Ipswich schoolchildren bring town's Blue Plaques to life and unveil new permanent Blue Plaque for Wet Dock designer with launch of digital heritage trail
Led by the Wolsey 550 team in partnership with the Ipswich Society, ‘Ipswich Trail Makers’ — a new interactive heritage trail designed by children — has launched, using digital technology to bring to life the stories of individuals who helped shape the town for the better.
Over the summer term, children from eight schools took part in a series of workshops exploring the stories of individuals already honoured by the Ipswich Society's Blue Plaque scheme. Each school selected the story that resonated with them most — from fossil hunter and philanthropist Elizabeth Cobbold to scientist George Clowes, who contributed to the development of insulin — before using creative digital tools to research and build their chosen figure into a character.
The finished trail spans eight sites across the town: Ipswich Railway Station, Christchurch Park, Holywells Park, Museum Street, Fore Street, Woodbridge Road, High Street and Ipswich School. At each stop, visitors can scan a QR code on the sign to unlock the character on their phone, hear them speak, read their story and collect all eight along the way. Trail Makers arrives as part of this year's Heritage Open Days, coordinated by the Ipswich Society.
The launch event was held at The Old Custom House on Common Quay — a fitting setting, as the historic building was constructed a few years after the Wet Dock opened, and once stood as the dominant landmark along the epicentre of trade and commerce that the Wet Dock's construction made possible. It was here, too, that the day's second milestone unfolded: the unveiling of a brand-new Blue Plaque.
A story not yet told
While the eight trail markers honour individuals who already hold a Blue Plaque, the launch event highlighted the important story of a young man who didn't have one — until now.
Pupils from Broke Hall Primary School were asked to suggest someone who they thought deserved recognition, but whose story had never been told - and to make the case for celebrating them. Their search led them to Edward Caley, a young engineer originally from the Isle of Man who, in his early twenties, began work on the construction of the Wet Dock as a surveyor, and later took sole responsibility for the project.
Working with the Ipswich Society's Blue Plaque coordinator, local historians and archivists from the Manx Museum, the pupils put together a formal pitch to have Caley recognised — meeting the official criteria by researching how the Wet Dock solved the problems of the river, and, just as importantly to them, how his work continues to shape Ipswich today as a waterfront town.
Pupils from all of the schools involved gathered to showcase their Blue Plaque characters, and the morning built to a surprise unveiling of the new plaque for Caley. The pupils from Broke Hall are the youngest people ever to successfully nominate someone for a Blue Plaque in Ipswich.
In their own words
On seeing her research come to life, Anna from St Helen’s Primary School said : "I loved seeing our character talk — it's so cool."
Reflecting on the impact of the project, Reuben, one of the Broke Hall pupils who helped pitch the Caley proposal, said: "It's changed the way I view the town. I mean, I can say when I walk past the plaque, to my family, I did that!"
On the process of historical research, fellow Broke Hall pupil Oliver added: "One of the challenges we faced was learning that you've really got to do your research — even official documents aren't always accurate."
The pupils' research into Caley will be submitted to the Manx Museum archive.
Made possible through partnership
Ipswich Trail Makers was made possible through a partnership between Wolsey 550, the Ipswich Society, Sizewell Creative and Packaged Living, with the trail's characters digitally brought to life by technology partner Urban Tech Creative, and support from a number of other organisations.
Special thanks go to ABP for hosting the launch, to the Mayor, Pat Bruce-Browne, and Jack Abbott, Member of Parliament for Ipswich, for attending, and to all those who came along to celebrate the pupils' work.
Visit the trail
The new Blue Plaque for Edward Caley can be seen at The Old Custom House.
Visitors can complete the full trail of eight sites by visiting www.trailmakers.co.uk. The Society is pleased to have been able to contribute to this worthwhile project and to have introduced the work of the Society to a new generation of heritage enthusiasts.
Photographs: Samantha Sherman
