Bungay
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Bungay is a small town in Suffolk (East Anglia, England), within The Broads National Park.
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Bungay Castle was owned by the Normans, but was later rebuilt by Roger Bigod and his family, who also owned Framlingham Castle. Bungay's village sign shows the castle.
The town was almost destroyed by a great fire in 1688.
Bungay is famous for an event which occurred on Sunday August 4, 1577 at the congregation of St Mary's Church during a service. Black Shuck, also known as 'The Black Dog of Bungay' killed two and left another injured.
The Butter Cross was constructed in 1689. It was the place where farmers displayed their butter, eggs and other farm produce for sale. Until 1810, there was also a Corn Cross, but it was taken down and replaced by a pump.
What was once the 12th century church of the Benedictine Priory (founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger Bigod), is now the parish church of St. Mary. A wooden panel behind the altar was presented to the church by the novelist Sir H. Rider Haggard who was born nearby in Bradenham near Kessingland and lived in Ditchingham.
Bungay is home to both the shortest man and the tallest woman in East Anglia; Stephen Went, East Anglia's shortest man (and third shortest adult), and Mary King, the tallest woman in the south of England.
Nearby, in the village of Earsham, is the Otter Trust where otters are raised in captivity and then released into the wild. As a result, the otter population in the Suffolk Broads has increased.
Bungay's main thoroughfare, St. Mary's Street, has several shops along it including two newsagents and a Public House. Bungay's Rainbow superstore was relocated in April 2005 from here to Hillside Road East near the middle school. Bungay, although generally rubbish for shopping, has an unusually large number of hairdressers, antiques shops, and pubs, including the excellent real ale pub, the Chequers, on Bridge Street. Ask for Pauline.
Bungay has a tourist website at: http://www.bungay-suffolk.co.uk/
Nearby towns include: Ditchingham, Earsham, Flixton.
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