Woolpit Village

Woolpit Village Pump

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Woolpit Village Picture Gallery

Click on the small image below to view an enlargement of pictures from our beautiful village.

<b>Blue Waters</b> - Local Fishing at the abandoned brick pit, Old Stowmarket Road, Woolpit, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30 9QS. <b>DESCRIPTION:</b> Parking, disabled access, accommodation, match bookings are all available. <b>FISH:</b> Bream, Carp, Roach, Rudd, Tench. <b>TACTICS:</b> Not supplied. <b>TICKETS:</b> Day ticket. <b>CONTACT:</b> Tel: Mr M Baker 01359 240293. <b>RULES:</b> Barbless hooks only. <b>DISABLED ACCESS:</b> This water is suitable for disabled anglers.<br />

Today the village has a real lived in feel with a thriving array of shops and businesses, including a Post Office, bakers, two grocery shops, a farm shop and three pubs. There are a number of clubs run in the village covering badminton, tennis bell ringing and the WI. The village is also very popular with tourists due to its history and picture postcard looks. The Woolpit museum, run by local volunteers, arranges guided tours around the village. The Woolpit Festival held annual in June features art and music events and the weekly Sunday market is well attended.<br />

<b>St Mary's Church Woolpit</b> - The parish church is dedicated to St. Mary and is said to be be one of the great churches of England. The oldest part of the church is the priest's door in the chancel built in 1200. <br>Its spire can be seen from miles around and its double hammerbeam roof, with over 200 angel carvings and other figures, is breathtaking. The carved figures on the ends of the pews, depicting dogs, monkeys and lions are also well worth a look.<br />

Despite its location in a region of fine churches, St Mary’s Woolpit still stands out. It may have suffered the addition of a Victorian spire and considerable restoration, but it retains some outstanding Medieval work. Visitors are first impressed by the elaborate two-storied church porch, one of the country’s finest; inside, the pews stir curiosity with their varied carvings.<br /><br />However, it is the ceiling that grabs the most attention, the subject of this fine photo. Begun around 1450, this double hammerbeam roof is alive with a heavenly host. Angels can be found on corbels, supporting the timbers, on the beams themselves and on the wallplates, creating a ‘gloriously feathery, spiky pattern,’ according to Pevsner.<br /><br />Looking closely, other saintly figures can be spotted. Over the centuries, the people of Woolpit must have been reassured by their presence.

<b>St Mary's Church</b> - Woolpit also has hidden history. To the north-east of the church, beside an ancient beacon, is the site of the historic Lady's Well, whose waters were said to cure eye afflictions. Infirm children were brought to be dipped in the waters, and medieval pilgrims would bathe their eyes in the well before visiting 'Our Lady of Woolpit', the Church's shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary.<br />

<b>Woolpit Village Life</b>

Woolpit Post Office located in the village centre<br />

The Swan Public House located in the village centre<br />

Woolpit Village Co-op<br />

Weaver House local residence in The Street<br />

Woolpit Health Centre, Heath Road, Woolpit, Bury St Edmunds, IP30 9QU. Practice Manager – Mrs S A Crouch. For Appointments, Enquiries 8am – 6.30pm Telephone: (01359) 240298<br />

At the centre of Woolpit, triangular crossroads meet at the village pump, housed under a conical pavilion erected in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Each of its four wooden posts is decorated with a carving of a former Queen of England.<br /><br />Surrounding the pump are local shops, pubs, and the Woolpit Bygones Museum.<br />

The Bull Public House located in the Street<br />