On Gun Hill, Southwold

Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 4 Jan 2011

Gun Hill has its name from the six eighteen-pounder cannon that are pointing out to sea, situated on the green just above the beach. They were placed here to commemorate the Battle of Sole Bay which was fought in 1672 between English and French fleets on one side and the Dutch on the other. Many bodies were washed ashore. During World War I, the cannon were widely regarded as one reason that this part of the coast was bombarded by the German fleet as a 'fortified coast'. In World War II the cannon were removed, reputedly buried for safety, and returned to their former position after hostilities had ended. Southwold is a seaside town on the Suffolk Heritage Coast. Almost an island, it is being bounded by the North Sea to the east, by the River Blyth and Southwold harbour to the south-west and by Buss Creek to the north, and there is only one road leading into and out of Southwold. Despite the Great Fire of 1659, which destroyed much of the town, many buildings of interest can still be seen. The fire created a number of open spaces, now greens, within the town. The town had a narrow-gauge Southwold Railway that connected to Halesworth and ran from the 24 September 1879 to April 1929. It has a lighthouse, a pier, and a sand and shingle beach that is protected by a number of sturdy new groynes. Southwold was the home of a number of Puritan emigrants to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early seventeenth century. In recent years an increasing number of houses have been bought as second homes, particularly by affluent Londoners.

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