Stradbroke

History

During the Middle Ages, the name of the village was sometimes spelt Stradbrook. A prominent medieval philosopher Robert Grosseteste, also Bishop of Lincoln, was born in Stradbroke, circa 1175. The village is dominated by All Saints' Church which has a 15th-century tower.

In October 2014 the Primary School celebrated the 150th anniversary of its opening on 28 September 1864.

The village used to host an unusual event on the last Saturday in July known as Navy Day. This mourned the end of the Royal Navy's rum ration and as part of the celebrations a tot of rum was processed around the village. The last Navy Day was held in 2007.

Facilities

Because Stradbroke is central to many smaller villages and hamlets, it has always had more facilities than its population might suggest. It serves as a centre for education for Mid Suffolk and there is both a Primary School and a High School in the village. There are also two pubs, several shops and many other local services including a public library, a community centre, a swimming pool and a gym. There is an extensive playing field for cricket and football, three tennis courts and two bowling greens. There is also a fitness track and some 12 miles of public footpaths for those who like to run, jog or walk the dog. They are almost all cut and maintained twice or three times a year by the Parish Council and by Suffolk County Council. Near the community centre there is also a doctor's surgery open every weekday and a play area for young children. At Westhall there is another play area and a recreation ground for informal games. The village post office re-opened in its new home in the library, which is housed in the historic Courthouse building, on 14 October 2014. This was two years after the previous post office shop closed. It is the first post office in England run by a library service, Suffolk Libraries, and the library staff work on both the post office and library counters. The village Spar shop was extensively refurbished in summer 2014 and is open every day from 7am to 9pm. There is also a bakery, a butcher's shop, a Wedding Shop and a Care Agency in the village.

In 2012 a six-acre field was purchased on Drapers Hill and 28 allotments created together with a Community Orchard and a Wild Flower Meadow. A large pond was also donated at the top of the site and there are now four donated seats for public use which overlook it and they also offer attractive views of the Church back towards the centre of the village.

Stradbroke has a monthly magazine that is delivered free to houses in the parish entitled The Stradbroke Monthly. The village also has an online community radio station called Radio Stradbroke that broadcasts shows and from live events in the village.

It is midway between Norwich and Ipswich and a short driving distance from the coastal towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh. Stradbroke is near the small Suffolk town of Eye and the larger Norfolk market town of Diss (which is an hour and a half by train from London). Buses link the village to surrounding towns.

Stradbroke also has its very own music festival "Stradisphere Music Festival" since 2014 hosting a variety of musical acts across two stages. It has been award nominated nationally two years in a row, due to its success in bringing communities together Stradisphere is now an annual event made up with a committee of local residents. Stradisphere also works in partnership with charities such as Help For Heroes as well as developing music charities within Suffolk and Norfolk