THE VILLAGE AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
The village of Stratford St Mary, Suffolk lies within the Dedham
Vale, which is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty.
The village has a natural boundary with Essex to the west in the
form of the River Stour, and although the majority of the built up
area of the village lies to the west of the A12, the Parish is
quite extensive and reaches east across the fields to Dedham and
north to B1068 road to Dedham.
Much of the built up areas of the village within the village
envelope is within a conservation area.
Footpaths
The Parish has many miles of footpaths for walkers to enjoy.
These cover varied terrain from lanes, open fields, and riverside
walks to village paths. The footpaths are signposted where
they leave metalled highways and are waymarked where suitable along
the way with yellow arrow markers.
Stratford St Mary has two important county paths which pass through
the Parish these being The Essex Way and The Stour Valley Path both
of which may be picked up at the weir.
The River Stour
The River Stour was one of England’s earliest navigable
waterways dating back to 1705. Along its length were several locks
that were needed to transport cargo by barge up and down river. One
lock was built at Stratford St Mary which is situated behind
the old mill site on the island. This has fallen into a state of
disrepair but will be restored over the next few years by the River
Stour Trust.
It is said that the inspiration of the book ‘Tarka the Otter’ was
gained after the author spotted an otter frolicking in the Stour at
Stratford St Mary.
Fishing permits for the section of river between the Weir and the
Swan Inn garden are available at the Post Office.
Anyone wishing to use a rowing boat or canoe in the river needs to
obtain a licence from the Environment Agency.
Play Ground
There is a good enclosed playground for smaller children with a
variety of swings, climbing and sliding equipment on a safe bark
surface. The playground is inspected and maintained once a month by
professional contractors. In addition there are two football goal
posts and a basketball pitch and post on the main field, with
seating and a sturdy litter bin.
Waste Management
Stratford St. Mary feels it is important to conserve the
environment by means of recycling, reuse and disposal.
Glass : Two bottle banks accepting mixed glass are sited in the
car parks of The Swan Inn and The Anchor pubs. The proceeds of the
bank at the Swan go to the village Primary School.
Paper : A paper and magazine bank is situated just inside the
gates of the Primary School in Strickmere.
Clothes: A clothes recycling bin is situated just inside the
gates of the Primary School.
Compost : Residents are encouraged to compost their vegetable
matter in their own back gardens. Composting bins are available
from Babergh.
Gardening Waste : A brown bin is available for an additional fee
from Babergh and is collected every two weeks.
Other recycling : Paper, plastics, cardboard, aluminum and steel
tins may be placed in the Blue Bin. These are collected evry other
Thursday alternating with the residual rubbish.
Doggy Bins : Bins to put away dog excrement have been positioned
around the village for use by dog owning
residents.