Newbourne
Encyclopedia
Newbourne is a village
and civil parish
in the Suffolk Coastal
region of Suffolk
, England
. It lies on the peninsula
between the River Orwell
and the River Deben
, to the east of Ipswich
and south of Woodbridge
.
words for 'nine springs,' which is supported by the large number of nearby springs and other villages in the local area with names of Old Norse origin.
of 1086 under the name 'Neubrunna'.
In the 1881 census
the total population of Newbourne is recorded as 141. This decreased in each census thereafter, with a low of 81 in 1931, until in 1951 the census showed a significant increase to a total population of 291. This rise in population was primarily due to the influx of people brought into the village by the Land Settlement Association
.
and eventually the settlements were dissolved and privatised in 1983. Newbourne was one of the areas involved in the scheme and its legacy can still be seen in the large number of commercial greenhouses, plant nurseries and roadside produce stalls remaining in the village and local area.
for Newbourne. The church building is medieval in origin with its nave
and chancel
dating to the 12th century and a number of expansions and restorations occurring in subsequent centuries.
During the Great Storm of 1987
the Victorian stained glass of the east end was blown out. Rather than recreate the new windows in the previous style a more modern form was commissioned. The new window also includes a fragment of the original windows, in the form of the face of Christ
, that was found intact amongst the rubble after the storm.
In the graveyard
are buried the brothers George and Meadows Page. During the 1800s they were known as the Newbourne Giants and were part of a traveling circus
. At the time of his death in 1870 it is said George was 7 feet 7 inches (2.3 m) tall. Meadows was slightly shorter at 7 feet 4 inches, he gave up circus life in 1875 and died in 1917.
of Newbourne. It is a Grade II* listed building which dates back to the 14th century. It is part timber framed and plastered and part red brick and is built in a general 'T' cross form with a 17th century extension and a 21st century west wing. The hall is open for viewing by appointment only.
with some areas of marsh
, fen
and heathland. It is currently managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust
on behalf of Anglian Water
who own the land. Due to the large number of springs within its area it was used as a source of water for Felixstowe
and the surrounding area by Anglian Water until the 1980s. Today the old pumping station
has been converted into a visitors centre for the reserve. During autumn and winter months regular volunteer working parties help with maintenance of the reserve. A number of public footpaths run from the village through Newbourne Springs.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Suffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Woodbridge. Other towns include Felixstowe.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Aldeburgh, along with Felixstowe,...
region of 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...
. It lies on the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
between the River Orwell
River Orwell
The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England. 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...
and the River Deben
River Deben
The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising in Debenham -to be precise it has two main sources but the others are mostly fields runoff then , passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry...
, to the east of Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and south of Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
.
Etymology
The name Newbourne is commonly accepted to derive from the Old English words for 'new stream.' However, it has also been put forward that its origins may be from the Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
words for 'nine springs,' which is supported by the large number of nearby springs and other villages in the local area with names of Old Norse origin.
Village services
Facilities available in Newbourne include:- The Fox Inn public housePublic houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, a Grade II listed building dating from the late 17th to early 18th century - the Church of St Mary
- a village hallVillage hallIn the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
, for community use and functions - a number of plant nurseries
- a farm shop, selling local produceProduceProduce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...
and craft items - a mobile library, which visits on alternate Wednesdays
History
The length of human habitation at Newbourne is unknown but record of the settlement is found in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 under the name 'Neubrunna'.
In the 1881 census
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
the total population of Newbourne is recorded as 141. This decreased in each census thereafter, with a low of 81 in 1931, until in 1951 the census showed a significant increase to a total population of 291. This rise in population was primarily due to the influx of people brought into the village by the Land Settlement Association
Land Settlement Association
The Land Settlement Association was a UK Government scheme set up in 1934, with help from the charities Plunkett Foundation and Carnegie Trust, to re-settle unemployed workers from depressed industrial areas of Britain, particularly from North-East England and Wales...
.
Land Settlement Association
The Land Settlement Association was set up in 1934 as an experimental scheme to provide unemployed workers from depressed industrial areas with employment on the land. Successful applicants received agricultural training, land in rural areas and cattle to rear. Recruitment into the scheme ended with the start of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and eventually the settlements were dissolved and privatised in 1983. Newbourne was one of the areas involved in the scheme and its legacy can still be seen in the large number of commercial greenhouses, plant nurseries and roadside produce stalls remaining in the village and local area.
Church of St Mary
The Church of St Mary is a Grade I listed building and the parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
for Newbourne. The church building is medieval in origin with its nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
dating to the 12th century and a number of expansions and restorations occurring in subsequent centuries.
During the Great Storm of 1987
Great Storm of 1987
The Great Storm of 1987 occurred on the night of 15/16 October 1987, when an unusually strong weather system caused winds to hit much of southern England and northern France...
the Victorian stained glass of the east end was blown out. Rather than recreate the new windows in the previous style a more modern form was commissioned. The new window also includes a fragment of the original windows, in the form of the face of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, that was found intact amongst the rubble after the storm.
In the graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
are buried the brothers George and Meadows Page. During the 1800s they were known as the Newbourne Giants and were part of a traveling circus
Traveling Circus
Traveling Circus is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Phil Vassar. It was released on December 15, 2009 as his second album for the Universal South Records label. The album contains the singles "Bobbi with an I" and "Everywhere I Go," both of which have charted on the U.S....
. At the time of his death in 1870 it is said George was 7 feet 7 inches (2.3 m) tall. Meadows was slightly shorter at 7 feet 4 inches, he gave up circus life in 1875 and died in 1917.
Newbourne Hall
Newbourne Hall is the old manor houseManor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of Newbourne. It is a Grade II* listed building which dates back to the 14th century. It is part timber framed and plastered and part red brick and is built in a general 'T' cross form with a 17th century extension and a 21st century west wing. The hall is open for viewing by appointment only.
Newbourne Springs
Newbourne Springs is a small nature reserve and SSSI on the edge of the village. It is composed of a range of habitats, primarily broadleaved and mixed woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
with some areas of marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
, fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
and heathland. It is currently managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
The Suffolk Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Suffolk, England.Suffolk Wildlife Trust is the county's leading conservation charity dedicated to all wildlife. Its aim is to create a Living Landscape where wildlife flourishes throughout the countryside, towns and villages...
on behalf of Anglian Water
Anglian Water
Anglian Water is a privatised water company that operates in the East of England. Named for East Anglia, apart from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire it also covers Lincolnshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, a small part of north Nottinghamshire and Greater London...
who own the land. Due to the large number of springs within its area it was used as a source of water for Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
and the surrounding area by Anglian Water until the 1980s. Today the old pumping station
Pumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
has been converted into a visitors centre for the reserve. During autumn and winter months regular volunteer working parties help with maintenance of the reserve. A number of public footpaths run from the village through Newbourne Springs.