Continuing my short tour of Suffolk, after I visited Sutton Hoo I drove about 15 miles or so to the small gentrified seaside resort of Aldeburgh. Its name means
the old defended place and was first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086.
It has a long pebble beach with a scattering of fishing huts selling fresh fish.
Once a thriving fishing and ship building town it was so successful it received a Royal Charter in 1540.
The decline of the industry began in the mid 1600s when pirates took fishing boats and many others were lost in terrible storms. Poverty and sickness led to the downfall in the town's prosperity and by1800 the population had decreased to 800.
Now there is just a very small local fishing fleet that sells its daily catch from the wooden huts.
It also has a lifeboat. There are two lifeboat huts.
This modern one houses the main lifeboat.
Although closed to the public, when I was there, I could still see the boat through the window.
It was great to listen to the brass band playing as I walked along the beach '
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside....' No they didn't play that one - but I felt the urge to sing it anyway.
At the other end of the beach is this sculpture by Maggi Hambling, a local artist. The Scallop was designed to celebrate the life of the composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) who lived in Aldeburgh.
The monument is pierced through with a quote from Britten's opera 'Peter Grimes'.
Walking back to the car park I passed the Moot Hall which dates from about 1540. It used to house both small shops and a town jail on the ground floor and the council chamber on the upper floor. Nowadays it is home to the Aldeburgh Museum but the council chamber is still used by the council.
I enjoyed my short walk through Aldeburgh but there was somewhere else I wanted to visit before arriving at the hotel where I was staying for a couple of nights. I'll post about that next time.
A town I know so well after living 5 miles away for 23 years although we always avoided going there in the summer as it was full of the rich second-home owners and tourists!!
ReplyDeleteLovely little village. Thank you for the tour. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe beach is an appealing sight.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you got a good sense of the place. There's another blogger who has recently posted about this spot. John of Stargoose and Hanglands. https://bystargooseandhanglands.blogspot.com/2021/09/above-tideline.html
ReplyDeleteA looks to be a nice little town. I like the sculpture and who doesn't like a good brass band.
ReplyDeleteoh yes the little old shed, sad it's sitting there. Loving the shell sculpture though.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Britain for two great years, but I missed our beaches desperately. And I missed fresh fish, grilled and not fried. Aldeburgh would have given a lot of pleasure.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think you would ever hear an old fashioned band like that on a beach here. It would make a nice atmosphere. I would have to have some freshly smoked fish if I visited Aldeburgh. It’s one of my favorite things!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. I enjoyed seeing your take on Aldeburgh.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice excursion into the past ! Looks all so romantic, I think it is a great place to relax being away from city life !
ReplyDeleteLovely post and photographs.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan