Long Melford is a large village in Suffolk. It flanks the River Stour, roughly halfway along its course between Cambridgeshire and the North Sea at Harwich. It is close to Sudbury.
The village is home to several pubs, antiques shops and public footpaths through the surrounding rural landscape.
Understand
[edit]Long Melford is close to Suffolk's border with Essex, in the Stour Valley.
Archaeologists have unearthed Roman burials in the village, and have found coins dating to AD 330-335 (during the reign of Constantine the Great). Romano-British bottles and jars found in the village are held in London's British Museum.
Much like other places in southern Suffolk, the medieval wool trade was central to Long Melford's growth. Holy Trinity church in the village is known as a "wool church". A church has stood on the hilltop for at least 1,000 years, records suggest, but it was significantly rebuilt in the 15th Century once the cloth trade boomed, with its main body completed in 1484. Some of the church's stained glass panes in place today are over 500 years old. A history is on the church's website.
Visitor information
[edit]Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is London Stansted (STN IATA) in Essex, a major international airport with flights arriving from cities throughout the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It is around 35 mi (56 km) away by road. Public transport connections are limited.
By train
[edit]The nearest railway station is at Sudbury, part of the National Rail network throughout Great Britain. It is around 3 mi (4.8 km) away by road. Several bus companies operate services between Sudbury Bus Station and Long Melford throughout the daytimes and early evenings.
Trains arrive into Sudbury from Marks Tey, via Bures and Chappel & Wakes Colne. Travel to Marks Tey direct from: London Liverpool Street, London Stratford, Shenfield, Chelmsford, Colchester and Ipswich.
The station in Bury St Edmunds is around 15 mi (24 km) away by road, with daytime bus connections on several routes. Trains arrive into Bury St Edmunds regularly from Cambridge, Ely, Ipswich, Newmarket, Peterborough and Stowmarket.
By car
[edit]The 
bypasses Long Melford. Use this route from: Colchester, Sudbury, King's Lynn, the A11 from Norwich, Thetford, the A14, and Bury St Edmunds.
The 
crosses Long Melford. Use this route from: the B1054 from Saffron Walden, the A1017 from Cambridge and Haverhill, Clare and Cavendish.
The 
is nearby. Use this route from: Chelmsford, the A120 from Bishop's Stortford and Stansted Airport, Braintree and Halstead.
By bike
[edit]Suffolk is mostly flat with some gentle hills to the west of Long Melford. The village itself is on a moderately steep slope.
Cycling is permitted on almost all local routes. The nearby A134 carries fast-moving motor traffic and is very busy, which makes the route unattractive for many cyclists.
Long Melford lies on National Cycle Network Route 13 between Colchester and Guist (near Fakenham). It is a winding and sometimes indirect route via Bures, Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds, Thetford, Thetford Forest and Dereham. The route is signposted, using a mix of roads and bridleways. From the south, Route 13 leaves Sudbury on the town's southern edge, heading north from A131 Ballingdon Street using a bridleway. At the end of the track, turn left onto School Lane and then right towards Liston. At Liston, near the church, turn right and follow the local road into Long Melford. From the north, Route 13 leaves Lavenham along Melford Road. At the end of the road, turn right onto Bull Lane. Cross the A134 and continue along Bull Lane into Long Melford.
The villages lies on Suffolk's Wolf Way, a 250 mi (400 km) challenge throughout the county, taking in (clockwise from Melford) Brent Eleigh, Lavenham, Bury St Edmunds, Eye, Beccles, Lowestoft, Southwold, Orford, Felixstowe, Ipswich, Hadleigh, Bures and Sudbury. The complete route requires ferry crossings, and follows a mix of on- and off-road paths and terrains. In the immediate Long Melford area, the Wolf Way roughly follows National Cycle Network Route 13.
Get around
[edit]
See
[edit]- 1 Kentwell Hall, High Street, CO10 9BA, ☏ +44 1787 310207.
- 2 Long Melford Library, United Reformed Church Room, Hall Street, CO10 9JT, ☏ +44 1787 377525, [email protected]. Tu W F 10AM-1PM and 2-5PM, Sa 9AM-1PM, M Th Su closed.
- 3 Melford Hall, CO10 9AA, ☏ +44 1787 379228.
Do
[edit]- 1 LeeStock Music Festival, Melford Hall, CO10 9AA, [email protected]. A 2-day music festival
- 2 Melford Country Park, 3-4 Borley Road, CO10 9HH.
- 3 Playing field. Where the cricket and football club are based.
Buy
[edit]- 1 Long Melford Antiques Centre, 5 Little St Mary's, CO10 9HX, ☏ +44 1787 379287. M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su closed.
- 2 Co-op, Hall Street, CO10 9JR, ☏ +44 1787 379821. M-Sa 6AM-11PM, Su 7AM-10PM.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Tanswell's Cakes, 7 Hall Street, CO10 9JG, ☏ +44 7903 314600.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Nethergate Brewery Shop & Tap House, Rodbridge Corner, Long Melford, ☏ +44 1787 377087. Good selection of beers.
- 2 The Long Melford Tea Room, Dudley House, 1 Hall Street, CO10 9JR, ☏ +44 1787 881361. M W Tu F 10AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-4:30PM, Tu Su closed.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 The Black Lion (Hotel & Restaurant), The Green, Long Melford, CO10 9DN (3½ miles N of Sudbury), ☏ +44 1787 312356, [email protected]. AA 3*.
- 2 The Crown Inn Hotel (Hotel & Restaurant), Hall Street, Long Melford, Sudbury, CO10 9JL, ☏ +44 1787 377666, [email protected]. Family-run 17th-century inn with restaurant offering a full à-la-carte menu for dinner & lunch.
- 3 The George and Dragon Hotel, Hall Street, CO10 9JA, ☏ +44 1787 371285.
- 4 The Mill, Hall Mill house, CO10 9DY, ☏ +44 1787 378035. Family-run 2-room B&B. double from £155, single £130.
Connect
[edit]As of Sep 2022, Long Melford and its approach roads have 4G from all UK carriers, but the signal is patchy with Three and Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area.