Blundeston
The Sign
The new village sign was erected in 2022 in the same format as the old one but has replaced the poppyheads modelled from those in the church with what look like doorknobs. The original was presented by the local Womens Instute in 1965 to commemorate their Golden Jubilee. The sign shows David Copperfield standing next to St Mary the Virgin church, one of many round towers in the area. The sign stands on Church Road, just around the corner from the church, opposite the village pound.
The Name and Population
Blundeston is a large village in the northeast of the county about 3.5 miles northwest of Lowestoft with a population of 1,637 at the 2011 census. At the time of the Domesday Book, the village was known as Dunstuna. The name means "Blunt's or Blund's farm or settlement", coming from Old English.
Other Points of Interest
The village used to have a prison, with Reggie Kray as one of its inmates, however it is now a housing and business development area.
The village has connections with Charles Dickens, where David Copperfield was born at “Blundestone”, with the novel featuring several local landmarks. Whether he visited the village is unsure. The village has several street names relating to the author.
Other features of the village include the Plough Inn dating from 1701 and a village pound, used for holding stray animals until they were collected.
St Mary’s church is a large church with an offset round tower which is offset from the nave, and probably dates from around the Saxo-Norman overlap, with evidence in the tower, however the nave and chancel are much later around the C14th. The church includes a few items of interest including: Flixton church font outside the Priest door, a couple of medieval worn bench ends and an interesting Royal Arms, which seems to be rather mixed up in its origin.
Blundeston St Mary round tower church