Suffolk 27886 225639665 2008-07-14T18:05:20Z Martarius 4905985 /* External links */ removed unnecessary line {{otheruses}} {| border=1 cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width=300 style="margin:4px;" |- !colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Suffolk |- |colspan=2 align=center|[[Image:EnglandSuffolk.png]] |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Geography |- |width="45%"|Status:||[[Ceremonial counties of England|Ceremonial]] & [[Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England|Non-metropolitan]] county |- |Region:||[[East of England]]<ref name=region>[http://ec.europa.eu/comm/eurostat/ramon/nuts/codelist_en.cfm?list=nuts Hierarchical list of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics and the statistical regions of Europe] The [[European Commission]], Statistical Office of the European Communities (retrieved [[06 January]] [[2008]])</ref> |- |[[Surface area|Area]]:<br>- Total<br>- Admin. council||[[List of Ceremonial counties of England by Area|Ranked 8th]]<br>3,801 [[square kilometre|km²]] / 1,467 [[square mile]]s<br>[[List of Administrative shire counties of England by Area|Ranked 7th]] |- |Admin HQ:||[[Ipswich]] |- |[[ISO 3166-2:GB|ISO 3166-2]]:||GB-SFK |- |[[ONS coding system|ONS code]]:||42 |- |[[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS]] 3:||UKH14 |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Demographics |- |[[Population]]:<br />- Total ({{English statistics year}})<br />- [[Density]]<br />- Admin. Council |[[List of ceremonial counties of England by population|Ranked {{English cerem counties|RNK=Suffolk}}]]<br />{{English cerem counties|POP=Suffolk}}<br />{{English cerem counties|DEN=Suffolk}} / km²<br />[[List of non-metropolitan counties of England by population|Ranked {{English admin counties|RNK=Suffolk}}]] |- |Ethnicity:||97.2% White |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Politics |- |colspan=2 align=center|[[Image:Arms_of_Suffolk.svg|200px]]<br>Suffolk County Council<br>http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/ |- |Executive:||{{English county control|CTY=Suffolk}} |- |colspan=2 align=center|[[MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005|Members of Parliament]] |- |colspan=2|[[Bob Blizzard]] [[Labour Party (UK)|(L)]]<br>[[John Gummer]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]]<br>[[Michael Lord]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]]<br>[[Chris Mole]] [[Labour Party (UK)|(L)]]<br>[[David Ruffley]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]]<br>[[Richard Spring]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]]<br>[[Tim Yeo]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]] |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Districts |- |colspan=2|<center>[[Image:SuffolkNumbered.png]]</center> #[[Ipswich (borough)|Ipswich]] #[[Suffolk Coastal]] #[[Waveney]] #[[Mid Suffolk]] #[[Babergh]] #[[St Edmundsbury (borough)|St Edmundsbury]] #[[Forest Heath]] |} '''Suffolk''' ({{pronEng|ˈsʌfək}}) is a [[Non-metropolitan counties of England|non-metropolitan county]] of [[Historic counties of England|historic origin]] in [[East Anglia]], [[England]]. It has borders with [[Norfolk]] to the north, [[Cambridgeshire]] to the west and [[Essex]] to the south. The [[North Sea]] lies to the east. The [[county town]] is [[Ipswich]], at {{coor dms|52|03|22|N|1|08|59|E|}} and other important towns include [[Lowestoft]] and [[Bury St Edmunds]]. [[Felixstowe]] is one of the largest [[Containerization|container]] ports in Europe.<ref>[http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/shippingports/ports/ir/felixstowesouth/felixstowesouthreconfigurati4953?page=12 Felixstowe South reconfiguration inspector's report] Department for Transport</ref> The county is low-lying with few hills, and is largely [[wetland]] habitat and [[arable land]] with the wetlands of [[The Broads]] in the North. The [[Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB|Suffolk Coast and Heaths]] are an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]]. ==History== {{main|History of Suffolk}} Suffolk was part of the [[kingdom of East Anglia]] which was settled by the [[Angles]] in the 5th century. Suffolk was divided into separate [[Quarter Sessions]] divisions. These were originally four in number, reduced to two in 1860: the eastern division being administered from [[Ipswich]] and the western from [[Bury St Edmunds]]. The two divisions were made separate administrative counties as [[East Suffolk]] and [[West Suffolk]] under the [[Local Government Act 1888]], with Ipswich becoming a [[county borough]]. Under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], East Suffolk, West Suffolk and Ipswich were merged to form a unified county of Suffolk on [[April 1]], [[1974]]. This was divided into several [[non-metropolitan district|local government district]]s: [[Babergh]], [[Forest Heath]], [[Ipswich]], [[Mid Suffolk]], [[St. Edmundsbury]], [[Suffolk Coastal]], [[Waveney]]. This also saw a further part of land near [[Great Yarmouth]] become part of Norfolk. As introduced into Parliament, the Local Government Bill would have included [[Newmarket, Suffolk|Newmarket]] and [[Haverhill, Suffolk|Haverhill]] into Cambridgeshire, with it being compensated by the inclusion of [[Colchester]] from [[Essex]]: these proposals were ultimately decided against. The [[Department for Communities and Local Government]] has referred [[Ipswich|Ipswich Borough Council]]'s bid to become a new unitary authority to the [[Boundary Committee]].<ref>[http://www.unitaryipswich.com/ Unitary Ipswich] - Ipswich's bid for unitary status</ref><ref>[http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1509022 Communities and Local Government] - Proposals for future unitary structures: Stakeholder consultation</ref> The Boundary Committee will report back by the end of the year. West Suffolk is, like nearby [[East Cambridgeshire]], renowned for [[archaeology|archaeological]] finds from the [[Stone Age]], the [[Bronze Age]] and the [[Iron Age]]. Bronze Age artefacts have been found in the area between [[Mildenhall, Suffolk|Mildenhall]] and [[West Row]], in [[Eriswell]] and in [[Lakenheath]]<ref>{{cite book|title= Fenland survey : an essay in landscape and persistence / David Hall and John Coles |first=David|last=Hall|origdate=1994|publisher=London; English Heritage|id=ISBN 1-85074-477-7 }}, p. 81-88</ref>. Many bronze objects, such as swords, spear-heads, arrows, axes, [[axe|palstaves]], knives, daggers, rapiers, armour, decorative equipment (in particular for horses) and fragments of sheet bronze, are entrusted to the Moyse's Hall Museum in [[Bury St Edmunds]]. Other finds include traces of [[cremation]]s and [[tumulus|barrows]]. ==Economy== The majority of [[agriculture]] in Suffolk is either arable or mixed. Farm sizes vary from anything around 80 acres to over 8,000. Soil types vary from heavy clays through to light sands. Crops grown include winter wheat, winter barley, sugar beet, oil seed rape, winter and spring beans and linseed, although smaller areas of rye and oats can be found in lighter areas along with a variety of vegetables. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Suffolk at current basic prices [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf published] (pp.240-253) by ''Office for National Statistics'' with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year || Regional Gross Value Added<ref name="fn_4">Components may not sum to totals due to rounding</ref> || Agriculture<ref name="fn_1">includes hunting and forestry</ref> || Industry<ref name="fn_2">includes energy and construction</ref> || Services<ref name="fn_3">includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured</ref> |- | 1995 || '''7,113''' || 391 || 2,449 || 4,273 |- | 2000 || '''8,096''' || 259 || 2,589 || 5,248 |- | 2003 || '''9,456''' || 270 || 2,602 || 6,583 |} :''See also: [[:Category:Companies based in Suffolk|Companies based in Suffolk]]'' Well-known companies in Suffolk are [[Greene King Brewery|Greene King]] and [[Branston (food)|Branston Pickle]] in Bury St Edmunds. [[Birds Eye]] have their largest UK factory in Lowestoft, where all their meat products and frozen vegetables come from. [[Huntley & Palmers]] biscuit company are now in Sudbury. The UK [[horse racing]] industry is based in Newmarket. There are two [[United States Air Force|USAF]] bases in the west of the county close to the A11. [[Sizewell B nuclear power station]] is at [[Sizewell]] on the coast near [[Leiston]]. [[Bernard Matthews]] have some processing units in the county, specifically [[Holton, Suffolk|Holton]]. [[Southwold]] is the home of [[Adnams Brewery]]. [[Felixstowe]] is an important port, and is the largest [[containerization|container]] port in the United Kingdom. [[BT_Group_plc|BT]] has its main research and development facility at [[Martlesham]]. ==Geology, landscape and ecology== Much of Suffolk is low-lying on [[Eocene]] [[sand]] and [[clay]]s. These rocks are relatively [[resistance (geology)|unresistant]] and on the coast are [[erosion|eroded]] rapidly. [[Coastal defences]] have been used to protect several towns, but several cliff-top houses have been lost to coastal erosion in the past. The west of the county lies on more resistant [[Cretaceous]] [[Chalk]]. This chalk is the north-eastern extreme of the [[Southern England Chalk Formation]] that stretches from [[Dorset]] in the south west to [[Dover]] in the south east. The Chalk is less easily eroded so forms the only significant hills in the county. The highest point of the county is [[Great Wood Hill]], the highest point of the [[Newmarket Ridge]], near the village of Rede which reaches 128 [[metres|m]] (420 [[Foot (unit of length)|ft]]). ==Demographics== The [[United Kingdom Census 2001|Census 2001]] Suffolk recorded a [[population]] of 668,548. Between 1981 and 2001 the population of the county grew by 13%, with the district of [[Mid Suffolk]] growing fastest at 25%. The population growth is due largely to [[Human migration|migration]] rather than natural increase. There is a very low population between the ages of 15 and 29 as the county has few large towns and institutions of higher education, though the 15-to-29 population in Ipswich is average. There is a larger population over the age of 35, and a larger than average retired population. Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such as a [[Tyke]] from [[Yorkshire]] and a [[Yellowbelly]] from [[Lincolnshire]]; the traditional nickname for people from Suffolk is 'Suffolk Fair-Maids', or 'Silly Suffolk', referring respectively to the supposed beauty of its female inhabitants in the Middle Ages, and to the long history of Christianity in the county and its many fine churches (from Anglo-Saxon ''selige'', originally meaning holy). ==Cities, towns and villages== The agreed-upon number of established communities in Suffolk varies greatly because of the large number of the all but non-existent hamlets which may consist of just a single farm and a deconsecrated church: remnants of wealthy communities, some dating back to the early days of the Christian era. Suffolk encompasses one of the most ancient regions of the UK: A monastery in [[Bury St. Edmunds]] founded in 630AD, plotting of [[Magna Carta]] in 1215; the oldest documented structural element of a still inhabited dwelling in Britain found in [[Clare, Suffolk|Clare]]. This comparatively recent evidence is but a coda to the widespread settlement in the region shown by earlier archaeological evidence of Mesolithic man as far back as c.7000BC, ([[Grimes Graves]], Norfolk - a 5000 y/o flint mine) with Roman settlements [[Lakenheath]], [[Long Melford]], later Bronze and Saxon settlements. [[Sutton Hoo]]: burial ground of the Anglo-Saxon pagan kings of East Anglia. :''For a full list of settlements see the [[List of places in Suffolk]].'' ==Notable people from Suffolk== [[Image:Mr and Mrs Andrews 1748-49.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Gainsborough's ''[[Mr and Mrs Andrews]]'' (1748-49), in the [[National Gallery, London|National Gallery]] in London, depicts in the background the Suffolk landscape of his time.]] :''See also: [[:Category:People from Suffolk|People from Suffolk]]'' In the arts, Suffolk is noted for having been the home to two of England's best regarded [[painter]]s, [[Thomas Gainsborough]] and [[John Constable]] - the Stour Valley area is branded as "Constable Country" - and one of its most noted [[composer]]s, [[Benjamin Britten]]. Other artists of note from Suffolk include the [[cartoonist]] [[Carl Giles]] (a bronze statue of his character "Grandma" to commemorate this is located in [[Ipswich]] town centre), [[poet]] [[Robert Bloomfield]], [[writer]] and [[Literary editor|editor]] [[Ronald Blythe]], actors [[Ralph Fiennes]] and [[Bob Hoskins]], musician and [[record producer]] [[Brian Eno]] and [[Dani Filth]], singer of the Suffolk-based [[black metal]] group, [[Cradle of Filth]]. [[Hip-hop]] [[DJ]] [[Tim Westwood]] is originally from Suffolk and the influential [[DJ]] and [[radio presenter]] [[John Peel]] made the county his home. Suffolk's contributions to sport include [[Formula 1]] magnate [[Bernie Ecclestone]] and [[England national football team|England]] [[football (soccer)|football]]ers [[Terry Butcher]], [[Kieron Dyer]] and [[Matthew Upson]]. Due to [[Newmarket, Suffolk|Newmarket]] being the centre of British [[horseracing]] many [[jockey]]s have settled in the county, including [[Lester Piggott]] and [[Frankie Dettori]]. Significant ecclesiastical figures from Suffolk include former [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Simon Sudbury]], King of East Anglia and Christian [[martyr]] [[St Edmund]] (after whom the town of [[Bury St Edmunds]] is named), [[Tudor period|Tudor]] [[Catholic]] [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]] [[Thomas Cardinal Wolsey|Thomas Wolsey]], and author, poet and Benedictine monk [[John Lydgate]] Other significant persons from Suffolk include the [[Suffragette]], [[Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett]], captain of ''[[HMS Beagle]]'', [[Robert FitzRoy]], Witch-finder General [[Matthew Hopkins]] and both Britain's first female [[physician]] and [[mayor]], [[Elizabeth Garrett Anderson]]. [[charitable organization|Charity]] leader [[Sue Ryder]] settled in Suffolk and based her charity in [[Cavendish, Suffolk|Cavendish]]. ==Education== ===Primary and Secondary=== ''See also [[List of schools in Suffolk]]'' Suffolk has a [[comprehensive education]] system with fourteen [[independent schools]]. Unusually for the UK, most of Suffolk has a 3-tier school system in place with [[Primary Schools]] (ages 5-9),[[Middle Schools in England | Middle Schools]] (ages 9-13) and Upper Schools (ages 13-16). However, a 2006 Suffolk County Council study has concluded that Suffolk should move to the 2-tier school system used in the majority of the UK. <ref> [http://www.sudburytoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=850&ArticleID=1912030 "Middle Schools Under Threat" Suffolk Free Press - Dec 2006]</ref> The exception to this is in the Ipswich district and some in the districts of Suffolk Coastal, Mid Suffolk, and Babergh where the more common have 11-16 age schools are in place. All of the county's Upper schools have a [[sixth form]] as there are no specific sixth form colleges (though most [[further education]] colleges in the county offer [[A-level]] courses). In terms of school population, Suffolk's individual schools are large with the Ipswich district with the largest school population and Forest Heath the smallest, with just two schools. ===Tertiary=== [[University Campus Suffolk]], a collaboration between the [[University of Essex]], the [[University of East Anglia]], partner colleges and local government, began accepting its first students in September 2007. The main Ipswich based waterfront campus building is due for completion in September 2008 <ref>[http://www.ucs.ac.uk/prospectus/campuses.asp University Campus Suffolk - Ipswich]</ref>. Prior to this Suffolk was one of the few English counties not to contain a University campus. ==Sport== ===Football=== The county's sole professional [[Association football|football]] club is [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]]. Formed in 1878, the club were [[Football League First Division|Football League champions]] in [[1962 in football (soccer)|1961&ndash;62]], [[FA Cup]] winners in [[1978 in football (soccer)|1977&ndash;78]] and [[UEFA Cup]] winners in [[1981 in football (soccer)|1980&ndash;81]].<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://web.archive.org/web/20051213211801/www.itfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HistoryDetail/0,,10272~347323,00.html| title = Club honours | accessdate = 2008-04-14 | publisher = Ipswich Town F.C. }}</ref> Ipswich Town currently play in the [[Football League Championship]] - the next highest ranked teams in Suffolk are [[Bury Town F.C.|Bury Town]] and [[A.F.C. Sudbury]] of the [[Isthmian League Division One North]]. ===Horse racing=== The town of [[Newmarket, Suffolk|Newmarket]] is the is the headquarters of [[Horseracing in Great Britain|British horseracing]] - home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country, many key horse racing organisations and [[Newmarket Racecourse]]. [[Point to point racing]] takes place at [[Higham, Babergh|Higham]] and [[Ampton]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pointingea.com/courses/courses.htm|title=Courses|publisher=www.pointingea.com|accessdate=2008-04-14}}</ref> ===Speedway=== [[Speedway]] racing has been staged in Suffolk since at least the 1950s, following the construction of the [[Foxhall Stadium]], just outside Ipswich, home of the [[Ipswich Witches]]. The Witches are currently members of the [[Speedway Elite League]], the UK's top division. [[Speedway Premier League]] team [[Mildenhall Fen Tigers]] are also from Suffolk. == Suffolk in popular culture == A TV series about a British antiques dealer, [[Lovejoy]], was filmed in various locations in Suffolk.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090477/locations "Lovejoy" (1986) - Filming locations<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The [[reality TV]] Series [[Space Cadets]] was filmed in [[Rendlesham Forest]], although the producers pretended to the participants that they were in [[Russia]]. ==See also== * [[List of places in Suffolk#Places of interest|List of places of interest in Suffolk]] *[[Rendlesham Forest Incident]] *[[Flag of Suffolk]] *[[Suffolk Youth Orchestra]] ==References== {{reflist|1}} {{refbegin}} <!-- add references below --> {{refend}} ==External links== * [http://www.suffolkobservatory.info/ Suffolk Observatory - Suffolk's Vital Statistics] * [http://www.choosesuffolk.com/ Promoting Suffolk] * [http://www.visitsuffolk.org.uk/ Tourism in Suffolk] * [http://www.suffolk.gov.uk Suffolk County Council] * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk BBC Suffolk] * [http://www.visit-suffolkcoast.co.uk Visit Suffolk Coast] * [http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/churchlists.htm Suffolk Churches] * [http://www.midsuffolkagriphotos.co.uk Photos of Suffolk's agriculture] * [http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/pronunciation.htm Pronunciation of Suffolk place names] <br /> {{England counties}} [[Category:Suffolk|*]] [[ang:Sūþfolc]] [[ar:سوفولك]] [[ca:Suffolk]] [[cs:Suffolk]] [[cy:Suffolk]] [[de:Suffolk]] [[et:Suffolk]] [[es:Suffolk]] [[eo:Suffolk]] [[eu:Suffolk]] [[fr:Suffolk]] [[ko:서퍽 주]] [[hi:सफ़क]] [[id:Suffolk]] [[is:Suffolk]] [[it:Suffolk]] [[he:סאפוק]] [[kw:Suffolk]] [[la:Suffolcia]] [[lv:Safolka]] [[lb:Suffolk]] [[nl:Suffolk]] [[ja:サフォーク]] [[no:Suffolk]] [[pl:Suffolk]] [[pt:Suffolk]] [[ro:Suffolk]] [[ru:Саффолк]] [[simple:Suffolk]] [[sk:Suffolk (grófstvo)]] [[fi:Suffolk]] [[sv:Suffolk]] [[vo:Suffolk]] [[zh:薩福克郡]]