Long Melford

Long Melford
Long Melford
Location within Suffolk
Area21.95 km2 (8.47 sq mi)
Population3,918 (2011)
 Density178/km2 (460/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTL8646
Civil parish
  • Long Melford
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSudbury
Postcode districtCO10
Dialling code01787
PoliceSuffolk
FireSuffolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

Long Melford, colloquially and historically also referred to as Melford, is a large village and civil parish in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is on Suffolk's border with Essex, which is marked by the River Stour, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Sudbury, approximately 16 miles (26 km) from Colchester and 14 miles (23 km) from Bury St Edmunds. It is one of Suffolk's "wool towns" and is a former market town. The parish also includes the hamlets of Bridge Street and Cuckoo Tye. In 2011 the parish had a population of 3918.

Its name is derived from the nature of the village's layout (originally concentrated along a 3-mile stretch of a single road) and the Mill ford crossing the Chad Brook (a tributary of the River Stour).