Rattlesden



Rattlesden is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around four miles west of Stowmarket, the parish also includes the hamlets of Hightown Green and Poystreet Green. Its large and ancient church, St. Nicholas, dates from the 13th century and incorporates many additions and changes from over the centuries. In 1975, the historic core of the village was named a "Conservation Area" by the District Council under the guidelines of English Heritage.

The village and the surrounding area, like much of East Anglia, was a hotbed of Puritan sentiment during much of the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1634, a local wheelwright, Richard Kimball led a relatively large company from Rattlesden to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as part of the wave of emigration that occurred during the Great Migration.

During World War II, Rattlesden was the site of a U.S. Army Air Force heavy bomber base known as RAF Rattlesden. The site is now used by the Rattlesden Gliding Club.

In 2005 the population of Rattlesden was 900. The parish also contains the hamlets of Poystreet Green and Hightown Green.