Leiston, Suffolk. Open daily, Free

Details

Accessibility

Leiston town is mostly accessible to wheelchairs although some smaller streets do not have pavements. There are several car parks situated throughout the town.

Brief Description

Leiston is a small town situated one mile from the Suffolk coastline, in a designated Area of Natural Beauty. There are shops, restaurants, a church and the Long Shop museum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiston

2025: " Leiston (/ˈleɪstən/ LAY-stən) is a town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is close to Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, 21 miles (34 km) north-east of Ipswich and 90 miles (145 km) north-east of London. The town had a population of 5,508 at the 2011 Census.[1]

The 14th-century remains of Leiston Abbey lie north-west of the town.[2]

Leiston thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a manufacturing town, dominated by Richard Garrett & Sons, owners of Leiston Works, which boasted the world's first flow assembly line, for the manufacture of portable steam engines.[3][4] The firm also made steam tractors and a huge variety of cast and machined metal products, including munitions during both world wars. The works closed in 1981 and the site was reused as a mixture of housing, flats and industrial sites. The Long Shop Museum, showing the history, vehicles and products of the works, remains as a heritage tourist attraction.[4]

In 1927, A. S. Neill relocated Summerhill School from Lyme Regis to Leiston. This was the first major "free school" – referring to freedom in education.[5] Children are not required to attend classes and discipline is meted by pupil self-government meetings. Summerhill has inspired a large "free school" movement and more recently, democratic schools in several countries. The school occupies the former mansion of Richard Garrett, owner of Leiston Works.

In the Second World War, RAF Leiston, 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of the town in the neighbouring village of Theberton, sent fighter squadrons of the American 357th Fighter Group to fight the Luftwaffe. Famous American test pilot and fighter ace General Chuck Yeager (later, first to break the sound barrier) flew out of RAF Leiston. The Friends of Leiston Airfield hold a memorial service and flying display at the end of May each year, with veterans and their families attending.[6]

Since the closure of Garrett's, the town's economy has been dominated by two nuclear power stations on the coast at Sizewell: the now decommissioned Magnox reactors of Sizewell A, and the more modern 1,200 MW Pressurised Water Reactor of Sizewell B. The 850 MW Greater Gabbard and Galloper offshore wind farms connect to the Leiston substation adjacent to the Sizewell nuclear power station;[11] all supplying power to the 400kV National Grid.[12]

A number of smaller companies operate from industrial areas within the town.

Leiston's High Street serves as the business and market hub of the surrounding agricultural district. The town's facilities include a post office, library, banks, pubs and a range of shops and other services."

Further Information

Address

Leiston, Suffolk, IP16

Email

info@visit-leiston.co.uk

info@leistontowncouncil.gov.uk

Phone

Town Clerk 01728 830388

Website

www.vist-leiston.co.uk

www.leistontowncouncil.gov.uk

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cev03wer0p2o

Opening Hours

Open daily

Admission Prices

Free

Directions

Follow A12 to Saxmundham. Take B1119 to Leiston. OS TM 445623

Transport

Direct bus services run from Ipswich, Aldeburgh, Thorpeness and Halesworth. Visit www.suffolkonboard.com for timetables.

Amenities

Shops, hotels, restaurants, museum, leisure centre.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiston

2025: "Leiston's High Street serves as the business and market hub of the surrounding agricultural district. The town's facilities include a post office, library, banks, pubs and a range of shops and other services. Leiston Film Theatre, a half-timbered building with street front shops, is the oldest purpose-built cinema in Suffolk. The cinema is owned and run by Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council and backed by Leiston Film Theatre Support Club, which has raised money for stage refurbishment and enabled the cinema to install a digital 3D projection system.[14]

The town has a traditional Anglican church, St Margaret's, with an ancient tower and an unusual 19th-century nave. There are Roman Catholic and Baptist churches on the edge of the town."