Editorial: Our Contributors

Whether or not you were able to attend the Society's Awards evening on 11 November, you might be interested in the results set out in this Newsletter. It is quite rare for two Awards of Distinction to be made in one year - often there are none. This time the Society was able to commend the efforts of private owners who have invested heavily in very important historic buildings and done so in appropriate conservation ways.

Without such initiatives, Ipswich would be left with admired old buildings for which nobody can provide either the ideas or the money for their re-use. This is the dilemma facing societies like ours - and indeed facing town planners and conservationists everywhere. Ipswich is fortunate to have a few owners who buck the trend. (Even more would be ideal!) But you will also see that the Society has recognised the quality of two major modern constructions as well. We are not simply a preservation society.

Once again I'm pleased to say that I have received plenty of good material for the Newsletter. Each time some articles have to be postponed - which is why some summer trips are described here! But I welcome your contributions, and if they come from a wide variety of members so much the better. Different voices and different opinions are good. Even familiar voices can sometimes provide some challenging differences of opinion, as you might find in the articles by John Norman and Mike Brain.

Brian Jepson's survey of clocks in the town and Tony Marsden's preview of the Society's 50th anniversary events both deal with time ticking away (or stopped!) and very interesting times to come. I hope you will read on.

Neil Salmon