About Earl Soham

Earl Soham is an attractive small village, nestling in the rural heart of the county of Suffolk in England (U.K.). The centre of the village, including the main street ("The Street"), has many old houses and cottages, of which a good proportion are "listed" as being of architectural or historical interest. Most of the village is designated a Conservation Area because of its collective historical interest.

Earl Soham is situated approximately halfway along the A1120 between Stowmarket and Yoxford. The A1120 is the only east-west "A" class road in northern Suffolk. The A1120 through Earl Soham is built on top of a Roman road, but, exceptionally for a Roman road, the road kinks as it passes through the village. The kink is due to the presence of a lake (the "Mere") in the path of the otherwise straight road.

The village has a population of under 500, but maintains a thriving community spirit with many active clubs and societies, and a number of small businesses, many of which are located at Earl Soham Business Centre.

The "Soham" part of the village name means "Homestead (or hamlet) by a pool" (Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names; A.D. Mills; 1998). The "Earl" indicates that the village was once owned by the Bigod family, Earls of Norfolk - as opposed to the nearby Monk Soham which was owned by the monks of Bury St. Edmunds. The Bigods maintained a hunting lodge at Earl Soham for falconry - hence the adoption of the Falconer (see background image) as the symbol for the village. More about the connection of Earl Soham to the Bigod family can be found in the History pages.

See where Earl Soham is here.

Pictures of Earl Soham as it is today can be found in the Interactive Map or in the Gallery of images.