52º09N 1º35E, pop (1999e) 2700. Coastal town in Suffolk, E England, UK; developed on the site of a mediaeval fishing centre; received royal charter, 1598; birthplace of Millicent Fawcett and George Crabbe; home of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson; Moot Hall (16th-c), Martello Tower (19th-c); famous for its annual music festival (Jun) founded in 1948; Maltings promenade concerts (Aug), poetry festival (Nov).
Aldeburgh is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England; In the 16th century, Aldeburgh was a leading port, and had a flourishing ship-building industry. Sir Francis Drake's ships Greyhound and Pelican (later renamed Golden Hind) were both built in Aldeburgh. Aldeburgh survived principally as a fishing village until the nineteenth century, when it became popular as a seaside resort.
The Aldeburgh Moot Hall is a timber-framed building which has been used for council meetings for over 400 years.
The poet George Crabbe was born in Aldeburgh in 1754 and the town forms a loose basis for his poems The Village' and The Borough.
Outside the town, the Snape Maltings is the venue for a well-known classical music festival every June. The Aldeburgh Festival was founded in 1948 by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier, and Peter Pears. Britten died in Aldeburgh in 1976 and Pears in 1986.
Aldeburgh is also famous for its Fish and Chip shop.
The town of Aldeburgh or "Owlbarrow" is the setting of a series of children's illustrated books centred on Orlando (The Marmalade Cat) written by Kathleen Hale, who spent holidays in the town.
Aldeburgh was the first British town to elect a female mayor: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, in 1908.
Aldeburgh has a unique quatrefoil Martello Tower.
Near the Martello Tower at Slaughden Quay are the barely-visible remains of the fishing smack "Ionia".
Just north of Aldeburgh are the Sizewell nuclear power stations, near Leiston.
Aldeburgh is a member of the European network Cultural Village of Europe.
Aldeburgh was a Parliamentary Borough from 1571, and returned two Members of Parliament, the right to vote being vested in the Freemen of the town.
The beach at Aldeburgh was awarded the Blue flag rural beach award in 2005. Just south of the beach at Aldeburgh is Orford Ness, which can be reached by a track leading from Aldeburgh, which is often used as a camping place for motorhomes in the summer and also is popular with people sea fishing.
The Scallop
On Aldeburgh's beach, a short distance north of the town centre, stands a sculpture, The Scallop, dedicated to Benjamin Britten, who used to walk along the beach in the afternoons.
The sculpture is controversial in the local area.
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2 months ago
There is no public access to Orford Ness from Aldeburgh - it is National Trust Property. Motorhomes are prohibited from the Sea Wall at all times. Overnight parking is available at the north end of the town in a very pleasant licenced caravan park on the opposite side of the road to the Scallop.