Framlingham

An electoral ward of the same name exists. The parish stretches north-east to Brundish with a total ward population taken at the 2011 Census of 4,744.[3]

Framlingham's history can be traced to an entry in the Doomsday book (1086) when it then consisted of several manors.

The medieval Framlingham Castle is a major feature in the town, managed by English Heritage. Mary Tudor (daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon) was proclaimed Queen of England at Framlingham castle in 1553. The castle is referred to in Ed Sheeran's 2017 single "Castle on the Hill", Sheeran having grown up in Framlingham. There is a large lake or mere next to it which used to supply the castle with fish. It is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust; a nature walk can be made around it.

The town is also home to the comprehensive secondary Thomas Mills High School, the independent school Framlingham College, the Church of St Michael the Archangel which dates from the 12th century (the main rebuilding dates from the late 15th and 16th centuries) and Framlingham Town F.C.

The town has the two oldest functioning Post Office pillar boxes in the UK, dating from 1856, located in Double Street and in College Road.[4] The pillar boxes are marked V. R., to mark the reign of Queen Victoria.

Framlingham also has one of the smallest houses in Britain, known as the "Check House". Converted into a two-storey residence of under 29 square metres, the former bookmakers office[5] is in the Mauldens Mill Estate in the town centre. The ground floor measures 20 feet (6.1 m) by 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m).[5]

There is a traditional English market in the town square, Market Hill, every Tuesday and Saturday offering fruit and vegetables, artisan bread and cakes, fresh fish, coffee, cheese and pies and on occasion, other independent stalls.

Framlingham is located some 14 miles from the coastal town of Aldeburgh and 20 miles from Southwold. It is also 10 miles from the renowned music centre of Snape Maltings. It is itself surrounded by agricultural land.

In 2006, Country Life magazine voted Framlingham the number one place to live in the country.[6]

Framlingham has a conservation area. An oak tree planted in 1911 in honour of the Coronation of King George V survives outside the old railway station, now a pub named The Station in Station Road.

Framlingham was the main location setting for the 2014 BBC4 television comedy series The Detectorists, starring Mackenzie Crook, Toby Jones and Rachel Stirling and has appeared in other TV programmes.

Framlingham College is an independent, co-educational secondary school for boarders and day students. It opened as Albert Memorial College in 1865 in memory of Albert, Prince Consort. Its associated preparatory school is at Brandeston Hall.[7]

Thomas Mills High School dates from 1751, making it older than Framlingham College. It is a mixed secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18. It gained academy status in 2011.[8]

Of the three primary schools, the oldest is Sir Robert Hitcham's Church of England Voluntary Primary School, dating back to at least 1654. It now has 350 pupils and another 26 in its nursery.[9]

The Framlingham Branch line connected Framlingham with the main Ipswich to Lowestoft railway at Wickham Market. The railway station building stands adjacent to the Station Hotel. The branch was closed to passenger traffic in the 1950s and to goods in the 1960s. The nearest railway stations today are Wickham Market (7 miles (11 km)) at Campsey Ash and Saxmundham (8 miles (13 km)), both on the East Suffolk Line.

The town is at the junction of the B1116, B1119 and B1120 roads. It is 4 miles west of the A12. The local bus services are detailed here.[10]

Framlingham has a Non-League football club, Framlingham Town F.C., which plays at Badingham Road.

Framlingham College has a swimming pool and gymnasium open to the public in pre-booked slots. Membership fees required.

Framlingham has a sports club in Badingham Road, where the football team play, offering residents tennis, archery, badminton, hockey and croquet. It is also where the cycling club meets. There is also a rambling club in the town.

In order of birth:

• Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1443–1524), who held office under four kings, died at Framlingham Castle.
• Sir Robert Hitcham (c. 1572–1636), was a member of Parliament, attorney general and philanthropist, who purchased Framlingham Castle in 1635.
• Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, KG (1584–1640), politician, owned Framlingham Castle until 1635.
• Rev. Nicholas Danforth (1589–1636) and family left Framlingham in 1634 for Massachusetts Bay Colony, where his land grant became the town of Framingham, Massachusetts.[11]
• Thomas Danforth, a Massachusetts Bay Colony magistrate and landowner, was born in 1623 in Framlingham, son of Nicholas.
• Samuel Danforth, poet, Puritan and evangelist to American Indians, was born in 1626 in Framlingham, son of Nicholas.
• Nicholas Revett, architect and theorist, was born in Framlingham in 1720.
• Alethea Lewis (1749–1787), the novelist, was brought up by her maternal grandfather in Framlingham.
• Edmund Goodwyn (1756–1832), physician born in Framlingham, who discovered the diving reflex[12]
• Robert Hindes Groome (1810–1889), composer, author and cleric, was born in Framlingham.
• Henry Thompson (1820–1894), a polymath and a surgeon who operated on the Belgian royal family, was born in Framlingham.
• Samuel Cornell Plant (1866–1921), master mariner and Senior Inspector, Upper Yangtze River[13]
• John Cordy Jeaffreson (1831–1901), writer and lawyer, was born in Framlingham.[14]
• Francis Stocks (1873–1929), county cricketer, died in Framlingham.
• Frederick Bird (1875–1965), county cricketer and cleric, was born in Framlingham.
• Michael Lord (born 1938), deputy speaker and MP for the town, took the title Baron Framlingham rather than "Lord Lord" on becoming a life peer.
• Charles Freeman (born 1947), former Head of History at St Clare's, Oxford, and teacher of Ancient History for Cambridge University's Extramural programme. Prolific author on ancient, Christian and early Mediaeval history.
• Alice Russell (born 1976), soul singer, grew up in Framlingham.
• Christina Johnston (born 1989), classical coloratura soprano, grew up in Framlingham and attended Framlingham College.
• Laura Wright (born 1990), classical/popular crossover soprano, grew up in Framlingham.
• Ed Sheeran (born 1991), singer–songwriter, grew up in Framlingham and attended Thomas Mills High School. The town is the subject of his hit single "Castle on the Hill".

• RAF Framlingham, a Second World War bomber airfield near Framlingham
• Quay House

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Framlingham.

• The Framlingham website
• Framlingham.com
• Framlingham: Local History
• The History of Framlingham, in the County of Suffolk: Including Brief Notices of the Masters and Fellows of Pembroke-Hall in Cambridge, from the Foundation of the College, to the Present Time, Robert Hawes & Robert Loder, published 1798
• The History, Topography, and Antiquities of Framlingham and Saxsted, in the County of Suffolk, R. Green, published 1834