Westley, Suffolk
| Westley | |
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 Westley
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| Westley shown within Suffolk | |
| Population | 183 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TL823646 |
| District | |
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| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bury St Edmunds |
| Postcode district | IP33 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Westley is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is located south of Junction 42 of the A14 providing primary access to adjacent market towns Bury St Edmunds (East) and Newmarket (West). The village consists of two central roads: Fornham Lane and Hill Road running vertical through the parish, with adjoining roads accommodating Westley’s total population of 183.
Village facilities include: Westley Club, located on Old church Lane and refurbished in 2012 to include pool tables and a community staffed bar, it is the village's only social venue. St Mary's Church, a pioneering concrete structure which features a three-phase tower with slated pyramidal roof acts as the village's focal point.
The earliest indication of the village's existence derives from 'a document of around 1040'. Westley later appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book under the name 'Westlea' meaning 'westerly wood or clearing'. The Doomsday Book recorded the village as having 21 households and a total tax assessment of 3.3 geld units suggesting that the area was of average affluence. 'St Thomas the Martyr Church' was the village's first church, constructed in the 12th century after St Thomas of Canterbury. The church suffered severe storms in 1844 and 1789, despite attempts by churchwardens to repair the building in the early 19th century, pillage of the stonework and the conclusion that the structure is beyond repair led to its closure in 1834.
The closure of St Thomas church led to the construction of St Marys Church in 1835, noted as 'one of the earliest concrete buildings to have been built in England.' The construction of the church was funded by public subscription on land given by Frederick Hervey, 1st Marquess of Bristol and incorporated innovative architectural techniques implemented by Brighton builder 'William Ranger'. Notable aesthetic features of St Marys Church include the slate roof and patented precast concrete blocks used to form the tower and churchyard walls.
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