This is the Tuddenham three miles south east of Mildenhall, not Tuddenham St Martin near Ipswich. It is a compact village strung along the road between Worlington and Higham, with St Mary’s Church at its southern end and a large share of the parish given over to heath and fen. At the 2011 census it had 423 residents.
A mill stream that once carried barges
The western edge of the parish is the Tuddenham mill stream, which joins the River Lark. It was made navigable in 1895 and barges used it to carry stone until about 1912. Beside it stands Tuddenham Watermill, Grade II listed: early 19th century, extended in the mid 19th century, timber framed and weatherboarded above a ground floor of brick and flint, with later stages in gault brick under a pantile roof. Inside it still has a cast iron breastshot waterwheel nearly 15 feet across.
The 20th century left its mark too. RAF Tuddenham operated close to the village from 1943 to 1963, flying bombers in the Second World War and later housing three Thor nuclear missiles; the airfield has since gone back to farmland.
The ground tells you where you are. The Suffolk parish survey describes deep sandy soils, in places very acid, with sand and peat near the river. Cavenham Heath National Nature Reserve is close by, and the Icknield Way Path runs through the village.
Six listed buildings
For a small village, Tuddenham has some notable buildings. St Mary’s Church is Grade I. Nether Hall, Old Hall Farmhouse and The Mill House are Grade II. So is 20 High Street, an early 17th century timber-framed house finished in roughcast under a double Roman pantile roof, with exposed studwork inside and back-to-back fireplaces in its central chimney. Reused Barnack limestone blocks in the hall fireplace are thought to have come from a 12th century monastic building, possibly the abbey at Bury St Edmunds.
Houses like that need a light touch: timber repairs with matching oak, render that lets the walls breathe, and a respect for what is original. That is where our carpentry and refurbishment work comes in.
Changing a Tuddenham home
The village grew slowly, from 23 inhabited houses in 1674 to 138 in 1981, so alongside the old buildings there are plenty of 20th century houses suited to a rear extension or a new kitchen. With open country all around, a well insulated garden room also makes a good home office. West Suffolk Council is the planning authority. A listed house needs consent for many changes inside and out, so speak to the council before anything is altered. A&F Building Services, a family firm since 1993, has no project in Tuddenham on our case study list; the nearest finished work is in Newmarket and Soham.
