St James South Elmham
Church of St James
St James South Elmham is located in Suffolk
St James South Elmham
St James South Elmham
Location within Suffolk
Area5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) [1]
Population205 (2011)[1]
• Density41/km2 (110/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTM321811
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHalesworth
Postcode districtIP19
Dialling code01986
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Suffolk
52°22′44″N 1°24′29″E / 52.379°N 1.408°E / 52.379; 1.408

St James South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-west of the market town of Halesworth and 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south-west of Bungay in the East Suffolk district. It is one of the parishes around Bungay known as the Saints.[2]

The parish had a population of 205 at the 2011 United Kingdom census. It is an isolated parish in a rural area and borders the parishes of St Cross South Elmham, All Saints and St Nicholas South Elmham, Rumburgh, Wissett, Chediston and Metfield.[1][2] The village is spread along the road between All Saints' South Elmham and Metfield.[3]

The parish church is dedicated to St James and dates from the 12th-century. It has a 13th-century tower and contains a number of Norman windows and a 12th-century font with a 15th-century cover. The church is a Grade I listed building;[4][5] a medieval moated site close to the church is a scheduled monument.[6] Parts of RAF Metfield, a World War II airfield built in 1943 and used by the United States Air Force, extend into the west of the parish. An explosion in July 1944, caused by the mishandling of a number of bombs, shook the surrounding area, including St James.[3][7]

Other than the church few services remain in the village. It has a village hall and a recreation ground which was transferred to the control of the parish council in 2020.[2][8] A community orchard is located to the west of the village.[2] The village public house, the White Horse, closed in 1991.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c Village profile: St James South Elmham, East Suffolk District Council, 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  2. ^ a b c d St James South Elmham, Healthy Suffolk, 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  3. ^ a b South Elmham St. James, Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  4. ^ Church of St James, List entry, Historic England. Retrieved 201-03-02.
  5. ^ Knott S (2008) St James, South Elmham St James, Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  6. ^ Moated site 150m south of St James' Church, List entry, Historic England. Retrieved 201-03-02.
  7. ^ Metfield, American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  8. ^ Noble J (2020) Village recreation ground taken over by parish in bid to improve usage, East Anglian Daily Times, 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  9. ^ St James South Elmham White Horse, Suffolk Pubs, Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
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