Brian Jepson paintings

The late Brian Jepson, architect, artist and friend of Ipswich, was responsible for the genesis of the ‘Fore Street Facelift 1961' Exhibition and website when he passed to the Society (via Tony Hill) the set of original architect elevation drawings of buildings in Fore Street and Birkin Haward's colour scheme map. This has led to the gathering together of a wealth of imagery and knowledge about that time and other periods in the history of Fore Street.

It was after Brian's sad death in 2014 that Jill Jepson invited the Ipswich Society into his studio to select some works of art for the exhibition. We are proud to display these paintings in Brian's characteristic, expressive but architecturally correct style. Information is drawn from labels on the backs of the works.

14-20 Fore Street in 2010, sometimes known as “Sneezum's Corner” with the junction with Lower Orwell Street and Foundation Street multi-storey car park in the background. The buildings bear the date ‘1903'; the architect was H.Winkworth. Painting in acrylics.

42-60 Fore Street in 1990, north and south elevations with house numbering. Number 44 proudly bears the ‘original' blue plaque on Brian's own house which celebrates its tenure by the artist Cor Visser. Brian Jepson designed and paid for this himself and The Ipswich Society based its sequence of Ipswich blue plaques (which continues) on that design. Drawing in line, pencil and marker pen.

The Isaac Lord merchant's house, 80 Fore Street in 2007. There is a larger, more finished version of this scene in line and coloured pencil. Painting in acrylics.

Rope makers' cottages including 132-4 Fore Street in 1965. We see the Eastern Counties Farmers silo and feed mill, the Meux Breweries maltings (with cooling vents) and Fore Street stretching away. The hoarding between the corner building and the timbered cottages (all of which still stand) bears the advertisement for Cadbury's Dairy Milk: “a glass and a half of full cream dairy milk in each bar”. This features on the same site in photographs from 1961; this suggests either that commercial advertisers kept their sites for a long time, or the date on Brian's drawing might be wrong. Drawing in graphite and white pencil.

8-22 Fore Street in 2007. The timbered building at the far left is number 15. At the far right is Martin & Newby's hardware shop, the signing of which Brian has abbreviated to ‘M & N Tools'. At this angle we can see down the length of Lower Orwell Street. Painting in watercolour and gouache.

The Social Settlement at 131 Fore Street, undated. This fine drawing shows what the Social Settlement must have been like in 1902. Brian has placed the monogram next to ‘Del. 1902' (this should perhaps read ‘Des.' 1902': the year of its design) with ‘Eade and Johns, Architects, Ipswich'. The Social Settlement was intended to alleviate the high levels of poverty and lawlessness in St Clement parish at the end of the 19th century. This frontage was designed in 1902 for benefactor, Daniel Ford Goddard in Edwardian free-style, red brick with stone dressings, symmetrical with a large central gable, oriel bay windows & flanked by turret gables with copper cupola roofs. It stood opposite the present-day UCS Waterfront Building and was, in its dilapidated state by 1961, demolished as part of the Fore Street Improvement Scheme. Drawing in line and watercolour.

Detail of the corners.

Some photographs taken by Brian Jepson of the dock and Fore Street area can be found on these pages: Social Settlement, Meux Maltings, 'Fore Street Post Office'.

See also Fore Street maps showing Listed buildings and Public houses.