Haverhill, Suffolk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Haverhill | |
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| Population | 22,010 (2001 Census) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | St Edmundsbury |
| Shire county | Suffolk |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAVERHILL |
| Postcode district | CB9 |
| Dial code | 01440 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | West Suffolk |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| List of places: UK • England • Suffolk | |
Haverhill is an industrial market town in the county of Suffolk, England, next to the borders with Essex and Cambridgeshire. It lies approximately eighteen miles southeast of Cambridge and sixty miles north of London. It is the second town of the borough of St Edmundsbury, and has a population of around 22,000. It is pronounced 'Hay-ver-il'.
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[edit] Geography
The town centre lies at the base of a gentle dip in the chalk hills of the Newmarket Ridge; running through the town is the Stour Brook, which goes on to join the River Stour just outside the town. Rapid expansion of the town over the last two decades means that the western edge of Haverhill now includes the hamlet of Hanchet End. The surrounding countryside largely consists of arable land.
[edit] History
Haverhill dates back to at least Saxon times, and the town's market is recorded in the Domesday book (1086). Whilst most of its historical buildings were lost to the great fire on June 14, 1667, it does however retain one notable Tudor house (reportedly given to Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce from Henry VIII) and many interesting Victorian buildings.
Following a planning review in 1956, Haverhill was targeted for expansion. This was primarily to resettle communities from London which had been devastated during World War II. As part of this plan, new housing settlements and new factories were built. A later review in 1962 planned for a threefold increase in population from the then population of 5,446 [1]. This influx of people changed many aspects of life in Haverhill. One noticeable change is the that the local Suffolk accent (still spoken by the towns older residents) has largely been replaced by a London/South-east England accent that is characterised as Estuary English.
Nowadays, Haverhill is predominantly a modern and young town, the relatively small town centre is surrounded by many large housing developments, completed at various periods between the 1950s and the present. Recently, it has seen the growth of small, but noticeable Portuguese and Polish communities.
[edit] Economy
Haverhill's economy is dominated by industry, and a large industrial area on the southern side of the town is home to a large number of manufacturing companies such as Wisdom toothbrushes, Gurteen clothing, Winmau Dartboards, and Grampian Foods (in Little Wratting near Haverhill). Other companies deal in chemicals (International Flavours & Fragrances), waste processing, transport and construction. More recently, a cutting edge biotechnology firm - Genzyme has also moved in.
In November 2004, Haverhill achieved an alleged world first, becoming the only known town to feature a laser-lit sculpture on a roundabout. [2] The steel sculpture, called Spirit of Enterprise, dominates the main gateway roundabout on the road from Cambridge, and has caused controversy among local people.
A weekly market is held in the town in the High Street, this has been a long running tradition throughout Haverhill's history (as is also the case for many other market towns in England).
[edit] Leisure activities
There are various sporting activities available in Haverhill, including a leisure centre (with swimming pool) [3], an eighteen-hole golf course [4], a dancing school specialising in Ballet, Modern, Tap and Acro/Gymnastics [5], a ten-pin bowling alley, and a snooker club. Aside from sport, the Haverhill Arts Centre [6] features a cinema and has a varied schedule of music, drama, dance, and comedy. This facility is housed in the former town hall, a grade II listed building and opened as an arts centre in 1994.
[edit] Transport links
The busy A1307 road connects Haverhill to Cambridge and this route is heavy with commuter traffic most mornings and evenings. Local bus services on this route run approximately every hour [7]. The bus station in Haverhill also provides a daily coach service to London as well as local services to some of the surrounding towns and villages.
Haverhill has no railway station. It once had 2 railway stations and 2 interconnected railways. The Stour Valley Railway ran from Cambridge to Sudbury and beyond via Haverhill North whilst the Colne Valley Railway ran from Haverhill South to Marks Tey via Hedingham and Halstead. For the most part Haverhill North was used as the passenger train terminus for both the Stour Valley and Colne Valley Railways to allow interchange between the 2 railways. Both stations are now demolished however many bridges, cuttings and embankments are still visible in Haverhill and beyond. In recent years, a local campaign has been started to try to bring the railway back to the town.
For national and international flights, Haverhill is situated close to London Stansted Airport which lies approximately 30 miles to the south. The much smaller Cambridge City Airport also serves some domestic flights.
[edit] Other information
Nathaniel Ward, the author of the first constitution in North America, was born in Haverhill in 1578.
The town is namesake to Haverhill, Massachusetts, a city in the eastern United States.
Pop musician Steve Rinaldi of Rinaldi Sings originated from Haverhill, as did his first band, The Moment, who featured a map of the town on the cover of their first single, "In This Town" (1984).
Timothy Pamplin (b.1967), NBC TV Station WDIV "Nightcam" reporter, was born and brought up in Haverhill; he left the U.K. for the U.S. in 1991.
The actress Charlotte Rampling was born in Sturmer, just outside Haverhill, [8] and returned to the town to officially open the Spirit Of Enterprise, a large public artwork on a roundabout at the entrance to Haverhill from Cambridge. [9]
Haverhill is twinned with Pont St. Esprit (France) and Ehringshausen (Germany).
