The Sign
The sign was erected in 1999 and includes Sizewell, even though it has its own sign these days. At the top of the post is a blue rectangle and sphere which represents Sizewell B nuclear power station. The main theme of the sign represents the world famous Garrett engineering works – one of Great Britain’s finest agricultural and steam engine production lines which opened in 1852 at the 'Long Shop'. The large chimney with smoke billowing out of the top and one of the engines rolling down the road are shown here. Behind the chimney is the ruined walls of Leiston Abbey sat on a grass bank.

The Name and Population
Leiston was known as Leistuna, Leestuna in 1086 and  Legestona in 1168. The name means "The farmstead or estate with a beacon-fire", from Old English. Sizewell is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, but was called Syreswell in1240 and Syswell in 1280. The name means "The spring of a man called Sigehere", from Old English. The villages are part of the Leiston Parish with a population of 5,508 at the 2011 census.

Other Points of Interest
The building behind the sign was known as 'The Long Shop' on account of its length. A machine would start at one end of the Long Shop and as it progressed through the building it would stop at various stages where new parts would be added. There was also an upper level where other parts were made; they would be lowered over a balcony and then fixed onto the machine on the ground level. When the machine reached the end of the shop, it would be complete.

Leiston Abbey was founded in 1182 by Ranulf de Glanville, Henry II’s Chief Justiciar, and was dedicated to St Mary. In about 1363 the abbey was moved away from what was evidently a rather unhealthy location on swampy ground, and rebuilt on its present site. The old abbey was dismantled for building materials (though a fragment of it can still be seen) and as a result the 14th century abbey incorporates some Norman features. Robert de Ufford, Earl of Suffolk, oversaw the rebuilding of the abbey on a much larger scale than the original and included several new chapels (English Heritage).

Leiston church is dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch and is predominantly of 19th century origin with exception to the tower.