The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum by Roger SilsburyThe Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum opened in 1990 after the station closed in 1951 © Roger Silsbury

A hundred years ago, this area was almost entirely devoted to agriculture and most of the land is still used for arable crops, although these days most local inhabitants are involved in pursuits other than farming.

This area covers the ‘High Suffolk’ plateau that rises south of the Waveney Valley. Let’s not get too carried away with the words ‘high’ or ‘plateau’ though – as you might expect for East Anglia, it’s pretty modest stuff. ‘High Suffolk’ may be overstating it a bit but compared with the rest of the county it is just that: a rolling plateau of arable farmland interspersed with villages and small market towns.

A hundred years ago, this area was almost entirely devoted to agriculture and most of the land is still used for arable crops, although these days most local inhabitants are involved in pursuits other than farming. Despite the vast seas of golden wheat that turn some of these settlements into virtual islands in August, farming involves a very small workforce these days: agriculture may well be big business, but is no longer a big employer. Nevertheless, the towns and villages of this area retain plenty of connections with the soil, as do the people, and although daily village life may no longer revolve around the changing seasons, it still takes notice of them.

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