The Sign
There are two signs in Southwold, one in the town centre opposite the Adnams shop and was carved by Mr Lane, the other is a welcome sign sat on Might's bridge which is over Buss Creek. The welcome sign is a patterned obelisk with the town name and the resident seagull.

The main town sign depicts the Battle of Sole Bay which took place on 28 May 1672, the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The two boats depicted are the English flagship the Royal Prince on the left and the flagship of the Dutch Admiral de Ruyter Seven Provencien on the right; the French were also involved on the British side. On the top of the sign is the  Southwold Town Seal with the town motto ‘Defend They Ryght’.

Note that the sign shows a British flag different from the one we know today. In the early 1600s, following the succession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne as James I, the English flag (red Cross of Saint George on a white background) was combined with the Scottish flag (diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew on a blue background). This became England’s official flag on 12th April 1606. Wales, conquered by England hundreds of years earlier, was automatically represented by the English flag.

The net like features in the spandrels could represent Viking longships representing the early settlers.

The Name and Population
The population at the 2011 census was 1,098. It was called Sudwolda in 1086 and  Sudwald in 1227. The name means "The south woodland or forest", from Old English.

Other Points of Interest

The Battle of Sole Bay began as an attempted raid on Sole Bay port where an English fleet was anchored and largely unprepared for battle. They were then surprised by a Dutch fleet. The battle prevented a planned allied naval invasion of the Dutch Republic and boosted the morale of the Dutch population. Thousands of men were killed and wounded including the Earl of Sandwich. On the green just above the beach, descriptively named Gun Hill, six 18-pounder cannon commemorate the Battle.

Southwold is proud to have a fine civic history as befits a town whose Charter was granted by Henry VII. Some of the Fairs and Markets still held in Southwold have an illustrious history too, as the right to hold them dates back to the original Charter and sometimes beyond. Nowadays there is a Town Council, with offices in the Market Place, and a Town Mayor. Other civic appointments include the Bellman who makes announcements from time to time throughout the town in true town crier tradition.

Adnams is a regional brewery founded in 1872 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. It produces cask ale and bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000 barrels. In 2010, the company established the Copper House distillery for the production of gin, vodka and whisky.

Other features of the town include a pier on the popular seafront, St Edmunds church and the Lighthouse.

Visit Suffolk Website

Southwold is a charming north Suffolk seaside town on the Suffolk Heritage Coast. Almost an island, being bounded by the North Sea to the East, by the River Blyth and Southwold harbour to the South–West and by Buss Creek to the North, there is just the one road in to and out of Southwold, approached through neighbouring Reydon.

Southwold St Edmund