Today we had a sunny walk around Alton Water from Tattingstone.
This was the invite from Joyce.
"Wednesday Jan 14th. This possibly looks the best day to walk? We have had so much rain that the ground might be sodden in lots of places. I haven’t led this walk for 4 years so it’s time to bring it back. We will circumnavigate Alton Water and see the Tattingstone Wonder and Lemons Hill bridge. We will have a lot of wide paths for chatting which I love. We can park near the village recreation ground on Green Lane, Tattingstone IP9 2NB. Let’s meet here at 10.15am. We will find toilets and coffee after 2.5 miles and lunch will be al fresco. Please expect mud. The circular walk will be 9 miles."
This was our route, going anticlockwise around the reservoir.
Here are a few of my photos.
We parked just round the corner from the church in Green Lane.
The muddiest bit of our walk was at the start.
I was sad to see the notice here about people stealing.
It was sunny all through our walk and still a bit frosty.
We soon came to the Tattingstone Wonder...
As described on the village website
here... "
Tattingstone
is renowned for its folly, The Wonder. This listed building was
originally two workers’ cottages but was transformed in 1790 by local
squire, Thomas White, who lived at Tattingstone Place. He added a third
cottage, a fake tower and a flint façade to complete the illusion that
it was a church he could see from his estate.
So
well known was the building that it featured in Shell Petroleum’s
advertising campaign “To visit Britain’s Landmarks” with artist W J
Steggles producing a poster featuring the building in 1937. Historian
and broadcaster, Lucinda Lambton also featured it in her 1980’s
television programme exploring follies in England and it features in her
book Album of Curious Houses."
I loved the tunnel the trees made here and how it was lit by the low sun.
There was mist in places as the frost sublimed in the sun.
Our first view of the belltower at the hospital school.
They keep Highland cattle here.
We disturbed a large flock of geese and they flew off across the reservoir. (see also the photo at the top of the post).
In the distance we could see Holbrook church beyond the dam.
We stopped for coffee at the Visitor Centre cafe.
The water was very calm with patches of floating ice in places.
The belltower is quite prominent.
We crossed the dam and onto the north-eastern shore of the water. Here we were looking across the water into the midday sun. This was as high as the sun rose today.
Our al fresco lunch stop.
We saw some striking yellow fungus, which I think must be
Yellow-brain fungus (also known as Witch's butter).
At the northern end of Tattingstone village we passed this unusual phone box. You can dial a story from the directory, (read about it
here).
Back down to the reservoir.
We passed this new-build property, which looks like it is still not finshed. When we did this walk in 2022 we met the owner, Doug. He said he was thinking of opening a café and calling it "Reservoir Doug's". I wondered if he had, sadly, run out of money to finish it.
We crossed the Lemons Hill bridge that joins up the two halves of the village.
Then we did a little loop along another short stretch of the bank. We liked the reflection of the bridge in the water.
But what was the origin of the name? Well all I can find is this...
"The name Lemons Hill
in Suffolk is believed to derive from a personal surname, possibly the
name of a person or family who lived in or owned property in the area,
rather than the citrus fruit.
The
name has likely evolved over time from a Middle English or Old French
word for 'limon', which was also a surname. The area known as Lemons
Hill is a hamlet in the parish of Tattingstone, near the western end of
Alton Water reservoir. Historically, this area was a main route between
Ipswich and Manningtree before the reservoir was built and the main road
(A137) rerouted.
Key points regarding the origin:
- Surname Origin:
The most plausible explanation is that it refers to a family named
"Lemon" or "Lemons" who owned land or resided there, a common practice
for naming local hills, farms, and areas in England.
- Geographic Context:
The location is described as a specific area within Tattingstone,
including cottages and the site of the former St. Mary's Hospital
(originally the Samford House of Industry or workhouse), which was
redeveloped for housing in 2001 (Samford Court, Lemons Hill).
- No Botanical Link:
It is highly unlikely the name is connected to lemon fruit trees, as
the fruit was first called a lemon in the late 1400s in England, and was
not a common local crop.
- Local Landmark: Today, a well-known feature is the Lemons Hill Bridge which links parts of the community across the reservoir. "
After a short distance we turned away from the reservoir back towards Green Lane. Not far to go now - you can see the church ahead.
And here we are at the top of Green Lane.
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