry that could take cars.
Beach
The beach is a combination of sand and shingle, and fluctuates between the two over the year. Long shore drift causes the large stones broken off the cliffs to the north to become pebbles along the beach. During the summer less shingle is brought south along the coast by this effect and thus towards the summer the beach becomes more sandy.
The beach is looked down upon by two rows of brightly painted beach huts. In previous decades many of the huts were given humorous or punning names, but this custom now seems to have faded away.
Christmas
On the first Friday of December, the annual switching-on of the Christmas lights takes place. Thousands of people come to the town to see Father Christmas switch the lights on from the Town Hall balcony.External links
- [A Short History of the Southwold Railway]
- [George Orwell in Southwold]
- [Photos of Southwold]
- [Brief details of Southwold history]
- [Very detailed history of places in Southwold]
- [Southwold Museum]
- [Opening times for the four Southwold museums]
- [Online edition of free monthly newspaper Southwold Organ]
- [Ferry times and fares]
- [The Electric Picture Palace Cinema]
- [Southwold harbour, ferry, amber museum, sand art, and pier.]
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