Bungay Through Time

‘The jewel in Waveney’s crown’. Bungay, a small market town in Suffolk, owes its sparkling title both to its rich heritage of historic buildings, and its superb setting poised above the lovely water meadows of the river Waveney. Chosen by Roman and then Saxon invaders as an ideal strategic centre, it was dominated after the Norman Conquest by Earl Hugh Bigod who firmly established its importance by building one of the most powerful castles in the kingdom. The town continued to prosper throughout the mediaeval period with its extensive river trade, agriculture, and cloth and leather industries. Despite suffering the Black Death, an attack by the notorious Black Dog, and the ‘Great Fire’ of 1688, Bungay bounced back, and became such a popular and fashionable resort in the Georgian period that it was nicknamed ‘Little London’. Bungay Through Time features images depicting some of the glories of its architectural heritage - its Castle, Benedictine Priory, mediaeval churches and elegant domed Butter Cross - together with bustling street scenes, market trade, and celebrations. Although affected by a changing economic climate, it continues to thrive with a variety of new shops and businesses. But ‘it’s the people who make the place’, and this book illustrates how the townsfolk have always contributed to the popularity of ‘Bootiful Bungay’.