Yoxford is a village in East Suffolk, England, close to the Heritage Coast, Minsmere Reserve (RSPB), Aldeburgh and Southwold. It is known for its antique shops and (as "Loxford") for providing the setting for a Britten opera. The name 'Yoxford' comes from Old English geoc-ford meaning 'yoke ford' probably indicating that the ford was wide enough for a yoke of oxen to pass through. Location and governance Yoxford, some north-east of London and north-east of Ipswich, is surrounded by the parkland of three country houses, in an area known as the Garden of Suffolk. It takes its name from a ford across the nearby River Yox, where oxen could pass. The village includes the junction of the A12 trunk road and the A1120. Before 1 April 2019, its electoral ward in the Suffolk Coastal district bore the same name, but the village is now within the enlarged ward of Yoxford and Kelsale, in the East Suffolk district. At the 2011 census, the previous ward's population was 1901. Facilities and sights The Church of St Peter has a 15th-century Perpendicular-style exterior, but is mainly Victorian inside. However, it possesses a number of 15th–17th-century monumental brasses, which are displayed on the walls. The finely carved font dates from the early 15th century and the pulpit from the 17th century. The church parish belongs to the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. Up to about 1830, the village came under the Blything Hundred. On the edge of the village is Cockfield Hall, once the old home of the Blois family. The village is known for its antique shops. It also has a general store, a restaurant and a village hall. Benjamin Britten and librettist Eric Crozier are believed to have adapted the name of Yoxford to create the fictional town of Loxford, which provides the setting for Britten's opera, Albert Herring. Education Yoxford and Peasenhall Primary School caters for children aged 3–11. The school has an Early Year Centre, purpose-built for pupils aged from 3–6. The school works in partnership with Middleton Primary School in Middleton, Suffolk and Southwold Primary School in Southwold, Suffolk, the three making up Yox Valley Partnership of Schools. Hospitality Yoxford's two pubs are the Griffin Inn, a medieval house that reopened in 2013, and The King's Head. The Griffin Inn offers accommodation, as does the 18th-century Satis House. This is sometimes described wrongly as the original for the