7 deserted villages in Suffolk, including near Ipswich

Many of them have been vacated or have been massively reduced in size due to a changing environment.

Here are seven of Suffolk's lost settlements – how many did you know?

Alnesbourne

Alnesbourne Priory Golf Club, just outside of Ipswich (Image: Newsquest)

Alnesbourne was located in the south-east of Ipswich, close to where Nacton is now.

The name lives on in the form of Alnesbourne Priory Golf Club, which can be found just over the A14 from the Ravenswood estate in Ipswich.

Slaughden

A view of the water where Slaughden, near Aldeburgh, once was (Image: citizenside.com)

The land where the village Slaughden once was is near Aldeburgh, near the Martello Tower south of the main town.

It is one of the Suffolk settlements that has been lost to coastal erosion over the years.

Scotchmere

According to Suffolk-based historian Charlie Haylock, Scotchmere was located between Bury St Edmunds and Thetford.

Mr Haylock believes the population of Scotchmere moved elsewhere, leaving a village without any residents.

Dunwich

Signs in Dunwich warning people of coastal erosion (Image: Newsquest)

Almost certainly the most well-known example, Dunwich was once a thriving harbour and the capital of the Kingdom of East Anglia.

Dunwich has slowly been lost over the years due to erosion and is now only home to a few hundred people.

Chilton

The view from Chilton Hall outside of Sudbury (Image: Newsquest)

Chilton still exists as a tiny hamlet on the outskirts of Sudbury, but it was once a fully-fledged village and community in its own right.

According to Chilton Parish Council, it is unclear why the village was abandoned – with the Black Death and agricultural depression both given as possible explanations.

Akethorpe

Sometimes spelt as Akethorp, this village is believed to have been located in what is now part of Lowestoft.

The Domesday Book listed Akethorpe as being home to four households in the Hundred of Lothingland.

Easton Bavents

A home on the edge of the cliff at Easton Bavents in 2009 (Image: Mike Page)

Now considered part of the parish of Reydon, near Southwold, Easton Bavents was once its own village with a market.

It still exists in name but it is another settlement in Suffolk that has been largely lost to the sea.