Blundeston

Blundeston

Church of St Mary, Blundeston
Blundeston
Blundeston shown within Suffolk
Population 1,637 (2011 census)[1]
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Lowestoft
Postcode district NR32 5
Dialling code 01502
EU Parliament East of England

Blundeston is a village and civil parish in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk.[2] It is situated in the north of the county, about 2 miles (3 km) inland between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, close to the North Sea coast. Blundeston Prison was located on the southern edge of the village but closed and sold in 2016. The old prison site is being redeveloped to include housing and community facilities.

History

Blundeston was not mentioned in Domesday Book, but a place therein called Dunstuna may be an erroneous form of the name. This as a small village in the hundred of Lothingland. It consisted of a handful of families and was part of the holding of Robert of Vaux.

St Mary's Church

The parish church is medieval in origin and dedicated to St Mary.[3] It is a Grade I listed building and an example of a Round-tower church, the tower of which is of Norman or possibly Saxon origin and dates from the 11th century or earlier, whilst the nave is 12th century.[3]

Local amenities

On the junction of Church Road and Pound Lane there is a circular village pound which was used for storing stray animals.[4] At the end of Church Road on the junction between Short Road and The Street there is a disused windmill.

The village contains Blundeston CEVC Primary Schoolas well as a hairdresser, a scuba diving centre, and Blundeston Garden Centre. Situated on Church Road is the old fire station which has now become a piano gallery. The village has a pub, the Plough Inn. The Red Lion pub closed in 2010.

Dickens connection

Blundeston is probably best known for being the birthplace of David Copperfield in the novel of the same name by Charles Dickens.[5] It is not known whether Dickens ever visited Blundeston, but from letters he wrote he mentions choosing the name after seeing it on a signpost during a visit to Great Yarmouth.[5] Links with the novel are prevalent in Blundeston today with road names such as Copperfield Terrace and Dickens Court. On the village sign David is pictured looking towards the church, and the Plough Inn has a plaque over its entrance that says "Barkis (the Carrier) from the novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, started from here".[6] The classes in the primary school are called Micawber, Trotwood, Peggoty, Copperfield and Barkis after characters in the novel.

Blundeston Church in 1929
Blundeston Church in 1929

Sports

The village is the home of Blundeston Cricket Club, who play in the Norfolk Cricket League.

Notable residents

  • James Mayhew – The famous author and illustrator of children's books was brought up in Blundeston

References

  1. ↑ Parish population 2011. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  2. ↑ OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : ISBN 0 319 24086 X.
  3. 1 2 Church of St Mary, Blundeston, British Listed Building. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  4. ↑ Pound at Junction with Pound Lane, Blundeston, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  5. 1 2 What the Dickens is going on at Blundeston church?, Eastern Daily Press, 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  6. ↑ The Plough, Blundeston, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
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