The Suffolk coastline runs from the River Stour in the south to Lowestoft in the north, taking in some varying landscapes and river valleys along the way. The wide River Orwell, with its wooded sides in modern bridge; the beautiful Deben leading up to Woodbridge; the Ore and the Alde, running up inside the shingle bank of Orford Ness, with its spooky cold war installations and abundant wildlife, past the towns of Orford and Aldeburgh to Snape; the Blyth and its narrow entrance between the picturesque towns of Walberswick and Southwold. Between the rivers are beaches, sandbanks and mudflats with windfarms springing up offshore.
There are many books about this coast on our list, and quite a few by local author Robert Simper. His latest book, Shingle Beaches and Tidal Rivers, captures the spirit and atmosphere of this wonderful coastline in words and pictures, exploring the life and activity along the coast as well as some of its history. Robert Malster‘s Maritime Suffolk has just been reprinted and provides an in-depth analysis of the maritime history of the area.
Another facet of this coast is its wartime history. In a recent novel, Something Momentous, author Ann Quinton presents the experiences of a young child living in Ipswich during the Second World War, closely based on her own life. It is a vividly told and fascinating story. A Very Dangerous Locality analyses the effects of wartime activity on the landscape of the area, with detailed maps and plans; Most Secret tells the story of work carried out at Orford Ness, and Secret Location is the history of radar and air defence development at Bawdsey Manor at the entrance to the Deben. Doodlebugs and Rockets relates the impact of the V1 and V2 campaigns on the area; and Cold War East Anglia discusses the developments in the 1950s and 1960s to defend the country against nuclear attack. Suffolk always seems to be on the front line in the defence of the realm, and going back even further we have North Sea War 1914-1918 and East Anglia against the Tricolour 1789-1815.
There are lots of other fascinating books about this area, covering work and life along the coast, the fishing industry, art, walking and boating – not to mention the range of fiction set in Suffolk. Go to our dedicated area section to find more.
Full Details
From Harwich to Southwold
Author | Robert Simper |
Format: | Paperback |
Dimensions: | 24.5cm x 17cm |
Pages: | 88 |
Publisher: | Creekside Publishing |
ISBN: | 9781913415952 |
Year: | 2024 |
RRP: | £16.50 |
A history of 1500 years of seafaring
Author | Robert Malster |
Format: | Paperback |
Dimensions: | 27.9cm x 21cm |
Pages: | 300 |
Publisher: | Poppyland |
ISBN: | 9781869831493 |
Year: | 2017 |
RRP: | £24.95 |
Ann Quinton
Author | Ann Quinton |
Format: | Paperback |
Dimensions: | 20.9cm x 14.9cm |
Pages: | 322 |
Publisher: | |
ISBN: | 9781913415808 |
Year: | 2024 |
RRP: | £9.99 |
The Landscape of the Suffolk Sandlings in the Second World War
Author | David Sims, Robert Leonard |
Format: | Paperback |
Dimensions: | 24.4cm x 17.1cm |
Pages: | 363 |
Publisher: | University of Hertfordshire |
ISBN: | 9781912260089 |
Year: | 2018 |
RRP: | £20.00 |
Author | Paddy Heazell |
Format: | Paperback |
Dimensions: | 19.8cm x 12.9cm |
Pages: | 320 |
Publisher: | History Press |
ISBN: | 9780752491592 |
Year: | 2013 |
RRP: | £12.99 |
A Witness to The Birth of Radar and its Post-War Influence
Author | Ian Goult |
Format: | |
Dimensions: | 19.8cm x 12.8cm |
Pages: | 144 |
Publisher: | History Press |
ISBN: | 9780752457765 |
Year: | 2010 |
RRP: | £12.99 |
Author | Jim Wilson |
Format: | Paperback |
Dimensions: | 23.4cm x 15.6cm |
Pages: | 160 |
Publisher: | History Press |
ISBN: | 9780750956383 |
Year: | 2014 |
RRP: | £15.99 |