Middleton and the nearby Fordley settlement were
founded on the mix of agricultural land interspersed with marshland
of the area. Middleton village itself is located (1o34’E
/52o15’N) about 3 miles inland from the North Sea coast
and is part of the highly acclaimed Suffolk Heritage Coastal area.
The parish comprises three distinct areas, the main village
straddling the 5 meter contour near the river and marshes;
Middleton Moor on higher ground to the north west and Fordley,
further west again.
There were about 300 people, listed in a recent
electoral register of the parish, living in some 170 homes; of
these about 10% are used as holiday homes or are vacant.
The village church, Holy Trinity, is still a
focal point of the community with the adjacent Primary School. The
village hall and Middleton Bell PH are the main social centres of
the village and the Recreation Ground is well provided with play
equipment that is used by both local residents and many from
further a field.
Much of Middleton’s
northern boundary is defined by the Minsmere River and it is
surrounded by the parishes of Kelsale, Yoxford, Westleton, and
Theberton cum Eastbridge. 5 Miles to the south west is the
traditional market town of Saxmundham and Leiston, famed for it’s
Garrett agricultural engineering history is 3 miles, or so, to the
south. Local attractions include the renowned RSPB Minsmere Bird
Reserve and the internationally recognised Snape Maltings concert
hall. The ancient Roman port of Dunwich, now mainly lost to the
sea, is near-by, as are the popular resorts of Aldeburgh to the
south and Southwold and Walberswick to the north.
Middleton Myths
1
Middleton Myths 2
www.saxcom.org.uk
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