In Boxford we have 'a village of outstanding importance to the nation' which is why the county designated much of the village a Conservation Area. The Boxford Society aims to preserve the character of the village and its historic and architectural heritage. We constantly monitor planning applications and try to ensure that new developments are in keeping with the character of the village - an increasingly difficult task. Two of our members were instrumental in drawing up the Neighbourhood Plan which gives legal weight to the views of the people who live in the village.

We hold at least two meetings, sometimes three, each year to which we invite speakers with specialist knowledge of history, architecture and social development of the village, the county and East Anglia in general - we certainly have a rich history on our doorstep! We also arrange a Summer Outing to a place with a significant history.

The Programme for 2025 is:

The Spring Meeting will be held on Saturday 26th April 2025 in the Village Hall, when Edward Martin will talk about the Lost Gardens of Suffolk. As a Suffolk County Council archaeologist for many years, specialising in historic landscape, Edward has written and lectured widely on gardens, buildings and the landscape. He is a former Vice President of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, and currently Chairman of the Suffolk Gardens Trust, so be prepared for a well informed, illustrated talk.

The Summer Meeting will be held on Thursday 12th June 2025 when Roger Loose will give a talk entitled 'The Boxford Old Picture Show Part 1: Cox Hill, Ellis Street and Broad Street' to be held in the Village Hall, when Roger will use pictures from the Boxford Society archives showing what life was like in Boxford in past years. There will be a second meeting next year when Roger will show us more archive photographs of other streets in the Village.

The Summer Outing will be on Tuesday 9th September 2025, when we have arranged a guided walking tour of Harwich - a town with so much history. You can either drive to Harwich or drive to Shotley and catch the Shotley-Harwich ferry which is great fun, only takes 7 minutes and you get great views of Felixstowe docks with all the enormous container ships!

The Autumn Meeting will be held on Friday 24th October 2025 in the Village Hall, when Wendy Shepherd will talk to us about the Women's Land Army in WW2. Wendy is a former teacher who has researched the training, accommodation, uniform, the varied work related jobs and the Women's Timber Corps. Discover other important developments during the war - the 1939 Register, the War Agricultural Committee, Parish Invasion Committees, Rationing, and the WVS.

Roger Loose, one of our long-standing members has completed a comprehensive history of Boxford and his book. Boxford through the ages: A New History has already gone to a third print. If you would like to purchase a copy, please contact Roger on roger.loose17@gmail.com or ring him on 01787 211538 or order it online here

Membership is just £5 per person per year which entitles you to free entry to all the talks and a priority place on the Summer Outing. However, we do welcome any donations in addition to the subscription as we have expenses to cover eg fees for speakers, affiliation to the Suffolk Preservation Society and subscription to the Campaign to Protect Rural England - we would prefer to remain solvent!

If you are interested in joining us for interesting talks, stimulating outings and would like to support the preservation of Boxford's character whilst recognising the need for the village to change and develop sympathetically, please contact Jen Eastwood on jen.eastwood8@gmail.com or call 01787 211853.