| Bungay | |
The windmill |
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Bungay
Bungay shown within Suffolk |
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| Population | 4,895 (2001 Census) |
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| OS grid reference | TM342891 |
| District | Waveney |
| Shire county | Suffolk |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BUNGAY |
| Postcode district | NR35 |
| Dialling code | 01986 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Waveney |
| List of places: UK • England • Suffolk | |
Bungay (/ˈbʌŋɡi/)[1] is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, 5.5 miles (9 km) west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.
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The origin of the name of Bungay is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon title 'Bunincga-haye', signifying the land belonging to the tribe of Bonna, a Saxon chieftain. Due to its high position, protected by the River Waveney and marshes, the site was in a good defensive position and attracted settlers from early times. Roman artifacts have been found in the region.
Bungay Castle was built by the Normans, but was later rebuilt by Roger Bigod and his family, who also owned Framlingham Castle. Bungay's village sign shows the castle. The Church of St. Mary was once the church of the Benedictine Priory, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville.[2] It was here that one of the most famous episodes in Bungay's history occurred:
On Sunday August 4, 1577 at St Mary's Church during a service, the ghostly hound Black Shuck, also known as 'The Black Dog of Bungay' is said to have killed two and left another injured. The dog was later believed to have visited the Cathedral of the Marshes at Blythburgh (Holy Trinity Church) during the same thunderstorm within an hour of the appearance at Bungay. In that appearance the hound, after charging down the aisle, fled through the North door of the church. Large black scorched gouges can still be seen on the door.
The legend of Black Shuck has inspired several of the town's sporting events. An annual marathon "The Black Dog Marathon" begins in Bungay, and follows the course of the River Waveney and the town's football club is nicknamed the "Black Dogs". Black Shuck was also the subject of a song by The Darkness.
The town was almost destroyed by a great fire in 1688. The central Buttercross was constructed in 1689 and was the place where local farmers displayed their butter and other farm produce for sale. Until 1810, there was also a Corn Cross, but this was taken down and replaced by a pump.
The railway arrived with the Harleston to Bungay section of the Waveney Valley Line opening in November 1860 and the Bungay to Beccles section in March 1863. Bungay had its own railway station near Clay's Printers. The station closed to passengers in 1953 and freight in 1964.
Bungay has an unusually large number of hairdressers, antique shops, food outlets and pubs and a wide range of specialist shops. Local firms also include the printers, Clays, and St. Peter's Brewery, which is based at St. Peter's Hall. Bungay is often seen as a 'poor relation' of the larger neighbouring town of Beccles.
The local football club, Bungay Town, currently play in the Anglian Combination, having previously been members of the Eastern Counties League.
Godric Cycling Club is based in Bungay.[3] It organises a number of events each year, including weekly 'club runs'.
Bungay was home to several literary figures. Thomas Miller (1731–1804), the bookseller and antiquarian, settled in the village. His publisher son, William Miller (1769–1844), was born there. The Strickland family, which according to the Canadian Dictionary of Biography was as prolific as the Brontës, Edgeworths, and Trollopes, settled in the village 1802-1808. Its daughters included Agnes, a historian; Catharine Parr Traill, who concentrated on children's literature; and Susanna Moodie, who emigrated to Canada and wrote Roughing it in the Bush (1852) as a warning to others. The novelist Sir H. Rider Haggard (1856–1925) was born nearby in Bradenham and presented St. Mary's Church with a wooden panel, displayed behind the altar. Religious writer Margaret Barber (1869–1901), author of the posthumously published best-selling book of meditations, The Roadmender, settled in Bungay. More recently the family of successful Songwriters Tom Baxter Charlie Winston & Vashti Anna spent a portion of their childhood in Bungay where their father Papa G - Geoff Gleave still lives.
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