Stowmarket facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stowmarket |
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 Eastbridge Windpump at The Food Museum (June 2006) |
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 Stowmarket
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| Population | 21,534 (2021 Census) |
| OS grid reference | TM048588 |
| • London | 89.1mi |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STOWMARKET |
| Postcode district | IP14 |
| Dialling code | 01449 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament |
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Stowmarket is a busy market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It's located in the Mid Suffolk area, between Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich. The town sits on the River Gipping, which is joined by the River Rat nearby.
The name Stowmarket comes from an old English word, stōw, which means "principal place" or "main spot". The town was given permission to hold a market way back in 1347 by King Edward III. Even today, you can find a market happening there twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Stowmarket has grown a lot over the years. In 1981, about 6,000 people lived there. By 2021, the population had grown to around 21,000! It's the biggest town in the Mid Suffolk area.
Contents
Stowmarket's History
Past Events in Stowmarket
A sad event happened in Stowmarket on 11 August 1871. There was a big explosion at a factory that made gun cotton. This explosion tragically killed twenty-eight people and injured seventy-five others. Today, a large paint factory stands where the explosion happened.
Stowmarket High School first opened its doors in 1909.
Stowmarket has also been important for looking at the stars! On 8 June 1918, a new bright star, called a nova, was first seen in the UK from Stowmarket by A. Grace Cook. Years later, on 13 December 1934, another amateur astronomer, J. P. M. Prentice, discovered another nova from the town.
During World War II, on 31 January 1941, a German bomber plane flew over Stowmarket. It fired its guns and dropped bombs on the High Street. The Stowmarket Congregational Chapel, a beautiful old building, was completely destroyed. One person, Mrs. Rhoda Farrow, sadly died during this attack.
On 17 July 2002, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited Stowmarket. This was part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations. They visited the local market and met many people. The Queen also officially revealed a new town sign.
Important Places to See
Churches and Historic Homes
The Church of St Peter and St Mary is a beautiful old building from the 1300s. The old vicarage, which is now the town council offices, has links to the famous poet John Milton. People believe a tree in its garden grew from one that Milton planted himself.
Haughley Park is a historic house near Stowmarket. It's a large red brick country house built around 1620. It was built for the Sulyard family, who owned a lot of land in the area.
Museums and Other Landmarks
The Food Museum opened in 1967. It's a large museum that covers 70 acres and is close to the town centre. It used to be called the Museum of East Anglian Life.
The Karnser is a raised path on Station Road West, next to the church. Its name comes from an old local word, caunsey, which means a raised path or causeway.
Getting Around Stowmarket
Train Travel
Stowmarket railway station is on the main train line. You can catch trains from here to many places, including Peterborough, Ipswich, Cambridge, and even London Liverpool Street.
Waterways and Roads
In the 1700s, the River Gipping was made suitable for boats to travel between Stowmarket and Ipswich. This new waterway was called the Ipswich and Stowmarket Navigation.
A new road was built in 2010 to help traffic flow better in Stowmarket. This road cost £21 million and crosses over both the railway line and the River Gipping.
Local Media
If you want to know what's happening in Stowmarket, you can watch local news on BBC East and ITV Anglia.
For radio, you can listen to BBC Radio Suffolk on 103.9 FM, Heart East on 96.4 FM, and Greatest Hits Radio Ipswich & Suffolk on 106.4 FM.
The local newspaper for the town is called the Stowmarket Mercury.
How Stowmarket is Governed
| Stowmarket | |
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Town sign, Market Place, unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002
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| Blazon | Or three Crowns Gules on a Chief Azure a Mitre Argent garnished Or. |
| Motto | Sit Anima Mea Cum Christo (May My Soul Be With Christ) |
| Granted to the urban district council in 1970. Transferred to the successor parish council in 1974. | |
Stowmarket has its own local government called the Stowmarket Town Council. This council started in 1974 and helps manage the town for its around 20,000 residents. It has 16 elected members and a team of over 30 staff. The council offices are in the historic Milton House.
Sports and Fun Activities
Sports Clubs and Facilities
Stowmarket has a local football team called Stowmarket Town, who play at Greens Meadow. There's also a rugby club at Chilton Fields. Chilton Fields is also where a weekly "parkrun" takes place, where people can run, jog, or walk a 5km course for free. There's also a junior parkrun for kids aged 4-14.
The Stowmarket Striders running club welcomes runners of all skill levels. The town also has several gyms and a leisure centre. The leisure centre has swimming pools, a climbing wall, a bowls green, and an artificial turf football pitch.
Arts and Entertainment
The Regal Theatre cinema has been showing films, concerts, and plays in the town centre for over fifty years.
The old corn exchange building was updated in 2012 and is now a music venue, art gallery, and theatre. It's called the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts, named after the famous DJ and broadcaster John Peel who lived nearby.
Stowmarket's Weather
Stowmarket has a typical British climate. The nearest official weather station is in Wattisham, about 4 miles away.
The hottest temperature ever recorded was 35.3 degrees Celsius in August 2003. On average, the warmest day of the year reaches about 29.0 degrees Celsius.
The coldest temperature ever recorded was -14.6 degrees Celsius in January 1979. On average, there are about 48 days a year when the temperature drops below freezing.
Stowmarket gets a good amount of sunshine, averaging over 1,635 hours a year. The average rainfall is less than 575mm per year.
| Climate data for Wattisham, elevation 87m, 1971–2000, extremes 1960– | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.1 (57.4) |
17.0 (62.6) |
21.7 (71.1) |
24.1 (75.4) |
27.6 (81.7) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.1 (89.8) |
35.3 (95.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
24.7 (76.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
15.3 (59.5) |
35.3 (95.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.3 (43.3) |
6.6 (43.9) |
9.5 (49.1) |
11.9 (53.4) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.7 (65.7) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.6 (70.9) |
18.3 (64.9) |
13.9 (57.0) |
9.3 (48.7) |
7.1 (44.8) |
13.4 (56.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) |
0.7 (33.3) |
2.3 (36.1) |
3.7 (38.7) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.5 (49.1) |
11.8 (53.2) |
11.9 (53.4) |
9.9 (49.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
3.5 (38.3) |
1.9 (35.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.6 (5.7) |
−10 (14) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
3.8 (38.8) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−7 (19) |
−13.2 (8.2) |
−14.6 (5.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 49.5 (1.95) |
35.1 (1.38) |
42.5 (1.67) |
41.2 (1.62) |
43.7 (1.72) |
52.2 (2.06) |
42.4 (1.67) |
47.1 (1.85) |
55.1 (2.17) |
57.2 (2.25) |
55.6 (2.19) |
52.1 (2.05) |
573.8 (22.59) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 57.4 | 75.7 | 111.3 | 159.0 | 213.6 | 208.2 | 212.7 | 205.8 | 148.5 | 117.5 | 73.2 | 52.4 | 1,635.2 |
| Source 1: MetOffice | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: KNMI | |||||||||||||
Stowmarket Today
Festivals and Community
Stowmarket has had an annual carnival for over sixty years, with 2023 being a special 60th celebration! The main event takes place in the recreation park with a funfair, a parade through the town, and local entertainment. The parade travels through many streets, ending in Recreation Road. In 2023, the carnival was free to attend, so everyone could enjoy it. Volunteers help run the Stowmarket Carnival.
Stowmarket also hosts the Stow-Fest music festival, an outdoor live music event at Chilton Fields. Since 2010, the town has also had the Stowblues Festival, which works with BBC Radio Suffolk.
The Mix is a special youth and community centre located on Ipswich Street. It's a great place for young people in Suffolk.
Famous People from Stowmarket
Many interesting people have connections to Stowmarket:
- The poet John Milton often visited the town because his teacher, Dr. Thomas Young, became the vicar of Stowmarket in 1628.
- The writer William Godwin was a minister at the Stowmarket Independent Church for a time.
- Singer and West End actress Kerry Ellis grew up nearby and went to Stowmarket High School.
- Famous TV chef Delia Smith also lives close to Stowmarket.
- Professional footballers like James Scowcroft, who played for Ipswich Town, came from Stowmarket.
- Professional wrestler Neil Faith has lived in Stowmarket.
- Sally Eastall, who ran in the 1992 Olympics marathon, was born in Stowmarket.
- The poet George Crabbe went to school in the town.
- Amateur astronomers A. Grace Cook and J. P. M. Prentice lived in the town and discovered new stars.
- Gareth Snell, who is a Member of Parliament for the area, is from Stowmarket.
See also
In Spanish: Stowmarket para niños
