Alpheton Explained

Country:England
Official Name:Alpheton
Coordinates:52.1229°N 0.7487°W
Population:256
Population Ref:(2011)
Shire District:Babergh
Area Total Km2:4.94
Shire County:Suffolk
Region:East of England
Constituency Westminster:South Suffolk
Post Town:SUDBURY
Postcode District:CO10
Postcode Area:CO
Dial Code:01284
Os Grid Reference:TL882507
Static Image Name:Alpheton Church - geograph.org.uk - 198368.jpg
Static Image Caption:Church of St Peter and St Paul, Alpheton
Embedded:
Coord:52.1229°N 0.7487°W

Alpheton is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England.[1] Located on the A134 road about six miles north of Sudbury, in 2005 it had a population of 260, reducing to 256 at the 2011 Census.[2] According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the village name is the homestead of Aelfled.

History

Background

Alpheton is a small but active and welcoming community. The garage on Tye Green is a well-known landmark for those passing through on the A134. Homes, both old and new, are situated along the main road (also known as Old Bury Road), Church Lane and Roseacre to the south-west of Tye Green, The Glebe and Old Bury Road to the north of the village.[3] To the south of the Alpheton is the hamlet of Bridge Street which is also transected by the A134.

Early records

Although the records are sketchy, Alpheton was founded, it is believed, by Aefflead, whose husband Byrthnoth, Earl of Essex, was killed at the battle of Maldon, on the Blackwater River in Essex, in AD 991.

Aefflead was the sister-in-law of the Saxon king Edmund the Elder, and following the battle and the death of her husband, she moved north from Maldon and settled in what was originally called Aefflead's Tun (estate) and probably lived in Alpheton Hall. The name was altered through the ages and is described as Alfreton in the Domesday Book. The origin of the present name is not known, but it would appear that it was a variation on the previous ones.[4]

Later history

The village has changed little over the centuries and has maintained a rural farming existence. There are now four farms in the village, Alpheton Hall, Clapstile Farm, Tye Farm and the largest, Lavenham Lodge. Before the war many of the properties in the village were occupied by people working on the farms. Housing is now a mixture of local authority and privately owned homes.[4]

Two World Wars

Many of the young men of the village fought in The First World War and the names of those who died are inscribed on a marble tablet in the Church. In 1936 the School in the Glebe closed and all the Alpheton pupils had to go to Shimpling. The school building initially became the Village Hall and then a private house when the new hall was built.

In 1939, the Land Girls of the Women's Land Army appeared in Alpheton. They came to help with the work in the fields and they were billeted in homes around the village. The Old Rectory alone had 30 living in all the rooms, which were converted to make dormitories and a sitting room. Other newcomers were the evacuees from the East End of London.

In 1941 construction of the Alpheton/Lavenham Airfield began on the land belonging to Lavenham Lodge Farm. Many Irish workers moved in to work for the construction giant Laings and were accommodated in the Old School. Work on the airfield was completed by 1943 and operational aircraft arrived in 1944. They were B24H and B24J Liberator bombers of 487th Bombardment Group, part of 8th Airforce of the United States. They were later reinforced by B17 Flying Fortresses who remained for a year until the end of the war.[4]

Post-war changes

The Red Lion, known as "The 'alf eaton lion", suffered so much loss of trade from the diversion of the road that it could not keep going and closed in 1964. The closure of the Post Office and the village shop followed in 1975.[4]

Governance

Alpheton lies in the Babergh district of the shire county of Suffolk. The three tiers of local government are administered by Suffolk County Council, Babergh District Council, and the 7-member Alpheton Parish Council. The parish does not currently have a Parish Plan or Village Design Statement.

Community facilities

The church of St Peter and St Paul, at the end of Church Lane next to Alpheton Hall, is believed to date from the 10th century. Although there is no indication of its dedication prior to the Reformation, it probably served as a Chapel for the residents of the Hall.[5] The Village Hall was built in 1977 for the Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee and is the focal point for many village activities.[6] There is a small recreation ground next to the Village Hall.

Listed buildings

English Heritage lists the following listed buildings within the parish of Alpheton.[7] [8] [9]

Grade I

Grade II*

Grade II

NB: The above property details represent the names and addresses that were used at the time that the buildings were listed. In some instances the name of the building may have changed over the intervening years

Planning

In the adopted Babergh Local Plan Alteration No. 2 (2006) Alpheton does not have a defined Built-up area boundary on the Proposals Map and there are no sites allocated for new residential development.[26]

Much of the parish is within an area defined as Special Landscape Area.[27]

Landscape

Within the Suffolk Landscape Character Assessment the parish of Alpheton is within an area defined as[28]

Transport

Shimpling is served by one bus service operated by Hedingham & Chambers:

Education

The village is served by All Saint's CEVCP School, Lawshall, a primary school currently catering for pupils aged 5–11.[32]

Older children attend Hardwick Middle School[33] and King Edward VI CEVC Upper School[34] in Bury St Edmunds.

Local Organisations

Demography

According to the Office for National Statistics, at the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, Alpheton had a population of 242 with 96 households.,[35] increasing to 256 at the 2011 Census.

Patrick Jordan, tv and film character actor, died here, on January the 10th., 2020

Population change

Population growth in Alpheton from 1801 to 1891
Year18011811182118311841185118811891
Population 204208264309321370249234
Source: A Vision of Britain Through Time[36]
Population growth in Alpheton from 1901 to 2001
Year1901191119211931195119612001
Population 244229213189219203242
Source: A Vision of Britain Through Time

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Get-a-map from Ordnance Survey – Alpheton . 1 March 2011.
  2. Web site: Parish population 2011. 12 September 2015.
  3. Web site: Alpheton Village Community – About Us. 27 February 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120616132045/http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/AlphetonPC/AboutUs/. 16 June 2012. dmy-all.
  4. Web site: Alpheton Village Community – History. 27 February 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120616132705/http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/AlphetonPC/History/. 16 June 2012. dmy-all.
  5. Web site: Church » Alpheton Village Website. alpheton.onesuffolk.net. 2019-08-06.
  6. Web site: Alpheton Village Community – Village Hall. 27 February 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080429211619/http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/AlphetonPC/VillageHall/. 29 April 2008. dmy-all.
  7. Web site: Listed Buildings Online – English Heritage . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050925221112/http://lbonline.english-heritage.org.uk/ . 25 September 2005 . 27 February 2011.
  8. Web site: Heritage Gateway . 27 February 2011.
  9. Web site: Alpheton – British Listed Buildings . 27 February 2011.
  10. Web site: CHURCH OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL, Alpheton - 1036728 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  11. Web site: MILL HOUSE, Alpheton - 1285943 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  12. Web site: ALPHETON HALL, Alpheton - 1285967 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  13. Web site: BARN AT OLD HALL FARM, Alpheton - 1351945 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  14. Web site: ELMS FARMHOUSE, Alpheton - 1351712 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  15. Web site: OLD RECTORY, Alpheton - 1036729 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  16. Web site: POST OFFICE AND HOUSE ADJOINING, Alpheton - 1193909 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  17. Web site: CLAPSTILE FARMHOUSE, Alpheton - 1351713 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  18. Web site: BRIDGE COTTAGE, Alpheton - 1036730 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  19. Web site: WASH FARMHOUSE, Alpheton - 1036731 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  20. Web site: TYE FARMHOUSE, Alpheton - 1285947 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  21. Web site: THATCHED COTTAGE, Alpheton - 1351714 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  22. Web site: TALLAGE, Alpheton - 1036732 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  23. Web site: WOODHALL, Alpheton - 1193951 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  24. Web site: SMITHY COTTAGE, Alpheton - 1351715 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  25. Web site: TYE GREEN COTTAGE WREN COTTAGE, Alpheton - 1193973 Historic England . 2024-03-18 . historicengland.org.uk . en.
  26. Web site: Babergh District Council – Babergh Local Plan Alteration No. 2 (2006) – Proposals Mapt . 27 February 2011 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120320194617/http://www.south-suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/07C68E34-4384-42DC-8FDA-8C53C734F539/0/DISTRICT_FINAL_2.pdf . 20 March 2012 .
  27. Web site: Babergh District Council – Babergh Local Plan Alteration No. 2 (2006) – Document. 27 February 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120320194533/http://www.south-suffolk.gov.uk/Babergh/Home/Planning+and+Building+Control/Local+Plan/Babergh+Local+Plan+Alteration+No.+2+(2006)+-+Document.htm. 20 March 2012. dead. dmy-all.
  28. Web site: Suffolk Landscape Character Typology – Landscape Map . 26 February 2011.
  29. Web site: Suffolk Landscape Character Typology – Rolling valley farmlands . 27 February 2011.
  30. Web site: Suffolk Landscape Character Typology – Ancient Rolling Farmlands . 27 February 2011.
  31. Web site: 375 Timetable – H.C. Chambers & Son . 26 February 2011 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716161605/http://www.suffolkonboard.com/content/download/21246/315654/375.pdf . 16 July 2011 .
  32. Web site: All Saint's CEVCP School, Lawshall . Suffolk County Council . 26 February 2011.
  33. Web site: Hardwick Middle School . Suffolk County Council . 26 February 2011.
  34. Web site: King Edward VI CEVC Upper School . Suffolk County Council . 26 February 2011.
  35. Web site: Suffolk County Council – 2001 Census Profiles . 22 February 2011 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110928072020/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A546F6B2-3218-4537-9398-384E6BA430C5/0/CensusParishdata.pdf . 28 September 2011 .
  36. Web site: A Vision of Britain Through Time . University of Portsmouth & others . 22 February 2011.

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