A growing set of articles is being assembled about historic Framlingham. People, places, objects, events, contemporary records… all help create a living picture of Framlingham through the ages.
These articles consist of stories and recollections. Where possible they refer to sources of more information, including the Framlingham History Society Journals and Newsletters, which can be found here. These often contain more detailed and deeply-researched information. More can also often be found in the Lanman Museum.
Places
Buildings
Events
People
War
Framlingham in pictures
Organisations
Places
The town of Framlingham has a rich history.
Framlingham had a railway until 1965.
Framlingham Mere has existed at least since 1270.
Double Street is a quiet, residential street. But 200 years ago it was largely commercial and retail, and busy and bustling.
Jeaffreson’s Well, and the story of piped water in Framlingham.
Buildings
Framlingham Castle dates back to the Norman Conquest and probably earlier.
St Michaels Church dates back to the 14th Century and along with the Castle is central to the history of the town, and is steeped in history.
St Michaels’s Rooms provided meeting rooms by the Church for 130 years, until replaced by the Castle Community Rooms.
The Regal Cinema was Framlingham’s cinema until around 1963.
The Court House: a “modern” building dating from 1872.
Harvey House – the story of a house, a teacher and a tragedy*
Events
Framlingham held a Pageant in 1931. This was a reenactment of Framlingham history on a truly epic scale.
Framlingham Market dates from 1270, and probably earlier.
Flooding in Framlingham. The floods in October 2023 were the worst on record, but by no means the only floods.
People
Queen Mary proclaimed herself queen while in Framlingham Castle.
Thomas Mills – 17th Century philanthropist.
Sir Robert Hitcham, philantrhopist and owner of the Castle – for a year!
Framlingham boy Sir Henry Thommpson, surgeon and polymath.
Harold Lanman – collector and founder of the Lanman Museum, Framlingham’s town museum
War
Bombs on Framlingham – when Framlingham was bombed*
Memories of an Evacuee – a child from East London*
SS River Clyde – a story from the Gallipoli Campaign, 1915-16
Bill Watling – a World War II Despatch Rider from Framlingham
Framlingham in pictures
Art
Framlingham in Art. Many artists have been attracted to Framlingham.
Photo archives
There is a large collection of early photographs of the town in the Framlingham Historical Photo Archive.
Along with the historic photo archive, there is a more modern photo archive created in 2011 by a team of local photographers.
The buildings in Framlingham town centre have changed surprisingly little over 150 years. See this comparison of Then and Now.
Organisations
Education in Framlingham has a complex history.
The Framlingham History Society gives a series of talks in the winter half of the year, runs visits during the summer, and publishes a magazine twice a year.
The Lanman Museum is Framligham’s town museum, situated in the Castle.
Memories of Framlingham Area School – from the 1930s and 1940s*
Footnote
* These articles were received in a collection by Bob Blastock, who died in 2021, and given to the Lanman Museum by his widow Doreen. The articles also draw on the recollections of Evelyn Empson.