Mellis

Mellis
St Mary's church, Mellis
Mellis is located in Suffolk
Mellis
Mellis
Location within Suffolk
Population519 (2011)[1]
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townEye
Postcode districtIP23
Dialling code01379
List of places
UK
England
Suffolk
52°19′44″N 1°04′48″E / 52.329°N 1.080°E / 52.329; 1.080

Mellis is a small village in Suffolk, England. It has the largest area of unfenced common land in England. Oliver Cromwell exercised his troops in Mellis. It once had a railway station on the main line between London and Norwich, and a small branch line that ran to nearby Eye.

Mellis Common is a 59 hectare nature reserve. In summer rare plants such as green-winged orchid, sulphur clover and adder's tongue fern flourish. The abundance of small mammals also makes the site a favourite hunting ground for barn owl and tawny owl.

The 14th-century parish church of St Mary, restored in 1859 and 1900, is a Grade II* listed building.[2]

In 1968, Roger Deakin (1943 – 2006), writer and environmentalist, bought Walnut Tree Farm on the edge of Mellis Common, which he rebuilt over many years and where he lived until his death.

  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  2. ^ Historic England. "CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (1181735)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 April 2014.