Ellough is a civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk, located approximately 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Beccles. The area is sparsely populated with a mid-2005 population estimate of 40.[a][2] The parish, which has an area of 4.5 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi), borders Worlingham, North Cove, Mutford, Weston, Sotterley, Willingham St Mary and Henstead with Hulver Street.[1][3] The parish council operates to administer jointly the parishes of Shadingfield, Willingham St Mary, Sotterley and Ellough.[4]

Ellough
Ellough is located in Suffolk
Ellough
Ellough
Location within Suffolk
Area4.5 km2 (1.7 sq mi) [1]
Population40 (2005 est.)[2]
• Density9/km2 (23/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTM443871
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBeccles
Postcode districtNR34
Dialling code01502
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Suffolk
52°25′52″N 1°36′22″E / 52.431°N 1.606°E / 52.431; 1.606

The village was the site of a World War II airfield built in 1943 and operated today as Beccles Airfield. Part of the former airfield is used as a kart racetrack and as an industrial estate, including the main production site of local printing firm William Clowes Ltd. The village itself is dispersed and has few services.[5] The A145 road, forming part of the Beccles southern bypass, runs along part of the northern border of the parish.

History

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At the time of the Domesday survey, Ellough, known then as Elga, was a small settlement of four or five households.[6][7] It formed part of the lands of Roger Bigot and was held by Robert of Vaux, having been confiscated from Ralph Guader, former Earl of Norfolk, following a failed rebellion.[7][8] It is recorded as El'gh prior to 1400 and as Ellowe on a map of 1610.[8][9]

The manor passed through a number of owners, including the Playters of Sotterley, before being owned by the Earl of Gosford in the 1840s.[8][10] The church held some of the glebe land of St Mary's church in Willingham.[8] The population of the parish was 155 in 1848,[10] falling to 125 in 1871, at which time the parish was worth £1,687 and consisted of 1,097 acres of land.[11] The population declined dramatically following the second world war and now stands at less than 50.[12][13]

All Saints Church

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Ellough church is dedicated to All Saints and stands in an exposed position on a ridge overlooking the parish.[11][14] It is medieval in origin, was heavily restored in the late 19th century, and is now a Grade I listed building.[15] It stands to the south of the valley of the Hundred River which has its mouth at Kessingland.

RAF Beccles

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Ellough Airfield was completed in 1943 and served as a RAF Bomber Command and RAF Coastal Command airfield during World War II as RAF Beccles.[16] The airfield was decommissioned after the war and the land is now used as an industrial estate, a farmers market[17] and for Ellough Park Raceway, a kart racing circuit. William Clowes Ltd. printers moved to the industrial park in 2004[18] and the park has one of the UK's largest solar roof installation sited on the roof of a Promens warehouse and with a generating capacity of 1.65MW.[19] A series of solar farms have been built around the southern and western edges of the site.[20][21][22]

A basic airstrip, known as Beccles Airfield, remains at the site, used as a training base and private airfield. For a time a heliport operated to service oil and gas rigs in the North Sea.[16]

Notes

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  1. ^ 2011 United Kingdom census population data does not report population figures for parishes where the population is small enough to potential identify individuals. As a result no population figure is available for Ellough at the census.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ellough (otherwise Willingham All Saints or Willough), Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  2. ^ a b Estimates of Total Population of Areas in Suffolk, Suffolk County Council, 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2009-04-19. (Archived, 2008-12-19.)
  3. ^ a b Village profile: Ellough, East Suffolk District Council, 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  4. ^ Shadingfield, Sotterley, Willingham and Ellough Parish Council Website, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  5. ^ Shadingfield, Sotterley, Willingham & Ellough, Healthy Suffolk, 2016. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  6. ^ Ellough, Domesday Map. Retrieved 2011-06-25. (Archived, 2012-03-13.)
  7. ^ a b Ellough, Domesday Book online. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  8. ^ a b c d Suckling AI (1846) 'Ellough, or Willingham All Saints', The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk: volume 1, pp. 53–57. Ipswich: WS Crowell. (Available online at British History Online. Retrieved 2011-06-25.)
  9. ^ Ellough, The Suffolk Real Ale Guide, Suffolk CAMRA. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  10. ^ a b Lewis S (ed) (1848) 'Ellough, or Willingham (All Saints)' in A Topographical Dictionary of England, pp. 158–161. (Available online at British History Online. Retrieved 2011-06-25.)
  11. ^ a b Wilson JM (1872) 'Ellough' in Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, quoted at Ellough, Suffolk, Vision of Britain. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  12. ^ Ellough AP/CP: Historical statistics – population, Vision of Britain. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  13. ^ A profile of Waveney[permanent dead link], Waveney District Council, February 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  14. ^ Knott S (2021) All Saints, Ellough, Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  15. ^ Church of All Saints, Ellough, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  16. ^ a b Shaw F History of Beccles (Ellough) Airfield, Rainair website. Retrieved 2009-04-19. (Archived, 2008-06-29.)
  17. ^ Beccles Farmers Market. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
  18. ^ Staff call for safe route to work, BBC news website, 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  19. ^ Beccles: Promens Packaging’s solar power generation hits the roof, Eastern Daily Press, 2012-08-12. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  20. ^ Judge overrules Pickles over solar farm refusal, Planning, 2014-06-24. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  21. ^ Pickles approves Suffolk solar farm rejected in 2013, ITV News, 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  22. ^ Planning application, East Suffolk District Council, 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
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  Media related to Ellough at Wikimedia Commons