Our Villages

Nestled just a few miles west of Ipswich in the Babergh district of Suffolk, the villages of Hintlesham and Chattisham enjoy a close-knit relationship. Though separated by a few fields, the two communities are united in many ways — sharing a school, a community hall, a parish council, and much more.

This shared spirit is at the heart of village life, reflected in our active churches, welcoming pub, and a variety of clubs and organisations. Explore this website to find out more about what makes our villages such a vibrant and connected place to live.

A Tale of Two Villages.

Although Hintlesham & Chattisham are similar to many rural Suffolk villages, we do have some unique stories and features.

The earliest human impact is evidenced by Stone Age implements. Two flint axe and arrow heads have been found in Chattisham and hand held flints in both villages used by hunter gatherers. The Bronze and Iron Ages evolved from 2000 BC with the discovery of metals transforming the making of tools and weapons.  This is when people began to live in settlements and to cultivate the land and metal blades and axe heads from this era have been found including a Bronze Age Axe head in Lower Barn Road, Chattisham.

Our first invaders were the Romans in 43 AD and numerous Roman artifacts have been found .  There is a legend that Queen Boadicea and her Iceni army passed through what is now Silver Hill in Hintlesham along a track known as Boadicea Way behind Doves Cottage in Chattisham, on to the old A12 at Copdock which is a Roman Road. She successfully attacked Roman Colchester and burnt it down.

In Anglo Saxon times settlers came from North Germany and Denmark after the Romans left Britain in 410 AD, followed by an invasion by the Danish Vikings who settled in this area- the name Hintlesham derives from Hinckle, a Danish leader’s name and ham meaning home. Chattisham was first recorded in Anglo Saxon times as Ceattes ham, with Ceatt also being Danish.

The most transforming invasion was in 1066 when William of Normandy led his army across the Channel to fight King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Harold had been made the first Earl of East Anglia by Edward the Confessor and had a base at Bergholt. One of the many consequences of this invasion was that Normans became the dominant local landowners and many Suffolk leaders were killed or had their land confiscated. Most of HIntlesham was now held by William de Noers with a population of 300 people and Chattisham was owned by King William under the charge of one of his lords.

In the 12^th century the churches  of Chattisham and Hintlesham together with Land, was given to the nuns in the Priory at Wix , but after the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1525, Cardinal Wolsey took over our villages from the nuns and used the money to fund his new Ipswich College. When he fell from grace, Henry VIII took over and used the lands for the purchase of what was to become the Court of St James in London.

The most impressive and historically interesting property in Hintlesham is Hintlesham Hall, the present building is Elizabethan but when John Timperley bought the manor in 1454, there was already a large house on the sitewhich was rebuilt in 1578. The last private family to live at The Hall was the Stokes family. Anthony Stokes, who was a director of Ransome and Rapier, an engineering firm in Ipswich, bought the Hall in 1939 and during the war it was used as a convalescent home for injured service men. Later the Hall fell into disrepair and was bought by the world famous chef Robert Carrier in 1972 who renovated it and created a first class restaurant and cookery school. In 1983 he sold it to Ruth and David Watson who continued with the restaurant but also extended the business into the distinguished hotel that it is today, but with different owners. Originally the land owned by the Hall stretched from Hadleigh to Ipswich but now just a fraction remains, with much used as a popular golf course and club.

The original Chattisham Hall or Manor House  was the most important village home where the Lord lived with his family and many workers. The present house was built about 1860 by Thomas Howard after the original fell into disrepair-he farmed about 500 acres at the time. There are many other buildings in both villages dating back to the 15^th century, several of which are moated and were once farmhouses.

Farming, like many industries, has gone through numerous innovations and changes - from replacing horses for tractors and mixed farms for arable.  The 1901 census shows that Hintlesham had over 16 farms with 100 men and lads working them. Now there are four privately owned farms and about 6 employees for part of the year. Chattisham had 9 farms in the 1800s each with its own small acreage and livestock. Now these ‘farms’ are in name only with land worked by farms outside the boundary.

Historically there were windmills, forges, pubs and shops serving both villages. Today in Hintlesham we have retained The George Pub, The Forge Garage, Hintelsham Hall hotel and Hintelsham Golf Club. In addition, Chilli and Chives is a  catering business open by arrangement,  which provides ready meals and cakes cooked on the premises; Hintlesham Barns for an assortment of gifts and preloved clothes for women; Livelong Clinic provides many health and fitness services; Birch Farm has a children's play area, Swimming lessons, Computer company and holiday lodges; The Suffolk Escape offers award winning holiday lodges and in 2019 The Garden Retreat opened with luxury glamping. In Chattisham, Charity Farm is a small industrial estate including Neil's Garage, a garden machinery workshop and Creative Ideas. 

A full list of local services is available in the Village Directory

PARISH COUNCIL.

Our Parish Councils combined in May 1958. This is the lowest tier of local government with 12 volunteer Councillors who are democratically elected. They have a responsibility to represent the local community by delivering opinions on such things as planning and development to health and safety. They provide services for local needs such as bus shelters, clocks and road speed watches. They work closely with the District and County Councillors on such things as Highways, Footpaths and Pylons and also with the Police, reporting any crime or anti-social behaviour.

COMMUNITY COUNCIL.

By the mid 1960s it was thought necessary to organise an extra body besides the Parish Council to run our village leisure and social activities  and in 1967 our Community Council was formed. One of the first projects was to obtain play areas for each Village so fund raising began. A local Farmer donated the Chattisham play area which open in 1971 and the Hintlesham area was leased from the church and officially opened in 1977. This field is now owned by the Parish Council but under the care of the Community Council.

Although Hintlesham had a Village Hall which was erected in 1925 near Policeman’s Corner, it needed considerable maintenance and by the 1980s the villagers were asked to vote on improvements and extension or a new hall. As a result it was agreed to build a new hall at the other end of the Church Belt in Timperleys. After much fund raising and grants the hall was opened in April 1993 and continues to flourish. The Community Council is a registered charity and offers many activities to both villages. The hall itself has a bar and Social Club in addition to an entertainment committee which puts on many attractions throughout the year such as the Beer festival, Theme nights, Family Cinema and Quiz nights. Other leisure groups regularly meet for carpet bowls, The Tuesday Circle and Book Club. Villagers can also make use of the hall facilities for Hall Lunches, celebrations and wakes.

The SCHOOL

The Hintlesham and Chattisham Church of England Primary School was built in 1873 after the 1870 Education Act requiring all children to attend school. In recent years, although only a small village school, it has always had high standards and recent OFSTEDS have awarded Outstanding for their achievements. The school always tries to include the community with the popular Strawberry Fair and pupils attending the hall Lunch for elderly residents who enjoy listening to the children singing whilst eating their meal. Pupils are also encouraged to enter the Garden Show twice a year, exhibiting their skills at handicrafts, cooking or planting.

With a vibrant community spirit and welcoming churches, our villages have much to look forward to. There are many activities taking place each week in the Community Centre with something for everyone.

We have well stocked community book shares in our 2 converted telephone boxes and some recycling facilities at The Community Centre.

We are surrounded by beautiful countryside, woods and well used footpaths which we share with our beloved wildlife.