Beccles

The name is conjectured to be derived from Becc-Liss* (Brittonic=Small-court). However, also offered is Bece-laes* (Old English=Meadow by Stream), as well as a contraction of Beata Ecclesia, the name of the Christian temple erected c. 960 by the monks of the monastery of Bury.[4] Once a flourishing Anglian riverport, it lies in the Waveney valley and is a popular boating centre. The town was granted its Charter in 1584 by Elizabeth I.

Sir John Leman (died 1632) was a tradesman from Beccles who became Lord Mayor of London.

Long associated with Beccles (including recent mayors) is the Peck family.[5] Among those Pecks who have made a place in history is the Rev. Robert Peck,[6] described by Blomfield in his history of Norfolk as a man with a 'violent schismatic spirit' who led a movement within the church of St Andrew's in nearby Hingham, Norfolk, in opposition to the established Anglicanism of the day.[7] The Puritan Peck was eventually forced to flee to Hingham, Massachusetts, founded by many members of his parish, where he resided for several years, until King Charles I had been executed and Oliver Cromwell had taken the reins of government.[8] Robert Peck then elected to return to Hingham, Norfolk, and resumed as rector of St Andrew's Church. He died in Hingham but left descendants in America, including his brother Joseph Peck, who settled in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Robert's daughter Ann Peck (16 November 1619 – 30 June 1672) also remained in Massachusetts, and married John Mason, who led colonial forces in the Pequot War.[9][10][11]

In 1794, François-René de Chateaubriand, while in exile, taught here French language and literature. He fell in love with Charlotte Ives, daughter of Bungay's reverend. (See: first part of Mémoires d'outre-tombe, book 10, chapter 9 "Charlotte".)

Under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 the borough was reformed, Beccles retaining municipal borough status until the reorganisation of local government in 1974, when it was merged with surrounding authorities to become Waveney District. The successor civil parish has adopted town status.

Beccles was struck by an F1/T3 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.[12]

Beccles Town Hall

There is an 18th-century octagonal town hall.

Beccles Museum is housed in Leman House, a Grade I listed building and has a collection of agricultural, industrial and domestic items, including collections of tools, boat building, printing, costumes and natural history.

Church

Construction of the Southern Relief Road, in the summer of 2018

Beccles Southern Relief Road

Location	Suffolk
Proposer	Suffolk County Council
Cost estimate	£7.0 million (estimated final 2018)
Start date	31 August 2017
Completion date	25 September 2018

St. Michael's Church and bell tower

The townscape is dominated by the detached 16th century bell tower (known as the Beccles bell tower) of St Michael's Church. Like the main body of the church, the tower is Perpendicular Gothic in style and is 97 ft tall. The interior of the church was badly damaged by fire in 1586. It has a 13th-century font.

The tower is not attached to the church and at the wrong end of the church as the correct end would be too close to a large cliff.

It was at this church in 1749 that the mother of Horatio Nelson, Catherine Suckling, married the Reverend Edmund Nelson (a former curate of Beccles). The Suffolk poet George Crabbe married Sarah Elmy at Beccles Church in the 18th century.

The town is bypassed to the north by the A146 road between Norwich in Norfolk and Lowestoft in Suffolk. The bypass was built in the 1980s and the main road previously ran through the town, crossing the River Waveney at the narrow Beccles bridge. The link road between the A146 and the town is George Westwood Way, in memory of a Deputy Mayor, George Lionel Westwood, who fought hard for the construction of the bypass. The A145 used to run from the A146 through the town centre to link with the A12 at Blythburgh, 11 miles (18 km) to the south of Beccles; the official route of the road now runs via the Beccles Southern Relief Road to indicate to drivers, particularly those of HGVs, that they can avoid the town; this is intended to make the relief road effective in keeping unnecessary traffic out of the town. A number of bus services link the town with both Norwich and Lowestoft as well as surrounding villages. Many of the modern streets have the suffix 'gate'; for example, Hulvergate, Smallgate and Blyburgate. This is derived from the Old Norse for "street", and is similar to the modern Danish word gade.

The town is served by Beccles railway station on the East Suffolk Line between Ipswich and Lowestoft. Services run hourly in each direction on weekdays following the completion of the Beccles rail loop in 2012. This rebuilt the disused island platform and relaid track to allow trains to pass at Beccles, the only point north of Saxmundham where this is possible. Services are operated by Abellio Greater Anglia. The town was formerly the eastern terminus of the Waveney Valley Line linking to the Great Eastern Main Line at Tivetshall in Norfolk and the southern terminus of the Yarmouth to Beccles Line which ran across the River Waveney marshes to Great Yarmouth. Both lines closed between 1954 and 1966 as a result of the Beeching cuts.

Beccles Airport is located around 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of the town. Originally built as a wartime airfield, this was the site of a heliport servicing the North Sea petrochemical industry and is now a base for light aircraft.

National Cycle Route 1 (which runs from London to the Orkney Islands) passes through Beccles. Along with Regional Route 30 (Wells-next-the-sea to Brandon) and Regional Route 31 (Reedham Ferry to Southwold).[13]

Beccles is served by Sir John Leman High School (11–18) and Beccles Free School (11–16) for Secondary Education.

There is a wider range of primary schools, including Beccles Primary Academy (formerly Crowfoot Primary School), and the Albert Pye and Ravensmere Infants School Federation. Recently, all of the primary schools have been turned into academies.

Sir John Mills, English stage and film actor, attended the (then) Sir John Leman Grammar School.

For many years, Beccles Sea Cadets[17] – and more recently, Beccles Royal Marines Cadets[18] – under their training ship name T.S. Brave have worked within the community by assisting organisations and activities such as the Beccles Carnival. They share a varied and colourful affiliation with HMS Brave.

Beccles is also home to 759 (Beccles) Air Cadets, who take part in a variety of activities such as flying and gliding, expeditions and sports. Beccles Air Cadets play a small role in the community

Beccles' main football team is Beccles Town F.C., established in 1919. As of the 2012–13 season, they are members of the Anglian Combination Premier Division. Beccles also has a football team called Beccles Caxton.

Ellough Park Raceway is south-east of Beccles on the site of the old Ellough airfield. It is a local centre for kart racing.[19]

Beccles is home to two Scouting Groups: 2nd Beccles and 5th Beccles[20]

The annual Beccles Carnival and Family Fun weekend is held during the third weekend in August, which includes the popular Duck Race on the River Waveney.

Its local newspaper is the weekly Beccles & Bungay Journal, formed in 1933[21].

• Claude Auchinleck, general in India and North Africa during the Second World War;
• Hester Burton, author of children's historical fiction, whose father served as Mayor three times.
• William Fiske, goalkeeper for Blackpool[22]
• David Frost, broadcaster
• Charles Hartley, educationist and the Principal of Royal College, Colombo[23]
• Dorothy Hodgkin, Nobel Prize winner;
• Chris Martin, forward for Derby County[24]

• Beccles Airport
• Beccles bell tower
• Beccles Lido
• Beccles railway station
• Beccles Town F.C.
• Alan of Beccles

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beccles.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Beccles.

Look up Beccles in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• "Beccles" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 3 (11th ed.). 1911.