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The village of Haughley was once an important market town and has links with the Druids, Anglo Saxons and Romans in its past. The castle was one of the most significant castles in East Anglia but is now only home to a variety of wildlife. A market was held in the town on the village green from 1227 but in 1710 much of the village was destroyed by fire and never fully recovered. Nearby Stowmarket benefited from this and became the main trading centre of the area from where the transport links were later developed. This is a short walk around the heart of the village and the central green, an ideal route to explore on a fine January day. From the Pavilion (1) car park (Haughley Football Club) turn left along the road for about 100 metres to the bend using the roadside verge wherever possible when traffic approaches. Turn off right on the footpath along the hedge and ditch to the corner of the field, turning left over a footbridge and stile into a meadow. The raised ground and trees on the right mark the site of Haughley Castle (2), erected by William the Conqueror and destroyed on 27 October 1173 by the Earl of Leicester as part of the revolt against Henry II. All that survives is the Saxon mound and the extensive moat. Follow the path through the meadow, parallel to the moat to reach a stile at the end leading into the churchyard and a surfaced path out to Duke Street. Turn right past the church of St. Mary the Virgin (3) to reach the point where the castle moat is close to the road and serves as the village duck pond (4). Castle Farm lies within the moated area by unfortunately there is no public access to the castle motte etc. Return along Duke Street back past the church to reach the junction opposite the Kings Arms pub. Turn sharply right, noting the Post Office (5) on the corner and then on past the Old Counting House Restaurant (6). The Post Office and adjoining houses were built between 1870 and 1890 as almshouses and is reckoned to be the oldest Post Office in the county and possibly the country. The Old Counting House was once an old medieval bank and sports Victorian shop style front windows. At the junction with The Folly turn right to reach the Village Hall (7) built in 1907. Opposite is Haughley House (8) and the residence of Jeffrey Bowden, the Lord of the Manor. The Lord of the Manor was once the constable of the castle, in the house is a tunnel linked to the church. In the seventeenth century the Lord of the Manor held court and was given the power to try criminals. If found guilty of a capital offence, they were taken to the gallows on Gallows Field near what is now the picnic area, just off the A14 dual carriageway. Return back along The Folly to the village green, following the footway along the right side of the road to the entrance to Dial Farm (9). If you visit Haughley on a Saturday and you can experience the weekly auction here. To the left of the opening is Dial Farmhouse, the timber framed entrance porch is believed to date back to 1500 and to have come from a house in Mendlesham. Continue down Old Street and green to Cock Corner (10) and the junction with Station Road. Although the station is closed Haughley is still the junction of the main line railway routes that link Ipswich with Norwich and Cambridge. It was also the terminus of the old Mid Suffolk Light Railway that closed in 1952 and evidence of the old track bed can still be found in places. Cock Corner takes its name from the Cock Inn (11) the white building that stands on the corner, dating from around 1701, as inscribed on the plaque above the entrance. Return back up Old Street, bearing right by the village pump (12) and behind it, the old Charity Coal House that once distributed fuel to the poor of the village. The Kings Arms (13) has been a pub since the 16th century and housed the Manorial Courts from the 18th century. Continue along Green Road (Bacton Road) to the Crawford's Primary School (14), built in 1861 by the Rev. W.H. Crawford who was also responsible for the Post Office Building and Charity Coal House. Opposite the school turn right onto the playing field and then left alongside the hedge around the side of the field to reach the Pavilion. Continue past the front of the building and turn left at the hedge to return to the start at the car park. InformationLocation: Haughley is 3 miles north west of Stowmarket and 15 miles north west of IpswichStart: Pavilion car park (Haughley Football Club), Ordnance Survey map reference TM 027625 Length: 1¼ miles Conditions: Field edge, road and footway - very easy walking, 2 stiles How to get there:- Public Transport: For details telephone Suffolk County Council's Public Transport Information TraveLine - 0870 6082608 By Road: A14 to Stowmarket, turn off right to Haughley before reaching the Haughley bends, follow the road through the village towards Bacton Car Parking: Pavilion car park (space sometimes limited) or roadside parking in village, please park with consideration for residents Refreshments: Pub, restaurant, bakery and village Foodstore Public Toilets: None in village Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 211 Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket Publications: Haughley Village Trail leaflet due to be published shortly Internet: - Haughley: http://homepages.tesco.net/~Haughley/index.htm Suffolk Country Walks: http://www.anderton.btinternet.co.uk
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