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Five Fascinating Facts About Suffolk

Suffolk is one of the most popular counties in England to move to. It boasts a stunning coastline, attractive countryside, plus many picture-postcard villages and thriving towns.

Hamiltons Removals, who are based close to the county’s border with Norfolk, specialise in commercial moves and domestic house removals to Suffolk. If you are thinking of moving to Suffolk, here are five unusual facts about the county.

Orwell – A River and an Author

The writer of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four took his name from the river which flows through part of Suffolk. Orwell’s real name was Eric Blair, and he was born in India in 1903. The family moved back to England when he was very young, and eventually settled in the Suffolk resort of Southwold.

The author-to-be, who had to give up on his idea of becoming a policeman in India because of illness, decided to write under a pseudonym, and he chose the surname Orwell because of his love for the river.

Photo: CHRISTOPHER BROWN

Newmarket’s Royal Connection

King Charles II was a keen fan of horse racing and, after he was restored to the throne in 1660, he helped spearhead the west Suffolk town’s development as the home of the sport. His enthusiasm for horse racing meant he founded one race, the Town Plate, by royal decree, winning it himself in 1671. The race is still run today using the Newmarket Round Course and recent winners have received some Newmarket sausages, a pork delicacy made in the town.

Ipswich – First For Mowers and Railways

The world’s first commercially marketed powered lawnmower was developed and built in Suffolk’s county town of Ipswich in 1902. The firm involved, Ramsomes, previously specialised in agricultural machinery, including tractors and ploughs, but had produced a hand-powered mower in 1867.

Ransomes and Rapier, an offshoot of the lawn mower manufacturers and also based in Ipswich, helped to build the first railway in China. The Woosung Road, a narrow-gauge passenger line from Shanghai to Woosung, was built in 1876. The line did not last very long; it was dismantled the following year as it had not been given the necessary planning permissions.

Harry Potter and the Lavenham Connection

The picture-postcard village of Lavenham, in south Suffolk, was used as a setting for the fictional birthplace of Harry Potter, the famous wizard creation of J K Rowling. De Vere House in the village became Godric’s Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. Lavenham Guildhall was also transformed for the movie, being turned into a dilapidated former home of Harry’s parents.

Bungay and the Town Reeve

The north Suffolk town of Bungay is the only place in England with an active town reeve. The holder of this post originally had legal responsibilities, including serving as the area’s chief magistrate. Over time the reeve became more of an estate manager, looking after any manors in the parish and overseeing the workers.

In other towns, the reeve’s function was taken over by other dignitaries, such as mayors and magistrates. Bungay, however, chose to keep its reeve who, in partnership with the town trust, helps to distribute charity money to local deserving causes, as well as owning and maintaining several almshouses in the town.

Hamiltons Removals provide a professional, competitively-priced house removals service to all destinations in Suffolk, Norfolk and across the rest of East Anglia and the whole of the UK. We can also organise commercial moves for businesses of all types and sizes. Follow the link if you would like to receive a detailed quote for your move.


Sailing Clubs in Suffolk

sailing boat regatta, self storage Norfolk

Suffolk offers the ideal base for getting out and about on the water, whether you want to take a trip down its picturesque rivers or enjoy some faster-paced action in the sea.

As a highly experienced house removals company serving people in Suffolk and Norfolk, across the UK and abroad, Hamiltons Removals can offer individually tailored packages for both domestic or commercial moves. For sailing enthusiasts who may be thinking of moving to the area, here is our guide to some of the local sailing clubs, plus other ways you can enjoy water sports.

Lowestoft

This north Suffolk town is home to several sailing clubs. Lowestoft Cruising Club, which is based on the north shore of Lake Lothing and has about 150 members. It runs a number of social events throughout the year, as well as organising ‘in-company’ cruises as far as Europe.

Lowestoft is also home to the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club, a private members’ club whose home is at Royal Plain, close to the Bascule Bridge. It has an all-weather harbour which offers access to both the southern Broads as well as the North Sea.

The town’s third group, the Waveney and Oulton Broad Yacht Club, operates all the year round, and the annual regatta week, held towards the end of August, is the highlight of its racing calendar. Its headquarters is in Nicholas Everitt Park, and the club hosts Open championships as well as club races.

The park is also home to Oulton Broad Water Sports Centre, which is ideal if you have children interested in taking up water sports. The centre offers courses in windsurfing, kayaking, powerboating, canoeing and sailing, and there are also special packages for schools.

Southwold

The picturesque resort of Southwold is the ideal base for enjoying all manner of marine activities. The sailing club has around 150 members of all abilities. It is based in the harbour, and caters for dinghy, cruiser and power boat sailors.

Alternatively you can try out surfing at Southwold Surf School. Full lessons last up to 90 minutes, starting with beach tuition before you are allowed on the water. Another option is to take a trip on the Coastal Voyager, a 9metre rigid inflatable boat which is available for private hire. You can experience a gentle journey down the River Blyth; the more energetic may prefer a high-powered trip along Southwold’s seafront, or a visit to the Scroby Sands wind farm, where you may be able to see a colony of seals.

Beccles

Although this north Suffolk town appears to be a long way inland, it still has a thriving amateur sailing club. Members sail on the River Waveney, about half a mile downstream from the town, and there are a number of competitions and social events throughout the season, which runs from Easter until Christmas.

If you want to let someone else do the steering, then hop on The Big Dog Ferry service, which operates down the Waveney from Beccles Lido to Geldeston Locks.  This three-mile trip will let you appreciate all the local flora and fauna and enjoy a meal and a drink at The Locks Inn. You can hire out a canoe if you prefer to make the trip yourself.

Ipswich

The town is home to two sailing clubs, the Orwell Yacht Club and Fox’s Marina Yacht Club, which are close together in Ostrich Creek, near the head of the River Orwell. Both have their own clubhouses and racing and social events programmes, and both benefit from having the marina’s top-class repair and maintenance facilities right on their doorstep.

If you own a boat and are looking for somewhere to store it over the winter months, then Hamiltons Removals  has two state-of-the-art storage facilities, at Harleston and Aldeby.

The Aldeby site is ideal for boat owners from Suffolk and Norfolk as it offers safe storage in a variety of differently-sized container units. You can drive your vehicle right up to your storage unit, and the site is covered by CCTV cameras and uniform padlocks for extra security.  Follow the link above if you would like to know more about our house removals and self-storage services.