Located a stone’s throw from the North Sea, Leiston is a historic English town in Suffolk. It flourished in the 19th century as a manufacturing hub and was home to the world’s first flow assembly line at Leiston Works. Today, Leiston serves as a base for exploring the salt marshes, farmland and forest of the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Things to do in Leiston
Motorcycle enthusiasts can visit the David Silver Honda Collection, which boasts one of the world’s largest collections of motorcycles from the Japanese manufacturer. David Silver founded his Honda parts business 30 years ago and it now carries an inventory of spares for more than 1,000 different models. A highlight of the collection is a Vimto Honda once raced by Joey Dunlop.
For insight into Leiston’s industrial past, visit the Long Shop Museum, which occupies a mid-19th-century engineering workshop that is Grade II listed. It tells the story of Richard Garrett & Sons, who manufactured steam engines, trolleybuses and agricultural machinery in the town from 1778 to 1932.
On the northern edge, Leiston is one of Suffolk’s most impressive monastic sites, which was founded in the 12th century by Ranulf de Glanville. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Leiston Abbey was transformed into a farm and a Georgian-style farmhouse was built. Admire the 16th-century brick gatehouse with its octagonal turret before strolling through the cloister ruins.
Getting around Leiston
Leiston is around 40 minutes’ drive from Ipswich and just over an hour from Norwich Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe. London and Heathrow Airport are 2.5 hours away. Regular buses connect to Leiston and the town is compact enough to explore on foot.