Bildeston

According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the village name is Bild's homestead. According to Bildeston Church and Village by Sue Andrews, the village came into existence around 1,100 years ago. Although two Roman roads crossed here, little evidence has been found of any Roman settlement, only of Bildr, supposedly, seven centuries later, as an invading Danish leader, whose name the first settlement is thought to have adapted. The first real evidence of Bildeston is in the Domesday Book. The manor had been a royal estate of Queen Edith, consort of Edward the Confessor. By 1086 there were 20 households, composed of villeins, bordars and serfs, all dependent on Walter the Deacon, the absentee…

Today, Bildeston has a post office, a general provisions shop, and three pubs. Two of pubs were converted into private houses 40 years ago. There are around 80 listed buildings. The King's Head, a Grade II listed freehouse dating from around 1530, organises an annual beer festival at the end of May. The other pubs in the village are a gastropub The Crown and The Red Lion. Previously known as The Lion, the Red Lion is a traditional pub with 16th century origins, although the present building is of the 18th century. The pub was situated in Wattisham until 1882 when changes to the parish boundary incorporated it into Bildeston Parish.