How Kessingland reinvented itself

SITTING pretty as the most easterly village in the UK, Kessingland is a thriving community full of different characters following a very varied path through life.

How the popular village developed its current position over the last seven decades has been encapsulated in words and pictures by a retired couple living in the village.

Maureen and Eric Long used to run a retail business, but since their retirement the great-grandparents have turned their attention to writing. Mrs Long previously released The Book of Kessingland, through Halsgrove Publishing, and now the couple have teamed up for Kessingland Reunited.

The 128-page hardback book represents the people, places, events, groups and personalities that have made up the vibrant village since the 1940s.

'This volume is a snap-shot of Kessingland history and families within living memory that is for the last 70 or so years,' they write.

'Once nicknamed Klondyke, the richest village in England, due to the fishing industry, there are now very few fishermen sailing from here, except a few privately owned non-commercial basis.

'This book chronicles the decline of this once-great industry, the wartime years and how the village reinvented itself as a holiday resort in the post-war years.'

Amongst the topics covered is how landowner Laurence Wright helped find new employment for those who used to mend fishing nets, and how he started the Suffolk Wildlife Park.

Others include how the village saw a sudden influx of retirees from London and Hertfordshire when the Lloyds Estate helped to link The Street and The Beach communities, the impact a supermarket had when it was built on the village's doorstep, and the thriving tourism industry that sees the population double in size each summer.

Alongside all of these tales are photos documenting the people and events that helped the village become what it is today.

The book is available for �19.99