Mellis
Mellis | |
---|---|
St Mary's church, Mellis | |
Location within Suffolk | |
Population | 519 (2011)[1] |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Eye |
Postcode district | IP23 |
Dialling code | 01379 |
Mellis is a small village in Suffolk, England. It has the largest area of unfenced common land in England. Oliver Cromwell exercised his troops in Mellis. It once had a railway station on the main line between London and Norwich, and a small branch line that ran to nearby Eye.
Mellis Common is a 59 hectare nature reserve. In summer rare plants such as green-winged orchid, sulphur clover and adder's tongue fern flourish. The abundance of small mammals also makes the site a favourite hunting ground for barn owl and tawny owl.
The 14th-century parish church of St Mary, restored in 1859 and 1900, is a Grade II* listed building.[2]
In 1968, Roger Deakin (1943 – 2006), writer and environmentalist, bought Walnut Tree Farm on the edge of Mellis Common, which he rebuilt over many years and where he lived until his death.
References
[edit]- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ Historic England. "CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (1181735)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
External links
[edit]- Diss Express - village's local newspaper website
- Mellis Village council - village's parish council
- [1] - Mellis C.E.V.C school