The ferries in Suffolk are a series of local ferry services in the county of Suffolk in Eastern England . Most cross rivers within the county, and one connects Suffolk with Essex to the south.
18-590: Bawdsey Ferry carries foot passengers and bicycles across the mouth of the River Deben between Felixstowe Ferry and Bawdsey and provides continuity for the Suffolk Coast Path and Regional Cycle Route 41 . It operates from Easter weekend until the end of October on a varying timetable, and can also be used as a water taxi to moored yachts. Prior to 1894 the small passenger boats ran ferry trips. In 1894 Sir William Quilter , owner of Bawdsey Manor , established
36-519: A steam-drawn chain ferry which the family owned until 1931. From 1931 until the start of WW2 Charlie Brinkley then operated a launch for passengers with his son Robert (senior). Bawdsey Manor was purchased by the RAF in 1936 to become RAF Bawdsey and the ferry was closed to the public during WW2. After the end of the war a daily service was operated until 1974 under contract to RAF Bawdsey and since 1974 it has operated on summer weekends only. The Bawdsey Ferry
54-399: A traditional rowing boat. In 2017 it operated daily from the start of April to the first week of November, other than most of May and October when it ran on weekends only. Until 1885 a rowing ferry was used when a floating bridge chain ferry was started, initially hand-cranked ferry later being replaced by a steam ferry which ran until 1942 after improvements to the harbour made operation of
72-405: Is capable of grinding a wholemeal flour. The mill is a Grade I listed building . It is a three-storey building constructed from wood; externally it is clad in white Suffolk boarding and has a Gambrel roof. Its machinery reflects the skills and achievements of the early Industrial Revolution . It has been preserved and is open to the public. The reservoir constructed for demonstration purposes
90-618: Is mentioned in three acts of Parliament , the Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway Act 1887 ( 50 & 51 Vict. c. xxvi), the Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway (Extension of Time) Act 1890 ( 53 & 54 Vict. c. xxxv) and the Felixstowe and Bawdsey Ferry Railway (Abandonment) Act 1892 ( 55 & 56 Vict. c. xvi) A small ferry operates across the River Butley for foot passengers and for cyclists using Regional Cycle Route 41 . It
108-661: Is operated by volunteers on weekends and bank holidays during the summer. It is the smallest licensed ferry in Europe. Operates across the River Stour and River Orwell running between Harwich Quay and Landguard Fort near to the Port of Felixstowe and also to Shotley Gate on the Shotley Peninsula (summer only). The Southwold to Walberswick ferry across the River Blyth uses
126-490: Is possible that the Augustinians rebuilt the mill shortly before the dissolution. This mill and the former Woodbridge Priory was granted to Thomas Seckford by Elizabeth I . That mill passed through the hands of various private owners until it was rebuilt in the seventeenth century. This is the mill preserved today. By the outbreak of World War II the mill was one of only a handful still operating. In 1957 it closed as
144-567: Is roughly half an acre in extent, the original 7-acre (28,000 m ) one is now a marina. The first recording of a tide mill on this site was a medieval mill in 1170; it is unknown how many mills have stood here, but probably three. The mill, which was operated by the local Augustinian priory in the Middle Ages , was acquired by Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. It
162-638: The common reed ( Phragmites australis ). The salt marsh and intertidal mud-flats that occupy most of the area have the widest range of salt marsh flora in Suffolk. Water resource management has evolved in relation to the River Deben. Since 2023 the East Suffolk Water Management Board has been responsible for this. It traces its origin to the internal drainage boards established in 1933. The "River Deben (upper) Internal Drainage Board" and
180-694: The "River Deben (lower) Internal Drainage Board' were established at this time, and were responsible for water management until amalgamation in 2005. There are several yacht and dinghy clubs on the river Deben. These include the Deben Rowing Club, Deben Yacht Club, the Waldringfield Sailing Club, Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club and the Woodbridge Cruising Club. There are two yacht harbours, the Tidemill Yacht Harbour, close to
198-637: The Tide Mill; and the Granary Yacht Harbour, further upstream at Melton. The river Deben is a popular location for many other water sports including canoeing, wakeboarding, paddle boarding and windsurfing. The area where the river Deben enters the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry is also a popular location for the sport of kitesurfing. Kitesurfers can usually be seen around low tide when the wind conditions are favourable, ranging from NE round to SW and depending on
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#1732852020519216-586: The direction of the tide. The Deben Peninsula is a region of Suffolk, made up of the area of the Coast and Heaths AONB between the River Deben to the south and the Alde and Ore Estuary in the north. The area is relatively remote, and noted for its stunning coastline. Woodbridge Tide Mill Woodbridge Tide Mill in Woodbridge , Suffolk , England is a rare example of a tide mill whose water wheel still turns and
234-465: The ferry too difficult. Frank Palmer then restarted the old rowing ferry and was succeeded by Bob Cross and David Church. 51°56′22″N 1°18′17″E / 51.93944°N 1.30472°E / 51.93944; 1.30472 ( Harwich Harbour Ferry ) River Deben The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising to the west of Debenham , though a second, higher source runs south from
252-461: The last commercially operating tide mill in Britain. In 1968 the derelict mill was purchased by Mrs Jean Gardner and a restoration programme was launched. It was opened to the public five years later in 1973. It is now managed by a charitable trust (Woodbridge Tide Mill Trust) staffed by volunteers, and in 2011 the trust undertook a further and more complete restoration and modernisation project, including
270-458: The parish of Bedingfield . The river passes through Woodbridge , turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry . The mouth of the estuary is crossed by a ferry connecting Felixstowe and Bawdsey . Both the river-name and the name of the village of Debenham are of uncertain origin and relationship, but one theory (of several on offer) is that the river's name
288-532: The river Deben since at least 1170. The present mill, built in 1793, is producing stone ground wholemeal flour in the traditional way. It marks the point from which the River Deben flows into the Deben Estuary . In 2009, the Deben Estuary Partnership was developed to enable the local communities to have an input into complex and increasingly important issues that will be crucial for the River Deben and
306-530: The surrounding estuary area. In 2015, the Deben Estuary Plan was drawn up following feedback. The Deben Estuary is a Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site and within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . Its significance arises from its over-wintering population of avocets ( Recurvirostra avosetta ). The estuary features shifting sandbanks . Plant life is dominated by
324-505: Was originally Dēope meaning 'the deep one'. The river-name, however, is not recorded in the form Deben before 1735, when it appears thus in Kirby's Suffolk Traveller . The river, though still little more than a stream, is forded twice in the village, with that which runs along Stoney Lane being claimed to be among the longest in England. Tide mills at Woodbridge have operated off the tide from
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