What and Where?
Wingfield is a village in the English county of Suffolk on its northern border with Norfolk. It is seven miles east of Diss (in Norfolk), signposted off B1118, near Eye (in Suffolk).
Wingfield. Suffolk. Not to be confused with:
During its heyday in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Suffolk Wingfield was home to two of the greatest and most powerful families in England, the Wingfields and the de la Poles, later to become the Earls and Dukes of Suffolk. One famous member of the family was William de la Pole who married Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of Geoffrey Chaucer; his son John de la Pole married Elizabeth Plantagenet, sister of Richard III.
Subsequent centuries have seen Wingfield decline in importance but the legacy of its glory days is still to be seen. The church, built in 1362 originally as a collegiate church in memory of Sir John de Wingfield, is large and beautiful with many ancient monuments. Fortunately, the church has suffered little at the hands of destroyers or restorers, although John de la Pole’s effigy bears scratched graffiti dating back to the seventeenth century. Major restoration work on the roof, windows, interior and tower was carried out in the 1990s and the bells also underwent a process of restoration.
Wingfield College, lying to the south and now behind a Georgian façade, was built at the same time as the church. It was until 1534 a college of priests and a centre of education for the district. Subsequently it became a private farmhouse and was known as College Farm. In the later twentieth century it became the home of Wingfield Arts and the barns and outhouses belonging to it were redeveloped as a base for the arts organisation.
The powerful de la Poles built themselves Wingfield Castle and in 1384 were given a licence to fortify it. In the twentieth century Dodie Smith stayed there and subsequently based the setting of her novel “I Capture the Castle” on it. The village remained a lively centre for the local community, with shops, a forge, a school and a post office, until wider social changes in the second half of the twentieth century led to all these closing down. Both Wingfield College and Wingfield Castle are now private family homes. Wingfield Arts closed its doors in 2004 due to funding problems. The only public house (and only commercial outlet) in the village was put on the market in 2004 and, finding no buyer at that time, closed its doors too. The church faced a serious challenge when the vicar retired. Wingfield seemed to be on its way to becoming a purely dormitory village.
Fortunately it hasn’t quite worked out like that. Wingfield is home to its own vicar again. With support from Mid-Suffolk District Council, Wingfield Arts re-opened in 2009 as Wingfield Barns CIC (Community Interest Company) and is currently operating as an arts, theatre and function venue with the support of local and largely volunteer staff. The De La Pole public house re-opened at about the same time, closed again for most of 2016 but re-opened in early 2017 with new resident owners and has again become the much-wanted village ‘local’. Long may this remain so!
Wingfield - not a place to end up, but a place to be. Want to see more? There’s a photo tour available at this link.
Wingfield. Suffolk. Not to be confused with:
- Wingfield (Befordshire)
- Wingfield (Rotherham, South Yorkshire)
- Wingfield (Wiltshire)
- North Wingfield (Derbyshire)
- South Wingfield (Derbyshire)
- Wingfield Manor (Derbyshire)
- or even Harry Wingfield.
During its heyday in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Suffolk Wingfield was home to two of the greatest and most powerful families in England, the Wingfields and the de la Poles, later to become the Earls and Dukes of Suffolk. One famous member of the family was William de la Pole who married Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of Geoffrey Chaucer; his son John de la Pole married Elizabeth Plantagenet, sister of Richard III.
Subsequent centuries have seen Wingfield decline in importance but the legacy of its glory days is still to be seen. The church, built in 1362 originally as a collegiate church in memory of Sir John de Wingfield, is large and beautiful with many ancient monuments. Fortunately, the church has suffered little at the hands of destroyers or restorers, although John de la Pole’s effigy bears scratched graffiti dating back to the seventeenth century. Major restoration work on the roof, windows, interior and tower was carried out in the 1990s and the bells also underwent a process of restoration.
Wingfield College, lying to the south and now behind a Georgian façade, was built at the same time as the church. It was until 1534 a college of priests and a centre of education for the district. Subsequently it became a private farmhouse and was known as College Farm. In the later twentieth century it became the home of Wingfield Arts and the barns and outhouses belonging to it were redeveloped as a base for the arts organisation.
The powerful de la Poles built themselves Wingfield Castle and in 1384 were given a licence to fortify it. In the twentieth century Dodie Smith stayed there and subsequently based the setting of her novel “I Capture the Castle” on it. The village remained a lively centre for the local community, with shops, a forge, a school and a post office, until wider social changes in the second half of the twentieth century led to all these closing down. Both Wingfield College and Wingfield Castle are now private family homes. Wingfield Arts closed its doors in 2004 due to funding problems. The only public house (and only commercial outlet) in the village was put on the market in 2004 and, finding no buyer at that time, closed its doors too. The church faced a serious challenge when the vicar retired. Wingfield seemed to be on its way to becoming a purely dormitory village.
Fortunately it hasn’t quite worked out like that. Wingfield is home to its own vicar again. With support from Mid-Suffolk District Council, Wingfield Arts re-opened in 2009 as Wingfield Barns CIC (Community Interest Company) and is currently operating as an arts, theatre and function venue with the support of local and largely volunteer staff. The De La Pole public house re-opened at about the same time, closed again for most of 2016 but re-opened in early 2017 with new resident owners and has again become the much-wanted village ‘local’. Long may this remain so!
Wingfield - not a place to end up, but a place to be. Want to see more? There’s a photo tour available at this link.