Belstead
| Belstead | |
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 Belstead War Memorial |
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 Belstead
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| Belstead shown within Suffolk | |
| Population | 202 Census, 2011 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Ipswich |
| Postcode district | IP8 |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Belstead is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of the English county of Suffolk. Located on the southern edge of Ipswich, around 3 miles (5 km) south-west of Ipswich town centre. It had a population of 202 according to the 2011 census. Belstead has amenities such as a village hall, St Mary's the Virgin Church, The bridge school for children with learning difficulties and Belstead Brook Hotel and Spa.
The Ipswich Hoard was found near Belstead in 1968. It is now in the British Museum, but there are copies of the torcs in the Ipswich Museum.
BELSTEAD, a parish in Samford district, Suffolk; near the Eastern Union railway, 3½ miles SW of Ipswich. Post Town, Ipswich. Acres, 1,022. Real property, £1,849. Pop., 292. Houses, 57. The property is divided among a few. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Norwich. Value, £370.* Patron, the Rev. E. J. Lockwood. The church is tolerable; and there is an Independent chapel.
The Bridge School is situated 1.9 miles from Belstead on Sprites Lane. The school is a special school for children aged between three and sixteen years which have severe, profound and complex learning difficulties. The school aims to create a supportive learning environment and to allow their pupils to learn through their achievements. The Ofsted inspection of the school which was carried out in January 2015 gave the school a ‘good’ rating overall.
St Mary's church is located in Belstead. The church holds services for special events such as Remembrance Sunday and a Christmas Carol function as well as monthly events.
In 2005 the church almost became redundant with it needing repairs. With support from the community it became possible for St Mary's Church to remain open as there was support from the community of Belstead. Work took place to clear the graveyard and clean the church.
The structure of the church is believed to be 700 years old. The church is described as below on its website.
Graves & memorials have been identified from 1611 onwards by our village historian. The building is of simple design, unpretentious and attractively rustic, the tower dates from the early 14th century, and is one of only 22 Suffolk towers which form porches. The interior is graced with a number of fittings and memorials dating from its earliest days, including the 15th century rood screen with paintings of saints and others, all of which were mutilated by tudor reformers or later by puritans in the 1640s, a rood loft staircase set into the thickness of the outer wall, brass rubbings, and wooden pews.
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