Woodbridge: A Personal History

The updated story of Woodbridge, the East Anglian town, from the Anglo-Saxon period up to the present day, highlighting some of the people who have contributed to its character, and the surrounding countryside.

The location of Woodbridge had a major influence on the town's history, placed as far inland as working boats could travel and close to the coast of mainland Europe, it has upheld its importance whilst remaining very much a markettown. Woodbridge began as a modest settlement and is close to some of the major archaeological sites for the Anglo-Saxon period including the Sutton Hoo burial ship, one of the most important discoveries in British archaeologicalhistory. In the sixteenth century, influenced by Queen Elizabeth's solicitor, Thomas Seckford, Woodbridge became the second largest port in Suffolk and the town prospered. Bawdsey Manor, standing at a prominent point at the mouthof the River Deben, having been the principal residence of Sir William Cuthbert Quilter, was acquired in 1936 by the RAF and became the site where radar was developed for practical militarily use, making a significant contribution to the war effort.

ROBERT SIMPER is a local historian whose previous books include a number of works based on the maritime culture of East Anglia. In this charming personal account, inspired primarily by oral histories and supported by archive sources and colourful photography, he tells the story of Woodbridge through the ages, documenting changes that have taken place and in particular highlighting some of the people who have contributed to the character of the town and its surrounding countryside.