Hepworth, Suffolk

Hepworth
Junction of Church Lane and The Street, Hepworth
Hepworth Location within Suffolk
Population	570
OS grid reference	TL9874
District	West Suffolk
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DISS
Postcode district	IP22
Dialling code	01359
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	West Suffolk
List of places UK England Suffolk 52°20′09″N0°54′45″E / 52.3357°N 0.9125°E / 52.3357; 0.9125

Hepworth is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is situated on the Suffolk/Norfolk border and nearby settlements include the villages of Stanton, Barningham and Wattisfield. For transport there is the A143 road nearby. Hepworth has a place of worship. The population at the 2021 Census was 570. ^[1]

Hepworth has two hamlets to the North and South of the village visible on Joseph Hodskinson's Map 1783, ^[2] suitably named North Common, Hepworth ^[3] and Hepworth Common to the South. ^[4]

History

Hepworth was a settlement recorded in the Domesday Book, within the hundred of Blackburn and the county of Suffolk. ^[5] Recorded under the name "Hepworda" the settlement had a population in 1086 of 31.5. ^[6] The Hepworda means "Heppa's enclosure or hip enclosure in Old English ". ^{[7] [8]}

Hepworth Village Sign

Walter William Skeat within his book on The Place-Names of Suffolk, suggested the village name may be "hip-worth,' or ' farm of wild roses." The 'hip' of the fruit of the dog-rose(Rosa Canina). ^[9] Note the distinct fruit of the dog-rose on the artwork of the Hepworth village sign.

The village had three public houses in the past; The Black Horse, Half Moon and also Duke of Marlborough(also traded as Marlborough Head). Each of which are no longer trading and have now since been converted to private residences. ^[10]

During World War II in 1943, the RAF Shepherds Grove airfield was built on the edge of both Hepworth and Stanton to support the war effort. Following this, it was then used for storage during the Cold War, the base was shut down in 1966. ^{[11] [12]} The site has now partially returned to agriculture and an industrial park for local businesses under the same name, Shepherds Grove. ^[13]

Part of the original Shepherds Grove site has recently had proposals to be developed into a 91 acre business site, and various large scale warehouses. This has caused a stir with the villages surrounding the area and of the even closer, Hepworth. ^[14]

St Peter's Church

St Peter's church dates from the 13th century. The main building material used in construction is flint and the church contains a total of 5 bells. The Tenor bell is the oldest dating from about 1470. ^[15]

However following a fire in 1898 the church thatched roof burned down and had to be substantially rebuilt by John Shewell Corder. ^[16] It is a grade II* listed building. ^[17]

St Peter's church, Hepworth

Notable residents

• Henry Hand
• John Hayter
• Charles Payne

Amenities

Amenities within the village of Hepworth include the Hepworth Village Hall, which doubles as a pavilion and recreation ground. ^[18] There are two sites for recreational camping, Lings Meadow, a traditional campsite, ^[19] and Arthur's Retreat, a caravan and motorhome site. ^[20]

References

1. "Civil Parish population 2021". Office of National Statistics. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
2. "The County of Suffolk Surveyed by Joseph Hodskinson" . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
3. "Monument record HEP 062 - Hepworth North Common". Suffolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
4. "Monument record HEP 063 - Hepworth Common". Suffolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
5. "Hundred of Blackburn | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
6. "Hepworth | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
7. "Hepworth | Suffolk Village Signs". www.suffolkvillagesigns.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
8. "Parish : Hepworth" (PDF). Parish histories, Hepworth: 1 – via Suffolk Gov Database.
9. Skeat, Rev. Walter W. (1913). The Place-Names of Suffolk (PDF). London: Cambridge : Printed for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. p. 117.
10. "Hepworth || The Suffolk Pubs Guide". suffolk.camra.org.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
11. "SNT 048 - Shepherds Grove; Hepworth Airfield: Stanton airfield - Suffolk Heritage Explorer". heritage.suffolk.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
12. Edmunds, Royal Air Force Station Shepherds Grove Located Near Bury St; Suffolk; Suffolk, United Kingdom Coordinates 52°19′10 12″N 000°55′04 24″E / 52 3194778°N 0 9178444°E / 52 3194778; 0 9178444Type Air Force BaseSite historyBuilt 1943In use 1951-1966Demolished 2008Events Map showing the location of RAF Shepherds Grove within. "RAF Shepherds Grove". Military Wiki. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
13. "Shepherds Grove » Welcome to Stanton, Suffolk". stanton.onesuffolk.net. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
14. "New business park to create 100 jobs and solve village traffic problems". East Anglian Daily Times. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
15. "Village History". Hepworth. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
16. Pevsner, Nikolaus, Sir (1974). Suffolk (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin. ISBN   0140710205.
17. Historic England. "CHURCH OF ST PETER (1031214)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 18 April 2014.
18. "Hepworth Pavilion and Recreation Ground". Hepworth. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
19. "Ling's Meadow ⛺ eco ⛺ camping ⛺ glamping ⛺ suffolk ⛺ norfolk". Ling's Meadow. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
20. "Arthur's Retreat - Suffolk Caravan and Motorhome Site". Arthur's Retreat Caravan and Motorhome Campsite Suffolk. Retrieved 21 February 2025.

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