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Introduction

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Martlesham Wilds Situated on the banks of Martlesham Creek and the River Deben - and across the river from the burial site of Anglo-Saxon royalty at Sutton Hoo - this is a landscape rich in nature and brimming with history. As an internationally important estuary for waders and wildfowl - curlew, shelduck, lapwing and redshank are often seen feeding on the marsh and saltings. Already home to a wonderful array of plants, animals and invertebrates, under the stewardship of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, the fields will gradually ‘wild’ into an intrinsic mosaic of natural habitats, maintained by grazing. The wardens will be enhancing the natural environment by restoring existing ponds, establishing new ponds, and creating shallow wetland scrapes that will all enhance the landscape for wildlife. The emergence of this new pastoral landscape will be thrilling to watch as nature is allowed to recover and re-establish. https://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/martleshamwilds  SWT  for site...
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Page 1 Geology and soils

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Geology and soils To understand the vegetation (and how it changes),  you need to understand the soil (and how it changes).  To understand the soil, you need to understand the geology and landscape (time, weathering, slope, drainage, etc). Geology maps are available from BGS :                                   Key:                     Pink – Kesgrave sands and gravel                      Red – red crag – coarse sand and shells, iron-stained, phosphate pebbles (Coprolite)                     Brown (Tms) – clay (septarian concretions in clay = cement, excavated at Harwich).                      Beige – river terrace deposits (u T), san...
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Page 2 Astronomy and Archeology

  Summer solstice line There is an ancient line that runs through Sutton Hoo Royal Burial Ground, the Snape Anglo-Saxon Cemetery and the old Leiston Abbey chapel at Minsmere (1) . This lines passes southwest-wards across the River Deben at Kyson Point, and then enters Martlesham Wilds.   The old oak tree to the north west of Lumber Wood would be a great place to sit at sunrise at mid-summer, June 21 st , to watch the sun rise above Sutton Hoo and wonder. (1) A ritual landscape considered: Cosmography & Anglo-Saxon Ship Burials Jeremy Taylor & Mark Taylor            Version 2 (2020)   PDF The Moon The next major lunar standstill was in 2025   Lunar standstill     There is a line that runs from Sutton Hoo directly to the Anglo Saxon palace at Rendlesham - this is the maximum northerly direction of moonrise. Archaeology An archaeological desk-based assessment was carried out in May...
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Page 3 Maps, Social History and Landscape

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  Maps Maps are full of fascinating information, giving an insight into land use and occupation over time.  Here are links to some old maps. If you are curious about the Deben and the Thames Estuary in general, visit this informative site . Suffolk map by John Speed in  1611 1805 OS Map showing some dwellings perhaps where the wildflower meadow now is. 1845 Deben Survey by Captain Owen Stanley ( Source UKHO Archive. Copyright Protection has now lapsed) Old maps of Martlesham 1884  and  1881          British History Online -  Map of Suffolk , (Southampton, 1881-1893 )  The Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer is a tool that displays archaeology that has been identified, mapped and recorded using aerial photographs and other aerial sources across England.                    Early Georgian OS map 1805 Geo referenced maps (with transparency overlay) Map of Barrows and Tumulii ...
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Page 4 Surveys and Research

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Drone survey A drone survey was carried out in May 2024 taking aerial photos and various spectra to see the surface covering of the fields. Tides and weather The height of high tide affects the saltmarsh level.  As sea levels have risen over the centuries, so has the saltmarsh due to silt entrapment and plant growth.  Measuring the tide height is therefore important, as well as knowledge for flood risk.  A project started in October 2025 to record the tides in real time (still experimental) at Waldringfield .  Data is also recorded at Woodbridge by the EA and shown here . Weather data for Martlesham is being recorded and published here . Soils research and surveys The site was bought by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust in Autumn 2023 and so a program of soils research and baseline monitoring began in 2024.    This was important so we can monitor changes in the soil and compare/explain changes in vegetation/habitats over time. As the rivers cut through various geo...
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Page 5 Photos, books to read and useful links

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 Photos, books to read and useful links The Wilds at dawn, June 2024 Looking East from the 'Crossroads', Winter 2024 And then in June 2024 Winter solstice December 2024 Photo taken from the south side of Church Field looking SE (129 degrees to be exact).  Is it a coincidence that the road to Waldringfield past Lumber Wood is on the same bearing (left edge of this photo)? The scrapes filling with water (October 2025) Follow the establishment of an oak sapling, which started life in 2025. Books to read (source from the Woodbridge library) The name of the village, ' Martlesham ', is investigated by a local resident (click on link). Medieval Suffolk    - Mark Bailey 2007 This book focuses on the economic and social history of Suffolk between c. 1200 and c. 1500. An Historical Atlas of Suffolk    -  David Dymond & Edward Martin 1999 T his atlas is a useful summary providing both a short summary of each topic plus a map or diagram. The 1575 map show...
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