Covehithe
Encyclopedia
Covehithe, formerly North Hales, is a hamlet
in a parish in Blything district, Suffolk
, England
. Lying on the coast around 5 miles (8 km) North-east of Southwold
,also 8 miles South from the town of Lowestoft
. It is located within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.
In the Middle Ages it prospered as a small town and during the reign of Edward I
was granted a fair on the feast day of St Andrew. By the 17th Century however it had fallen victim, like nearby Dunwich
, to coastal erosion - the large church which had been built on the back of its wealth was largely pulled down (although the tower still remains) and a smaller building erected amongst the ruins. The Carmelite Prior of Ipswich Whitefriars
and later Church Of Ireland
Bishop of Ossory
John Bale
was also born in Covehithe. The church steeple is 101 ft tall.
In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Covehithe like this:
St Andrews (OS grid TM5281), the present church, was built in 1672 was built inside the ruins of the old.
In 1910 Peter Ditchfield
wrote:
Erosion caused the coastline at Covehithe to retreat more than 500 metres between the 1830s and 2001, according to contemporary Ordnance Survey maps. This can be seen most obviously on the sand cliffs above the beach where the road running from the church simply falls away down onto the beach.
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The WWI Covehithe airfield was a night-landing ground which operated from 1915 to 1919. It was used for anti-Zeppelin patrols.
A possible Romano-British settlement has been inferred from a number of archaeological finds in the west of the parish.
A 1980's PD James episode (ITV) was filmed at the church ruins.
1999/2000 adaptation of David Copperfield, filmed a boat beach scene on the beach nearby.
Benacre Broad
is just under mile north and Covehithe Broad, half a mile to the south.
It has also its part in the W.G.Sebalds Prose The Rings of Saturn, a record of a journey on foot through coastal East Anglia.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in a parish in Blything district, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Lying on the coast around 5 miles (8 km) North-east of Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
,also 8 miles South from the town of Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
. It is located within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.
History
Domesday has it named as Nordhalla / Norhals / Norhhala / Northala / -hals:In the Middle Ages it prospered as a small town and during the reign of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
was granted a fair on the feast day of St Andrew. By the 17th Century however it had fallen victim, like nearby Dunwich
Dunwich
Dunwich is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1500 years ago but the harbour and most of the town have since disappeared due to coastal erosion. Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast, and...
, to coastal erosion - the large church which had been built on the back of its wealth was largely pulled down (although the tower still remains) and a smaller building erected amongst the ruins. The Carmelite Prior of Ipswich Whitefriars
Ipswich Whitefriars
Ipswich Whitefriars is the name usually given to the Carmelite Priory, a Catholic religious house, which formerly stood near the centre of the medieval town of Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk, UK...
and later Church Of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
Bishop of Ossory
Bishop of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:The diocese of Ossory...
John Bale
John Bale
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
was also born in Covehithe. The church steeple is 101 ft tall.
In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Covehithe like this:
St Andrews (OS grid TM5281), the present church, was built in 1672 was built inside the ruins of the old.
In 1910 Peter Ditchfield
Peter Ditchfield
Rev. Peter Hempson Ditchfield, FSA was a Church of England priest, an historian and a prolific author. He is notable for having co-edited three Berkshire volumes of the Victoria County History which were published between 1907 and 1924.-Life:...
wrote:
Erosion caused the coastline at Covehithe to retreat more than 500 metres between the 1830s and 2001, according to contemporary Ordnance Survey maps. This can be seen most obviously on the sand cliffs above the beach where the road running from the church simply falls away down onto the beach.
A possible Romano-British settlement has been inferred from a number of archaeological finds in the west of the parish.
Present day
Nowadays, population of 20.A 1980's PD James episode (ITV) was filmed at the church ruins.
1999/2000 adaptation of David Copperfield, filmed a boat beach scene on the beach nearby.
Benacre Broad
Benacre Broad
Benacre Broad is an isolated body of water on the North Sea coast of the English county of Suffolk. It is located in the parish of Benacre, Suffolk about south of Lowestoft and north of Southwold. The village of Covehithe is just to the south, Kessingland to the north.The broad is part of Benacre...
is just under mile north and Covehithe Broad, half a mile to the south.
It has also its part in the W.G.Sebalds Prose The Rings of Saturn, a record of a journey on foot through coastal East Anglia.