Pakefield is a suburb of the town of

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

, in the East Suffolk district of

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, England. It is located around south of the centre of the town. It 2011 the ward had a population of 6,563. Pakefield has boundaries with Carlton Colville and Kirkley. It also borders the parish of Gisleham. The village of

Kessingland Kessingland is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located around south of Lowestoft on the east coast of the United Kingdom. It is of interest to archaeologis ...

is to the south.

History

Pakefield is the site of one of the earliest known areas of human habitation in the United Kingdom. In 2005 flint tools and teeth from the extinct water vole '' Mimomys savini'', a key dating species, were found in the cliffs. This suggests that hominins can be dated in England to 700,000 years ago, potentially a cross between ''

Homo antecessor ''Homo antecessor'' (Latin "pioneer man") is an extinct species of archaic human recorded in the Spanish Archaeological Site of Atapuerca, Sierra de Atapuerca, a productive archaeological site, from 1.2 to 0.8 million years ago during the Early ...

'' and ''

Homo heidelbergensis ''Homo heidelbergensis'' is a species of archaic human from the Middle Pleistocene of Europe and Africa, as well as potentially Asia depending on the taxonomic convention used. The species-level classification of ''Homo'' during the Middle Pleis ...

''.Parfitt.S et al (2005) 'The earliest record of human activity in northern Europe', ''Nature'' 438 pp.1008-1012, 2005-12-15. Retrieved 2011-04-16.Roebroeks.W (2005) 'Archaeology: life on the Costa del Cromer', ''Nature'' 438 pp.921-922, 2005-12-15. Retrieved 2011-04-16.Parfitt.S et al (2006
'700,000 years old: found in Pakefield'
''British Archaeology'', January/February 2006. Retrieved 2008-12-24.Good. C & Plouviez. J (2007
The Archaeology of the Suffolk Coast
Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service nline Retrieved 2009-11-28.Tools unlock secrets of early man
BBC news website, 2005-12-14. Retrieved 2011-04-15. Pakefield is also the site of one of the oldest lion fossils outside of Africa, a partial lower jaw belonging to the gigantic '' Panthera fossilis'' dating to around 700-800,000 years ago. Bloodmoor Hill, between Pakefield and Carlton Colville, was the site of settlement in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and the 7th and 8th centuries.Cambridge Archaeological Uni
A Roman and Saxon settlement at Bloodmoor Hill, Pakefield, Lowestoft
. Retrieved 2009-11-28. The Saxon period consisted of a relatively dense settlement as well as a cemetery which included at least one rich barrow burial. Artefacts were discovered at the site in the 18th century and the Saxon cemetery site was the subject of archaeological investigations between 1998 and 2006.English Heritage (2008
Historic Environment Enabling Programme Online - Report Detail: Bloodmoor Hill
. Retrieved 2009-11-28. In the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086, Pakefield is called "Pagefella", Suckling. A. (1846
''The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk'': volume 1
nline Retrieved 2009-11-25. the name probably coming from the

Pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

settlement name of Pagga's or Pacca's field.EDP24: Pakefield
Retrieved 2009-11-25. The village was part of the King's holdingsPakefield
, Domesday Map. Retrieved 2011-04-16.''Domesday Book: folio 283r'', National Archives. and was part of the Hundred of Lothing. It had a population of about 17 households, including a number of freemen.''Domesday Book: folio 302v'', National Archives.''Domesday Book: folio 407v'', National Archives. Part of the tax payment made by the village was 600 herrings. Pakefield later developed as a fishing community. The former terminus of the Tram Service from Lowestoft is located in the centre of Pakefield and is now the site of the Tramway Hotel. In the modern era, the area played an important role in the

Kindertransport The ''Kindertransport'' (German for "children's transport") was an organised rescue effort of children from Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, total ...

programme nine months before the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Many children who had not found prearranged foster families were given temporary shelter in the local holiday camp.Grenville. A (2008
The Kindertransports 70 years on
Association of Jewish Refugees Journal, November 2008 nline Retrieved 2009-11-28. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1774. On 1 April 1914 the parish was abolished and merged with Lowestoft, Carlton Colville and Gisleham.

Coastal erosion

Coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...

has been an issue in the area for a number of years,The Suffolk Churches site
Retrieved 2009-11-10 although this may have begun to stabilise. A former lighthouse still stands on the coastline and is used by Pakefield Coastwatch.Suffolk Tourist Guide - Pakefield
Retrieved 2009-11-28.

Gallery

File:Pakefield-erosion.jpg, File:Pake-erosion1.jpg, File:Pake-erosion2.jpg, File:Pake-erosion3.jpg,

Governance

Pakefield sends two

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s to

Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the upper-tier Local government in England, local authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 75 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the East of England Local Governme ...

and Waveney District Council. The Member of Parliament is elected through the Waveney seat. For county council elections Pakefield is part of a larger constituency with the neighboring suburb of Carlton Colville. The current East Suffolk council seat is held by the Labour Party.

Modern Pakefield

The coast is an important tourist destination with a number of holiday destinations, including a

Pontins Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It was acquired by Britannia Hotels in 2011. Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment at reso ...

holiday camp.Pakefield Holiday Park
Pontins. Retrieved 2011-04-05. In November 2010 Pontins entered

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

, being taken over by the Britannia Hotel Group.Pontins to get 'Disney' makeover
BBC news website, 2011-02-06. Retrieved 2011-04-05. The area has a number of local shops and businesses, including

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

theatre and cinema. As well as the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

All Saints' Church and St Margaret's Church, Pakefield has a Catholic church dedicated to St Nicholas.The Suffolk Churches site - Pakefield St Nicholas
Retrieved 2009-11-10. It also has a primary school and a high school. The primary school was awarded a grant by the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 2009 to develop a project called 'What has the sea ever done for us'.Pakefield Primary School
The Royal Society, 2009. Retrieved 2011-04-20. Pakefield High School opened in September 2011 as part of a reorganisation of education in Lowestoft. This involved the closure of Pakefield Middle School and an extension of the primary school to take children up until the end of year 6. The high school took over the middle school site and buildings.Schools in Lowestoft and the surrounding area
Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 2009-09-11
Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 2009-09-11. The Promoting Pakefield Group was formed in 2004 to attempt to promote the area and its interests. A variety of local improvements have been made, including providing a Christmas tree, noticeboards and making improvements to the local war memorial.Lowestoft Network
pp.3-4. Retrieved 2009-09-12. The group is made up of a number of local businesses and other organisations. Pakefield Coastwatch operate an independent coastal surveillance station at the old Pakefield Lighthouse located on the grounds of Pakefield Holiday Camp (

). The lighthouse itself was constructed in 1831 to guide boats into Lowestoft harbour through the Newcombe Sand banks, but was de-commissioned in 1864. Pakefield Coastwatch volunteer's restored the lighthouse in 1999, initially joining the National Coastwatch Institute. Now an independent station, the lighthouse is still staffed year round by volunteers in support of HM Coastguard.

Notable people

The author and illustrator Michael Foreman was born in Pakefield in 1938 and attended Pakefield Primary School. He has written about Pakefield in his books.

References

External links

Love Pakefield Tourist Information
{{Authority control Populated coastal places in Suffolk Former civil parishes in Suffolk Lowestoft Stone Age sites in England Paleoanthropological sites