West Row is a small village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...

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 ...

. It is generally considered the edge of

The Fens The Fens or Fenlands in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a system o ...

Geography

West Row lies on the north bank of the navigable

River Lark The River Lark crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in England. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse, and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for nav ...

, 2 miles west of the town of Mildenhall, and just south of the large airbase

RAF Mildenhall Royal Air Force Mildenhall, or more simply RAF Mildenhall , is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station located near Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a List of Royal Air Force stations, ...

. It sits on the edge of the

Fens A fen is a type of wetland. Fen, Fenn, Fens, Fenns, may also refer to: People * Fen (name), a Chinese given name and surname * Fen Cresswell (1915–1966), New Zealand cricketer * Fen McDonald (1891–1915), Australian rules footballer * Ke ...

Amenities

West Row hosts a general store, fish and chip shop, a hairdressing salon and other small businesses. Mildenhall Stadium, to the north-west of the main village, is home a variety of activities, including stock car racing, greyhound racing, motocross and speedway. West Row is also home to the popular pub Jude's Ferry, which is located on the River Lark.

History

The

Mildenhall Treasure The Mildenhall Treasure is a large hoard of 34 masterpieces of Roman Empire, Roman silver tableware from the fourth century AD, and by far the most valuable Roman objects artistically and by weight of bullion in Britain. It may have been found ...

, a major hoard of highly decorated

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

silver tableware from the fourth-century AD, was discovered in West Row. The hoard was discovered by farmer Gordon Butcher while ploughing in January 1942. He did not recognize the objects for what they were, and the hoard did not come to the attention of the authorities until 1946. An inquest was held in June 1946, when the find was declared

treasure trove A treasure trove is an amount of money or coin, gold, silver, plate, or bullion found hidden underground or in places such as cellars or attics, where the treasure seems old enough for it to be presumed that the true owner is dead and the he ...

and acquired by the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

in London. In 2020 some inhabitants of West Row campaigned to have the hoard renamed as the West Row Treasure, to more accurately reflect where it was found. The treasure is the most notable of a number of Roman finds from the village.

Parish Council

The parish was formerly part of the parish of Mildenhall, on 1 April 2019 it became a separate parish, following a successful campaign led by village resident John Smith, who was later awarded the Honorary Freedom of the Parish for his efforts. Following the 2019 local elections, nine members were elected and the first West Row Parish Council meeting was held at St Peter's Church hall on Wednesday 15 May 2019, where Michael Peachey was elected by the council as its first chairman.

Geography

Amenities

History

Parish Council

Education

References

External links