Long Melford

Prehistoric finds discovered in 2011 have shown that early settlement of what is now known as Long Melford dates back to the Mesolithic period, up to 8300 BC. In addition, Iron Age finds were made in the same year, all within the largely central area of the current village. The Romans constructed two Roman roads through Long Melford, the main one running from Chelmsford to Pakenham. Roman remains were discovered in a gravel pit in 1828, a site now occupied by the village's football club. In 1997, Roman finds were uncovered including complete skeletons (with one being in a stone coffin), part of the original Roman Road, and complete samian ware pottery in a villager's garden. In June 2013,…

The size and architecture of Holy Trinity Church makes it unusual for a village parish church, and it was the only church in Suffolk to receive five stars in the book England's Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins. The church dates from the reign of Edward the Confessor, but was then substantially rebuilt between 1467 and 1497 by John Clopton of Kentwell Hall. It is one of the richest "wool churches" in East Anglia and is noted for its flushwork, Clopton chantry chapel, and the Lady Chapel at the east end, as well as having one of the finest collections of medieval stained-glass of any village church in England. Edmund Blunden, the First World War poet, is buried in the churchyard. Next…

Long Melford was visited by Daniel Defoe, who mentioned the village in his book A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain. Defoe wrote, "Near adjoining to it [Sudbury] is a village call'd Long-Melfort, and a very long one it is, from which I suppose it had that addition to its name; it is full of very good houses, and, as they told me, is richer, and has more wealthy masters of the manufacture in it, than in Sudbury itself." Between 1962 and 1967 Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten organised a series of Bach Weekends at Holy Trinity Church, with guests including the English Chamber Orchestra. A performance of Christmas Oratorio from 1967 was recorded for BBC Television. The Bull…