Issue 181 Newsletter Oct 2010
Contents:
• Editorial: Golden Times
• New Members
• More Anniversary Events
• Awards Evening
• Winter Lectures
• Chairman: Current Affairs
• New Shops in Town
• News about Planning
• Exterminate, Exterminate!
• Notes & Comments
• Our Gift to the Town
• Paris or Ipswich?
• The Wrong Change
• Being Part of One's Town
• Rights of Way at the Docks
• Two special books
• Braintree & Warner Archive
• Duke Street Roundabout
• Sgt Arthur Saunders VC
• Leonard Squirrell
• At Woolverstone Hall
• Clarence House & London
• World Cinema in Ipswich
• Future of Park & Ride?
• An e-mail to the Chairman
• Blickling Hall
• Suffolk Local History Council
• Some Shorts
• The DIY Maniac
• Your Committee & Events
Editorial: Golden Times
Editorial: Golden Times and Leaden Prospects
This is the last Newsletter of 2010, our 50th anniversary year. I'm sure many members will have
enjoyed some of our special events. Talks by distinguished speakers, Jonathan Glancey, Jay
Merrick, Neil Clayton at Woolverstone and Ken Powell at Isaacs should have given us much to
think about and made us appreciate even more the role of a civic amenity society.
Some might complain that the celebrations haven't involved red noses and party games. And neither
will our end-of-year dinner! But the dinner should be an opportunity for simply enjoying ourselves
in good company. I hope that many of you will be there to round off the year happily.
Then into 2011. If the Chancellor.s .cuts. are only half as bad as feared, it will still be a difficult and
uncertain future. Public services will be adversely affected and the voluntary sector will find it hard
to compensate. The Ipswich Society is likely to include quite a number of public spirited individuals
who will make their contributions to society at large. But for volunteers there are obvious limits of
time, availability, health and above all continuity. Ipswich Film Theatre, for example, is being run
by a magnificent body of volunteers - work which is acknowledged elsewhere in this Newsletter-
but that combination of talents and enthusiasm doesn't grow on trees. And less glamorous public
services might never attract enough volunteers.
The future is worrying because even when the economy shows signs of real recovery, re-creating
public services would be very much harder than cutting them. To take a local example of a very
efficient service, if Ipswich Buses were to be wholly privatised, it is inconceivable that it could ever
become publicly owned again. The spirit of the times is against it. Decision makers must be aware
that such changes are irreversible.
However, I sincerely hope that Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council (what's left of
it) will weather the storm judiciously, making decisions that will respect the built environment and
the quality of the services on which our town depends. I trust members will agree with that, even if
they don't agree with everything else above!
In the meantime, there is a wide variety of material in this Newsletter which I hope will interest
you; this is not a one-track or narrow gauge society. For the next Newsletter, I'd welcome letters,
articles, etc which members might like to send me by 20 November.
NEIL SALMON
16 Warrington Road, Ipswich, IP1 3QU
Tel: 01473 258218
More Anniversary Events
Our special events continue this year with the Annual Awards Evening on Wednesday, 10 November
and our end of year dinner on Friday, 3 December. Information should have been received by all
members, under separate cover, about our dinner at Gresham's.
Our Awards Evening this year will he held in the Old Council Chamber in the Town Hall starting at
7.30 pm. The Council Chamber is also now known as part of the Bellamy Suite. This Victorian
room is steeped in history and is accessed via the imposing Italianate staircase adjacent to the Town
Hall main entrance. We will be serving wine or soft drinks and a selection of canapés at the end of
the evening.
Su Marsden
Awards Evening
Further to Su Marsden's invitation above, members might like to know that there are fifteen
nominated new buildings and refurbishment schemes to be shown on screen and evaluated. And we
are pleased to report that Bob Allen, a former chairman of the Society and an excellent speaker, will
again present and describe the nominations. We hope to meet many of you there at what remains
arguably the Society's most important event of the year, even in this very special year!
Winter Lectures
There are three only this season because of the special events of 2010. All will take place in
Museum Street Methodist Church on Wednesday evenings at 7.30 pm. Please feel free to bring your
friends. There is no charge for anyone.
12 January 'Saving the Walk'
Bob Markham has subtitled his talk 'Ipswich people catch the tram, 1880 - to date'. He says this is
"an illustrated history of Ipswich filling in its Victorian boundaries: travel by 'tram' to Whitton
village, 1903; Gainsborough 1930; Priory Heath 1939; Maidenhall 1950; Chantry 1953, and
more." [Editor: it sounds like a fascinating combination of geography, history, sociology and public
transport!]
9 February The River Gipping Trust
Lewis Tyler, Secretary of the Trust, will speak about the work which has been done and which is
planned to restore and care for this historic river and valley. The Trust is greatly involved with
maintaining and improving the river from Stowmarket to West End Bridge, Ipswich. Although that
doesn't include the final stretch of the river through the rest of Ipswich, members of our Society are
likely to be very interested in everything to do with our historic waterway through Suffolk.
9 March Date definite. Speakers to be confirmed in the January Newsletter.
Chairman: Current Affairs
As I write this we are just coming up to another Heritage Weekend. The brochure lists many
interesting buildings, many of which can't normally be viewed by the general public. There will be
free rides on a veteran bus provided by the Transport Museum. I do hope many of you will have
availed yourselves of this programme.
The Society has for many years been calling for Ipswich to become de-cluttered. There are dozens
of examples of unnecessary traffic lights, road signs and road fencing which are an eyesore, an
expense and also counter-productive to road safety. It is therefore very good that Eric Pickles, the
Government minister, has come out strongly in favour of the campaign and is instructing local
government accordingly. Your committee will continue to press for a big reduction in clutter on our
streets, and if you have any examples of such, please let us know - we can all help in this.
The economic slowdown continues and I am afraid will only accelerate in the New Year when VAT
increases and departmental cuts (local and national) begin to bite. The effects so far are clearly
displayed in our town centre. Shops closing or closed are very visible and disturbing. We must,
however, preserve perspective. There are some new businesses opening, for example Paperchase in
the old Dixon shop in Tavern Street. We must also record that UCS has now completed its second
building on the Waterfront - to be named the James Hehir Building in honour of Ipswich's former
CEO. This is a teaching building with specialist facilities. The building behind it, nearer Duke
Street, Athena Hall, is purely student accommodation and should shortly be completed.
The housing market continues to decline slightly and there are a number of vacant units around the
Waterfront. The state of the market, I'm afraid, will mean that the unfinished developments at the
Stoke Bridge end will remain skeletal for some time to come.
Recent crime statistics show that once more nearly all crime rates are reduced. I know there is some
scepticism about how reliable these figures are, and there are big differences in the methodologies
of the two measures. But by either measure crime rates are the lowest for many years with recent
steady improvements year on year. What is not so welcome is the number of people who fear crime.
The public perception is that crime is high, despite proof to the contrary. Fear of crime is high -
actual crime is low. We must do all we can to reduce this irrational fear, so often trumpeted by some
sections of the press.
Peter Underwood, in many ways a founder of The Ipswich Society, is our sole Vice-President and is
now settled happily in a home in Holbrook. Your committee will recommend to our next AGM that
two additional Vice-Presidents should be appointed. The AGM will make the decision.
Jack Chapman
New Shops in Town
Viyella and Country Casuals have just moved into the handsome shops previously used by Rymans
in Butter Market. On the opposite side of the street, on the corner of Thoroughfare, White Stuff has
recently opened. In Tavern Street the new iStore seems popular. If these are the sorts of shops which
members of the Society and many other townspeople say Ipswich needs, let's hope they'll be well
patronised. Meanwhile JDSports and Poundland are moving into bigger and more prominent
premises. There's life in the old girl yet! [Editor]
News about Planning
Duke Street Roundabout
By promising a 15% reduction in traffic flow Suffolk received a Central Government grant towards
removing the roundabout and replacing it with traffic lights, making Back Hamlet uni-directional
uphill and traffic towards Duke Street turning right via Pownall Road. The neighbourhood is up in
arms claiming that consultation has been improperly carried out by the agents. IBC officers and
councillors have had to face unpleasant truths at public meetings, but the scheme will go ahead and
may produce some improvements at Duke Street. On behalf of the Society I have attended meetings
in support and given advice.
Public Houses
Pubs may go (The Blooming Fuchsia replaced by six houses the most recent) but new ones are rare.
Francis Walsh, the founder of St Jude's Brewery in Cardigan Street, has been granted permission to
convert the former photographic studio at 69 St Matthew's Street into a cask ale pub selling his
products direct to the public - a new Brewery Tap in the town centre.
Cooper's Garage, West End Road
An Outline Application has been made to demolish the existing buildings and erect two drive-
through stores, a Boots and a Burger King. (This application supersedes the one featured in the July
Newsletter.) For flooding reasons, the site is not considered safe for housing. A thorough
examination of all the alternative retail sites in the town has been carried out with the result that a
Boots here would be open from 7am to midnight daily, except for normal Sunday hours. This would
affect Sainsbury's at Hadleigh Road but probably not a lot of other pharmacies. The continuous
hours are unique to Ipswich and would be a real service improvement. On the other hand we feel
that there are an adequate number of car accessible fast food outlets. (On health grounds alone we
object.) IBC will need a full traffic assessment by independent consultants to show that two drive-
through outlets would not produce congestion at this over-regulated junction, including London
Road and Yarmouth Road - it is said that there are 137 vertical poles and 150 metres of railings!
Great Whip Street
Further to this large application for nearly 400 residential units referred to in the July Newsletter,
we are still awaiting a date for the Planning Committee's deliberations. We are unhappy with the
elevations; a letter is being written now that the elevations have been revised.
Kennings' Site, Duke Street
A Travelodge Hotel package is planned. It is four-storied with parking behind. The Duke Street
façade has striking vertically banded coloured panels. We support this application. [Editor:
Travelodge have said, "Duke Street is perceived as a better location than the original site. It benefits
from dedicated on-site parking as well as being in an excellent location for access to the many
amenities at the Quay and the town centre." They had intended to be part of the Regatta Quay
development which has gone into administration.]
Site of the former Thomas Wolsey School, Old Norwich Road
We support the use of this land for housing. The design is no worse than such medium size
developments usually are. Twelve affordable units out of 48 is in line with the existing requirement
of 25%.
Anglia Parkway
This site is on the road to the Bury Road Park & Ride near Graham's; it is in view of the Old
Norwich Road Conservation Area. GB Oils propose to build six oil storage tanks and park eighteen
tankers here. Its interest is that this may be the beginning of the removal of flammable products
from the Vopak site next to the Cliff Brewery, which might lead to the brewery building being saved
in the future.
The Corn Exchange
Finally agreement has been reached on the entrance to the Corn Exchange. Simple Sans Serif
stainless letters below the balustrade will announce "THE CORN EXCHANGE". Below between
the pillar capitals the temporary green painted plywood will be replaced with stainless steel panels.
The left side doors will be electrically operated by a green push knob to help accessibility. There
will be no canopy.
36 St Edmund's Road
This is a renewal of an existing permission to build a 5-bedroomed house in the garden of a house
overlooking Constitution Hill. Unfortunately, the new design by an architectural technician is too
large and uninteresting for a Conservation Area, deviating markedly from the previous Arts and
Crafts-driven house.
The Cracked Willow in St Mary-le-Tower Churchyard
For many years the large and attractive willow in the SE part of the Tower churchyard has been
splitting branches and the main trunk. Some weeks ago this became much worse; the Borough
Arboricultura1 Officer and the Conservation Officer discussed the correct approach. For safety of
the public and to the dismay of some members it was dismantled from a cherry-picker unit until, at
about six metres from the ground, work had to be stopped because of a huge wasps' nest. When this
has been dealt with the remaining trunk will be removed. It will be replaced in the planting season
with a smaller tree, possibly a hornbeam. The Arboricultural Officer is seeking suggestions - phone
Andy Whalley on 01473 432000.
Planning Regulations
The Coalition Government has announced many changes that will affect local planning in the future
but so far they are largely announcements. Regional government has been disbanded so that
Regional Planning Strategies have been dismissed. It's not clear what will replace them - as is the
suspension of Local Development Frameworks. The process in Ipswich is suspended and the
planning Inspector will return when she knows what she has to do. Likewise the Major
Infrastructure Planning Board has disappeared, though most believe it will return in a slightly
different disguise. The much touted abolition of 'Garden Grabs' will have to await the Bill. Most
worryingly the dreaded 25% slash to council budgets will surely lead to considerable upheaval in
the planning world as we know it.
Car Parking
Charles Street has returned, razed to the ground having lost its concrete-cancer upper floors. It is
now Pay & Display at £1.80 for the first hour. Most developers cannot foresee being able to build
their great buildings around the Waterfront in the near future. There is therefore a rash of temporary
car parks for three years. It will relieve the usual Christmas season parking problems but will it lead
to many more cars in central Ipswich with the consequent gridlocking? Let us hope the flows are
being studied by Dave Watson, Head of Suffolk County Council's Highway Department.
Exterminate, Exterminate!
Quangos are an endangered species. They have been' at risk' for quite some time. With a name like
that perhaps it's not surprising - even though 'quango' sounds a bit better than 'quasi-autonomous
non-governmental organisation’!
But it's only a year since John Norman was praising the work of a quango which has been a great
help to Ipswich - and now it's been killed off. EEDA (East of England Development Agency) has
invested some £45m of public money in Ipswich. This includes a number of smallish contributions
to some schemes, but more importantly large investments in UCS, IpCity Centre and the purchase
of the huge Cranfield's site from Allied Mills so that a private developer could take over and
concentrate on the actual development work. The fact that the developer has become a victim of the
recession is not EEDA's fault. Without EEDA's role Cranfield's whole range of buildings would be
rotting away with no home still for Dance East. And these old industrial sites will still be used in
due course eventually for the benefit of the local economy. Any smaller local organisation likely to
replace EEDA wouldn't have the resources to make such major purchases or grants.
It's fair to say that not all of EEDA's initiatives have come good but they have in general fulfilled
their purpose of using public money where private money on that scale was very unlikely to be
forthcoming. EEDA also had the reserves to take the risk on capital projects where property
developers and certainly local authorities could not have done. In that way they have levered in
private investment and development. EEDA has claimed that the £45m invested in Ipswich has
encouraged a further £225m of private money and so promoted employment and economic growth.
I deduce from this that there are probably good, bad and indifferent quangos. They should be treated
accordingly and not condemned as a species. I feel sure the name doesn't help. It has been loaded
with examples of poor practice to produce an automatic sneer. Isn't the same true of 'political
correctness' and perhaps 'health and safety'? And, being even-handed politically, haven't we been
prevented from thinking and evaluating their pros and cons by the sneers implied in 'death tax' and
'poll tax'?
Neil Salmon
Notes & Comments
Housing
It's hard to say what the future holds for housing. The Government believes that changes to the
planning system should eventually lead to more houses being built. We are told that ministers in the
Department of Communities and Local Government are placing some faith in a New Homes Bonus,
a carrot for councils to approve plans for new homes with a promise of a central pot of money to
match increases of council tax gained from new developments. The hope is that this will turn
nimbys into yimbys ('yes in my back garden') by helping to fund new community facilities. We
shall see.
A Green Cornhill
Green cloth covered the Cornhill turning it into a welcoming meadow where children entered
through a gate and could sit and relax while watching Punch and Judy. A nice original touch
provided by Ipswich Central and others on 18 August.
Not so sticky
Many town centre streets look more gum-free (in early September) than they used to be. The graffiti
squad also continues to keep walls pretty clean. All this work is mostly done unseen but the results
are praiseworthy. It's money well spent, cleaning our environment and keeping up morale.
One step forward and one step back?
Sainsbury's in Upper Brook Street has finally introduced some self- service check-outs, like most
other supermarkets. Useful for people in a hurry with few purchases. But the system destroys yet
more jobs, and you have to use their plastic bags!
Lifts at last
A new footbridge across platforms 2 and 3 is being built at Ipswich railway station. This will
incorporate new lifts at each end. The work should be completed early next year. It's amazing that
successive railway authorities have got away with the very poor access for disabled passengers
hitherto.
New gallery, new art
The former Ipswich Art School in High Street, just above the Museum, opened in July with a
selection from the Charles Saatchi collection. It will continue till early January, so there's still time
to go. On first entering, don't be put off by what looks like work in progress. It's The Bed by New
York artist Will Ryman, which is best seen from the balcony above. Some of the most interesting
work is upstairs anyway.
Our Gift to the Town
Most of the Society's year of celebrating our 50th anniversary has been understandably inward
looking. But your committee was also eager to create something public which would last. Tom
Gondris suggested that we might encourage and help fund improvements to the triangular space in
Christchurch Park at the side of the Mansion. It has been a popular place for people's picnics
obtained from the kiosk at the Mansion, but it's always looked rather temporary - but not now, with
its resurfacing and its new tables, chairs and umbrellas. This has been achieved by the Society's co-
operation with the IBC Parks Department and with further financial support from Suffolk
Environmental Trust and the Friends of Christchurch Park. Tom Gondris has overseen the project
from start to finish.
The official opening took place on Friday, 10 September. [The photo on the front of the Newsletter
is a reminder.] Jack Chapman explained the reasons for this project. He recalled that the park and
mansion had been a gift to the town from a great benefactor (Felix Thornley Cobbold). However, as
he said, few rich people today use their wealth like that, so in its small way the Society wished to
add to the town's attractions, particularly as this sort of improvement had not featured in the large-
scale restoration of the park funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Mayor, Councillor Jane
Chambers, thanked the Society, wished us a happy birthday and cut the ribbon for the official
opening. We then strolled up to the Reg Driver Centre (where the Society has installed the Blue
Plaque commemorating Felix Cobbold) for a further chat and refreshments.
Neil Salmon
The Wrong Change
The wrong change - and not just from the supermarket
In the Society's 50th anniversary year, it is natural to look at where Ipswich has come from and
where it might be going. On joining the Society's Executive four years ago, my first questions were:
"Where is the vision for Ipswich? Where is the strategy? How can such immense developments in
the built environment take place with no accompanying strategic development of the road network
which serves them? How will this work?" Sadly, these questions still remain.
Back then, two important public consultations seemed to offer some prospect of resolution. The
Local Government Review (LGR) identified two distinct communities within Suffolk and offered
Unitary Status as an opportunity for them to concentrate their respective energies in pursuing their
proper destinies without undue hindrance from each other. Complementing this, the Local
Development Framework (LDF) suggested a structure to steer development in the direction
preferred by the community rather than simply to suit developers' ambitions. But what happened?
The Local Government Review
This began with the Boundary Committee inviting local authorities and stakeholders in the county
to submit their proposals for models for a new county-wide unitary structure. The Boundary
Committee assessed those models for their financial viability and delivering value for money, from
which just two candidate models qualified for public consultation, namely a two-authority model
comprising North Haven and the predominantly-rural rest of the county, or alternatively a single
county-wide unitary authority.
The remainder of the consultation process was fraught with controversy. The final submission to the
Secretary of State acknowledged that Suffolk displayed a strong appetite for unitary local
government, but too few respondents supported the options offered, persisting instead in asserting
models which had already been rejected on financial grounds. Courageous and spirited no doubt but
ultimately not a way to make progress. Suffolk therefore kept the two-tier system by default even
though it was the one option which most agreed they didn't want!
Since then, the new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has stopped all
activity towards creating new unitary authorities, so that would have been the outcome anyway.
But Suffolk was generally reluctant even to accept the question that was asked, so North Haven and
the rest of the county will presumably continue to pull in opposite directions - and one of the
impending axes on public spending in Ipswich will be wielded by a County administration whose
rurally based majority displays little appreciation of Ipswich's distinct urban opportunities,
challenges and imperatives.
The Local Development Framework
With a similar flourish of new-found executive power, the same Secretary of State suspended the
Regional Spatial Strategies, upon which the LDF critically depends and therefore seems dead in the
water. But not before the Borough's own Planning and Development Committee had already driven
a coach and horses through the process before it was completed, by accepting a proposal to develop
a major superstore and hotel complex at Grafton Way. This was in clear contradiction of a Core
Strategy which recommended no more large-scale out-of-centre retail development and which
sought relief to the road traffic problems around Star Lane. Even when a Core Strategy represents
the fruits of three stages of public consultation over several years, all approved by the full Borough
Council, it is evidently no match for a determined developer and an irresolute council.
So is it good news that Ipswich Central, the organisation representing several hundred town centre
stakeholders, is now in the process of developing yet another vision for the town centre? I certainly
hope so. Among other things, this is proposed to promote inward investment by new retailers whose
awareness of Ipswich is apparently rather deficient: in a survey of the 25 top national retailers
already represented in Ipswich, 43% thought that Ipswich castle was one of the town's greatest
assets!
The supermarket and the future of the town centre
Modern supermarkets are perhaps now indispensable for the efficient mass distribution of daily
essentials, and the function, scale and dominance of the Grafton Way development in Ipswich might
well invite comparison with the keep of a castle. So let us pursue the metaphor and consider this: in
the very unlikely event that Tesco invested Section 106 money into restoring the town's historic
walls, would the local 'serfs' then be availed the protection and security of the 'castle grounds' only
on production of their Tesco Club Card? The major supermarkets offer unprecedented choice, but
does this metaphor illuminate how our wider freedom is being eroded, as consumerism and market
forces concentrate wealth with the mass retailers, who use it to become developers with the clout
increasingly to dictate the shape of our towns to suit their own corporate agenda?
Just as the banking system is essential but has drained the public purse through its more
questionable activities, is it acceptable that private profits should merely 'trickle down' into the
public realm from the newly rich corporations whose evidently well stocked reservoirs of wealth
were derived from us in the first place? While we should be grateful for the supermarkets'
distribution efficiency, we should also recognise that this is accompanied by an equally efficient
process for taking payment: a penny or two here and there on the hundreds and millions of items
sold daily translates into millions of pounds of additional daily revenue for the supermarkets. So
does "every little helps" mean that Tesco is helping you, or is it predominantly the other way round?
And as for the competition, whose aisles proudly proclaim that they charge no more than Tesco,
how often do you see them offer goods below the "Tesco price"? Will we come to see this as yet
another aspect of modern life that was too lightly regulated until it was too late, alongside MPs'
expenses, banking, and greenhouse gas emissions?
No matter, that is the way we are going and we must move with it and see how well the new
development works for the town. We will not have to wait too long. On the same timescale, public
austerity will be the consequence of the private global credit crunch: unfettered private
acquisitiveness producing a withering public morbidity at precisely the time when further global
catastrophes urgently demand globally-co-ordinated solutions which lie beyond the influence of
mere individuals or even (perhaps especially!) market forces.
The wider picture
Consultations are plainly one thing and outcomes quite another. The LGR and the LDF failed to
deliver for reasons both local and national. This must bring into question just what do we mean by
"local democracy"? Is it anything other than that which can evidently be decided only by those with
the power and the opportunity? Will "The Big Society" provide a better answer, and will the likes of
the major supermarket chains play their proper part?
If the town grinds to a halt under the combined traffic burdens within the Al2/A14 bypass, can we
rely on Tesco to fulfil its civic obligations and rectify the matter, perhaps by building a Wet Dock
Crossing as the LDF suggested? Undeniably we are "all in it together" and "can't go on like this", so
might we even throw off our parochial blinkers and look forward to a coalition of all the parties
after the next General Election, to agree a cross-party programme to re-harmonise the private and
public sectors for the common good?
More immediately, signs used to be commonplace which read, "Please check your change before
leaving the shop as mistakes cannot be rectified afterwards." We must hope that the Borough's
Planning and Development Committee checked its metaphorical change before leaving the
supermarket. ...
Mike Brain
Being Part of One's Town
If you didn't know what a 'flaneur' is, you soon found out in Jay Merrick's talk to the Society in the
Willis Building. Much of his talk was about the value of strolling in towns and cities, observing and
reacting and feeling a part of the environment. Baudelaire, he said, "walked Paris into existence".
As a child himself in San Francisco in the 1960s, Jay got to know vibrant parts of the city as he
frequently strolled down towards the waterfront.
Now as an Ipswich resident, he described with critical affection his favourite stroll into town. Close
to the impressive 'Georgian' terrace on Norwich Road there are some contrasting little shops some
of which have character, but then near the junction with Bramford Road there is the 'Revett's'
building with a "tinny carapace" on top which "belongs in a business park" and is "a failure of
planning". Each side of Barrack Corner he sees a mixed picture, but heading off into Civic Drive
("not really civic, just a dual carriageway") there are three welcoming buildings - the New Wolsey
Theatre ("each façade talks to what it faces"), the big AXA curved building ("designed by people
who used their eyes" and conveying a sense of "craftsmanship and pleasure in detail") and the
Willis Building itself (Norman Foster, "the arch-technocrat" making "Modernism bow to the
existing street layout"). There is enough in this walk, he said, to produce an emotional connection
with the town. A Society like ours should be even more vigilant to ensure that townscape quality is
maintained and enhanced.
However, the architectural correspondent of The Independent and writer on this subject in several
other journals didn't simply confine himself to a verbal account of a stroll in our town, enlightening
though that was. More thought provoking was his considered opinion that town planning and the
predicament of towns themselves suffered two major blows decades ago from which they've never
recovered. One was the abolition of Retail Price Maintenance in 1964 which set the scene for
American-style price cutting. The other was the enthusiasm of influential theorists for the 'Non-
Plan', a reaction against the then town planning. This gave local communities a bigger say in
planning - good in theory, but combined with price cutting it led to the inexorable growth of big
business, which could come along and say, "We know what people want and we can pay for it". The
result we see today is the influence of a giant business like Tesco whose effect on town planning is
so powerful because Local Authorities usually can't afford to resist it.
In his second session upstairs, Jay reminisced about architects whom he had interviewed during
recent times. [Tony Marsden made notes on this part because I had had to retire with a heavy head
cold!] He recalled Oscar Niemeyer in Buenos Aires at the age of 96 who said he had brought sex to
architecture - while continually glancing down at Copacabana Beach below. In Jay's opinion, if it
were not for Le Corbusier, Niemeyer would have been the single most important modernist. "At the
age of 102 he's probably still exploring the formal possibilities of reinforced concrete." He also
described an interview with Zaha Hadid on the second floor of her MAXXI Museum in Rome,
"unquestionably a diva"! And he recalled Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, whom he
has known for ten years yet "I don't know what makes him the most driven of architects I've ever
met." Nowadays, he employs over a thousand people in all continents - sixty buildings going up at
one time. "What you get from Foster is the best possible solution for a site." Which brought his
listeners back to where they were, the Willis Building, one of Foster's early creations - and near the
end of a memorable evening.
Neil Salmon
Rights of Way at the Docks
Suffolk County Council has issued five orders concerning Ipswich docks. They would ensure non-
motorised traffic a Right of Way along the perimeter of the Wet Dock and reach into the East Bank
area. It denies Rights of Way for motorised traffic. Associated British Ports and others are
contesting this and a Planning Inquiry will take place starting on 7 December. The Society has
agreed to join forces with the Ipswich Maritime Trust at the inquiry and, if necessary, in obtaining
professional advice on the issues raised.
Our case is that there has always been a Public Right of Way across the lock. However, we are
desperately in need of hard evidence, particularly for the more recent past. If any member has any
evidence either by his own memory, documents, letters, diaries, photographs, newspaper and
magazine clippings, we need to hear as soon as possible.
Mike Cook
Two special books
The Toll-houses of Suffolk by Patrick Taylor, Polystar Press, 277 Cavendish Street, Ipswich, IP3
8BQ
This well produced 84pp book includes photographs of and comments on all the known toll-houses
and a number of 'impostors', i.e. houses which look 'right' but are in the wrong places! The turnpike
road system, upkeep of roads and collecting of tolls are all interestingly explained with
reproductions of original documents and posters. NS
The Ipswich Mint Vol 1 (ca 973-ca 1016) by J C Sadler, a limited edition of 500 copies (l50pp) is
available from the author at Lockdales, 37 Upper Orwell Street, Ipswich. Ipswich had a workshop
called a mint which produced silver coins in the name of kings, in the name of the man who
produced them and in the name of the town. Hundreds have survived and the author claims to have
traced every specimen. The book also contains suggestions for the location of the castle and an
interesting take on the origins of the name, Ipswich. JN
Braintree & Warner Archive
Now, to be honest, I'd never thought of Braintree as a daytrip destination; thus far, I have managed
to resist the lure of its siren song. How wrong I was - we had a really interesting day. The only
disappointment was that the coach trip did not involve the crate of brown ale and singsong my
childhood memories led me to expect (it was my first Ipswich Society trip, needless to add).
We went first to the Warner Textile Archive, situated in one of the mill buildings they bought when
they moved here from Spitalfields. The archive - which consisted of a random collection of
cardboard boxes in Milton Keynes when the enthusiastic archivist began her work cataloguing and
conserving it - contains objects the artists used for inspiration, like Uzbek jackets, Afghan
embroidered hats and Ikat cloth, their sketches and detailed paper plans, as well as the fabric
samples and wallpapers. There is also an exhibition about the history of the firm with drawers of
delicious silks and a gallery showing the work of artists who have used the archive for inspiration,
including their sketches of the textiles from the archive. We saw Queen Mary's bridesmaid's skirt
and learnt that the Royal Family didn't pay for goods ordered from Royal Warrant holders(!), that
you can't weave with completely gold thread, that the l4-year old boy silk weaving apprentices
weren't allowed to use their hands for anything else as the silk snagged so easily and that the silk
weavers were not allowed to be interrupted as the weaving of the 30000-stitches-to-the-inch
patterns was so complex; they managed 10 inches a day.
We moved on to the Town Hall for a brief talk on its history and a welcome buffet lunch. The
building was donated in 1927 by the other big mill owners in the town, Courtaulds, who also gave
the school that is now used as the museum. Each of the main rooms is panelled in different woods
(the burr walnut is especially impressive) which could explain why the cost rocketed from £10,000
to £40,000. There are some really dinky paintings purporting to depict episodes from the history of
Braintree (the Battle of Maldon?) on copper panels in niches on the ceiling which look just like
illustrations from contemporary children's history books.
After lunch, on this very hot day, the more redoubtable members went on a walk round the sights of
Braintree (including the allegedly longest Georgian street in the country) which was led by
Professor Chris Green who is a local resident, although widely known in Ipswich music circles. We
wimps went to the cool, compact and comprehensive museum which had some good displays
highlighting the importance of the big local businesses like Warners, Courtaulds and Crittall. I never
knew as I walked down the Bund in Shanghai that the iconic 30s buildings I was looking at all had
Crittall windows.
We had time for a wander round the old street pattern of the bustling town centre, following the
market stalls as they meandered down alleys and passed timbered buildings before calling in at the
Art Deco Picture Palace. This has been converted into a pub by placing the bar where the screen
was and keeping the original features, including the amazing carpet. Their ice-cold lager was pretty
splendid too.
Many thanks to Caroline Markham for organising such an interesting day and introducing me to a
town I'd overlooked.
Kay McElhinney
Duke Street Roundabout
It is interesting to watch how the local press pick up on the negatives of changes to traffic
management schemes but give no coverage to improvements or reduced journey times. Take for
example the removal of the Duke Street roundabout at the bottom of Back Hamlet. Traffic flowing
into Ipswich in the morning rush hour down Bishops Hill and along Fore Street now enjoys a much
smoother and therefore quicker journey. This is also an important link in the number of south-east
Ipswich bus routes. Further changes to traffic management hereabouts will see the installation of an
in-bound bus lane along Fore Hamlet. Traffic travelling east along this commuter corridor has also
enjoyed smoother traffic flows from the Novotel roundabout along Star Lane to Fore Street.
There are of course negatives to every scheme and some residents in the immediate vicinity of the
scheme are inconvenienced by having to change their well established travel plans. (Note however
that the majority of these residents are within walking and cycling distance of the town centre.)
I appreciate that these words are being written before the start of the school autumn term which will
bring a vast increase in the amount of cross-town traffic (which is why the work took place over the
summer) and thus the true value (or problems) of the removal of the roundabout will not be
manifest until you are reading this. I suggest however that a great benefit of the scheme will be the
advantage it brings to pedestrians and cyclists, particularly students of the university and college,
residents of the apartments and visitors to the Waterfront.
John Norman, Vice-Chairman
Sgt Arthur Saunders VC
Remembering a distinguished soldier from Ipswich
The Society's latest Blue Plaque will have been mounted on 180 Cauldwell Hall Road. This was the
home of Sergeant Arthur Frederick Saunders of the Suffolk Regiment. He left here to go to the
Western Front in the First World War where he won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Loos in
northern France. The ceremony on Sunday, 26 September will be reported fully in the next
Newsletter.
Leonard Squirrell
Leonard Russell Squirrell (1893-1979)
The man who painted 20th century Ipswich
Josephine Walpole described Leonard as "The Last of the Norwich School" in her biography of the
man, as did Sir Frank Short RA, a former President of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers. There
is no doubt that Squirrell deserves to rank with the likes of Crome, Cotman, Thirtle, Middleton and
the Stannards.
Our Society has at last been able to gain agreement to celebrate this modest but extremely gifted
Ipswich man. A Blue Plaque has been installed at the house where he was born, 82 Spring Road.
This is particularly appropriate for a man who once wrote: "I am abidingly glad that my eyes look
upon East Anglia as home. How much it means to me is demonstrated when I come back after
journeys afield. As an artist I feel more satisfied with its countryside, its villages and architecture
every time I return.”
He worked abroad and in counties of England far and wide but spent most of his long life in and
around the Borough of Ipswich.
He grew up living in the house in Spring Road with his elder brother, Sydney, his father and a
housekeeper, Mrs Stringer. His mother had died of tuberculosis at the early age of 38 when Leonard
was eight or nine years old. He had an enjoyable and energetic childhood and it soon became clear
that he had great talent for the art of drawing. This is a talent that has become an undervalued skill
in the fine art area these days. In 1908 he began his training at the Ipswich School of Art under the
watchful tutelage of George Rushton, a fine artist himself, having exhibited at the Royal Academy
from 1897 to 1948.
Leonard suffered from an unfortunate stammer all his life and very often asked questions of his
tutors in the form of handwritten notes because of this impediment. His draughtsmanship and skill
with a multiplicity of media did all the talking for him and he did eventually teach etching at the
Ipswich Art School. He was extremely skilled as an etcher which is a real test of drawing skills and
he produced the most exquisite aquatints, mezzotints and dry-points during his lifetime. In 1923 and
1925 he was awarded Silver Medals at the International Exhibition in Los Angeles for his
mezzotints, 'The High Mill, Needham Market' and 'Notre Dame, Paris' respectively.
His work in pastels was also of a high order as can be seen in works recording scenes in Italy and
France and in the beautiful 'Kersey Village Street, Summer Evening' (1928) which is in the
Colchester and Ipswich Museums' collection. He produced very few oil paintings because he
preferred watercolour and what he described as "the fluidity of that medium". He wrote books on
both pastel and watercolour techniques. Josephine Walpole, a great local writer on art matters, has
produced four books celebrating Squirrell's life and work, one of which included some of his
original notes on etching techniques.
Leonard was a very prolific artist and produced watercolours for a number of commercial
companies such as Rolls Royce. Local companies who used his work included Ransomes Sims and
Jefferies and Fisons. Thanks to Annette Kenny (Leonard's daughter) I have copies of the
preparatory pencil drawings made by him for a series of paintings for Fisons depicting their sites
round the country.
These include local buildings such as Levington research station, the sulphuric acid plant towers at
Cliff Quay and Bramford Works in Paper Mill Lane. The drawings are works of art in themselves
and are annotated with his colour coding notes so that he could work them up into larger scale
paintings in his studio. I cherish them because his notes clearly show the thinking steps which led
him to create the finished work.
For twenty years he produced fine watercolour drawings for William Brown (Ipswich) to illustrate
their company calendars and did similar jobs for Pauls and Ladbrokes. My first experience of seeing
Leonard Squirrell paintings was as carriage prints on the former Great Eastern Railway trains of the
50s. He also produced paintings for railway posters which are much sought after by enthusiasts.
Painters are driven to work and never really retire. At the age of 84 he produced a painting for
Compair Industrial for their prestigious calendar and a series of limited edition prints.
Leonard was also a loving family man. He married his wife Hilda in 1923 and their first house was
at 67 Foxhall Road. Later he needed more space and built a house and studio in Crabbe Street. In
the meantime they had two children, Martin and Annette. Both of them were infected with what
Hilda described as "the family disease" of painting and drawing.
Leonard Squirrell died in 1979 at his daughter's home in Uttoxeter, a man worthy of an Ipswich
Society plaque - the grand old man of East Anglian painting.
Merv Russen
At Woolverstone Hall
… now Ipswich High School for Girls
Neil Clayton spoke affectionately about his time working in the building. In the very room where
we sat (on 14 July) he talked about lobbing chalk at inattentive boys, one of whom, Hesketh, was
awarded 5/- for a graze on the head caused by chalk. He filled in distant historical information about
families and manors which skirted this quiet estuary - quiet after an invasion in the 12th century by
some Flemings. He also alluded to a notoriety in the area for smuggling and for religious extremism
which caused one clergyman to be kicked out! His tale of the history of the manor revealed families
who loved and lost the place, and who called upon the Court of Chancery to sort out ownership,
which fell to the Ward family after fifty years of deliberation.
Eventually the extremely rich Berners family of Bond Street, London acquired the property. In 1776
they brought in Johnson of Essex to build the house using Woolpit brick and paid a sum of £14,000
to complete the Hall. The Berners were an unprepossessing family, High Sheriffs, who loved
hunting but found the space too limiting up on the Orwell and moved to Berkshire to spread their
wings. But they had left a beautifully proportioned and elegant footprint on the park. By 1937 when
the place was in peril, being eyed by developers, Lord Nuffield, William Morris, bought the estate
through the Nuffield Trust and gave it to Oxford University. But by 1939 it was in the hands of the
Government who wanted to train marines on the site. In the war years it was inhabited by a range of
military personnel but came out relatively unscathed to be taken over by London County Council in
1949.
The history of the place from then on displayed much in the way of wavering fortune. Irene
Chapman, the charming and powerful organiser, devised the system by which it became a boarding
grammar school for boys from Inner London, with other places filled by the Government. It was an
interesting mix. Some called it a reformatory: others dubbed it the Working Man's Eton. The
success of the school was connected with the influence of heads such as John Smitherman and the
mix of boys from forces' families and from Foreign Office families and 'boys from the buildings'.
After a time when the authority of London became too pressing and the desire for comprehensive
education was required, the end was in sight and the clever boys left.
Neil expressed nostalgia for the times before 1989 when the expense of running the school was not
so great and the systems therein allowed for a teaching style which was rigorous without being
constrained. His talk was a delightful stroll though numerous memorable by-ways delivered in a
warm and generous tone, at once schoolmaster and jolly favourite uncle. We thank him for the fun
of the talk. Pat Grimwade also thanked the Head of Ipswich High School for Girls for the use of her
fine establishment.
Tony Marsden
Clarence House & London
Clarence House, the Queen Mother and other Famous Mothers
It is a lovely August day and London is looking its best for our Famous Women themed day
organised by Barbara Barker. Our tour begins close to the Millennium Bridge with coffee at the
Salvation Army Headquarters. This impressive glazed building was opened in 2004, on the site of
the original 1881 HQ. Then we travel south through Southwark, back across the Thames over
Waterloo Bridge with its fabulous views and on to Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly.
Our guide keeps up a constant discourse on famous women: Elizabeth Fry prison reformer;
Rosalind Franklin DNA scientist; Ada Lovelace mathematician; Angela Burdett-Coutts. Did you
know when she became the sole heiress to the Coutts Bank fortune at the age of 27 in 1837 she gave
most of it away to good causes and founded the NSPCC? Much later she married a man half her age
- which reminds me of our Mrs Pretty who gave the Sutton Hoo treasure to the nation and had her
only child at the age of 47!
We circumnavigate Hyde Park and get stuck in a traffic jam in Knightsbridge caused by building
work on the Candy Brothers' latest residential complex (our guide says £150m for a 4-bedroom flat!
). Moving at last, we drive round the back of Buckingham Palace, the front of Westminster Abbey
and the Houses of Parliament and south over the river. Wow, London never fails to impress! Lunch
is at the South Bank Centre and we have time to explore the Royal Festival Hall built in the 1950s
for the Festival of Britain (elegant and spacious) and the Hayward Gallery (people and cars strictly
separated 1960s style, so lots of steps and high level walkways).
Back in the coach and across the river again we come at last to the piece de resistance of our day.
Designed by John N ash and built in 1827 for the Duke of Clarence (later William IV) Clarence
House is a white stuccoed mansion at the west corner of the rambling brick 16th century St James's
Palace. The view as we enter the garden from The Mall lives up to our expectations and, inside, our
tour of the ground floor reveals further delights. The Lancaster Room, with its clear evidence of the
present incumbent HRH Prince Charles, is a firm favourite with many. There are Prince of Wales
reminders everywhere - photographs of Edward VII and Edward VIII and a fire screen with an
embroidered purse with the badge of Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-51). Some prefer the Queen
Mother's Morning Room, retained by Prince Charles very much in his grandmother's taste. I
especially like her (large) collection of botanical Chelsea porcelain! And we all love the Garden
Room, Princess Margaret's sitting room when she lived here. Light and airy with bright carpets and
upholstery, it has an eastern feel accentuated by the huge tapestry (shown at the Great Exhibition in
1851) depicting an Egyptian scene.
Sated with the opulence, glamour and sheer size of things, we wend our way home, stopping at St
Martin-in-the-Fields Crypt Cafe for a refreshing cup of tea before leaving our great city. A fantastic
day out, Barbara - many thanks.
Caroline Markham
World Cinema in Ipswich
It is very pleasing to note that Ipswich Film Theatre re-opened in May and has proved very popular.
Great credit should go the members of IFT Trust, acting on their conviction that if the programming
was right and the publicity clear-cut and issued well in advance there would be audiences for films
made outside the Hollywood criteria - which at present seem confined to appealing to youthful
audiences with an emphasis on romance and/or violence! The trustees have been proved right so far
and many new faces have appeared at IFT box office.
In some ways it is a model of how a community-run facility can work. The Trust has negotiated
rental terms with the Borough Council who continue to own the Film Theatre and Corn Exchange.
The ushers are all volunteers but the bulk of the work and responsibility falls on the shoulders of the
members of the Trust. The success, however, lies not simply in the model but in the precise
combination of talents and experience represented in the trustees who comprise a solicitor, an
accountant, a journalist, a former Borough councillor, a person with PR and advertising experience
and an experienced films programmer. Ipswich is fortunate indeed to benefit from this ideally
qualified team. Long may they succeed!
Future of Park & Ride?
Who might kill Ipswich's Park and Ride?
The recession brings many changes: some things slow down (or stop), others grow. An example of
the latter is the number of development sites that have applied for and been given planning
permission for temporary car parking - usually for two or three years which, if there is no
development use for the site, are frequently renewed for a further three years. The Ipswich Society
generally objects to the granting of planning permission for temporary car parking on the basis that
if the developer receives an income stream from the car park taking the long term risk on
development is less likely to happen, and limited time permission means the site operator is less
likely to screen the site, plant trees or add lighting.
However, there are currently some 1500 spaces close to the Waterfront on temporary permissions,
with parking fees as low as 50p per hour. This means there is little difficulty in finding a parking
space in Ipswich which has led to a reduction in the use of the Park & Ride facilities, particularly
for those drivers who intend to stay less than five hours (i.e. shoppers and visitors). Long stay
commuter parking is not permitted in these temporary car parks, or at least the fees charged are
prohibitive.
These short stay visitors are the very people who should be using the Park & Ride facilities during
the working day. The consequence is that buses travel into and out of town after the morning rush
hour with very few passengers. Ipswich's Park & Ride scheme is a Suffolk County Council
subsidised facility, whilst the planning permission for temporary car parking is by Development
Control of Ipswich Borough Council.
I cannot foresee the subsidy continuing indefinitely, so what's the future for the Park & Ride? In the
long term the building sites will be developed and the drivers looking for a parking space will move
elsewhere (into the 700 space Tesco car park, which is promised to be free for short term parking).
Service buses could marginally change their routes to serve the Park & Ride car parks. Ipswich
Buses service 13 to Tesco Copdock for example is just yards away from the P & R terminal, and the
66 route between the railway station and Martlesham could divert to the P & R. This would put a lot
more flexibility into the P & R service; currently they cannot pick up passengers other than at the P
& R site, or the town centre for the return journey. What \ye cannot afford as times get tough is to
run empty buses along the main corridors for the majority of the day.
John Norman Vice-Chairman
An e-mail to the Chairman
A number of people have responded to the Chairman's request for non-committee members to write
to the Newsletter. An interesting reply has come from Peter Turtill. Some of his views are at
variance from those of the committee, but the Newsletter doesn't shy away from controversy; in fact
that was one of the aspects which most impressed the judges when the Newsletter won the top
regional award for community publications when that was being run by the British Association of
Industrial Editors.
Mr Turtill refers to page numbers in the July issue. "May I add comment to various pages of the
latest Newsletter. I hope to be informative, helpful and questioning of current attitudes."
"Page 2. Why must we grow our town? I am at a loss to understand why growth is considered to be
good or even necessary as this is our home and not a business so why attract a growing population?
Why is growth even considered? We should be trying to shrink our town surely?"
"Page 3. Why is Ipswich lucky to have publicly funded work at UCS? It straddles a main road into
town and just adds to the congestion. I am pleased other large buildings such as Regatta Quay and
The Mill are at a standstill. I just wish they had never been started. I much preferred the dock as it
was, open to all traffic and free of kerbs/ chains /bollards and street furniture.”
"Page 5. Why fourth time lucky? Ipswich is not a city and too much time and money has already
been wasted trying to change the status of our home town. It would be better for those who want to
live in a city to just move into one. That would cost our town nothing. Also why a new Sixth Form
College catering for up to 2,000 students? Where are these students coming from?”
"Page 6. Mr Jonathan Glancey no doubt gave a very entertaining talk but he is wrong about curbing
the traffic flow on Star Lane and Key Street. We should have curbed the now derelict monster
building developments on the dock instead. They are a scandalous obstruction on the dock and the
roadway. These are main routes across our town.”
"Page 18. Empty homes exist so why build more along the dock, Kiln Meadow or the Northern
Fringe?”
Mr Turtill also writes in useful detail about the flood barrier and the Promenade [on the Island site
of the docks]. He emphasises the Public Inquiry at IpCity Centre, starting on 7 December, into
matters of Rights of Way around the dock. He points out that, "Anyone can attend but you must be
there on the first day if you wish to contribute evidence or to address the Inquiry." This is a subject
taken up by Mike Cook in this issue on page 13. It is an important and urgent matter which
members might be able to help with.
Blickling Hall
A small group of Society members paid a visit to Blickling on 19 June. Arriving at the Hall we
noticed that a theatre company were assembling a stage for Shakespeare's The Tempest that evening
- and the weather was proving to be rather appropriate! We experienced a cool blustery day with a
few short sharp showers, but fortunately the worst of the rain held off until we were back on the
coach for our return.
The Hall itself dating back to the 17th century is a fascinating place to explore. The last owner to
live at Blickling in the years leading up to the Second World War was Lord Lothian who was visited
by many famous guests including Nancy, Lady Astor, the first woman to be elected to Parliament.
Visitors were allowed access to most rooms, including the very grand Long Gallery with its huge
collection of books assembled by Sir Richard Ellys over a forty year period in the 18th century. I
found 'below stairs' areas (the kitchen and service areas) particularly interesting, as one was able to
hear recordings of several former servants reminiscing about life at Blickling in the inter-war years.
One of the gardeners, who was responsible for preparing floral displays for a royal visit by Queen
Mary, found her to be a rather "nice old girl”!
The gardens were looking stunning. There was a parterre with a spectacular display of herbaceous
shrubs and further afield the Dell, with its rustic summer house. We had to search for a while before
finding a charming leafy bower called the' Sitooterie' with three stained glass windows depicting
different trees, which catch the light perfectly. The Orangery was a delight - the highlight of my
visit to the gardens. There was an abundance of citrus fruit bushes - orange, grapefruit, lemon and
lime - and a wonderful aroma of orange blossom permeating the whole building. There was also
time available to browse in the second-hand bookshop, the garden shop and plant centre and the
rather quaint little museum which outlined the story of nearby RAF Oulton and Blickling during the
Second World War. Despite the unseasonal weather there was plenty to see and do at Blickling.
Lois Terry
Suffolk Local History Council
Many of our members will include in their range of interests a concern for aspects of exploration
into the history of Suffolk. In that connection the name of the late Peter Northeast cannot fail to be a
familiar one. As well as his own contribution to such research, he encouraged and inspired
enthusiasm for such studies among many individuals and groups to whom he gave generously of his
time and knowledge. Pete died in 2009, and the Suffolk Local History Council- the umbrella
organisation for local history societies across the county - on which Peter served in many capacities
for many years, wish to commemorate his life and work. This note provides early notice of one such
SLHC venture.
A day conference - 'Peter Northeast Memorial History Conference' - has been arranged to take place
on 19 March 2011 at Elmswell Community Hall. Speakers will include Dr David Dymond, Dr Nick
Sign and Mr Clive Paine, all widely known in the Suffolk local history scene. Conference
programmes can be obtained from the SHLC secretary, Mrs Deidre Heavens, 5 Cotswold Avenue,
Ipswich, JP1 4LL. Tel: 254291, e-mail admin@slhc.org.uk
Further details of the SHLC can be viewed here: https://slhc.org.uk
Ruth Serjeant, Ipswich Society representative on Suffolk Local History Council.
Some Shorts
The fire at St Mary Elms in August, cause unknown, was a sad blow to a fine and regularly visited
church. But it could have been worse. A hatchment has been lost and much cleaning up remains to
be done but thankfully the roof and the tower survived.
Christchurch and Holywells Parks will remain locked at night, we are pleased to learn. But it seems
that Friends' groups may be required to contribute more supervision.
The Police's proposed move from Elm St/Civic Drive to share space with SCC at St Edmund's
House (Rope Walk) and Landmark House (Whitehouse) could free up space for a large
development of the Civic Centre site and boost that end of the town centre.
The 'night economy's' latest figures indicate that 12,000 people are in town at peak times. The full
economic pros and cons of this part of the economy would be interesting.
New information boards with maps will start to appear this month. They should help to improve
links between the town centre, railway station and the Waterfront.
Big Lottery Fund money (£1million+) will be devoted to Whitehouse and Whitton to develop
community facilities - welcome news to NW Ipswich, where it is needed.
The new Egyptian Gallery at High Street Museum should be especially helpful to primary school
pupils but fascinating also to all visitors who will find much else to enjoy as well.
Edith Cook, pioneer aviator, parachutist and balloonist, commemorated by our Blue Plaque in Fore
Street, has at last had a named headstone erected in Coventry where she died following a
parachuting accident.
The DIY Maniac
The Ipswich Society rightly concerns itself with planning applications and major projects that affect
the built environment. I would like to raise an issue that is continually changing the housing stock
by lots of small actions, and in my opinion changing it detrimentally, namely the DIY maniac. Not
the person who does a bit of painting and decorating and small repairs. No, the person who tackles
major projects. The person fired up by television programmes who buys a house to 'do it up' and
make a profit.
Original features are ripped out and new 'original' features are installed, and the new style house
sold for a profit, reassuring the DIYer of his ability and style, ignoring the reality that the rise in
price was a result of asset price inflation for the last sixty years. The new owner then embarks on
the same procedure ripping out the work of the previous DIYer as he doesn't like it. So it goes on,
costing the economy billions of pounds of wasted effort and destroying the architectural integrity of
large numbers of houses. There is almost nothing that can be done to stop this merry-go- round.
However, if house prices go down and people are a lot poorer perhaps the DIYer will be
discouraged. Perhaps forty years of slowly declining property values would help preserve Ipswich's
old houses.
Louis Musgrove