Thorington Street, Suffolk becomes first International Dark Sky Community in England
Suffolk, England
Thorington Street, a hamlet in southeast Suffolk, has today been designated an International Dark Sky Community by DarkSky International. This is a significant achievement, as it is the first such designation in England. It now joins six others in the United Kingdom: three in Scotland — Orkney, Coll, and Moffat; two in Wales — Presteigne and Gower; and one in the Channel Islands — Sark.
Thorington Street is a small hamlet of approximately one square mile, with 40 cottages arranged along a single north–south lane. By definition, a hamlet is a rural community “without a church.” Thorington Street lies in the geographical center of Dedham Vale, a historically important and statutorily protected area of 35 square miles within the Dedham Vale and Stour Valley National Landscape on the Essex–Suffolk border in the East of England. The Vale has been immortalized in paintings by John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough, as well as later artists including Alfred Munnings and Maggie Hambling.
Our contribution to the effort to reduce light pollution was recognized by the National Trust when they offered us, rent free, the use of a large Tudor barn, garden, and adjacent field as a DarkSky Discovery Centre. This unique opportunity provided a permanent home for stargazing, astronomy, innovative teaching, talks, school visits, and community events. Its location at the heart of an internationally renowned landscape makes protecting the night sky especially important.
The grassroots campaign group consisted of nine local residents who worked tirelessly for nine years to secure DarkSky accreditation. They built support by engaging local parish councillors, Members of Parliament, businesses, schools, and community organizations. Our two professional astronomers organized more than 100 astronomy events, reaching up to 7,000 people from Colchester in the west to North Norfolk in the east. We wrote and printed 8,000 leaflets explaining the principles of the DarkSky movement and distributed them to local organizations, churches, restaurants, hotels, pubs, and schools. We introduced and explained the concept of astrotourism to local hospitality businesses and engaged the National Trust by inviting their guests to our events.
We were instrumental in producing a Lighting Design Guide that is now the go-to reference for planners, architects, and homeowners throughout the National Landscape and beyond. Working with a locally based, internationally known lighting manufacturer, we helped inspire a dark-sky-compliant exterior light fixture. This fixture has been included in DarkSky International’s Approved Luminaires Program (Model No. 3341AB, GU10 LED bulb, 4.2 watt, 2700K, 470 lumens).
Dan Oakley, Policy and Destination Manager at DarkSky, said, “The level of commitment required to achieve dark sky status from such a small community was remarkable. Their influence on the wider National Landscape in adopting a lighting management plan was a key component of their success and will undoubtedly inspire other places to follow their example.”
“I love the darkness on the lane — so rural and unurban — and it helps the nocturnal animals too.”
— Ian Everard, Alby’s Cottage
“I feel really lucky to live in an area where DarkSky means I can look up and see the stars and moon. Preserving this precious gift is something we should all aim to do.”
— Jayne Liu, Old Forge House
“The darkness in Thorington Street is our friend. It allows for wonderful views of the silky night sky. More practically, one can see if someone is poking about the area with a torch!”
— Dan Marcal, Bridge Cottage
“I have thoroughly enjoyed promoting dark skies with our marketing teams and spreading the word across National Trust Holidays.”
— Karen Gwynne-Vince, Thorington Hall
Future plans include developing an astrotourism template for dark sky viewing in local pubs and hotels, allowing guests to enjoy dinner, participate in a guided evening of stargazing, and spend the night. In partnership with the National Trust, we also intend to create a welcome pack for guests that includes a simple sky map, instructions on using a telescope or binoculars, and one of our educational leaflets on dark-sky-compliant lighting.
Our unique asset remains the National Trust’s loan of this magnificent building, dedicated to education, astronomy, nature study, conservation, and photography. As for Thorington Street itself, there are no commercial development plans. We remain a rural hamlet surrounded by farmland and rich wildlife, including an important nocturnal community of owls, bats, hedgehogs, foxes, badgers, and otters. We already know that our efforts as a small residential community have had a wide impact, serving as an exemplar of good practice throughout Dedham Vale and beyond into neighboring counties. We hope our example of steadfast care and protection against light pollution will continue to demonstrate the importance and beauty of natural darkness.
About the International Dark Sky Places Program:
Founded in 2001, the International Dark Sky Places Program is a non-regulatory, voluntary program that encourages communities, parks, and protected areas worldwide to preserve and protect dark sites through effective lighting policies, environmentally responsible outdoor lighting, and public education. When used indiscriminately, artificial light can disrupt ecosystems, impact human health, waste money and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view and connection to the universe. Thorington Street now joins more than 255 Places that have demonstrated robust community support for dark sky advocacy and strive to protect the night from light pollution. Learn more by visiting https://darksky.org/what-we-do/international-dark-sky-places/.
About DarkSky International:
The mission of DarkSky is to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting. Learn more at darksky.org
Contacts
Mike Barrett
DarkSky Discovery Centre, Thorington Hall, Thorington Street, Suffolk
+44 (0) 7710 197202
[email protected]
Dan Oakley
Policy and Destination Senior Manager, DarkSky International
+44 780 357 0818
[email protected]
