Part of a picture of the battle in the Sailors Reading Room

Visit St James's Green to see two cannons cast from shipwrecks in Sole Bay

Southwold is not only known for its large pier and imposing lighthouse. The town also has a rich maritime history, including the infamous Battle of Sole Bay.

The Battle of Sole Bay, pictured on the town sign

On a hazy day in May 1672 a fleet of 75 Dutch ships surprised a joint Anglo-French fleet comprising of 93 ships and just under 35,000 men. The battle was fierce and heavy losses were taken on both sides, including the burning of HMS Royal James, an event famously captured in the painting by Willem van de Velde the Younger. It was the first naval battle of the third Anglo-Dutch War, a war that the English later abandoned. The Dutch fleet was, for much of the battle, in the ascendancy and had it not been for the turning of the wind and the subsequent loss of a weather gauge, the Dutch may have won this historic battle.

The Burning of the Royal James at the the Battle of Solebay, 28 May 1672 by Willem van de Velde the younger

James, Duke of York and the brother of Charles II was The Lord High Admiral during the battle, and he made his headquarters in an early Elizabethan house on the High Street. The house can be still be seen today, with its beautiful Jacobean plaster ceiling.

The Sole Bay Inn, adjacent to St James Green

The memory of the war will never be forgotten. The bodies and limbs of the fallen were washed up onto the Suffolk shore for many weeks after the battle and it is said that the ghosts of the broken hearted still await the return of their heroes. The most famous ghost is that of a red-headed servant girl. The Earl of Sandwich met and fell in love with the young woman and they spent the night together before the battle, apparently making the Earl late! It is claimed the ghost of the servant still roams the corridors of Sutherland House, awaiting the return of her lover.

Sutherland House in the High Street

St James Green can be found midway along the seashore and is home to two 18th century castings recovered from shipwrecks in Sole Bay. They serve as a constant reminder of the many fallen ships lying out in the bay; trophies of both the force of the sea and the brutality of man’s war. Just behind the green is the Sole Bay Inn, where one can salute the memories of the fallen sailors with a pint of Adnams, the locals favourite.

Admiring the view of Sole Bay from St James Green

More of Southwold’s maritime heritage can be discovered at the Sailors’ Reading Room on East Cliff. Exhibits include early photographs of past heroes, model ships and figureheads. Yet more nautical history can also be found at the Alfred Corry Museum on Ferry Road. This includes the resting place of Southwold’s oldest lifeboat, which saved 47 lives between 1893 and 1918.

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