Sitting quietly by the roadside in rural Suffolk is the
unassuming village of Frostenden. After months of driving through
without a second thought, Mike Sherburn decided to investigate.
Please note that the postcard from series
ended in 2004 and that descriptions of shops and services were correct at
time of going to press
Where is it:
Frostenden is squarely in the middle of an unremarkable area of
North East Suffolk. The name means “frogs’ valley”
and is pronounced without the “t”. With fewer than 200
people living in the hamlet, the village is not the most imposing
place in a string of communities that separate Lowestoft from Southwold.
But what it lacks in numbers it more than makes up for in an unusual
history and charm.
What makes it stand out?
The
Domesday Book shows that, 1000 years ago, sea-going ships tied up
here. There were also two churches here, and a thriving community.
Now, the number of sheep in nearby fields is probably close to the
population of the village. While coastlines have changed in that
time, it is still hard to imagine, mostly because three miles of
farmland separate the village from the sea. Also the tiny stream
that now runs through the village is only big enough to sail a model
boat on or bathe a duck in. There is, however, a ditch marking the
bed of the old river. The brickworks which operated at Clay Common
and at Frostenden Corner had ceased production by the 1950s. And
All Saints’ Church, adjacent to Frostenden Hall and complete
with a round Saxon tower, is a short distance from the former village
school on the A12. For those with a less historical turn of mind,
and motorists, the most notable thing about the village is its lay-by
on the northbound A12, complete with a toilet block – a welcome
relief for many travellers heading to the East Coast.
What else is on offer?
Two milestones can be found by the careful explorer at Frostenden.
They show London being 103 and 104 miles away and, while one is
on plain view close to the road, the other is overgrown and sits
almost inside a hedge at the southern end of the lay-by. The parish
magazine, the Wren Letter, covers news of Frostenden, together with
South Cove, Wrentham, Covehithe, Benacre, Henstead and Hulver.
What’s it like today?
Sandwiched between Wrentham and Wangford, Frostenden residents
are within easy reach of The Plough on the A12, and its neighbouring
petrol station, as well as a selection of antique shops.
Any landmarks?
The church is one of the large number of round-towered churches
found in Norfolk and Suffolk. The parish registers date from 1538.
Frostenden and South Cove Village Hall in Gipsy Lane was the first
to be built by voluntary labour in East Suffolk after the second
world war.
The
Domesday Book shows that, 1000 years ago, sea-going ships tied up
here. There were also two churches here, and a thriving community.
Now, the number of sheep in nearby fields is probably close to the
population of the village. While coastlines have changed in that
time, it is still hard to imagine, mostly because three miles of
farmland separate the village from the sea. Also the tiny stream
that now runs through the village is only big enough to sail a model
boat on or bathe a duck in. There is, however, a ditch marking the
bed of the old river. The brickworks which operated at Clay Common
and at Frostenden Corner had ceased production by the 1950s. And
All Saints’ Church, adjacent to Frostenden Hall and complete
with a round Saxon tower, is a short distance from the former village
school on the A12. For those with a less historical turn of mind,
and motorists, the most notable thing about the village is its lay-by
on the northbound A12, complete with a toilet block – a welcome
relief for many travellers heading to the East Coast.