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market towns on the River Waveney in Suffolk, England
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Europe > Britain and Ireland > United Kingdom > England > East of England > Suffolk (England) > Beccles and Bungay

Beccles and Bungay are market towns on the River Waveney in Suffolk 5 miles (8 km) apart on the southern edge of the Norfolk Broads. They are rural towns catering primarily to the local populations rather than tourists.

In 2011, Beccles had a population of over 10,000 people, with almost 4,000 more living in Worlingham, a suburb. Bungay had a population of 5,100 people.

Understand

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Bungay, Bigod's Castle
Beccles Town Sign

In Bungay one Sunday during a church service in 1577 during thunderstorms a black hellhound apparition appeared and attacked members of the congregation. Today this dog is included in the town's coat of arms and the "Black Dog" name can be seen cropping up around the town. The dog has been linked to the Black Shuck - a dog renowned for hunting the coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex (and featured in a song by the rock group The Darkness).

History

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The name Bungay is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon title Bunincga-haye, signifying the land belonging to the tribe of Bonna, a Saxon chieftain. Due to its high position, protected by the River Waveney and marshes, the site was in a good defensive position and attracted settlers from early times. Roman artefacts have been found in the region.

Bungay was important for the printing and paper manufacture industries. Joseph Hooper, a wealthy Harvard graduate who fled Massachusetts when his lands were seized after the American Revolution, rented a mill at Bungay in 1783 and converted it to paper manufacture. Charles Brightly established a printing and stereotype foundry in 1795.

The railway arrived with the Harleston to Bungay section of the Waveney Valley Line opening in November 1860 and the Bungay to Beccles section in March 1863. Bungay had its own railway station. It was closed to passengers in 1953 and freight in 1964.

The name Beccles is conjectured to be derived from Becc-Liss (Brittonic=Small-court), or Bece-laes (Old English=Meadow by Stream), or a contraction of Beata Ecclesia, the name of the Christian temple erected c. 960 by the monks of the monastery of Bury. Once a flourishing Anglian riverport, it lies in the Waveney valley and is a popular boating centre. The town was granted its charter in 1584 by Elizabeth I.

Get in

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By road

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The A146 Lowestoft to Norwich main road runs through Beccles. The A143 Great Yarmouth to Harleston and Diss and on to Bury St Edmunds runs through both towns.

By train

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By bicycle

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Regional Cycle Route 30 runs through both towns through Diss and Thetford to the W and to Lowestoft to the E. In Beccles route 30 connects with National Cycle Route 1 (Shetland Islands to Dover via Norwich and Ipswich) as well as Regional Cycle Route 31 (Reedham to Southwold).

On foot

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The Angles Way long-distance footpath (93 miles) Great Yarmouth to Thetford runs through both Bungay and Beccles.

Get around

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Map
Map of Beccles and Bungay

Both towns are small enough to see on foot, though they are 5 miles apart.

Bungay Buttercross
St Michael's Church, Beccles
Flixton Road Mill, Bungay
  • 1 St Michaels Church, New Market Beccles NR34 9HE. It was at this church in 1749 that the mother of Horatio Nelson, Catherine Suckling, married the Reverend Edmund Nelson (a former curate of Beccles). The Suffolk poet George Crabbe married Sarah Elmy at Beccles Church in the 18th century. (updated May 2017)
  • 2 Beccles and District Museum, Leman House, Ballygate, Beccles NR34 9ND, ☏ +44 1502 715722, . Beccles Museum is housed in Leman House, a Grade I listed building and has a collection of agricultural, industrial and domestic items, including collections of tools, boat building, printing, costumes and natural history. (updated May 2017)
  • 3 Beccles Bell Tower, ☏ +44 1502 712109. The townscape is dominated by the detached 16th century bell tower (known as the Beccles bell tower) of St Michael's Church. Like the main body of the church, the tower is Perpendicular Gothic in style and is 97 ft tall. The interior of the church was badly damaged by fire in 1586. It has a 13th-century font. The tower is not attached to the church and at the wrong end of the church as the correct end would be too close to a large cliff. Beccles bell tower (Q4878534) on Wikidata Beccles bell tower on Wikipedia (updated May 2017)
  • 4 Bungay Castle, Castle Orchard, Bungay NR35 1DD. Bungay Castle was built by the Normans but was later rebuilt by Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk and his family, who also owned Framlingham Castle. Bungay's village sign shows the castle. The castle contains a unique surviving example of mining galleries, dating to the siege of the castle in 1174. They were intended to undermine and thus collapse the castle's tower and keep. Free (donations appreciated). Bungay Castle (Q17641605) on Wikidata Bungay Castle on Wikipedia (updated May 2017)
  • Churches in Bungay: The Church of St. Mary was once the church of the Benedictine Bungay Priory, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville. The 11th-century church of Holy Trinity, with its round tower, lies SE of St. Mary's churchyard, while the 19th-century red brick Roman Catholic church of St. Edmund is immediately south of the churchyard.
  • Beccles Town Hall, an 18th-century octagonal town hall.

Boat and canoe hire

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  • 1 Bungay Market, Buttercross, Market Place Bungay NR35 1AR. Th 7AM-. (updated May 2017)
  • 2 Tesco (Supermarket), George Westwood Way, Beccles NR34 9QH, ☏ +44 345 677 9870. M-Sa 6AM-midnight, Su 10AM-4PM. (updated May 2017)
  • 3 Co-op (Convenience Store), Rigbourne Hill, Swines Green, Beccles NR34 9JF, ☏ +44 1502 711156. M-Sa 6AM-10PM, Su 7:30AM-10PM. ATM (updated May 2017)
  • 4 Co-op (Convenience Store), Hillside Rd East, Bungay NR35 1RX, ☏ +44 1986 895738. M-F 8AM-10PM, Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM. ATMs. Petrol station (different hours). (updated May 2017)

Drink

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Sleep

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Bridge Street, Bungay

Connect

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Beccles has 4G from all UK carriers. As of Sept 2022, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

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This city travel guide to Beccles and Bungay is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
Beccles
Beccles
Bungay
Bungay
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