Westleton Village

The Village

Westleton is situated some 2 miles in from the Suffolk coast, roughly mid-way between Ipswich and Lowestoft and approximately 100 miles from London.

It is set in a landscape of Outstanding Natural Beauty and within the parish lies the internationally renowned Minsmere Reserve, owned and managed by the RSPB.

Westleton Heath National Nature Reserve and parts of Dunwich Forest also lie within the parish.
The majority of the 342 inhabitants live close to the B1125 Blythburgh to Leiston road, the remainder living in scattered cottages and farmhouses in this otherwise agricultural landscape.                                     

Photo: The Wood family

The Village Hall and St Peters Church are the focal points of village activities, whilst The Crown Inn is the main social centre.

The parish of Westleton is bounded by the parishes of Dunwich, Darsham, Middleton cum Fordley and Theberton cum Eastbridge.

The place name Westleton (or Westledestuna as it appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086) is believed to derive from the Old Norse Vestlithi (a personal name) and Old English tun i.e. Vestlithi's homestead.

Westleton Parish Council has published its Website Accessibility Statement which can be found in the left hand column of this page. Contact the Webmaster for any questions about this site.

Events

The Village hosts of plethora of events every month, details of which can be found within the latest Yoxmere Fisherman magazine. The Village Hall is at the heart of most activities with a full listing advertised on their Facebook page. In addition, the Village hall has an events diary which you can access detailing the activities of the various groups that use the hall each month.

The first pop-up event for the White Horse Pub will be held on December 22nd. This is an event to celebrate the new Community Pub now that the sale has completed. An evening of Mince Pies & Wine is extended to the residents of Westleton from 6.30pm until 8pm.

New Years Day Fireworks & Bonfire

Westleton Parish Council will be holding their annual Bonfire & Fireworks display on January 1st 2026.

Village Hall will be open for refreshments from 5pm, with the procession departing at 6pm and making its way up to the bonfire on the Common. Marshalls will be in attendance to escort every one with a Warrior Fire Engine in attendance to keep us all safe! Fireworks commence at 6.30pm approximately. The Village Hall will be open again after the fireworks for mulled wine & bacon rolls. A 50/50 draw will also be drawn upon return to the hall. Stout foot wear & a torch are strongly advised.

Nick Shearme (Fireworks Advisory Commitee Group)

Help Needed

Your help is needed for the Bonfire & Fireworks event on New Years Day in the Village Hall. Volunteers are needed from 5pm to serve teas, hot food, mulled wine, & run the 50/50 raffle. Help is also needed before and after the event with the set-up & clearance. If you can spare some time please call call Nick Shearme on 07876335567 or email nick@gardenend.co.uk

Thank you. Nick Shearme

Latest news

White Horse Public House:since the previous public meeting the Chestnut Group have completed on their purchase of the pub. They will use it for accommodation but have also stated that they will facilitate a rent-free community bar to be run by the village. There will not be a kitchen. 

The meeting on 1 December was to determine if there is sufficient interest to take this proposal forward and to establish a small committee responsible for: agreeing a legal structure; negotiating and on-going liaison with the Chestnut Group; raising initial funds for setup costs, advisor fees and working capital; operating the bar including staffing, stock control, cellar management; accounting including potentially for VAT and distribution of the bar’s profits for village/community projects. The intention is to appoint the committee members during the meeting. Initial thoughts are that the group should have circa 6 members ideally with legal, accounting, general business and hospitality knowledge/skills. The meeting will also aim to gain a view as to how many villagers would also be willing to volunteer to run the bar. 

The redevelopment of the White Horse is likely to take several months so realistically the public bar will not open until early next Summer. However, the Chestnut Group have indicated that they are willing to support "pop-up events" potentially starting in December.

Sizewell C Northern Transport Forum 5 November: the points of greatest relevance to Westleton arising from the meeting were: that the Westleton traffic calming measures will probably only be implemented in March/April next year; that the average speed cameras in Westleton issued no speeding tickets in September; that the blocking-off of Blythburgh and the B1387 improvements will probably begin in December; and that 50 parking sites are already in use at the Darsham Park and Ride (when it is complete, it will accommodate 1250 vehicles). No new information was provided about the planned extension of the B1125 to join the planned Sizewell Link Road, nor about the associated oak trees. A fuller report of the meeting can be found on the 'Energy Projects page of this website.

Allotments: the site has been prepared with 24 half plots. If you would like a plot, but have not already registered your interest, please email David Watson.