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Martlesham is a village in Suffolk, England about two miles (3 km) South-West of Woodbridge and 6 miles (9.7 km) East of Ipswich. It is often referred to as "old Martlesham" by locals in order to distinguish this old village from the much more recent Martlesham Heath development (1 km) to the south although both form a single administrative parish. Also at Martlesham Heath is BT's Research and Development Centre, now called Adastral Park.

Martlesham was recorded in Domesday Book as Merlesham. The history and meaning of the name are studied in a paper by Briggs. It probably means `settlement (ham) near the mooring-place (mærels)'.

It is believed that there was a Roman settlement at Martlesham and in the parish there have been some 26 finds dating from the Roman occupation. These include pottery, brooches, coins and tesserae. Of particular note was the 19th century find of a small bronze statue of a horse on a plinth, bearing a Latin inscription indicating that this was an offering dedicated by a woman named Simplicia to the god Mars.

Martlesham was mentioned in the Domesday Book, which recorded that it consisted of two and a half carucates of land (equivalent to about 300 acres (120 ha) of profitable land). At that time there were 10 villagers; 10 smallholders; 12 acres (4.9 ha) of meadow; 1 mill; woodland for 16 pigs; 5 cobs; 20 cattle; 27 pigs; 212 sheep; and 12 beehives. There was 1 church with 36 acres (15 ha) and 1 free man.

Martlesham remained a strongly agricultural area, but the main settlement shifted over the years from the highest ground (where the church and hall are situated) to the point where the main London to Great Yarmouth road crosses the River Finn, a tributary to the Deben. By the mid-15th century, a bridge had been built across the river at this point.

White's 1844 directory of Suffolk describes Martlesham as "a neat village near the confluence of a rivulet with the Deben" and states that it has in its parish "510 inhabitants, and 2,558 acres (1,035 ha) of land, partly in rich marshes washed by the tides of the Deben, and partly a large, sandy, and unenclosed heath, extending about 2 miles (3.2 km) S.W., and affording pasturage for numerous herds of sheep and cattle."

In 1917, the Experimental Aircraft Flight of the Central Flying School was transferred from Upavon, Wiltshire to a site on the heathland at Martlesham and, on 16 January 1917, Martlesham Heath Airfield was officially opened as an experimental airfield. It continued in this role after the end of World War I and became a significant RAF airfield during the Second World War. Douglas Bader was briefly stationed at the RAF station in 1940, and a public house "The Douglas Bader" now resides on Martlesham Heath. The pub is renowned for arousing contentiousness for passing motorists playing the popular travelling game "pub cricket" (a game which has never really been known as sign cricket), as sticklers for the rules will argue it that it scores two when other players try to claim four points.

After the closure of the airfield, the lease of its site was sold to Bradford Property Trust, who went on to develop the "New Village" of Martlesham Heath to the southwest of "Old Martlesham".

In 1972 a proposal was presented by Bradford Property Trust to the Planning Department of the local council to develop a "New Village" of Martlesham Heath, with houses for 3000 people, with associated shops, schools and recreational facilities. This was accepted and has resulted in the development of the present community of Martlesham Heath. The vision of this development was to create a completely new community, but based on a traditional pattern. Hence, the village is centred on a village green, with a pub, church and cricket pavilion. In order to maintain a consistent appearance as a village, homeowners at Martlesham Heath are restricted by covenants which govern changes that they can make to their houses and gardens: for example, residents are prevented from attaching external television aerials to their houses. However, many have erected satellite TV dishes, since these were not foreseen when the covenants were written and are therefore allowed. A cable TV system was built into the development (originally provided by BT but later sold to NTL) which was the best option before satellite, since it was provided at cost price and off-air broadcasts had poor reception.

This area is very prosperous, with most homeowners having a higher income than the national average.