Wickham Market facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wickham Market |
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 Village centre with All Saints Church in the background |
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 Wickham Market
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| Area | 4.81 km2 (1.86 sq mi) |
| Population | 2,156 (2011) |
| • Density | 448/km2 (1,160/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TM3056 |
| 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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Wickham Market is a large village in Suffolk, England. It is located in the beautiful River Deben valley. This area is part of the Suffolk Coastal heritage area.
The village is about 13 miles (21 km) north-east of Ipswich, which is the county town. It is also 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Woodbridge. Wickham Market has its own train station about 2 miles (3 km) east in Campsea Ashe. In 2011, about 2,156 people lived here.
The village is home to All Saints Church, which is more than 700 years old. Its unique octagonal (eight-sided) tower and lead spire are very tall, reaching 137.5 feet (42 meters). This makes the church visible from far away across the countryside. The outside of the church is made of stone and flint.
Inside the church, you can see four beautiful stained glass windows. There is also a font, which is a basin for baptisms, that is 600 years old. Other features include a carved pulpit and an altar table with a painted reredos (a screen behind the altar). The tower holds six bells, and there is a smaller Sanctus Bell in a special bell-cote.
Nearby places to visit include Valley Farm Equestrian Visitor Centre, Easton Farm Park, and Snape Maltings. You can also explore Framlingham Castle and the famous Sutton Hoo archaeological site.
Contents
Exploring Wickham Mill
Deben Mill, also known as Wickham Mill, is a historic watermill. It is a very important old building, listed as Grade II*. The mill was built in the 1700s. All of its old machinery is still inside and can even work!
In 1893, the mill owner, Reuben Rackham, bought a special steam-engine. This engine was used to power the entire mill. It cost a lot of money back then, about £25,000. The engine was installed in July 1893 and started working by October of that year. It was last used in 1957. Later, Reuben Rackham's sons gave the engine to the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket, where you can see it today.
Discovering the Wickham Market Hoard
In 2008, a very exciting discovery was made near Wickham Market. It was one of the largest finds of Iron Age coins ever!
A car mechanic named Michael Dark found a large collection of gold coins using a metal detector. The coins were found in a field near the village, in a place called Dallinghoo. After archaeologists carefully dug up the site, they found a total of 825 coins. By the time the find was officially declared a "treasure trove," 840 coins had been discovered.
Experts said this collection was "the largest hoard of British Iron Age gold coins to be studied completely." It also gave them "a lot of new information about the Iron Age," especially about East Anglia during that time. It was the biggest find of these types of coins since 1849!
The coins were made between 40 BC and 15 AD. Back then, these coins would have been worth a huge amount of money, possibly between £500,000 and £1,000,000. They belonged to the Iceni tribes, who lived in this area long ago.
People from Wickham Market
Many interesting people have connections to Wickham Market:
- Charles Emeny (1846–1924) was an early photographer. He was born in Wickham Market.
- Francis Lucas (1850–1918) was a businessman and a politician. He was a Member of Parliament for Lowestoft from 1900 to 1906.
- Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy (1952–2012) was a famous portrait painter. She was known for painting many important people. She also painted a portrait for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, which celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's 50 years on the throne.
- Flora Sandes (1876–1956) was a brave woman who served as a soldier in World War I. She was the only British woman to officially serve as a soldier in that war.
See also
In Spanish: Wickham Market para niños
