St James South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is north-west of the market town of Halesworth and south-west of Bungay in the East Suffolk district. It is one of the parishes around Bungay known as the Saints.St James South Elmham, Healthy Suffolk, 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
The parish had a population of 205 at the 2011 United Kingdom census. It is an isolated parish in a rural area and borders the parishes of St Cross South Elmham, All Saints and St Nicholas South Elmham, Rumburgh, Wissett, Chediston and Metfield. The village is spread along the road between All Saints' South Elmham and Metfield.South Elmham St. James, Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
The parish church is dedicated to St James and dates from the 12th-century. It has a 13th-century tower and contains a number of Norman windows and a 12th-century font with a 15th-century cover. The church is a Grade I listed building;Church of St James, List entry, Historic England. Retrieved 201-03-02.Knott S (2008) St James, South Elmham St James, Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2 March 2021. a medieval moated site close to the church is a scheduled monument.Moated site 150m south of St James' Church, List entry, Historic England. Retrieved 201-03-02. Parts of RAF Metfield, a World War II airfield built in 1943 and used by the United States Air Force, extend into the west of the parish. An explosion in July 1944, caused by the mishandling of a number of bombs, shook the surrounding area, including St James.Metfield, American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
Other than the church few services remain in the village. It has a village hall and a recreation ground which was transferred to the control of the parish council in 2020.Noble J (2020) Village recreation ground taken over by parish in bid to improve usage, East Anglian Daily Times, 5 November 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021. A community orchard is located to the west of the village. The village public house, the White Horse, closed in 1991.St James South Elmham White Horse, Suffolk Pubs, Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
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