Acton has its roots in Saxon England,
the name itself meaning ‘settlement with oak trees’,
and when Queen Aethelflaed bequeathed Bailsdon, now the Northern
part of the parish, to her sister Aelfflaed wife of Bryhtnoth
of the Battle of Maldon, in about 962AD, the boundaries were
described so precisely that they can be walked today where they
were stipulated over 1,000 years ago. Barrow Hill, probably
originally Bury Hill, was the boundary between the two parishes
which now form Acton. It leaves the road in exactly the same
point by the present Green Willows Estate, Lavenham, where it
snakes north-west to the northernmost point of the Parish on
the Lavenham to Bridge Street Road where the Gospel Oak once
stood. Many of Acton’s oaks were cut
down to make way for the airfield in World War II but the runways,
laid down where the oak trees once stood, are now a County Wildlife
Site, home to the best location in the UK for the spreading
hedge parsley (Torilis arvensis). The airfield supports numerous
skylarks, corn buntings and, in winter, flocks of lapwing and
golden plover. Acton Churchyard was a County Wildlife Site until
1999 and was once described as “a good example of a churchyard
which provides valuable refuge for plants and animals in intensively
farmed landscape”. ( Unfortunately the habitat provision
has deteriated in the last few years)
There is easy access to the airfield which is criss-crossed by
public footpaths, and the churchyard is linked to “Acton
Wildlife” by a short public footpath from Barrow
Hill. The church itself, a 13th century building, home to the
famous Sir Robert de Bures memorial brass, acknowledged by the
Victoria & Albert Museum to be the finest military brass in
existence, is still used for regular worship and is also open
to visitors daily during the summer months. A booklet “Notes
on the History of the Parish of Acton” is available from
David Johnson.
Once described in the press as one of Suffolk’s most historic
villages, Acton holds interest not only for the historian but
also for the nature lover.
The beginning of Acton Wildlife
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In September 2002, Acton Parish Council were struggling to come
up with a use for their old allotment land. The land at Barrow
Hill had gradually become overgrown. Suggestions were made to
develop it but this was opposed locally, so the council were faced
with the problem of how to utilise the land, while at the same
time bearing no cost to the tax payer. 
As a member of the Parish Council, I put forward the idea of
creating a wildlife site, the council agreed. In March and April
2003 I began to go over the site to see what wildlife if any,
was there. Dorothy Casey of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, came to
survey the site and informed us that the land could be an ideal
haven for small mammals and reptiles. From there on the trust
was to give us invaluable time and advice on managing and surveying
the site. In May, George Millins, a trust volunteer specialising
in reptiles, began to record what was on the site. At the beginning
of June, we were able to record our first lizards, slow worms
and grass snakes, the project really seemed to be lifting off.
By August, work on clearing the site had begun by creating pathways
through the masses of brambles that made the site unwalkable before.
A group of volunteers spent many hours, trying to make the site
user friendly by levelling ground, cutting back Blackthorn and
removing household rubbish. The trust drew up a management plan
for us to work by so we knew exactly what and what not to do.
However, there was only so much the volunteers could do, so in
November the Parish Council applied for £2400 by way of
an ”Awards for all” grant to buy a proper notice board,
new hedging, some gates for the entrances and some money to buy
our own tools. In January 2004 we were given the grant in total
now we are looking forward to enhancing our project even further.
The long term aim is to provide an open space accessible
for all, providing a sanctuary for wildlife as well as peace and
enjoyment for its human visitors. We hope it will provide a place
of learning for the local school as well encouraging youngsters
to respect their environment. With recent reports telling us the
wildlife population could diminish 50% by 2050, these sites are
becoming increasingly important.
Global warming..........
. Central England - 2001 -
Warmest October on record. Over the 20th century Central England
temperature has warmed by about 1?F (0.5?C). Four of the five
warmest years on the 343-year record occurred in the last decade.
