East Bergholt

East Bergholt is a village in the Babergh District of Suffolk, England, just north of the Essex border.

East Bergholt and Hadleigh are the largest villages in the Stour Valley, a region historically known for its manufacture of linens The nearest town and railway station is Manningtree, Essex. East Bergholt is ten miles north of Colchester and 8 miles south of Ipswich. Schools include East Bergholt High School, a comprehensive for children aged 11-16, and a primary school.

During the 16th century, its inhabitants became well known for Protestant radicalism A few of its citizens were martyred during the reign of Queen Mary I, and the Protestant martyrologist John Foxe recorded their stories in his famous work Acts and Monuments (also known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs).

East Bergholt is the birthplace of painter John Constable whose father owned Flatford Mill. Flatford and Dedham, Essex, both made famous by John Constable, are within walking distance of East Bergholt.

The village is "twinned" with the village of Barbizon in France.

St. Mary's Church and its famous bell cage
The Church of St Mary the Virgin was built in the 15th and 16th centuries, but is well known for the absence of a tower or spire to house the bells. Work began on a tower in 1525, but Cardinal Wolsey's fall from grace in 1530 brought construction to a halt and the following year a wooden bell cage was erected in the churchyard. This temporary structure still exists although not in its original position. It was moved from the south to the north side of the church in the 17th century because the occupant of Old Hall objected to the noise of the bells. The bells are exceptional in that they are not rung from below by ropes attached to wheels, as is usual in change ringing, but the headstock is manipulated by hand by ringers standing beside the bells.

The bells are believed to be the heaviest five (A, G, F#, E, and D) that are rung in England today, with a total weight of 4¼ tons.

Other important buildings



 * Old Hall, with over 100 rooms and 355 windows has been in its time a manor house, nunnery, army barracks and friary. It now houses the Old Hall Community, a single household of about 60 people who are drawn together by their desire to live co-operatively and farm organically.
 * Stour House was once the home of Randolph Churchill.
 * East Bergholt Place, home of the Eley family and "The Place for Plants" garden centre is noted for camelias.
 * Lambe School
 * Bridge Cottage is a 16th-century cottage used as a location by John Constable.

Climate


East Bergholt has a weather station for which data is available. The village experiences a maritime climate with a narrow range of temperature and rainfall spread evenly throughout the year. See Ipswich Climate data.