Mendlesham

Mendlesham, Suffolk is a village with 1328 inhabitants, increasing at the 2011 Census to a population of 1,407, 5mi north east of Stowmarket and 73.135mi from LondonMendlesham is known for its large street fair which is held on every May Day bank holiday. Mendlesham has a popular community newsletter, and a good primary school. There is one public house in the village called 'The Kings Head'. The village has a few shops including Mendlesham Bakery, Mendlesham Fish 'N' Chip Shop and a post office at the back of The Kings Head.Nearby at is the Mendlesham transmitting station which broadcasts Kiss 105-108 (previously Vibe FM) on 106.4 MHz and the Digital One digital radio multiplex, and which was formerly used for VHF 405 line transmissions of Anglia Television. The mast stands at the corner of the former WWII airfield, RAF Mendlesham. This was used by the RAF and US Eighth Air Force between 1943 and 1955, and once held a memorial to the US 34th Bomb Group. The memorial has now been moved to the churchyard of St. Mary's in Mendlesham. Although some of the land has reverted to agriculture or is an industrial estate, one airstrip is now used by the Suffolk Coastal Floaters Hang Gliding Club.There are also three churches, including the grand medieval St. Mary's, built at a time when the village had a much larger population. In 1531, the Mendlesham Christian Brethren were a group of Protestant dissenters, and two decades later, Adam Foster became a Marian martyr, after he refused to attend a Roman Catholic mass. He was condemned to be burnt at the stake by Hopton, the Bishop of Norwich.