Santon Downham is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2005 it had a population of 240.[2] The village is located within Thetford Forest on a meander of the River Little Ouse on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. Thetford is 4 miles (6 km) southeast and the nearest railway station is in Brandon 2 miles (3 km) west.
| Santon Downham | |
|---|---|
 Church of St Mary | |
  Santon Downham Location within Suffolk | |
| Population | 237 (2011)[1] |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Brandon |
| Postcode district | IP27 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
History
edit
The village was the administrative centre for the Eastern Forestry Commission for many years, following the planting of tens of thousands of trees in the Breckland to form the Thetford Forest. The District office and staff were housed in a 1960s office building close to the site of the now-demolished Downham Hall. The Hall garden formed the base for the nursery department of the district. The Forestry Commission repair depot was built close by in an award-winning building, next to which stood the Forestry Commission fire station. A Bedford 'Green Goddess' fire tender and a water tanker were kept in the fire station due to the high fire risk in the area.
In 1972 the bridge over the River Little Ouse appeared in programme 50 of the fifth series of BBC's sitcom Dad's Army, when Captain Mainwaring and his troops attempt to demolish it.[3][4]
Climate
editSanton Downham has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).
| Climate data for Santon Downham (6 m or 20 ft asl, averages 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
7.8 (46.0) |
10.8 (51.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.1 (62.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.2 (72.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
7.6 (45.7) |
14.5 (58.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.4 (32.7) |
0.1 (32.2) |
1.5 (34.7) |
2.7 (36.9) |
5.5 (41.9) |
8.5 (47.3) |
10.9 (51.6) |
10.6 (51.1) |
8.4 (47.1) |
5.7 (42.3) |
2.7 (36.9) |
0.6 (33.1) |
4.8 (40.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 56.5 (2.22) |
41.0 (1.61) |
49.9 (1.96) |
45.9 (1.81) |
50.4 (1.98) |
58.5 (2.30) |
54.6 (2.15) |
62.3 (2.45) |
55.8 (2.20) |
68.9 (2.71) |
64.7 (2.55) |
56.1 (2.21) |
664.6 (26.15) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 11.8 | 9.5 | 10.8 | 9.8 | 9.1 | 10.0 | 9.1 | 8.8 | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.4 | 11.0 | 120.9 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 51.9 | 74.5 | 101.7 | 154.9 | 192.0 | 182.4 | 197.6 | 191.4 | 129.0 | 109.2 | 63.7 | 37.6 | 1,485.9 |
| Source: Met Office[5] | |||||||||||||
On 18 July 2022 a high of 38.1°C was recorded in Santon Downham, making it the hottest place in England and the United Kingdom on that day.[6]
Transport
editThe Santon Downham Tramway was a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) long narrow-gauge railway, which was operated around 1918 to 1922.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ Estimates of Total Population of Areas in Suffolk Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine Suffolk County Council
- ^ "Dad's Army filming locations - Santon Downham - Find That Location".
- ^ "Dad's Army – Santon Downham".
- ^ "Santon Downham UK climate averages". Met Office. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "UK heatwave: Temperature tops 38C and likely to rise on Tuesday". BBC News. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
External links
edit- Village website
- Village Hall website
- Parish Council website
- Explore Santon Downham at forestry.gov.uk
Media related to Santon Downham at Wikimedia Commons
