The Suffolk Records Society celebrated sixty years – and sixty published volumes – in 2017. Several of the titles deal with local subjects: Great Tooley of Ipswich (1962), Poor relief in Elizabethan Ipswich (1966), The Ipswich Recognizance Rolls (1973), The Ipswich Probate Inventories (1979), The town finances of Elizabethan Ipswich (1995), Ipswich Borough archives 1255-1835 (2000). Amongst the many other titles are eight volumes of  John Constable’s correspondence. [http://www.suffolkrecordssociety.com]

 

Whither the bridge? (continued)

This issue of the Newsletter was being finalised when Suffolk County Council made further announcements about the proposed Upper Orwell Crossings. Bore-holes and geological assessments have been taking place with a temporary plant and office yard established just off Ballast Wharf Walk, near Wykes Bishop Street. As so often, the announcements beg as many questions as they answer. It is said that the landing-points of the largest bridge are just a proposal, but it’s unlikely that they will change, given the very limited options.

A new roundabout would be built on Holywells Road opposite the east end of Toller Road (which will be closed to traffic) with a road rising from the roundabout going over Cliff Road and the ancient shipyard near The Cliff. Angled south-westwards, the bridge would pass over the Orwell, the Griffin Wharf branch line and, curving very close to housing on Discovery Avenue and Virginia Street, would join the roundabout at Rapier Street/Hawes Street. One wonders whether there should be a dock exit from the new roundabout as heavy lorries leaving Cliff Quay would need to head north up Cliff Road, turning at the top of Patteson Road on to the Myrtle Road roundabout, before heading south to the new roundabout and to access the bridge.

The Society’s AGM talk about the bridges is particularly well-timed (see Diary dates, page 23)