Burgate


Burgate is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, about south-west of Diss in Norfolk. It has very friendly villagers with a lot of community spirit. They usually raise money for Burgate church by doing events such as plant sales and village meals. The church, dedicated to St Mary and dating from the 14th century, was restored in 1864 and is a grade II* listed building.
Burgate Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest SSSI. Its are particularly good example of the type of oak-hornbeam woodland characteristic of this part of north Suffolk. It is ancient, with a coppice-with-standards structure and continues to support entirely semi-natural stands. Many giant coppiced stools are present which indicate its great antiquity. The ground flora is diverse and includes several species that are indicators of ancient woodland, including one rarity. The ground flora contains much Dog's Mercury with frequent Primrose, Enchanter's Nightshade, Sanicle and Water Avens. A number of uncommon species are present including Herb Paris, Yellow Archangel, Hairy Woodrush and the rare Lungwort.
The wood contains a mysterious set of earthworks which are a Scheduled Ancient Monument No: 30571. They have been associated finds of pottery dated as Late Saxon to Medieval - 1001 AD to 1154 AD.
The village also had a scarecrow competition and horse riding competition every year which attracted a lot of attention.