Woodbridge, Suffolk
| Woodbridge | |
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 Woodbridge harbour, with Woodbridge Tide Mill in the background |
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 Woodbridge
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| Woodbridge shown within Suffolk | |
| Population | 7,749 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | TM272491 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WOODBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | IP12 |
| Dialling code | 01394 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, about 8 miles (13 km) from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 11,000. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich–Lowestoft East Suffolk Line and is located just a few miles from the wider Ipswich urban area. Woodbridge is twinned with Mussidan in France. Woodbridge is close to the most important Anglo-Saxon site in the United Kingdom, the Sutton Hoo burial ship. With 1100 years of recorded history, the town has retained a variety of historical architecture, and there are facilities for boating and riverside walks on the River Deben.
Woodbridge lies in the Suffolk Coastal district of the shire county of Suffolk. The Town Council was formed in 1974 as a third-tier successor to the Urban District Council and has a mayor and 16 councillors elected for four wards. The town lies in Suffolk Coastal parliamentary constituency and is currently represented by Conservative Therese Coffey and County Councillor Liberal Democrat Caroline Page.
Archaeological finds in the area show habitation from the Neolithic Age (2500-1700 B.C.).
The area was under Roman occupation for 300 years following Queen Boadicca's failed rebellion in 59 A.D. but there is little evidence of the Romans' presence. When the Roman soldiers were recalled to Rome in 410 A.D., there was a substantial Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) settlement. It was the Angles who gave East Anglia its name.
In the early 7th century King Rædwald of East Anglia was Bretwalda, the most powerful king in England. He died in around 624, and he is probably the king buried at Sutton Hoo, just across the river Deben from Woodbridge. The burial ship is 89 feet long, and when its treasures were discovered in 1939 they were the richest ever found in British soil. They are kept in the British Museum in London. Replicas of some items, and the story of the finds, are to be found in the Woodbridge Museum, and the National Trust has built a Visitor Centre on the site.
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