History
This section provides links to articles on local history. It has been pieced together from people's reminiscing, meeting minutes, newspaper articles, books etc. If you would like to contribute to this section please contact the website administrator using the feedback form.
The Kesgrave Sign
The Kesgrave sign as illustrated above was designed by the late Alfred Ribbans of Rushmere St. Andrew and depicts one of the fine cedar trees that are a notable feature of the churchyard.
The sign was presented to Kesgrave by the Kesgrave Women's Institute in 1966, to commemorate the Institute's Golden Jubilee, and now stands at the junction of Bell Lane and Church Close by The Walk.
A Brief History of Kesgrave
The origin of the name "Kesgrave" is uncertain. The name appears in the Domesday Book as Gressegraua, which probably derives from the Old English words meaning grass or crest and grove or grave but there are other possible interpretations. During the Saxon/Danish era, when Ipswich and Woodbridge were still small towns, the road linking them developed across the wild heathland. The small settlement established half way was Gressland or Kesgrave.
The Domesday survey (1096) indicates that there was a church at that time and it is likely that a place of Christian worship stood there in Saxon times. For over 700 years Kesgrave remained a small agricultural community with a church, and inn and a few farmsteads. In 1921 the population was only 103 housed in 20 dwellings. Since then great changes have taken place.
By 1988 Kesgrave covered an area of more than 800 hundred acres, about half of this being residential with an estimated population of almost 5,000 in over 2,000 dwellings mostly bungalows. The remainder was private woodland and agricultural land. The fastest expansion the area has seen started in 1988 when the current development on the site of the 378 acre farmland previously known as Grange Farm began. When completed the total housing will be over 5,000 with a population of 13,000 making Kesgrave larger than Woodbridge and Melton combined. Careful planning has taken into account the needs of both new and established areas of the community. A primary school for 220 pupils opens in September 2001 and can be expanded to 440 when necessary. Additional shopping facilities and other services are already in evidence. Kesgrave benefits from the community centre with sporting facilities, the Council Office, a medical centre, a day nursery, a scout hall and Superroute 66 with it's special buses using the link.
To mark the millennium Kesgrave was declared a Town on 1 January 2000.
Kesgrave Maps and Useful Facts
The following links provide example maps of what Kesgrave looked like in the past together with some interesting useful stats and facts.
Other Useful References
- 1st Kesgrave Scout Group
- All Saints Church
- Benjamin Britten's address at the opening of Kesgrave Heath School, 1963
- Computer Commemoration
- Dobbs Grave
- Holy Family and St Michael
- Kesgrave Air Catastrophe
- Kesgrave Photo Album
- Pictorial Kesgrave 1994 - Introduction : Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3 : Part 4 : Part 5 : Part 6 :
- R101 - The Kesgrave Connection by Terry Grimwood, Seance Article, Casualty List, Airship Heritage Trust
- Roll Of Honour - a site dedicated to those men and women who fell fighting for their country
- Suffolk Photo Album
- Mile Stones A12
- Suffolk Aviation Heritage Group (Foxhall Road)
- Youth Forum Photo Album
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