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Off the beat and path: Leiston offers enjoyable English getawayBy Marilyn Loeser
After settling in a bed and breakfast, my daughter Olivia and I set off along High Street to explore the village before joining the Watts family for dinner. We browsed through the Leiston Trading Post, an antique
hunter's paradise along the way. Furniture, jewelry and "objets d'art" from the
Victorian era to the more recent past fill the store. The town square has a Post Office, banks, other shops and several pubs. Leiston is also home of the Leiston Film Theater, the oldest cinema in all of Suffolk. There are several beautiful churches here including the Church of England with its ancient tower and unusual 19th century nave, and the Roman Catholic and Baptist churches at the edge of town. Village History
Olivia and I also discovered that during World War II, the Leiston airbase, west of town, sent American and British fighter squadrons to fight the Germans. Famous test pilot and fighter ace Chuck Yeager who later first broke the sound barrier, flew out of Leiston. Another interesting bit of local history is the Summerhill School. Founded by A.S. Neill in the 1920s, the "free school," does not require children to attend classes and discipline is given at student self-government meetings. Summerhill inspired the "free school" movement, and more recently, "democratic schools," in several countries. The school occupies the former mansion of Richard Garrett, owner of the Leiston Works. After our long leisurely walk through Leiston, we arrived at the Watts home late in the afternoon where Karen was busy making afternoon tea for the children.
Wandering around the stone walls, through decorative arches and stone staircases of Norman and Gothic design, we learned early monks sought isolation at nearby Minsmere, but flooding by the sea forced them inland to Leiston in 1363. In 1536, the church and buildings were looted for stone. It is easy to get lost in the past as you wander about the ruins. Admission is free. Visiting our friends, enjoying a leisurely dinner and catching up with each others’ lives were the reason we traveled to Leiston. Finding this charming, interesting and relaxing village was a bonus I can recommend to any English traveler. If you go: Leiston information is hard to come by on the Internet, but a good place to start is http://www.leiston.angle.uk.com/ . Follow the links. |
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TM
If it weren’t for visiting friends — Karen and Simon Watts
and their children Demi, Elle and Sebastian — I’m sure I would have never
discovered Leiston on my own. Located 90 miles east of London and only two miles
from the seacoast, Leiston is a charming little town with a delightful business
district, beautifully restored homes, and where my friends work and live.
Serious collectors as well
as tourists wanting to buy a local antique as a souvenir of their visit will
find a wide selection and varying prices. 
Leiston thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
as a manufacturing town dominated by the Richard Garrett Works, locally known as
the Leiston Works. The firm made steam tractors and a variety of cast and
machined metal products, including munitions during both World Wars. Today the
Long Shop Museum offers a history of the Works as well as the village.
Simon asked if we’d like to take a drive out to the ruins
of Leiston Abbey, yet another history lesson.