Snape

Snape is a small village set on the north of the River Alde 5 miles from the North Sea coastal town of Aldeburgh.  Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty the parish comprises of around 300 households and 1700 acres of land of which about 300 are open heath and common land.

The village has a rich history that includes the site of a Saxon burial ship, discovered in 1862 and dating back to between AD410 and AD650; it is also listed in the Domesday Book survey ordered by William the Conqueror in 1086. By 1155 the village had a Priory built by William Martell, a local landowner, who later took part in the Third Crusade. The Priory remained open until 1525 when Cardinal Wolsey closed it and stripped its assets to use, at least in part, to set up Ipswich School.

In more recent times Snape has become famous for its association with Benjamin Britten who, in 1948, established the Aldeburgh Festival. Britten lived in Snape for a time and it was when he was here that he wrote much of his first opera, Peter Grimes. The Festival was so successful that by the 1960s it had grown to the extent that Britten sought to build a concert hall for it. This lead, in the mid 1960s, to the lease and conversion of the largest malthouse in a redundant maltings set in a beautiful setting at Snape Bridge on the River Alde. The Snape Maltings Concert Hall was opened by the Queen in 1967 and along with the Aldebugh Festival it is now famous the world over.

For more information on Snape, it's earlier fascinating history as well as current events, news and other information, please select the appropriate link from the menu.