Approximate Population: 22,010

Haverhill dates back to at least Saxon times, and the town’s market is recorded in the Domesday book (1086). Whilst most of its historical buildings were lost to the great fire on June 14, 1667, it does however retain one notable Tudor house (reportedly given to Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce from Henry VIII, and thus titled Anne of Cleves House) and many interesting Victorian buildings.

Following a planning review in 1956, Haverhill was targeted for expansion. This was primarily to resettle communities from London which had been devastated during World War II. As part of this plan, new housing settlements and new factories were built. A later review in 1962 planned for a threefold increase in population from the then population of 5,446. This influx of people changed many aspects of life in Haverhill. One noticeable change is the that the local Suffolk accent (still spoken by the town’s older residents) has largely been replaced by a London/South-east England accent that is characterised as Estuary English.

Nowadays, Haverhill is predominantly a modern and young town, the relatively small town centre is surrounded by many large housing developments, completed at various periods between the 1950s and the present. Recently, it has seen the growth of small, but noticeable Portuguese and Polish communities.

Chartered Surveyors Haverhill Suffolk

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