The village of Pettistree near Wickham Market has much to recommend it. There is the 12th Century church, an ancient dovecot, several attractive homes from thatched cottages to classical 70's architecture, one of the best examples of wrought-iron village signs, and two pubs with differing styles and excellent food.
There have been two Heritage weekends in 1995 and 2000, and in the last 5 years we have continued to collect information about the life of Pettistree. This ranges from sorting through the files in the Suffolk Record Office, searching via the internet and visiting the more senior inhabitants and listening to their memories. We have documents ranging from a Tudor Church Register, that is described as one of the finest examples anywhere in East Anglia, to pictures of the last village barbecue of the 20th century, and details of fascinating facts about many of the houses in the village and the families who have lived in them. There is a Pettistree Web site and all village events since 2000 have been captured on video as well.
To mark the Year 2005 an exhibition of records, those that are stored in Suffolk Record Office, and those that have been collected and are kept in the village will be on display in the church.
Earlier in the year a survey was completed of all the families who live in Pettistree and their occupations both paid and voluntary. The results will be on display in the church room as a contemporary record of villagers in the 21st century compared with those of the past. Also displayed in the church Room will be the Hedgerow survey that has been prepared by a dedicated band of villagers over the past 2 years.
The exhibition closes at 5.00 pm. on Sunday. The weekend will finish with Evensong at 6.30 pm. When we will be joined by the Archdeacon of Suffolk, Geoffrey Arrand.
Parking will be available in the Village Hall, from there it is an easy walk to the Church which is in the centre of the village next door to the Greyhound Inn!
SATURDAY JULY 2nd 10.00 am to 5.00 pm Exhibition
SUNDAY JULY 3rd. 10.00 am to 5.00 pm Exhibition