Editorial

Our cover photograph reminds us that, at the time of writing, the Suffolk County Council Fire and Rescue Service consultation, which closed on 22 February 2016, proposed cutting the number of fire engines in Ipswich from six to three. The article on page 5 looks back to the time of the Bond Street fire station.

Ipswich, as in many towns of comparable size and history (no other town has quite the history of Ipswich…), has suffered many losses of fine historic buildings over the centuries. However, we must be proud of our surviving buildings, the great, the good and the interesting. There are over 700 Listed buildings in Ipswich; many are timber-framed, wattle-and-daub, lathe-and-lime-and hair plastered in structure. All rather flammable. On page 20 we show the most important in our town (updating an article in the Newsletter Issue 151, April 2003).

As a natural extension of that thought: ‘Who does what in Ipswich?' appears on page 15. When you next hear someone blaming a particular authority for something, or saying “Why isn't the Council doing anything about this?”, this short piece might help you to find an answer. It's always ironic to hear this latter question from someone who has previously and repeatedly complained about the ‘nanny state'.

Many thanks to all contributors to this issue and to those who write to the editor or pass on comments - mainly favourable, thank goodness - about the Newsletter.

Robin Gaylard

Tony Marsden, Mike Cook and Bob Allen with the 1958 map of the Ring-Road that never was (page 12 for the article)