| Ballingdon | |
Ballingdon Street, Ballingdon |
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Ballingdon
Ballingdon shown within Suffolk |
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| OS grid reference | TL8640 |
|---|---|
| Shire county | Suffolk |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| List of places: UK • England • Suffolk | |
Ballingdon is a suburb of the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, England. Once a separate village, today it is part of Sudbury civil parish. It is the only part of the town to the south of the River Stour.
The village developed adjacent to a bridge (today known as Ballingdon Bridge) over the River Stour, which dates back to at least the 13th century.[1] It remains the only crossing of the river for several miles in each direction. Ballingdon and Brundon (which formed the township of Ballingdon-cum-Brandon, then in Essex) were added to the borough of Sudbury (and the county of Suffolk) in 1832 as part of the Reform Act; at the time it had a population of 831.[2] In 1972 the owners of Ballingdon Hall had it moved half a mile up Ballingdon Hill on the back of a large transporter; the event was watched by 10,000 people.[3]
Ballingdon came to be home to many businesses, signs of which can be seen in the architecture of the buildings, with large shop windows and other tell-tale signs. This was because before Ballingdon became part of Suffolk It was cheaper to open a business on the Essex side of the river, as no levy had to be paid to Sudbury town council. By 2011 only 8 businesses reamained open outside the industrial units, just 3 of them retail outlets.
Today Ballingdon Street is a conservation area and contains numerous listed buildings. King's Marsh Stadium, home of A.F.C. Sudbury, is located in the area.