Blundeston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blundeston is a village and civil parish in the Waveney district of Suffolk, England.
According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,560. It is about two miles inland, and between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Blundeston Map and info.
The village is one of the more desirable in the area and this is reflected in the house prices being 20% higher than for like properties in Lowestoft & Gt Yarmouth.
On the southern edge of the village is HMP Blundeston which used to house B Category prisoners but in recent years has changed to the lower security C Category status.
The village contains Blundeston CEVC Primary School, St Mary's Church and two pubs, The Plough Inn and The Red Lion. The Plough is well known in the local area for its excellent traditional food and attracts many people from the Lowestoft area and not just the village. The Red Lion is more of a local pub and is mainly frequented by villagers. Unfortunately there are no shops to stock up on everday essentials but there is Harian, a hairdressers, and Kings scuba diving centre, which is OK if you need to get your hair done after snorkelling in the nearby North sea with some dogfish. There is also Walton garage, next to Kings scuba diving on The Street, which specialises on recovering breakdowns in the local area but also caters for other motoring needs. On Lound Road at the edge of the village there is Blundeston Garden centre that sells various plants and garden furniture. Situated on Church Road is the old fire station which has now become a piano gallery; there is often a piano left outside on the drive. Also nearby on the junction of Church Road and Pound Lane there is an old pound which was used for storing stray animals, although today it is overgrown with weeds. At the end of Church Road on the junction between Short Road and The Street there is a disused windmill.
Blundeston is probably best known for being the birthplace of David Copperfield in the novel of the same name by Charles Dickens. It is not known whether Dickens ever visited Blundeston but from letters he wrote he mentions choosing the name after seeing it on a signpost during a visit to Great Yarmouth.Links with the novel are prevelant in Blundeston today with road names such as Copperfield Terrace and Dickens Court. On the village sign David is pictured looking towards the church and the Plough Inn has a plaque over its entrance that says " Barkis (the Carrier) from the novel.. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, started from here", and food is served in the Dickens lounge. The classes in the primary school also used to be called Trotwood, Peggoty, Copperfield and Barkis after characters in the novel; although they have since been renamed as classes 1, 2, 3 and 4 which is a shame. Also, an extension has been put in place for a new classroom for Reception children - this taking the name of Micawber. This is refering to Wilkins Micawber from the novel.
The village is also known locally for its Youth Football Club "The Blundeston Magpies" who have teams from U8 to adult & compete in the Norfolk & North Suffolk Leagues. The now defunct Blundeston exiles 5-a-side team all hailed from this village and won several local titles including Beccles league and Dickleburgh tournament as well as BRAME national honours in the 1990's and early 2000's.
