About Copdock & Washbrook

Copdock and Washbrook is a civil parish in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It covers the village of Copdock and Washbrook, as well as the hamlets of Coles Green, Mace Green, Folly Lane and Washbrook Street.

The parish is 4 miles south of Ipswich and 12 miles from the Suffolk coast. It sits astride the old Roman Road which linked Caister St Edmunds and London , via Colchester. The ancient route to London has been moved further to the east of the village on two occasions and the Roman Road is now a dead end just south of the School. The Grindle stream which runs through the village into the Belstead Brook forms the boundary between the two villages.

The name “Washbrook” means ‘Washing brook’ or ‘flooding brook’. Washbrook was called “Great Belstead” in Saxon times. The village is likely one of the sources of the surname Washbrook. Until early in the 20^th century, the waters of Belstead Brook powered the grinding wheels of Copdock Mill via an undershot waterwheel, the first mention of which is in the Doomsday Book.

Washbrook and Copdock each had its own church. Washbrook Church St. Mary’s was founded in 1559. It closed before 2010 and is now largely redundant though still used on odd occasions. It is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust and is maintained by volunteers. Copdock Church St Peter’s is in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, a grade 2 listed building largely perpendicular in style dating its construction to the 14^th century and remains in regular use for all types of services.

In the 1950’s, new housing (Fen View and Dales View) was built off Back Lane, separately from Washbrook village on the higher valley slopes. This was followed in the 1960’s and 70’s by further housing estates at Charlottes, Pearsons Way and Pheasant Rise.

On 1 April 1994, Washbrook parish was abolished and merged with Copdock to form Copdock and Washbrook. Parts of Washbrook went to form the new parish of Pinewood and parts went to Chattisham, Sproughton and Belstead. Whilst the village is now technically merged since 1994 by name for political and local authority purposes, separate village names are still maintained by some residents and by postal addresses. Today, Washbrook nestles on the middle to lower slopes of the Belstead Brook while Copdock retains a predominately linear character along the London Road, on higher land to the south of the valley. In the south of the parish, close to Red House Farm and Folly Lane there is still a pattern of dispersed farms with infill development and some employment.

The 2021 Census returned a resident population for the parish of 1,130

The village retains its own Primary School with a separate pre-school alongside. Most children beyond primary age attend East Bergholt High School, 6 miles to the South.

A bus does serve the village, but this is a limited service which operates between Ipswich and Colchester.

There is a wide range of sports and leisure facilities available to residents. This includes a large Village Hall which hosts a multitude of different community groups, a longstanding and highly successful cricket club with a thriving junior section, a bowls club and also a tennis and badminton club. For those enjoying the outdoors, there are also allotments and a good network of public footpaths that connect to neighbouring villages and the outskirts of Ipswich. Finally, there is also a community owned pub, The Brook, which offers fine ales and an extensive menu that is consistently rated at the top of the Tripadvisor charts.