Beccles and Bungay

Beccles and Bungay are market towns on the River Waveney in Suffolk 5 miles (8 km) apart on the southern edge of the Norfolk Broads. They are rural towns catering primarily to the local populations rather than tourists.

In 2011, Beccles had a population of over 10,000 people, with almost 4,000 more living in Worlingham, a suburb. Bungay had a population of 5,100 people.

Understand


In Bungay one Sunday during a church service in 1577 during thunderstorms a black hellhound apparition appeared and attacked members of the congregation. Today this dog is included in the town's coat of arms and the "Black Dog" name can be seen cropping up around the town. The dog has been linked to the Black Shuck - a dog renowned for hunting the coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex (and featured in a song by the rock group The Darkness).

History
The name Bungay is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon title Bunincga-haye, signifying the land belonging to the tribe of Bonna, a Saxon chieftain. Due to its high position, protected by the River Waveney and marshes, the site was in a good defensive position and attracted settlers from early times. Roman artefacts have been found in the region.

Bungay was important for the printing and paper manufacture industries. Joseph Hooper, a wealthy Harvard graduate who fled Massachusetts when his lands were seized after the American Revolution, rented a mill at Bungay in 1783 and converted it to paper manufacture. Charles Brightly established a printing and stereotype foundry in 1795.

The railway arrived with the Harleston to Bungay section of the Waveney Valley Line opening in November 1860 and the Bungay to Beccles section in March 1863. Bungay had its own railway station. It was closed to passengers in 1953 and freight in 1964.

The name Beccles is conjectured to be derived from Becc-Liss (Brittonic=Small-court), or Bece-laes (Old English=Meadow by Stream), or a contraction of Beata Ecclesia, the name of the Christian temple erected c. 960 by the monks of the monastery of Bury. Once a flourishing Anglian riverport, it lies in the Waveney valley and is a popular boating centre. The town was granted its charter in 1584 by Elizabeth I.

By road
The A146 Lowestoft to Norwich main road runs through Beccles. The A143 Great Yarmouth to Harleston and Diss and on to Bury St Edmunds runs through both towns.

By bicycle
Regional Cycle Route 30 runs through both towns through Diss and Thetford to the W and to Lowestoft to the E. In Beccles route 30 connects with National Cycle Route 1 (Shetland Islands to Dover via Norwich and Ipswich) as well as Regional Cycle Route 31 (Reedham to Southwold).

On foot
The Angles Way long-distance footpath (93 miles) Great Yarmouth to Thetford runs through both Bungay and Beccles.

Get around
Both towns are small enough to see on foot, though they are 5 miles apart.

See

 * Churches in Bungay: The Church of St. Mary was once the church of the Benedictine Bungay Priory, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville. The 11th-century church of Holy Trinity, with its round tower, lies SE of St. Mary's churchyard, while the 19th-century red brick Roman Catholic church of St. Edmund is immediately south of the churchyard.
 * Beccles Town Hall, an 18th-century octagonal town hall.
 * Churches in Bungay: The Church of St. Mary was once the church of the Benedictine Bungay Priory, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville. The 11th-century church of Holy Trinity, with its round tower, lies SE of St. Mary's churchyard, while the 19th-century red brick Roman Catholic church of St. Edmund is immediately south of the churchyard.
 * Beccles Town Hall, an 18th-century octagonal town hall.
 * Churches in Bungay: The Church of St. Mary was once the church of the Benedictine Bungay Priory, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville. The 11th-century church of Holy Trinity, with its round tower, lies SE of St. Mary's churchyard, while the 19th-century red brick Roman Catholic church of St. Edmund is immediately south of the churchyard.
 * Beccles Town Hall, an 18th-century octagonal town hall.

Connect
Beccles has 4G from all UK carriers. As of Sept 2022, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Harleston
 * Diss
 * Long Stratton
 * Lowestoft
 * Great Yarmouth
 * Norwich