Coddenham
The Sign
The village sign is made of wrought iron and consists of one large panel under the name showing the church of St Mary in silhouette in front of a shining sun. Three smaller panels are below representing:
- Roman helmet, a reminder of the Roman connection to the parish of Coddenham. “Combretovium” being the place where there was a fort and was the river crossing for five major Roman Roads.
- The old windmill, which until 1906, stood on the hill overlooking the village. There had been a mill on this site since at least mediaeval times.
- The pig, remembering Nathaniel Bacon, the zealous parliamentarian who was born in Coddenham in 1593, where the family remained living on the Shrublands Estate until the early C19. The Rev. Nicholas Bacon built Coddenham House as a Rectory in 1771. The emblem of the Bacon Pig is a replica of the one still to be found on the wall of this house.
The sign was gifted and unveiled by Canon William Murrell Lummis on 29th August 1981. It was designed by Bernard Baker, made by Stuart Hill of Claydon and dedicated by Rev. Rodney Owens.
The sign can be found at the junction of Church Road/School Road and the High Street on the B1078.
The Name and Population
The population at the 2011 census was 620, 50 more than 2005. Called Code(n)ham in 1086. The name means "The homestead or village of a man called Cod(d)a" from Old English.
Other Points of Interest
During the Roman occupation of Britain, Coddenham was the largest settlement in Suffolk. There were two Roman forts at the site at Baylham House, which was known as Combretovium. The Roman road from Colchester (then Camulodunum) to Caistor St Edmund (then Venta Icenorum) in Norfolk ran through the town.
The village was struck by an F1/T3 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.
Famous People
The motocross racer Dave Bickers was from Coddenham
The astronomer and author Tom Boles lives in Coddenham
NB: the last two sections were taken directly from Wikipedia