Denston, Suffolk

Denston, Suffolk

Sheridans

Denston is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk located around eight miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 120.

The entire village is designated as a conservation area. There is an Anglican church whose dedication is to St Nicholas. Denston is located just south of Wickhambrook.

The church was built by the Denston family in the 1460s, it has been subtly altered over time to serve a small group of priests, "about 50 years before the Reformation would sweep them away".

All of the church, apart from the older tower, was created by the family, however, those priests were a community all too poor to carry out any restoration on the building. It is "because of this it has a higher degree of surviving medieval liturgical integrity than virtually any other Suffolk church".

Denston Hall is a grade II listed building and became officially listed on December 19, 1961. The local authority that listed this building was St Edmundsbury Borough Council. An 18th-century house, it has 16th-century buildings at the rear, and also the remains of a 16th-century house that is said to have occupied part of the grounds. The Denston estate was then lost in 1565 but was later returned to William Burd. He died in 1591, passing the estate to his son in 1602, where it was again re-seized by the crown for debt and then "leased to Sir John Robinson".

Robinson then bought Denston Hall in 1617, and it was kept within his family until the early 19th century. Some parts of the buildings are older than others, however the Great Hall is dated early 18th century, evident with red and blue brick headers, a raised brick band and parapet.

Denston has a first recorded population of 277 people in 1811. This slowly grew to peak in 1,841, with a total population of 341 people.

Mercedes

Mercedes

The population of Denston has largely declined since. It dropped dramatically between 1841 and 1881 so the total population in 1881 was 285 people. This decline continued in 1891 to 266 people and 242 people in 1901. In the early 19th century, the population was dropping further to 199 in 1921 and in 1961 was just 179. Neighborhood statistics show that in 2001, the population stood at 126 people, and in 2011 was recorded at 104 people. This emphasises the change that has come about to the area of Denston, perhaps showing just how small the parish is today. This decline in population comes from the modernisation of jobs and lifestyle. This perhaps led to migration to inner city, more urban areas, especially after 1960. Technical advances meant a more labour-based workforce.

In Denston, both population and occupation have changed majorly over time. In 1881, most occupations were agriculture and manual labour based, but in 2011, they were mainly professional-based.

Mercedes

Mercedes