Cretingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cretingham |
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 St Peter's church |
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 Cretingham
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| Population | 196 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TM2260 |
| Civil parish |
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| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WOODBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | IP13 |
| Dialling code | 01728 |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament |
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Cretingham is a small village and civil parish in the East Suffolk area of Suffolk, England. It is located near the River Deben, about two miles south of the A1120 road. The village is also four miles west of Framlingham and eight miles northwest of Woodbridge.
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Discovering Cretingham
Cretingham is built around a main crossroads. This is where The Street (running north-south) meets Framsden Road (to the west) and Brandeston Road (to the east). In the village, you'll find a church, a pub, and even a golf course located northeast of the main area.
Village Buildings
The village's church, called St Peter's, is found halfway up the northern part of The Street. This historic building dates back to around 1300 and is considered a very important listed building (Grade II*).
The original pub, called the Bell Inn, is now a house known as Dial House. A new pub, the Cretingham Bell, opened in 1967. It is located right at the crossroads. This building is quite old itself, dating from the 1620s, and it used to be four separate cottages.
Several farms are also part of the Cretingham area:
- Bungalow Farm is in the southwest.
- Corner Farm is in the southeast.
- Duck's Farm is to the west.
- Rookery Farm and Manor Farm are to the north.
Cretingham's Past
The name Cretingham comes from an old English word, grēot, which means gravel. So, the village's name means The people of a gravelly village.
Domesday Book Details
In 1086, Cretingham was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a famous survey of England. It was called "Gretingeham" or "Gretingaham" back then. It was part of the old Hundred of Loes. The survey recorded that 78 households lived there. It also noted 30 acres of meadow, enough wood for 20 pigs, 4 horses, 7 cattle, 40 pigs, 64 sheep, 32 goats, 4 beehives, and 1 mill. This shows it was a busy farming community long ago!
Historic Buildings
There are 21 buildings in Cretingham that are officially listed as historic. This includes the St Peter's church, which is a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's especially important.
Church Bells
The tower of St Peter's church has six bells used for change ringing. This is a special way of ringing bells in a set pattern. The heaviest bell weighs about 775 pounds! The oldest bell was made around 1416 by Richard Baxter in Norwich. The church tower is connected to the Suffolk Guild of Ringers, a group that promotes bell ringing.
In 2017, the bells were rehung and a new bell was added, making a total of six. The first full "peal" (a long, complex sequence of bell changes) was rung on these bells on April 30, 1883. By 2019, 29 peals had been rung at Cretingham.
Village School
Cretingham Primary School used to be in the village but closed in the early 1960s. Miss Last was the final teacher at the school.
