Southwold
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Template:GBmap Southwold is an ancient town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England, at the mouth of the River Blyth.
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It was mentioned in the Domesday Book as an important fishing port, and it received a charter from Henry VII in 1489. But in the following centuries, a shingle bar built up across the harbour mouth and ruined any chance of the town becoming a major port.
In 1659, a fire devastated most of the town and damaged the Church of St. Edmund, whose original structure dated from 12th century. The fire created a number of open spaces within the town which were never rebuilt, and today the various "greens" as they are known give the town a pleasant atmosphere.
Southwold Pier was built in 1900, was practically destroyed by a gale in 1934, and had a major refurbishment in 2001. Whilst many English seaside piers are in decline, Southwold Pier is enjoying renewed popularity.
There is an unusual Amber Museum and the famous Adnams brewery.
Southwold Lighthouse was constructed in 1887 by Trinity House. It stands as a landmark in the center of the town. It replaced three local lighthouses which were under serious threat from coastal erosion. It started to operate in 1890. It was electrified and de-manned in 1938. Trinity House organise visits to the lighthouse during the summer.
In a square just beside the beach, expressively named Gun Hill, the defensive cannons are still at their place, remembering the battle of Sole Bay, fought in 1672 between English and French fleets on one side, and the Dutch (under de Ruyter) on the other. The battle was bloody but indecisive, and many bodies were washed ashore. A museum collects mementoes of the event.
A narrow-gauge railway ran from Southwold to Halesworth from 24th September 1879 to April 11th 1929.
Six 18 lb. guns standing on the cliff were captured from the Scots at Culloden and given to the town by the Duke of Cumberland.
During World War II, these cannons meant Southwold gained a status of "fortified town". Despite the cannons being filled with concrete and unable to fire, Southwold became a target of many bombing raids by Germany.
A further memento of maritime heritage is the 1912 Looe Lugger named "Girl Sybil".
Southwold harbour, which is on the mouth of the River Blyth, lies south of the town center and contains mainy fishing and small pleasure boats. Many huts sell freshly caught fish and at the upstream end of the harbour, the public house "The Harbour Inn" can be found.
In summer, towards the mouth of the river Blythe, a rowing boat acts as a ferry across the river to the nearby town of Walberswick.
The beach is a combination of sand and shingle and fluctuates between the two over the year. Long shore drift causes the large stones broken off the cliffs to the north to become pebbles along the beach. During summer less shingle is brought south along the coast by this effect and thus towards the Summer, the beach becomes more sandy.
On the first Friday of December, the annual lights switch-on takes place. Thousands of people come to the town to see Santa Claus on the Town Hall balcony switch the lights on.
External links
- Visit Southwold (http://www.visit-southwold.co.uk/)
- A Short History of the Southwold Railway (http://www.ukppg.org.uk/southwold-history.html)