Mellis

For other uses, see Mellis (disambiguation).

Mellis is a small village in Suffolk, England. It has the largest area of unfenced common land in England. Oliver Cromwell exercised his troops in Mellis. It once had a railway station on the main line between London and Norwich, and a small branch line that ran to nearby Eye. The area is now attracting international and national attention for being chosen to house asylum seekers next to the railway line beside a public house. Articles have featured in all major British newspapers but with the name of this village edited out.

Mellis
St Mary's church, Mellis
Mellis Location within Suffolk
Population	519 (2011)[1]
District	Mid Suffolk
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Eye
Postcode district	IP23
Dialling code	01379
List of places UK England Suffolk 52.329°N 1.080°E / 52.329; 1.080

Mellis Common is a 59 hectare nature reserve. In summer rare plants such as green-winged orchid, sulphur clover and adder's tongue fern flourish. The abundance of small mammals also makes the site a favourite hunting ground for barn owl and tawny owl.

The 14th-century parish church of St Mary, restored in 1859 and 1900, is a Grade II* listed building.^[2]

In 1968, Roger Deakin (1943 – 2006), writer and environmentalist, bought Walnut Tree Farm on the edge of Mellis Common, which he rebuilt over many years and where he lived until his death.