Santon Downham

Santon Downham is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2005 it had a population of 240.^[2] The village is located within Thetford Forest on a meander of the River Little Ouse on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. Thetford is 4 miles (6 km) southeast and the nearest railway station is in Brandon 2 miles (3 km) west.

Santon Downham
Church of St Mary
Santon Downham Location within Suffolk
Population	237 (2011)[1]
District	West Suffolk
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Brandon
Postcode district	IP27
Dialling code	01842
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	West Suffolk
List of places UK England Suffolk 52.456611°N 0.667891°E / 52.456611; 0.667891

History

East of England Forestry Commission offices

The village was the administrative centre for the Eastern Forestry Commission for many years, following the planting of tens of thousands of trees in the Breckland to form the Thetford Forest. The District office and staff were housed in a 1960s office building close to the site of the now-demolished Downham Hall. The Hall garden formed the base for the nursery department of the district. The Forestry Commission repair depot was built close by in an award-winning building, next to which stood the Forestry Commission fire station. A Bedford 'Green Goddess' fire tender and a water tanker were kept in the fire station due to the high fire risk in the area.

In 1972 the bridge over the River Little Ouse appeared in programme 50 of the fifth series of BBC's sitcom Dad's Army, when Captain Mainwaring and his troops attempt to demolish it.^[3][4]

Climate

Santon Downham has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).

Climate data for Santon Downham (6 m or 20 ft asl, averages 1991–2020, extremes 1959-present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	16.7 (62.1)	19.4 (66.9)	25.0 (77.0)	28.2 (82.8)	28.8 (83.8)	34.6 (94.3)	39.0 (102.2)	35.3 (95.5)	31.7 (89.1)	29.3 (84.7)	18.8 (65.8)	16.0 (60.8)	39.0 (102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7.8 (46.0)	8.5 (47.3)	11.2 (52.2)	14.4 (57.9)	17.7 (63.9)	20.4 (68.7)	22.9 (73.2)	22.6 (72.7)	19.5 (67.1)	15.2 (59.4)	10.9 (51.6)	8.0 (46.4)	14.9 (58.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	0.8 (33.4)	0.7 (33.3)	1.7 (35.1)	3.2 (37.8)	6.1 (43.0)	9.2 (48.6)	11.3 (52.3)	11.1 (52.0)	8.7 (47.7)	6.1 (43.0)	3.0 (37.4)	1.0 (33.8)	5.2 (41.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−18.9 (−2.0)	−15.0 (5.0)	−12.2 (10.0)	−9.7 (14.5)	−7.7 (18.1)	−5.6 (21.9)	−1.1 (30.0)	−1.7 (28.9)	−5.6 (21.9)	−8.7 (16.3)	−11.1 (12.0)	−16.1 (3.0)	−18.9 (−2.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	54.4 (2.14)	44.3 (1.74)	45.5 (1.79)	40.7 (1.60)	46.9 (1.85)	60.1 (2.37)	58.8 (2.31)	65.2 (2.57)	55.1 (2.17)	67.3 (2.65)	65.9 (2.59)	62.1 (2.44)	666.3 (26.22)
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm)	11.2	10.4	9.5	8.9	8.5	9.5	9.5	9.6	9.0	10.7	11.9	11.8	120.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours	50.1	75.9	108.0	162.3	198.0	186.2	198.9	190.9	135.4	103.6	63.5	53.9	1,526.7
Source 1: Met Office[5]
Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[6]

On 18 July 2022 a high of 38.1 °C (100.6 °F) was recorded in Santon Downham, making it the hottest place in England and the United Kingdom on that day.^[7]

The highest temperature since records began in 1959 was 39.0 °C (102.2 °F) on 19 July 2022 and the lowest was −18.9 °C (−2.0 °F) on 23 January 1963.^[8]

Santon Downham is a known frost hollow and on 1 and 3 June 1962 it recorded the UK's lowest June temperature on record with −5.6 °C (21.9 °F), a record it also shares with Dalwhinnie in the highlands of Scotland.^[9]

Transport

The Santon Downham Tramway was a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) long narrow-gauge railway, which was operated around 1918 to 1922.

See also

• Santon, Norfolk