East Bergholt: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:John Constable 011.jpg|thumb|Waterloo celebration in East Bergholt, [[John Constable]], 1st quarter of [[19th century]]]]

'''East Bergholt''' is a small village in the south of [[Suffolk]], [[England]], just north of the border with [[Essex]]. East Bergholt and [[Hadleigh]] are the largest villages in the Stour Valley, a region historically known for its manufacture of [[linen]]s. The nearest town and railway station, a few miles away, is Manningtree, Essex. East Bergholt is situated 10 miles north of Colchester and 8 miles south of Ipswich.

During the 16th century, its inhabitants became well-known for [[Protestant]] radicalism. A few of its citizens were [[martyr]]ed during the reign of Queen [[Mary I of England|Mary I]], and the Protestant martyrologist [[John Foxe]] recorded their stories in his famous work ''[[Acts and Monuments]]'' (also known as ''[[Foxe's Book of Martyrs]]'').

East Bergholt is the birthplace of the painter [[John Constable]].

== St. Mary's Church and its famous bellcage==

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin was built in the [[15th century|15th]] and [[16th century|16th]] centuries, but is well known for the absence of a tower or spire to house the bells. Work had begun on a tower in 1525, but [[Cardinal Wolsey]]'s fall from grace in 1530 brought construction to a halt, and the following year a temporary wooden bellcage was erected in the churchyard for the bells. However, this temporary structure still exists some 500 years or so later.

== Other important buildings ==

As well as the church, the following buildings are also to be found in East Bergholt:

*Old Hall (a former monastery which now houses the [[Old Hall Community]], a group of about 60 people who are drawn together by their concerns for the environment)<br>

*Stour House (once home to [[Randolph Churchill]])

*East Bergholt Place (home of the Eley family and "The Place for Plants garden" centre)

*Lambe School (the former schoolrooms now used for public and private functions)

==External links==