Appleshaw church is old. Its predecessor churchs and chapels are even older. And before them there were Romans living in and around Appleshaw, although it would be too much to assert that there was a Roman temple on the site – even if it makes for a romantic and atmospheric story.

The British Museum has a Roman find comprising 32 pewter items, ten of which were purchased from a Reverend George Herbert Engleheart of Appleshaw. https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?object=21020&objectId=808846&page=1&partId=1

Rev. Engleheart was not only an enthusiastic Roman historian – but also an expert on daffodils (technical name: Narcissus) https://suffolkplants.org.uk/national-collections/narcissus

Rev. Engleheart devoted much of his life to Narcissus, breeding over 700 named forms by the time of his death in 1936.  The life of a rural vicar was not particularly demanding in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and he was one of several gentleman-clergyman, who became serious horticulturalists of their times.  There are stories of parishioners arriving at church to find a notice pinned to the door, reading, ‘No service today, working with daffodils’.

We intend to add information relating to the local history – including Roman finds – to this website on an ongoing basis. We will also be uploading “oral histories” from long-standing local residents of Appleshaw and environs.