Population 832 (2011) Country England Post town Halesworth Local time Monday 6:16 PM District Waveney | Region East Sovereign state United Kingdom Postcode district IP19 8 Shire county Suffolk | |
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Weather 12°C, Wind SW at 6 km/h, 67% Humidity | ||
,Holton, in Suffolk, England, is a village near to the town of Halesworth with a population of around 1,100, measured at 832 in the 2011 Census. Holton is split into two parts, Upper Holton and Holton.
Contents
Map of Holton, UK
History
Although it often referred to as Holton St. Peter, such as in the name of its primary school, the 'St Peter' suffix was adopted by some village institutions to prevent confusion with the other Suffolk 'Holton' of Holton St. Mary. However, a proposed name change was rejected at the time by the Parish Council and the village officially remains to this day 'Holton'. Holton is an Anglo-Saxon place name meaning 'village in a hollow' and the site was likely inhabited from neolithic times. A few Roman artifacts have been found locally and it is possible that the Blyth river was forded here (at Mells) as it lay on the ancient trackway from Dunwich to Beccles.
Holton Hall was demolished to become a caravan park but the house had many famous connections to the anti-slavery movement and Barclays Bank.
Features
The church of Holton St Peter is one of 38 existing round-tower churches in Suffolk built by the Normans in the 11th century.
Holton has a primary school, two shops: Market Fields Farm Shop and Holton Orchards Farm Shop; the Lord Nelson pub closed early in 2008 but has been extended and refurbish and re-opened in 2013 as a restaurant/pub. It closed again in July 2015. Apart from Bernard Matthews Farms, there is a small industrial site at the airfield with small workshops and a feed store. The post mill was restored and its sails started working again in 1996. The community produces a bi-monthly magazine 'The Holton Post'.
Holton also boasts a post mill, parts of which date back to the 18th century. The mill had been left in a terrible state of disrepair back in the 1960s but was rescued and has been repaired/restored on numerous occasions since. The mill is now under private ownership but is sometimes opened to the public.
Avian flu outbreak
An outbreak of avian influenza of the H5N1 strain was confirmed, on 3 February 2007, at a farm near Holton, owned by Bernard Matthews.