The area was recorded as Gressgrava in the Domesday Book, by the late 15th century its name had become Kesgrave. Kesgrave remained a small agricultural settlement with just a church, inn and a few farmsteads for over 700 years.
In 1921 the population was only 103 housed in 20 dwellings. Since then great changes have taken place.[vague]
By 1988 Kesgrave covered an area of more than 800 acres (320 ha; 1.3 sq mi).
Kesgrave parish council officially adopted the title of a town in January 2000.[2]
Schools
Kesgrave High School is a large 11-18 comprehensiveco-educational school with nearly 2000 pupils. A study for Sustrans noted that 61% of the pupils cycled to the school.[3] This is largely due to the installation of a large cycle lane through the local housing development and along the main road. The school actively encourages walking or cycling and provides bicycle storage facilities.[4]
The five primary schools in the immediate vicinity of Kesgrave are Beacon Hill Primary School, Birchwood Primary School, Cedarwood Primary School the building of which was awarded a Civic Trust Award in 2003,[5] Gorseland Primary School and Heath Primary School.