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Clopton
Clopton maps
Historic maps of Clopton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Clopton maps
Clopton photos
We have no photos of Clopton, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Bredfield| Woodbridge| Melton| Ufford| Pettistree| Martlesham| Easton| Wickham Market| Claydon| Parham Hall| Debenham| Waldringfield| Ipswich| Framlingham| Parham| Sproughton
Clopton area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Clopton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Clopton
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Suffolk memories
My Ancestors
All my ancestors originate in Otley, and I have traced them back to 1718. The only recollection I have of Otley is that when I was six to seven years old the family used to visit my father's aunt, my great-aunt Emma who was in her 90s and bedridden, she lived in a small cottage on the road to Helmingham. Further along the road lived one of his cousins who was married to a Walter Goodwin who used to drive a steamroller for Dawsons. It was a quaint little cottage standing endways to the road and looked rather like an oversized dolls house. Walter's son Willy lived there all his life and worked on the farm for Mr Ling. After he retired he spent his time making model steam engines with matchsticks and fairground carousels mounted on gramophone turntables. Willy died about three years ago. The cottage was then demolished. S G Forsdlke
William Gildersleeve & Thomas Robert Gildersleeve
In the year 1492 William Gildersleeve and in 1544 Thomas Robert Gildersleeve were born in Witnesham, Suffolk, England.
Gildersleeves first found in Norfolk area where they were anciently seated as Lords of the Manor.
If anyone knows any Gildersleeves (Spelling variations of the family name includes Gildersleeve, Gildersleve, Gilderslieve, Gildensleeve, Gildensleve, Sildsleeve, Gildsleve, Guildersly).
A Spy at RAF Bentwaters? No Just my Dad Aircraft Spotting!
My Dad who is now 80 years old, shared a lovely story with me the other day. My husband and I had just come back from a holiday in Suffolk, staying at a beautiful old "folly" cottage opposite the entrance to Bentwaters. Dad recalled that when the USAF were based there, probably around 1955, maybe earlier, he'd decided to take a drive up the road that skirted the base to see if he could spot the new "stealth" fighter, which he had heard about. So, having left my mum chatting with her sisters who live in Woodbridge, he donned his black leather riding gear and rode his motorcycle up to the gates, got out his binoculars and was promptly arrested by the US guards! He was "asked" to accompany them onto the base, a request he gladly accepted, as he wanted to get a good look at their aircraft. Totally oblivious to the fact that he looked like everyone's idea of the cunning spy! While being escorted to the... Read more
Boulge Was my Home
My family owned the Boulge Hall estate at the time of your photograph. I was christened in Boulge Church in 1940.
I am the 3rd Baronet of Boulge Hall and the last of the line.
The summer house on the right of the picture was built by my grandfather Sir Robert Eaton White.
I remember Boulge well throughout my childhood. How sad that it was demolished.
I have some faded photos of the interior and a couple of others of the outside.
Nothing else remains.
Melton Grange in 1959
I was 7 years old in 1959 when I stayed in the Melton Grange Hotel for about 2 weeks with my mother, father, and 3 brothers. My father was in the US Air Force, stationed at RAF Woodbridge. As Americans, we were in awe of this large, ornate building and what seemed to us an enormous garden. We were introduced to the tradition of "Tea" at 4:00 p.m. each afternoon and soon realized that the dinner in the evening was probably intended for adults without their children. A gentleman who seemed to be the manager or owner showed us an upstairs room with a window still displaying a bullet hole from a wartime aircraft. About to return to the area to visit the place now, after more than 50 years, I was saddened to see on the internet that the old hotel was eventually abandoned, and later suffered a fire. I suppose it is no longer standing, but what a memorable place, and it... Read more
Charles Welton Coates Owner of The Old Bell And Steelyard
My grandfather owned the Old Bell and Steelyard through WWII until the mid 50's. His name was Charles Welton Coates. He also owned the Melton Grange Hotel, with a business partner or two. He also owned the Cross pub in the Thoroughfare, the Boot which is no longer a pub and the Cherry Tree at the top of the hill above Notcutts garden centre. Unfortunately he died before I was born, but I've been visiting Woodbridge to see relatives who still live there for my entire life. If you visit the Old Bell, which is, I believe one of the oldest pubs in Britain, look at the far left window ground floor. This used to be a shop with a second door next to it. Goods were sold from that window - I'm not sure when it was bricked in. I have a painting of the pub done in 1948 by someone called H.C. Green and it's bricked in there. My grandad had watched him painting all afternoon, and... Read more
Growing up in Ufford
After reading all the nice memories of the area, I just want to add that my father was stationed at Bentwaters, and we lived in Ufford as well as Woodbridge. My mother was from Ufford, and I was born in Melton - best time of my life as a child living there. I went to Ufford school and Woodbridge. I went swimming at the 'big bridges' in Ufford and worked on a farm - I did it all there. I still have family living in Wickham Market. It's odd, how after bouncing from east coast USA, back to the UK (father-USAF), we also got stationed at Lakenheath, - years later I was stationed in the UK and my son graduated from Lakenheath HS. I for one, could not adjust to US way of life, as a military dependent, I could not wait to get back to the UK.
