Shotley is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

south-east of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

in the

English county The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

. It is in the Babergh district and gives its name to the Shotley peninsula between the Rivers Stour and

Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...

. The parish includes the village of Shotley and the settlements of Shotley Gate and Church End. In 2011 civil parish had a population of 2,342. The village of Shotley is about a mile northwest from the tip of the peninsula, and lies either side of the B1456 road (the Street). In 2018 it had an estimated population of 854. There are two entries for Shotley (Scoteleia) and an adjacent settlement of Kirkton (Cherchetuna) listed 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 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086. A school is located outside the village (half of 1 km east) opposite the turning into Oldhall Road. Oldhall Road is located east of the village leading north to St Mary's Church. The church is adjacent to a large naval cemetery cared for by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...

. It has graves from both World Wars, not only those of HMS Ganges trainees, but also of Harwich-based warships killed in action with the Germans. There is a memorial to the dead from the 14-18 Harwich submarines. Shotley Hall is located near to the church. Rose Farm lies to the south of the village. The Shotley Parish Council holds its main meeting at the village hall at 19.15 hours every third Thursday of every month (except August), and meetings are open to the public. Martello Tower, Shotley - geograph

Shotley Gate is a settlement to the south of the village of Shotley at the tip of the peninsula. Shotley Gate also harbours HMS Ganges, a former Royal Navy training establishment ( RNTE Shotley) for boys.

Amenities and places of interest

''The Rose'' public house is situated in the village of Shotley. ''The Bristol Arms'' public house lies in Shotley Gate near

Shotley Pier Shotley Pier is a disused long railway pier in Shotley Gate, Shotley, Suffolk. Built in 1894 by Frederick Hervey, 3rd Marquess of Bristol the structure was used to service a ferry across the River Stour to Harwich, Essex. The ferry carried ...

, the east pier and the

Martello towers Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand u ...

. ''The Shipwreck'' public house is located at Shotley Marina, also in Shotley Gate at the end of King Edward VII Drive – a popular tourist destination. In the summer months a foot and cycle ferry service licensed to carry up to 12 passengers operates between Shotley Marina, Harwich and Felixstowe. There are a few listed buildings located in Shotley, including Martello towers and the ceremonial mast from the former ''HMS Ganges''. Shotley Cottage (half of 1 km southeast of the village of Shotley) was a World War I radio telegraphy station. The Suffolk Historic Environment Record lists more than 200 sites and monuments in Shotley. St Mary's Church Walking Club, Shotley, meets on the second Sunday of every month.

HMS ''Ganges'' site redevelopment

Redevelopment of the former HMS ''Ganges'' was first proposed in 2000, with a series of retirement homes planned for the site. The site remains undeveloped and its future is uncertain. The site has had planning permission granted in principle.

Notable people

Admiral Sir Charles Dare spent his last years in Shotley and died there in 1924.

In popular culture

The area features in

Arthur Ransome Arthur Michell Ransome (18 January 1884 – 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of childr ...

's children's novels of the late 1930s ''

We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea ''We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea'' is the seventh book in Arthur Ransome's ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books. It was published in 1937. In this book, the Swallows (John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker) are the only recurring cha ...

'' and ''

Secret Water ''Secret Water'' is the eighth book in Arthur Ransome's ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books. It was published on 28 November 1939. This book is set in and around Hamford Water in Essex, close to the resort town of Walton-on-the ...

''. The character Commander Walker is a naval officer stationed at Shotley. Alan Peck's murder mystery of 2007 ''The Shotley Incident'' revolves around the former HMS ''Ganges'' site and the village and marina feature in the 2011–2012 Strong Winds trilogy of

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

s by Julia Jones. Scenes in the 1956 British war film Yangtse Incident: The Story of HMS Amethyst were shot off of Shotley Gate and the 2011 TV series ''A Farmer's Life for Me'' hosted by

Jimmy Doherty Jimmy Doherty (born 24 May 1975) is an English television presenter and farmer. A childhood friend of Jamie Oliver, Doherty is known for the show '' Jimmy's Farm'', detailing the operation of the Essex Pig Company that he and his wife Michael ...

was filmed at Hill House farm in the parish.

References

External links

*
Shotley Parish CouncilShotley Gate Conservation Area Appraisal
{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Babergh District River Orwell