The surface is generally flat, and there is much marshland in its southern part, and along its north-eastern shore.
The site chosen consisted of an expanse of marshland through which the Stour flowed as an insignificant stream.
In Norfolk the reeds of marshland are employed, and they constitute a durable thatch lasting from thirty to forty years or more.
Along the west coast extends the "Marshland," a belt of rich alluvial soil formed by the deposits of the North Sea, and varying in breadth from 5 to 15 m.
The Middlebridge area was once surrounded by marshland, which made any large-scale settlement impossible here.