Great Bradley Suffolk Tour of Clarendale

Evergreen Lane click on the arrow to see the video taken in March 2007 (move mouse off picture to remove controls)	Evergreen Lane and Clarendale
Clarendale Green	Clarendale

In 1966, land which had previously belonged to Mr. R.S. Ryder of Great Bradley Hall was sold in order that a mixed development of 40 homes could be built. By the time all these homes were occupied, the population of the village had increased by 50%, and it is probably of value today, when great concern is being expressed over the "dying'' villages of Suffolk, to consider the change brought about by the advent of such a development in a rural area. Woodland Park Estates developed Clarendale Estate over the mid to late 1960s on the site previously used as a cricket pitch.

The four basic designs of houses were named Ditton, Kingston, Western and Montcalm. Tony and Marie Knight recall moving into No. 7 Clarendale in April 1968 when only 12 of the 40 houses had been built. Their house in the mid price range, was bought for £4,050. Some of the 12 houses were rented to Americans from Lakenheath and Mildenhall bases. Development of the site was slow for, in the latter stages, a house was built only when a plot was sold.

In the early stages the site presented several hazards for young children: there were uncovered drains and piles of rubble covered in weeds. This probably was the main reason for the formation of a residents' association. Alan, the brother of the builder Jimmy Miller, moved into No. 2 Clarendale. Residents of Clarendale quickly integrated into village life and, despite occupying the cricket pitch, received a friendly reception from long time village residents.

Many of the properties were purchased at a reasonable price when compared to the market price of properties in the more heavily populated areas, particularly those in Cambridge. Whilst most people moving on to the estate originated from other areas of the country, young couples whose families had lived in the immediate area of the village for many years and who did not wish to leave their familiar environment but to remain within the village structure, were also accommodated. In other Suffolk villages where such development was not permitted, it is impossible, for economic reasons, for young people to purchase a property, and so the decline in population begins

Tony Mills sent us this in 2007, following an email from Dennis Boreham about the Great Bradley football team

Re: The football club. The football field was on a meadow behind Evergreen Lane houses which is now the Clarendale estate. Yes they did loose most of the time- and lose by double figures! The teams used the pub called The Fox Inn (which is now residential) for their changing rooms, plus the referee, before making their way up to Clarendale for the match. The Cowlinge road as far as I am aware was never used for this and I am fairly certain as my father in law, Cecil Gooch, was the landlord of The Fox at the time.

I've just been checking about the football club again [see earlier post below] with my brother in law Nathan Gooch and he said you did play for one year in the park across the road from the Fox backing onto Great Bradley Hall which is just of the road to Cowlinge, apologies!


Aerial Views of Clarendale. The first picture from about 1968 shows the field at the top of the picture where the houses now stand, as shown in the top left of the second picture