Day One- Aldeburgh and Thorpeness
On Saturday the 17th of August 2024 Mel and I drove 1hour and 40 minutes to Aldeburgh, we parked up on the seafront in a car park just opposite the Scallop Shell.
We walk on over to Maggi Hambling's Scallop.
On Aldeburgh's beach, a short distance north of the town centre, stands a sculpture called Scallop, dedicated to Benjamin Britten, who used to walk along the beach in the afternoons. Created from stainless steel by Suffolk-based artist Maggi Hambling, it stands 15 feet (4.6 metres) high, and was unveiled in November 2003.The piece is made up of two interlocking scallop shells, each broken, the upright shell being pierced with the words: "I hear those voices that will not be drowned," which are taken from Britten's opera Peter Grimes. The sculpture is meant to be enjoyed both visually and tactilely, and people are encouraged to sit on it and watch the sea.
The upright portion of the shell is separated into three sections positioned at slightly different angles. The positioning of these effects a visual transformation, depending on the vantage point from which the sculpture is viewed.
The sculpture is controversial in the local area, with some local residents considering it spoiling the beach. It has been vandalised with graffiti and paint on 13 occasions. There have been petitions for its removal and for its retention.
We walk on along the seafront towards the town, there is a festival this weekend. Sadly the carnival and fireworks are on Monday which is a shame.
It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and has been the centre of the international Aldeburgh Festival of arts at nearby Snape Maltings, founded by Britten in 1948. It remains an arts and literary centre, with an annual Poetry Festival and several food festivals and other events.
As a Tudor port, Aldeburgh was granted borough status in 1529 by Henry VIII. Its historic buildings include a 16th-century moot hall and a Napoleonic-era Martello Tower.
Second homes make up about a third of its housing. Visitors are drawn to its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts, where fresh fish are sold daily, by Aldeburgh Yacht Club, and by its cultural offerings. Two family-run fish and chip shops are cited as being among the best in the country.
Alde Burgh means "old fort" although this structure, along with much of the Tudor town, has now been lost to the sea. In the 16th century, Aldeburgh was a leading port, and had a flourishing ship-building industry. The flagship of the Virginia Company, the Sea Venture is believed to have been built here in 1608. Aldeburgh's importance as a port declined as the River Alde silted up and larger ships could no longer berth. It survived mainly on fishing until the 19th century, when it also became a seaside resort. Much of its distinctive and whimsical architecture derives from that period. The river is now home to a yacht club and a sailing club.
We reach the Moot Hall here on the front.
The Moot Hall was built during the first half of the 16th Century; the experts agree. Beyond that, however, there is no certainty. No documentary evidence exists; the style of the building suggests to one expert that it was built about 1520 and to another about 1550. We must be content with that. What we do know is that the building of Aldeburgh’s Town Hall coincided with the beginning of a period of prosperity in the town which lasted approximately 150 years.
The beach is mainly shingle and wide in places, allowing fishing boats to draw up onto the beach above the high tide, but it narrows at the neck of Orford Ness. The shingle bank allows access to the Ness from the north, passing a Martello tower and two yacht clubs at the site of the former village of Slaughden. Aldeburgh was flooded during the North Sea flood of 1953 and its flood defences were strengthened as a result. The beach received a Blue flag rural beach award in 2005.
The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout is a tiny art temple by the sea. Isolated yet at the heart of cultural innovation, it is a magical and stimulating setting for artists to respond each in their own fascinating way.
The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout is a historic landmark on the Aldeburgh sea front, in Suffolk, England. Grade II listed, it was built around 1830 as a lookout tower to assist or plunder shipping along the hazardous North Sea coast. It now houses an artistic space, hosting exhibitions by British artists including Sir Antony Gormley RA.
In the 19th century, observation towers were constructed along the United Kingdom's coastline to help ships navigate treacherous waters and sail safely on.Lookouts, as they were called, were typically commercial operations in the business of rescuing or salvaging vessels. The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout is the southern of two lookouts on Aldeburgh beach; its rival, the North Lookout, stands approximately 100 yards north and now forms part of the Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station.
The South Lookout, now known as the Aldeburgh Beach Lookout, became a coastguard post before falling into disuse in the mid-20th century. South African writer and Aldeburgh resident Sir Laurens van der Post wrote inside the lookout for over 30 years, from the mid-1950s onwards.
We pass Burdenell restaurant on the front and just pass there we can see a Martello Tower built during the Napoleonic wars to protect England from French Invasion.
We walk along Brudenell Street turning into Hertford Place pictured below.
We are now walking along the High Street visiting the many shops, including the Adnams Brewery shop where I bought some yummy beers and sampled the very strong Limoncello drink!
We pass the Old Customs House on our left.
This beautiful romantic cottage is in a prime position on Aldeburgh High Street located just a minutes’ walk to Aldeburgh beach, shops and restaurants. This iconic and charming property is believed to be one of the oldest in Aldeburgh and is thought to date back to the 18th century. The property has distinctive and unusual stone steps leading to a high level front door – the possible entrance for the Custom office – with storage below, perhaps for contraband. The cottage has been tastefully modernised to make it perfect for couples looking for a getaway to explore the beautiful Suffolk coastline.
On our right a little way on is an old Milestone showing the distance to London.
Further up the High Street we see the Town Steps, wondering what's up top, we walk up.
We pass the Old Town Pump on the way up.
Up top is the Our Lady and St Peters Church Aldeburgh, there are great views over Aldeburgh.
We walk back down the steps back along the High Street and then turn right along Victoria Road bavk to the seafront.
We pass the Moot Hall again and onto the front.
As part of the festival there was a kite flying club set up with some cool and unusual kites.
We walked over onto the beach and had a paddle in the sea which was surprisingly warm.
We took care to stay away from the couple of jellyfish there.
We lay there on the beach having a rest, listening to the waves, such a peaceful relaxing beach and town.
A man probably from one of the fish mongers place on the front walked over and threw a bucket full of fish guts, the gulls swarmed just a little way from us.
The man returned with a second bucket, still the gulls enjoyed it.
We walked on along the beach admiring the kites.
We reach the car and we drive on to see Thorpeness just up the road.
Thorpeness,Suffolk
We park up and walk over to have a look around the emporium before making our way to the Meare Shop and Tearoom.
Thorpeness was originally a small fishing hamlet in the late 19th century, with folk tales of it being a route for smugglers into East Anglia. However in 1910, Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie, a Scottish barrister who had made his money building railways around the world, increased the family's local estates to cover the entire area from north of Aldeburgh to past Sizewell, up the coast and inland to Aldringham and Leiston.
Most of this land was used for farming, but Ogilvie developed Thorpeness into a private fantasy holiday village, to which he invited his friends' and colleagues' families during the summer months. A country club with tennis courts, a swimming pool, a golf course and clubhouse, and many holiday homes, were built in Jacobean and Tudor Revival styles. Thorpeness railway station, provided by the Great Eastern Railway to serve what was expected to be an expanding resort, was opened a few days before the outbreak of World War I. It was little used, except by golfers, and closed in 1966.
An artificial lake, "mere" or boating lake was created where there had once been an Elizabethan shipping haven that had silted up. Many of the inspirations for the Meare came from a personal friend of the Ogilvies, J. M. Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan. Along with a large main pond, there are several channels with landings marked with names from the Peter Pan stories. Tiny islands on the Meare contain locations found in the novel, such as the pirates' lair, Wendy's house, and many others, where children are encouraged to play. The Meare was dug to a shallow depth for safety reasons.
A variety of boats can be rented to enjoy the water, many of them originals dating from the creation of the Meare and named by the local workmen who had dug the lake.
In August, the Meare serves as the location for the Thorpeness Regatta which usually takes place around the same time as the carnival in neighbouring Aldeburgh and attracts many visitors. During the day, boat races are held, and at night, boats that have been decorated are paraded around the Meare. This is followed by a grand fireworks display.
Next to the tearoom is a lovely lake that seems like it is actually part of the Hundred River. Looking across the lake you can see the Windmill and 'House in The Clouds'.
We stop for a lovely Cream Tea at the Meare Tearoom with views across the Meare.
We walk on around the lake.
We cross over to The Haven and walk up the road.
We can see down to Margaret Ogilvie Almshouses built 1926.
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| Margaret Ogilvie Almshouses |
We walk up the Uplands on our left.
Thorpeness Windmill is a Grade II listed post mill which was built in 1803 at Aldringham and moved to Thorpeness in 1923. Originally built as a corn mill, it was converted to a water pumping mill when it was moved to Thorpeness. It pumped water to the House in the Clouds.
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| House in the Clouds |
To hide the eyesore of having a water tower in the village, the tank built in 1923 was clad in wood to make it look like a small house on top of a five-storey tower, with a separate water-pumping mill next to it. It is known as the "House in the Clouds", and after mains water was installed in the village, the old tank was transformed into a huge games room with views over the land from Aldeburgh to Sizewell.
The House in the Clouds was built in 1923 to receive water pumped from Thorpeness Windmill and was designed to improve the looks of the water tower, disguising its tank with the appearance of a weatherboarded building more in keeping with Thorpeness's mock-Tudor and Jacobean style, except seeming to float above the trees. The original capacity of the water tank was 50,000 imperial gallons (230,000 l) but during the Second World War, the House in the Clouds was hit by gunfire from anti-aircraft guns based at Thorpeness. The water tank was repaired using its own steel, which resulted in a reduced capacity of 30,000 imperial gallons (140,000 l). In 1977 the water tower was made redundant by a mains water supply to the village, and additional living space was created. In 1979 the main water tank was removed to fully convert the building into a house. The building currently has five bedrooms and three bathrooms; it contains a total of 85 steps from top to bottom and is around 70 ft high.
It has been a Grade II Listed Building since 1995.
The house was featured in the Suffolk programme during Series 3 of the Channel 4 TV Series Homes by the Sea in 2017.
It also featured on BBC's Flog It! on 8 May 2018.
Beside the mill someone had made a tank over what I assume would be a car, but I couldn't see what.
Thorpeness Mill was built as a corn mill at Aldringham in 1803. In the 1890s the Ogilvy family were the millers.
In the winter of 1922, Aldringham Mill was dismantled by Messrs Whitmore's, millwrights of Wickham Market. Amos Clarke was millwright in charge. It was rebuilt at Thorpeness to supply water to the House in the Clouds, which is really a water tower disguised as a house.
The mill was used to supply the House in the clouds until 1940, when an engine was installed to do the job. During the war, some children blocked the tramway that the winding wheels driven by the fantail run on, with the result that the steps lifted up and the mill tilted forward, leaving the steps in the air. Although a number of men sat on the steps of the mill, it would not return to its natural state. Millwright Ted Friend, of Whitmore's was called in and soon restored the mill to normal with deft use of a sledge hammer. In 1972, the fantail was blown off in a storm and in September 1973 the mill was damaged by a fire on the heath where it stands. One sail and stock were destroyed. In 1975, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Thorpeness Estate and the Countryside Commission granted money to enable the mill to be restored. The mill was restored in 1977 and subsequently purchased from the Thorpeness Estate by Suffolk County Council.
In 2010 the Council put the Windmill on the market for sale at an estimated price £150,000.
The Council accepted an offer of £72,100 in November 2010.
Here is the website if you fancy a break here, but be warned its pricey, just over £3000 for 4 daysin the School summer Holidays!
We drive to Thebeton to our campsite at Sycamore Park.
Being adult only and a small site it is nice and quiet.
Fell asleep listening to a tawney Owl.
The toilets, showers and washing up area are immaculate.
Great pub 5 minute walk with 20 plus ales and 10 ciders.
Won best rural pub of the year 2024.
We walk up the road passing St Peters Church in Theberton.
St Peter's Church in Theberton, Suffolk, England has a history that dates back to the 12th century. The church is Grade I listed and has a round tower, making it one of 181 churches in England with this feature.
We look at the Lion in Theberton, the food seem expensive at about £18 a head for dinner. We decided to walk back to camp, just in the car to Leiston and buy food from the Co Op for dinner.
We have dinner (Burgers and Hash Browns) and a drank a few of the beers I bought at Adnams.
After dinner we walk back to the pub for drinks, I had an amazing cider from Herefordshire (Gwatkins No Bull Cider). There was so much choice in there of ales and ciders, but only two lagers much to Mel's disappointment.
Back to camp to sleep.
The next morning after making bacon rolls for breakfast, we pack away the camp and drive to Pin Mill before driving home.
After a 50 minute drive, we park up and walk down into Pin Mill. Been here a few times, but I love it here.
The expression "pin mill" means a pin factory, and also a word for a wheel with projecting pins used in leather production. But neither of these activities are known to have taken place at Pin Mill, so the origin of the name remains uncertain.
Pin Mill was once a busy landing point for ship-borne cargo, a centre for the repair of Thames sailing barges and home to many small industries such as sail making, a maltings (now a workshop) and a brickyard. The east coast has a long history of smuggling, in which Pin Mill and the Butt and Oyster pub allegedly played key parts.
During World War II Pin Mill was home to Royal Navy Motor Launches and to a degaussing vessel created from a herring drifter. Pin Mill and Woolverstone were home ports to many Landing craft tank used in the invasion of Normandy in 1944.
There have also been recent improvements in the sailing infrastructure, and responsibility for the Hard at Pin Mill has been handed over to a new 'community interest' company.
Immediately downriver of houseboats are a number of wrecked traditional vessels popular with artists and photographers.
We walk on down the River Orwell along the footpath passing several houseboats.
The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk. Its source river, above the tidal limit at Stoke Bridge, is known as the River Gipping. It broadens into an estuary at Ipswich where the Ipswich dock has operated since the 7th century and then flows into the North Sea at Felixstowe the UK's largest container port after joining with the River Stour at Shotley forming Harwich harbour.
We stop off to take photos of the well photographed wrecks just pass Pin Mill.
In the name Orwell, Or- comes from an ancient river-name — probably pre-Celtic; but -well probably indicates an Anglo-Saxon naming. In A tour through England and Wales written in 1722, Daniel Defoe calls the river "Orwel" (though does this inconsistently). He also mentions that "a traveller will hardly understand me, especially a seaman, when I speak of the River Stour and the River Orwell at Harwich, for they know them by no other names than those of Maningtre-Water, and Ipswich-Water". The writer Eric Blair chose the pen name under which he would later become famous, "George Orwell", because of his love for the river. A few miles north of the Orwell is another Suffolk river the Ore and Orfordness, the village port of Orford with its historic castle.
These wrecks are beached along the foreshore of the River Orwell, which were once sailing cargo vessels. They have been abandoned as dramatic wrecks and are slowly being reclaimed by the forces of nature.
The 1933 novel Ordinary Families by E. Arnot Robertson is the story of a young girl growing up with her family in Pin Mill.
In Arthur Ransome's 1937 novel for children We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea, the young adventurers stay at the real-life Alma Cottage, situated just by the Butt and Oyster pub. Pin Mill also features in the next book Secret Water. Ransome had his own boats built at Harry King's boatyard in Pin Mill and had kept his yacht Selina King at the Pin Mill anchorage in 1937–39, although he himself lived for some time at Levington on the opposite side of the Orwell. In 1911 he had declined an offer to go sailing with the bibliographer Walter Ledger, as he was told by Oscar Wilde's friend Robbie Ross that Ledger had episodes of homicidal mania. Later though he said he always regretted that I did not sail with him, for he kept his "Blue Bird" at Pin Mill, and, if I had gone, I should have known that charming anchorage twenty years earlier.
The film "Ha'penny Breeze" was made in Pin Mill in 1950, featuring a yacht that was based in the area.
The Butt and Oyster pub was used as a filming location in an episode of the British TV series Lovejoy in 1993.
Pin Mill is a setting in the Strong Winds trilogy of children's books by Julia Jones.
We walk on through the wooded area next to the river, catching glimpses as we pass open areas.
We stop at a beach area where there was a man flyfishing. We took in the views back up to the Orwell Bridge we drove over earlier.
We walk back the way we came, we reach a fork on the path, We decide to continue the way we came and hope the incoming tide hasn't cut us off.
We reach the pub and yep the tide has cut us off but there is a ladder up the wall and into the pub car park. So we climb up, a resident of a nearby houseboat arrives and says " The pleasures of living local" as he empties his wheelbarrow contents up the wall and lifts the barrow up too.
We stop in the Butt and Oyster for drinks taking in the views.
We wander on a little further pass the boatyard.
Amazing views, must be a dream to live here.
We walk back to the car for that drive home. Should have been 75 minutes but an extra 30 minutes was added thanks to roadworks on the A12 and a diversion around Marks Tey, But a great weekend!
