Pakefield
| Pakefield | |
|---|---|
 Pakefield
|
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| Pakefield shown within Suffolk | |
| Population | 6,563 (2011) |
| • London | 126 mi (203 km) SW |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Lowestoft |
| Postcode district | NR33 7 |
| Dialling code | 01502 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Pakefield is a suburb of the town of Lowestoft in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. Pakefield is located around 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the centre of the town. Although today it forms a suburb of the urban area of Lowestoft, it was until 1934 a village and parish in its own right. Pakefield lies along the North Sea coast. The former parish church, All Saints and St Margarets, is located on the coast.
Pakefield became a site of national archaeological importance in 2005 when flint tools over 700,000 years old were unearthed. This was the oldest evidence of human occupation anywhere in the UK, until flint tools at least 800,000 years old were discovered further up the coast at Happisburgh in 2010.
Pakefield has boundaries with Carlton Colville and Kirkley, both also districts or suburbs of Lowestoft. It forms the southern boundary of the Lowestoft urban area with Kessingland about 2 1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) to the south.
Pakefield is the site of one of the earliest known areas of human habitation in the United Kingdom. In 2005 flint tools and teeth from the water vole Mimomys savini, a key dating species, were found in the cliffs. This suggests that hominins can be dated in England to 700,000 years ago, potentially a cross between Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis.
Bloodmoor Hill, between Pakefield and Carlton Colville, was the site of settlement in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and the 7th and 8th centuries. The Saxon period consisted of a relatively dense settlement as well as a cemetery which included at least one rich barrow burial. Artefacts were discovered at the site in the 18th Century and the Saxon cemetery site was the subject of archaeological investigations between 1998 and 2006.
In the Domesday book Pakefield is called "Pagefella", the name probably coming from the Pagan settlement name of Pagga's or Pacca's field. The village was part of the King's holdings and was part of the Hundred of Lothing. It had a population of about 17 households, including a number of freemen. Part of the tax payment made by the village was 600 herrings.
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Wikipedia