Sælig Suffolk is a poetic pilgrimage around Suffolk. The pilgrimage starts in Lowestoft, where the poet invites you to go east and be the first to see the sunrise in the morning. It then goes up to Burgh Castle which the boundary commission put in Norfolk but historically is in Suffolk. Burgh Castle is also where Saint Fursey and his brothers set up a minster to evangelise the East Anglians and much is said about Saint Fursey and his companions. It then goes to Covehythe and speaks of the ruined church drawing closer to the cliffs with the smaller church within the ruins still acting as a sanctuary from the storms. It then goes to Southwold where the place is talked about while the poet playfully references all the beers produced by the Adnams brewery based in Southwold. From Southwold it then goes to Dunwich where the poet talks about having lunch in the Dunwich Ship and walking along the cliffs and how the town fell into the sea, became a rotten borough and is still a bishop’s seat. From Dunwich, the journey heads to Leiston and Sizewell where the poet talks about the abbey ruins there, the smuggling that went on in the past and Ipswich Town legend Ted Phillips originally playing for Leiston Town.
Blythburgh to Fressingfield: Saints and Legends
From Leiston, the journey continues to Blythburgh where King Anna of East Anglia was buried after being slain at the battle of Bulcamp. It also mentions Saint Jurmins shrine, Black Shuck and Toby Gill. From Blythburgh, the journey then goes to Wenhaston where the puritans whitewashed over the doom for the whitewash to be washed away in Victorian times. From Wenhaston the journey continues to Halesworth which was once a major place of commerce.
From Halesworth, the pilgrimage continues up to North Cove where the poet speaks of Saint Botolph founding the church there and speaks of the frescos on the wall there. From North Cove, the poet sojourns to Beccles. Where Lord Nelson’s parents were married. From Beccles the poet goes to Bungay where history and geography is discussed. From there the journey takes us to the part of Suffolk called the saints that are in between the villages of Flixton and Chediston, which are named after Saint Felix and Saint Cedd. From there the journey goes to Fressingfield where the pilgrimming poet speaks of the stars being bright due to being so far out in the wilds of Suffolk and talks of the places history and geography.
Hoxne to Mendlesham: Martyrs, Memory and Boundaries
From Fressingfield the journey takes us to Hoxne where Saint Edmund was martyred and the poet goes into much detail about Saint Edmund’s martyrdom. A monument to him is there where he was martyred. From Hoxne the pilgrimage continues to Saint Ethelbert’s Tannington. Saint Ethelbert was also an East Anglian king who was martyred and the poet talks about how he lost his head and because of the puritans, the pew ends in the church also lost their heads.
From there the journey continues to Eye. where the peot speaks of the Red Book of Eye making Dunwich a certainty for where Saint Felix had his Bishop’s See. The poet also talks about visiting Eye Market with his parents during childhood. From there the pilgrimage continues to Thornham Parva and Thornham Magna where the poet speaks of the thatch-roofed church of Thornham Parva and the thatch-roofed pub in Thornham Magna.
From the Thornham’s the pilgrimage continues to Mendlesham where medieval friars once preached at the Preachers Stone, a glacial erratic in Old Market Street, as did John Wesley. The mast is also talked about.
From Mendlesham, the pilgrimage goes to Botesdale. When Suffolk was briefly divided, the boundary of East Suffolk and West Suffolk went down Botesdale High Street. The mottos of East and West Suffolk are mentioned as is the present motto of Suffolk. There is also a reference to speedway taking place in Mildenhall in the west and Foxhall in the east.
West Stow to Bury Saint Edmunds: Anglo-Saxon Echoes and Magna Carta
After this, there is a poem called ‘Confuddling int ut?’ where the poet talks about things named after places being in other places. Like Snape Maltings being in Tunstall and Mendlesham T.V Mast being in Wetheringsett.
After this, the pilgrimage takes us to West Stow where we hear of a ‘miserable bugger’ who used to live there and the reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village and references the Dream of the Rood. Then the pilgrimage takes us to Elveden. It talks about Elveden meaning ‘the valley of elves and then talks a lot about Maharajah Duleep Singh.
From Elveden we go to Mildenhall where the speedway team, the SR71 Blackbird along with US F4 phantoms are referenced. The poet mostly talks about the Mildenhall treasure which was found there. From there we move to somewhere near the Suffolk Cambridgeshire border where the pilgriming poet talks of the boring nature of the countryside in Cambridgeshire compared to the countryside of Suffolk which has inspired painters and obviously himself. From there the pilgrimage takes us to Exning, where King Anna of East Anglia had his family, protected from attacks from the troubling Kingdom of Mercia by the fens.
From Exning the journey takes us to Newmarket. The poet talks about a group travelling in a car past Bury Saint Edmunds and going into Newmarket to watch Ipswich Town in a pub there. The poet then talks about looking for a friend’s house in Studlands Park where the house numbering makes no sense and the layout of the place makes looking for a particular house even more confusing.
From Newmarket the journey takes us to Ickworth which was a thriving village until the enclosure acts. The church was the inspiration of the Dr Who monsters called the Weeping Angels and they are referenced in a way that adds to the sadness of the injustice of enclosure during the middle ages.
From Ickworth we are taken to Rede which is the highest village above sea level in Suffolk. The poet humorously uses words like ‘mountains’ and ‘fells’ and then the pilgrimage takes us to Bury Saint Edmunds, where we hear how an abbey was built in a town called Beodricsworth where later the relics of Saint Edmund were taken. It starts talking about how Charles Dickens talked of the place and then talks about Saint Edmunds shrine being there. After this, the poet talks about how the barons assembled at the saint’s shrine for inspiration and got it so Anglo-Saxon law was restored over Norman law in a document we know as Magna Carta.
The Suffolk Big Four and the Continuing Journey
After Bury Saint Edmunds is a poem about Saints Etheldreda, Edmund, Felix and Botolph. (The Suffolk Big Four)
Pakenham to Rattlesden: Folklore and Early Memories
After this we then move to Pakenham where the poet speaks of childhood memories coupled with various quirks of the village. The journey then takes us to Thurston and hear of the Thedwestre Hundred meeting there along with Plough Sunday still being observed. The next stop is Woolpit with the folklore story of the Green Children. From there, the journey takes us to Rattlesden where the caen stone was taken upstream to build the abbey of Bury Saint Edmunds and where as far inland the Vikings went.
Onehouse to Stowmarket: Roads, Rivers and Reflection
We then visit the Paupers Graveyard in Onehouse where the poet recalls being worried about the dark as a child with older children making stuff up to scare the younger ones. After this we visit the Haughley Bends which was a treacherous stretch of road that has since been bypassed and is now a cycle route. The poet recalls how they were like and talks of the peace and tranquility of the present cycle route that follows the Haughley Bends.
After this, the pilgrimage takes us to Stowmarket where we learn of some history of the place and how it was once owned by the priory of Saint Osyth and talks about Saint Osyth. We then have a sonnet about Great Moulton Chapel in the grounds of the Food Museum in Stowmarket.
After Stowmarket the book takes a detour and follows the Rattlesden River down to Stowmarket. The poem starts using lots of place name etymology to describe the journey from Rattlesden until it joins the Gipping. Then the poet speaks of memories as a child wandering along said river.
Wattisham to Hadleigh: Dialect, Cricket and Countryside
After this adventure along a river the pilgrimage takes us to Wattisham where is mentioned the Wattisham Stone and R.A.F Wattisham. We then go to Kersey where the poet insists no other village is more picturesque and celebrates the Suffolk dialect. After Kersey, the book leads us to Hadleigh which has a cricket club older than Marylebone. The poet speaks of the history of the place through King Athelstan establishing his capital there to the smuggling gangs that operated from there with cricket references through the whole poem celebrating the age of Hadleigh Cricket Club. We then back track and have an adventure along the River Brett from near it’s source until it joins the River Stour.
Lavenham to Sudbury: Literature and Local History
From here the journey still continues to Monks Eleigh where the poet celebrates one of the best views in Suffolk The church at the top of the green. From there the journey takes us into Lavenham. The author, Jane Taylor wrote ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” there. and so she is referenced while this town is seen with references to Suffolk dialect. From Lavenham the pilgrimage goes to Clare where some local history is celebrated and then from Clare to Glemsford where we learn how Glemsford got the nickname Little Egypt. From Glemsford the pilgrimage continues to Sudbury where folklore and history is discussed along with references to Thomas Gainsborough.
Bures to Copdock: Saints, Oaks and Constable Country
From Sudbury, the pilgrimage takes us to Bures where Saint Edmund was crowned on Christmas Day in 855. From Bures we go looking for the Edwardstone White Horse and many get lost looking for it. From there the pilgrimage takes us to Polstead where Polstead Blacks, the Polstead Gospel Oak and Maria Martin are spoken about. Then there is a whole poem dedicated to the Polstead Gospel Oak under which Saint Cedd preached in the seventh century. From Polstead the pilgrimage takes us into the undulating fields and vales of Constable Country to Flatford, Stratford and towards Stoke by Nayland. Then the pilgrimage takes us to Bramtham briefly. Then to Tattingstone for a mountain bike ride around Alton Water and from there to Holbrook where there is a reference to Griff Rhys Jones who lives just outside Holbrook, in Stutton. The pilgrimage then takes us to Wherstead Church from where is a magnificent view of the River Orwell. From there we are taken to a bench in Copdock. After this there is a pastiche of Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited except it’s the A1071 revisited.
Ipswich and the Orwell: Trade, Memory and Movement
We then sojourn into Ipswich to celebrate its trade and industry from Anglo-Saxon times until the present day. After this we are looking at the facade of Ipswich Town Hall and this is followed by a tour of Ipswich’s many parks. After this we are in Saint Matthews Street where the poet reminisces tulips in the middle of the roundabout. From there the journey takes us to the Northgate Room in Ipswich Central Library.
After being in Ipswich for a while, we then journey down the river Gipping from Gipping back down to Ipswich. From there the pilgrimage takes us to Nacton Shore then the journey takes us to Felixstowe. From Felixstowe the pilgrimage takes us to Holmhill Farm which became uninhabitable because of the flooding in 1953.
Newbourne to Otley: Pastoral, Speedway and Football
We are then taken on a journey along the river Orwell. There is some use of place name etymology in the poem The pilgrimage then continues to Newbourne. There is then a pastoral to John Dobbs of Kesgrave, a Shepherd who hung himself after losing one of his sheep to avoid being sent to Australia. The pilgrimage then goes to Foxhall where the streams there are mentioned along with the Reverend Routh and the Ipswich Witches speedway team. The pilgrimage then continues to Martlesham Heath and onward to Playford where abolitionist Thomas Clarkson is buried and there is a monument to him. From Playford the pilgrimage continues to Grundisburgh where Saint Botolph reposed and his shrine was in nearby Burgh. The reader is then taken on a journey through the country lanes between Debach and Bealings and the place name etymology helps the reader get lost.
Next is a poem about a journey to Otley from over Kettleburgh way. Roger Osbourne, the scorer of the winning goal in the 1978 FA Cup final for Ipswich Town, is from Otley. The poem references Geddis’ long shot Wark hitting the post and Mariner hitting the bar before that goal when the commentator said “This is got to be it and it is it. Roger Osbourne has made the breakthrough.
Akenham to Framlingham: Faith, Witchcraft and Heritage
The pilgrimage then takes us to Akenham, the remote site of the Akenham burial case. From Akenham the pilgrimage takes us to Darmsden Church which the C of E put on the market to be turned into a house in the 1970’s so the villagers bought it and promptly turned it back into a church. From Darmsden the pilgrimage takes us to Bonny Wood in the Spring and from there to Needham Market. From Needham Market the pilgrimage takes us to Creeting and talks about the two remaining churches and the lost parishes of Creeting All Saints and Creeting Saint Olav.
The pilgrimage continues to Debenham, source of the Deben and site of the groaning stone. from there the journey goes to Brandeston where the villagers called witch hunter general, Matthew Hopkins to try the Rev’d John Lowes who was hanged for witchcraft. From Brandeston the pilgrimage goes to Framlingham. The poem goes into the town’s history, town crest and references Framlingham boy, Ed Sheeran. From Framlingham the pilgrimage goes to Eyke and then to Rendlesham where we hear of the Christian heritage of the place and about the Americans stationed at Bentwaters..
Woodbridge to Sutton Heath: The Deben Journey
From Rendlesham the pilgrimage goes on to Woodbridge and the poem has lots of references to the town coat of arms. From Woodbridge the journey goes to Boulge, the smallest parish in England where the poet Edwarnd Fitzgerald is buried. From Boulge the pilgrimage continues to Melton and much history of the village is spoken of. After this there is a journey down the Deben from Debenham into the sea. Much place name etymology is used to describe the journey. We then end up on Sutton Heath where at night, both Mendlesham T.V Mast and the BT building in Martlesham can be seen.
Shottisham to Staverton: Suffolk Pink and Quiet Lanes
The pilgrimage then goes to Shottisham where the poet talks about loving being around Suffolk Pink. From Shottisham the pilgrimage goes to Shingle Street where the poet talks of the remoteness of the place and the rare flora that grows there. From Shingle Street the pilgrimage goes to Saint Edmund’s Bromeswell. Then there is a couple of haiku’s about oxslips.
The pilgrimage continues to Ufford where the first Suffolk Punch was born and the magnificent font cover is in Ufford church. After this there is another trip along the Deben where the poet wonders if the landscape along it inspired Alfred Lord Tennyson to write the Lady of Shallott. The pilgrimage continues to Pettistree and then to Wickham Market. There follows a poem about Parham Hundred that explores Parham, Blaxhall, Tunstall and Wantisden. After this there is a poem about Suffolk’s Quiet Lanes. The pilgrimage then goes to Staverton Park and Staverton Thicks, a magical place of ancient woodland.
The Final Stretch: Thorpeness to Iken
The pilgrimage then continues to Thorpeness which the poet calls unashamedly unique. The journey then continues to Aldeburgh where the poet George Crabbe is referenced. The pilgrimage then goes to Barbers Point, the opposite side of the river Alde from Iken and from there to Saxmundham, where the poet speaks about drinking in the White Hart and the shield of the Kingdom of East Anglia being on the font in the church there.
The pilgrimage finishes at Iken where Saint Botolph founded his minster in 654 and the site has been a place of pilgrimage ever since.
