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Long Melford Holy Trinity Church 01Long Melford, #1 on this list · Photo: Oxyman · CC BY 2.5
Suffolk rankings · History

Most historic towns in Suffolk

Long Melford ranks first on history among Suffolk’s 34 towns of 2,500+; 12 of the 34 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

#1

Long Melford

3,895 people
A+

Better than 98% of UK towns·#28 of 2,156 in England and Wales

#2

Bungay

5,012 people
A+

Better than 96% of UK towns·#70 of 2,156 in England and Wales

#3

Woodbridge

10,146 people
A

Better than 95% of UK towns·#85 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 34 towns, ranked

History grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Suffolk →

34 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns
1Long Melford3,895 peopleA+#28 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns
2Bungay5,012 peopleA+#70 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 96% of UK towns
3Woodbridge10,146 peopleA#85 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns
4Beccles9,807 peopleA#99 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns
5Framlingham3,831 peopleA#123 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns
6Hadleigh8,638 peopleA#236 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns
7Bury St Edmunds41,279 peopleA−#302 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 83% of UK towns
8Halesworth4,924 peopleA−#353 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns
9Needham Market5,055 peopleA−#356 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns
10Sudbury23,922 peopleA−#364 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 80% of UK towns
11Glemsford3,693 peopleA−#449 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns
12Newmarket18,857 peopleA−#475 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns
13Ipswich151,566 peopleB+#480 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns
14Lowestoft71,308 peopleB+#547 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns
15Leiston5,919 peopleB+#586 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns
16Saxmundham4,778 peopleB+#657 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 67% of UK towns
17Stowmarket21,537 peopleB+#698 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 65% of UK towns
18Felixstowe24,218 peopleB#881 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 57% of UK towns
19Mildenhall9,684 peopleB−#1,086 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns
20Claydon3,140 peopleC+#1,319 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns
21Elmswell4,446 peopleC#1,406 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 33% of UK towns
22Kessingland4,242 peopleC#1,409 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 33% of UK towns
23Trimley St Mary3,736 peopleC#1,413 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 33% of UK towns
24Brandon9,218 peopleC#1,461 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 31% of UK towns
25Haverhill26,704 peopleC#1,473 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 30% of UK towns
26Capel St Mary2,992 peopleC#1,532 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 28% of UK towns
27Thurston3,009 peopleC#1,536 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 27% of UK towns
28Lakenheath4,567 peopleC−#1,672 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns
29Beck Row4,129 peopleD#1,921 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 10% of UK towns
30Rendlesham3,185 peopleD#1,947 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 9% of UK towns
T31Martlesham Heath2,730 peopleD#1,996 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 7% of UK towns
T31Worlingham3,618 peopleD#1,996 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 7% of UK towns
33Kesgrave14,947 peopleD−#2,059 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 4% of UK towns
34Red Lodge5,771 peopleD−#2,144 of 2,156 nationallybehind almost every UK town
Not ranked

Not on this list

1 military garrison town or university campus keeps its grade but isn’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the most historic town in Suffolk?

Long Melford ranks first on history among 34 towns, with an A+: better than 98% of UK towns. Bungay and Woodbridge follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Suffolk’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Suffolk is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Suffolk lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Suffolk rankings →
Best places to live34 towns · #1 KesgraveBest small towns24 towns · #1 Capel St MaryMost affordable towns34 towns · #1 KessinglandSafest towns34 towns · #1 WorlinghamTowns with the best schools34 towns · #1 GlemsfordHealthiest towns34 towns · #1 Capel St MaryBest towns for jobs & income34 towns · #1 Martlesham HeathMost walkable towns34 towns · #1 Bury St EdmundsTowns with the lowest flood risk34 towns · #1 Capel St Mary and 6 moreBest towns for the outdoors34 towns · #1 Trimley St MaryTowns with the most civic life34 towns · #1 FramlinghamTowns with the highest household incomes35 towns · #1 ThurstonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest council tax35 towns · #1 WorlinghamDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters35 towns · #1 Trimley St MaryDescribed, no lettersTowns with the warmest summers35 towns · #1 Beck RowDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers35 towns · #1 KessinglandDescribed, no lettersTowns with the fewest frosts35 towns · #1 Trimley St MaryDescribed, no lettersDriest towns35 towns · #1 FelixstoweDescribed, no lettersWettest towns35 towns · #1 SaxmundhamDescribed, no letters
County by county

Most historic towns, county by county

BedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexGloucestershireGreater ManchesterGwentHampshireHertfordshireKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire

Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.