| Lakenheath, England | |
Lakenheath Church |
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Lakenheath, England
Lakenheath, England shown within Suffolk |
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| OS grid reference | TL715825 |
|---|---|
| - London | 80.72 from high street to parliament square |
| District | Forest Heath |
| Shire county | Suffolk |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | IP27 |
| Dialling code | 01842 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| List of places: UK • England • Suffolk | |
Lakenheath is a village in Suffolk, England. It has around 8,200 residents,[1] and is situated in the Forest Heath district of Suffolk, close to the county boundaries of both Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and at the meeting point of the The Fens and the Breckland natural environments.
Lakenheath is host to the largest USAF base in the United Kingdom, RAF Lakenheath.
Lakenheath Fen Nature Reserve, created in 1996, restored wetlands from agricultural fields that were growing carrots. In May 2007, it was reported that cranes were nesting in the site for the first time since the fen lands were drained in the sixteenth century.[2]
The village has a single Victorian primary school, constructed in 1878, which was extended in 1969 and again in 2004.[3] There is a small shopping street, with a grocery store, two newsagents, an opticians shop, a Chinese restaurant, fish and chip shop, and Filipino restaurant. The village has a library with internet access. Along this stretch of road a small skate park, a playing field and a children's play park can also be found.
Lakenheath has only one pub; The Brewers Tap, though historically it had at least sixteen more, the most recent closure being the The Plough (closed August 2011, being converted to a Chinese restaurant).[4] The Royal British Legion is a members only club.
Lakenheath is remarkable for its medieval church, built in the local flint construction style. The church contains medieval paintings and medieval carving on the pews.[5] The faces of the church's wooden angels bear the scars of the English Civil War, as none of the angels retain their original facial detail, due to religiously motivated vandalism by puritan soldiers In early 2009, the church received a large grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and local organisations to restore its rare medieval wall paintings. The wall paintings, depicting local saint St Edmund, angels, and birds amongst other subjects, are believed to date from the 13th Century.[6]
As well as the Anglican parish church, Lakenheath has churches representing the Methodist, Strict Baptist and Pentecostal (AOG) denominations. All three of the non-Anglican church buildings are also primarily constructed of local flint, albeit with later modifications in brick.
Lakenheath railway station is three miles away from the village and not served by a car park. Consequently, it is rarely used by travellers.
Notable Famous people who have lived in Lakenheath include Gok Wan (from the age of 4-6 while his Dad was in charge of The Rising Star Chinese takeaway as the co-founder), as well as Timmy Mallet who owned a holiday home in the village from 1986 until he sold the property in 1998 and Carrie Henn, who attended school in Lakenheath when she was cast as Newt in Aliens.
Lakenheath is host to the largest deployment of United States Air Force personnel in the United Kingdom: RAF Lakenheath. The social impact of the United States Air Force fighter airbase and its nearby sister, RAF Mildenhall, on the economy of Lakenheath and on the nearby towns and villages is important.
The United States has maintained a presence in the community since bombers were stationed there during WWII conducting raids on Europe. The base has a population of around 7000 service personnel. This does not account for non-combatant personnel and families.
During the mid-eighties there was a peace camp outside RAF Lakenheath. On one occasion, a handful of protestors briefly infiltrated the base, with a few climbing on top of a Tab-Vee (aircraft shelter) until being hosed down by USAF firefighters and arrested. There are three squadrons of F-15 fighters and their support and maintenance personnel stationed at RAF Lakenheath. The 492nd and 494th Fighter Squadrons fly the multi-role F-15E Strike Eagle and the 493rd Fighter Squadron flies the air-to-air F-15C Eagle variant. The 48th Fighter Wing, "Liberty Wing", is the parent unit exercising command of the base in conjunction with the RAF.
An American school system exists on the base with Lakenheath Elementary,Pre-K to 3rd, Liberty Intermediate, 4th-5th and Lakenheath High School, 9th-12th.
During the Ice Age, the River Bytham flowed through the area that is now Lakenheath, depositing much of the modern geology found in the area.[7]
Excavation of three early Anglo Saxon cemeteries at RAF Lakenheath between 1997 and 2002 uncovered a total of 394 inhumation and 17 cremation burials.