Chillesford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chillesford |
|
|---|---|
 St Peter's Church |
|
 Chillesford
|
|
| Population | 383 (Including Butley and Wantisden 2011) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District |
|
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Woodbridge |
| Postcode district | IP12 |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament |
|
Chillesford is a small and peaceful village in the English county of Suffolk. It's located in the East Suffolk area, right on the B1084 road. This road runs from east to west through the village.
Chillesford is about 3 miles northwest of the small town of Orford. It's also 5 miles southwest of Aldeburgh and 6 miles south of Saxmundham. The village has around 60 houses. In 2011, its population was counted along with the nearby village of Butley.
The village has a long history. It was first recorded in a very old book called the Domesday Book as Cesefortda. Later, in 1258, a person named Thomas Weyland bought the main estate, or Manor, of Chillesford.
In the village, you can find The Froize Inn, which is a pub. It used to be two separate cottages. There's also a church with a tall tower. Many buildings in Chillesford are made from special local bricks called red crag bricks.
An interesting discovery was made at the old brickyard in Chillesford. A huge skeleton of a whale, about 20 meters long, was once found there!
Two lanes lead away from the village center. Pedlars Lane goes north towards Tunstall Chapel. Mill Lane heads south and then southwest, leading to Butley.
Chillesford Lodge Estate
Chillesford Lodge is a large estate located over a mile southeast of the village. It's close to Sudbourne Park. In 2015, this 1,200-acre estate was the last part of a much larger estate that was bought in 1918 by Joseph Watson, 1st Baron Manton. His family still owns it today.
Chillesford Lodge Farm was once a "model farm" during the Victorian era. This means it was a very modern and well-organized farm for its time. Its buildings were put up in 1875 by Sir Richard Wallace, 1st Baronet. He was a famous art collector.
This farm was important for developing special animal breeds. The Red Poll breed of cattle was created here in the 19th century. Also, the famous "Sudbourne" herds of Red Poll cattle and the "Sudbourne" stud of Suffolk Punch heavy horses were kept here. These animals won many awards!
Chillesford Polo Ground History
In 1936, Alastair Watson, who lived at Chillesford Lodge, built the Chillesford Polo Ground. This was a private club where only invited teams could play polo. It was known for being a great place for "country polo."
The polo ground had a very advanced watering system. It used special sprinklers that Alastair Watson brought from the United States. He had seen them working at the Santa Barbara Polo Club in California. The equipment for this system was shipped all the way from Kentucky, USA, on the first trip of the famous RMS Queen Mary ocean liner.
What's even cooler is that the irrigation system was powered by an old 1917 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost engine! Alastair Watson bought this engine from a scrapyard in 1936 for just £25. After a big storm in 1976, this engine was given back to a group that preserves Rolls-Royce cars.
People were welcome to watch the polo matches for free. They even received printed programs with colorful covers, which was very unusual for a small polo club back then. The club had to close during World War II because the land was needed to grow food. It reopened in 1948.
Sadly, in 1955, Alastair Watson was hurt by ponies during a polo match. He passed away a few months later. After his death, the polo ground was finally plowed up and turned into farmland.
