Metfield
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2018) |
| Metfield | |
|---|---|
 Church of St. John the Baptist | |
  Metfield Location within Suffolk | |
| Population | 388 (2011)[1] |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HARLESTON |
| Postcode district | IP20 |
| Dialling code | 01379 |
| UK Parliament | |
Metfield is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district, in Suffolk, England, but its name is derived from Medefeld or 'Meadow feld' (see Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names). It is situated close to the border with Norfolk, being approximately 5 miles south east of Harleston and 7 miles north west of Halesworth. The population was estimated to be 370 in 1996, increasing to 388 at the 2011 Census.
History
[edit]The parish was part of the historic Hoxne Hundred.[2]
The parish church is the 13th-century church of St. John the Baptist, which was extensively remodelled in the 15th century. St. John the Baptist has a sister parish in Medfield, Massachusetts in the United States, the Church of the Advent. The town is named after Metfield.
In 1885 a provisional order reallocated part of the neighbouring parish of Withersdale to Metfield resulting in the parish encompassing 2,338 acres. In 1901 the population was recorded as 437.[3]: 342
The Village has had no public house since 2007, when the only pub, The Duke William, closed. In May 2013 the pub re-opened as a successful Tea Room. During early 2014, the Tea Rooms expanded into a Bed and Breakfast along with a shop. Currently (2021) only B&B is available.
During World War II an airfield was built just outside Metfield for use by the USAAF 491st Bomb Group and the 353d Fighter Group. On 15 July 1944 a bomb dump blew up, detonating over 1,000 tons of bombs and explosive, killing five men and wrecking five B-24 bombers.
The local economy is mainly agricultural with some light industry.
The village now has its own website at metfieldsuffolk.com [1].
In November 2017, local author Christine Brennan published her book METFIELD Tales From a Suffolk Village 1928–2017.
Nearby villages include Cratfield.
References
[edit]- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ William White (1844). History, gazetteer, and directory of Suffolk. p. 449.
- ^ Barker, Horace R. (1909). East Suffolk Illustrated. Bury St Edmunds: Frederick George Pawsey.
External links
[edit]
- [2]
- [3]
- Metfield
- St John the Baptist Church, Metfield
- Diss Express - village's local newspaper website
- a description of the explosion at the dump
 | This Suffolk location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |