Denston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Denston | |
|---|---|
 Cottage in Denston | |
  Denston Location within Suffolk | |
| Population | 1,043 (2011 Census) |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Newmarket |
| Postcode district | CB8 |
| Dialling code | 01440 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Denston is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located around eight miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 120.[1] The entire village is designated as a conservation area. There is an Anglican church whose dedication is to St Nicholas. Denston is located just south of Wickhambrook.
Denston has been described as
- "DENARDISTON, or Denston, a parish in Risbridge district, Suffolk; on an affluent of the river Stour, 3¾ miles ENE of Haverhill r. station. Post town, Keddington, under Newmarket"[2]
-John Marius Wilson, 1870–72
A remote village in Suffolk, Denston is home to Suffolk's finest small church. Built by the Denston family in the 1460s, it has been subtly altered over time to serve a small group of priests, "about 50 years before the Reformation would sweep them away".[3]
All of the church apart from the older tower was created by the family, however, those priests were a community all too poor to carry out any restoration on the building. It is "because of this it has a higher degree of surviving medieval liturgical integrity than virtually any other Suffolk church".[3]
The writer Arthur Koestler owned a house in the village during the 1970s.
Denston Hall
Denston Hall is a grade II listed building, and became officially listed on 19 December 1961. The local authority that listed this building was St. Edmundsbury Borough Council. "The Hall has an interesting history. In 1564 Henry Cheyney made over the manor of Denston to William Burd without licence to alienate from the crown".[4]
An 18th-century house, it has 16th-century buildings at the rear, and also the remains of a 16th-century house that is said to have occupied part of the grounds. The Denston estate was then lost in 1565 but was later returned to William Burd. He died in 1591, passing the estate to his son in 1602, where it was again re-seized by the crown for debt and then "leased to Sir John Robinson".[4]
Robinson then bought Denston Hall in 1617, and it was kept within his family until the early 19th century. Some parts of the buildings are older than others, however; the Great Hall is dated early 18th century, evident with red and blue brick headers, a raised brick band and parapet. There are "2 storeys and attics. 2:5:2 window range on the east front, 3 window range on the inner faces of the wings (some blocked), and 4 window range on the south front".[4]
It has a lot of Tudor features throughout the house, with Tudor arched doorways with boarded floors and arches. It also has brick hood moulds. "At the south end there is a fine room with moulded beam and joist ceiling with an embattled frieze and carved spandrels to the arched braced tie beams. There are some linen fold panels with heads in roundels. The Roof tiled, with a chimney stack with 2 diagonally set shafts."[4]
It is because of this decoration and roof layout that it has been suggested this room was used mainly as a chapel. There are also huge double-hung windows, with rooms both off to the left and right of the circular hall. This hall is said to be dated back to 1770, with Adam Style ornamentation in the ceilings, and 18th-century twisted balusters on the staircases.
