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Travellers between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth with a little time to spare are invited to turn off the A47 at the signpost pointing to Lound. This is a small village with some 350 residents on the Suffolk / Norfolk border just a couple of miles from the sea. Jay Lane is the turning - some old maps call it Gaol Lane - and Lound Plant Centre is situated on one side, with Lound Care Home a little further along on the other side. Cheek by jowl with the Care Home is the newly opened Lound Campus of Horatio House, an independent school for pupils whose needs cannot be met in mainstream education. This is on the site of the former Lothingland School, which closed in 2011.
Continuing along Jay Lane (which now becomes Church Lane) you reach the church of St John the Baptist. This is referred to locally as the golden church, due to the beautiful interior, which was remodelled at the beginning of the 20th century by Sir Ninian Comper. It is very ornate with plenty of gold leaf, and attracts many visitors.
Immediately after the church is the Village Green which was created in 2005. This is an open space surrounded by hedges and trees where residents and visitors can relax and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the countryside. Adjacent to the Green is the Village Hall, which was completed in 1996, and was built to replace a wooden WW1 army hut which served as the village hall for some 70 years.
Turning right at the crossroads, you travel along The Street where there are a mixture of old cottages and some newer homes. On the left is the Mardle Cafe, selling good coffee, cakes, and light meals. A little further along is the Village Maid - is there another public house with such a name in the country? - selling fine food and ales. Opposite the Village Maid is the village pond, known as The Mardle. This is referred to as "Fish Pond" on old maps, but only a solitary heron keeping watch from the trees catches fish these days. However ducks, moorhens, coots, and noisy geese all get their meals from bread thrown in by visitors young and old. The village sign which is on the bank of the Mardle was erected in 2002, and has a plaque commemorating the Queen's golden jubilee.
Opposite the village sign, and going past the side of the Village Maid, there is a bridleway called Snakes Lane. This leads to Ashby and Somerleyton about 3 miles away, and is a very pleasant walk through fields and open countryside. It is part of the Waveney Way.
Continuing north about a mile out of the village is the Lound Waterworks. This is a water treatment plant purifying water from huge storage lakes dug out around 1900. Water is supplied to Lowestoft and the surrounding area. The land around the lakes is of great natural beauty and a haven for wildlife, and is managed by Suffolk Wildlife. There is a car park and information centre for visitors, and plenty of footpaths to enjoy.
Just two tenant farmers now work the land around Lound, with many former farm houses and barns converted to comfortable dwellings. The land is very fertile, with market gardeners who produce a variety of vegetables all year round.
There will always be a friendly welcome for visitors to Lound, a name which means "Grove in a Plain".
This website is managed by Lound Parish Council. If you have any comments please contact the Parish clerk at loundparishclerk@hotmail.com
Website has been checked for accessability by PC, Tablet and Smart Phone 07/09/21