Discover with Timothy

Discover Sudbury, Suffolk

Sudbury, Suffolk, EnglandSudbury, Suffolk, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_Street,_Sudbury_-_geograph.org.uk_-_562114.jpg
Author: Oxyman
photo licensing

Sudbury is an old market town on the southwestern part of Suffolk, England. It is on the River Stour, near the border with Essex. The town has a population exceeding 12,000 people (2012 estimate).

The earliest mention of Sudbury was in AD 799, during the Anglo-Saxon period, recording the death of the Bishop of Dunwich there. At that time, the town was called Suthberie. It was also mentioned later in 1086 in the Domesday Book.

During the mid-13th century, one of the three Dominican priories in Suffolk was established at Sudbury. An influx of Flemish immigrants, brought over to England by King Edward III, settled in Sudbury, bringing with them their tradition for weaving and silk making, helping boost the town's economy of the Late Middle Ages.

River Stour, SudburyRiver Stour, Sudbury: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bend_in_the_River_Stour_-_geograph.org.uk_-_624126.jpg
Author: Oxyman
photo licensing

Statue of local artist Thomas Gainsborough with the St Peter's Church in the backgroundStatue of local artist Thomas Gainsborough with the St Peter's Church in the background: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Peters_and_Thomas_Gainsborough_-_geograph.org.uk_-_692007.jpg
Author: Keith Evans
photo licensing

By the 16th century, the weaving industry was showing signs of decline. It was also around this time that Sudbury, along with much of East Anglia, was embracing Puritan sentiment, breaking away from the Church of England. This led to their eventual emigration, first to the Netherlands, and eventually to New England, notably Massachusetts.

In the 18th century, Sudbury was home of one of England's great landscape painters, John Constable, whose paintings depict the surrounding landscape, particularly the River Stour.

Visiting Sudbury

From London, take the A12 road to Chelmsford. At junction 19, turn left and continue on the A130 road. Follow the A130 road until roundabout to the A120 road to Freeport. Take the A120 road. It leads to the A131 road which takes you to Sudbury.

Places of Interest in Sudbury


  1. Church of Our Lady Immaculate and St John the Evangelist: Roman Catholic church in Sudbury completed in 1893.

  2. St Peter's Church, Sudbury: Redundant Anglican church designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage. It dates from the 12th century.

  3. Statue of Thomas Gainsborough: Statue of famous Sudbury artist who like John Constable was a landscape painter.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website



Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.

Copyright © 2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.