October 2016 Issue 205
Contents
Editorial
Tram rails exposed
32 New members
Snippets 1
Chairman’s remarks
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
To Hull and back
Now't to do in Ipswich? Part 1
Broomhill Pool update
Letter to the Editor
Planning matters
Building Preservation Trust AGM
Four new women's Blue Plaques
Society membership boomtime
Woolverstone Wish granted
e-Newsletter
Ipswich in the Great War
Courses at the Record Office
Martin Burley & Global Rhythm
Society Chairman honoured
Creeks, cockles & Cockneys outing
Snippets 2
Kings Lynn outing
Beating the Bounds at St Clement’s
Shakespeare in Ipswich?
Society Officers
Ipswich Flood Barrier
Dates for your diary
'A nation of shopkeepers'?
Now't to do in Ipswich? Part 2 Back cover
Front cover: Ipswich Society member Mark Beesley has recently completed a commission for
a painting about Ipswich from the Two Rivers Medical Centre. The work hangs in the new
medical centre on Woodbridge Road East, built for two existing Ipswich surgeries which have
amalgamated and expanded. The painting contrasts the old and the modern aspects of Ipswich.
It is based on views from the roof of the Willis building. It is not a literal view of the town but
an impression, emphasising the streets and buildings which give Ipswich its unique character –
the medieval churches, the university building, the Mill, the Unitarian Meeting House and, of
course, the Orwell Bridge. The aim was to contrast the old centre of the town with the irregular
nature of its old timber-framed buildings within the medieval street plan and the new, high-rise
skyline of the Waterfront area. Details of the painting have been enlarged and incorporated into
the interior design of the building.
Editorial
One of the pleasures (and concomitant headaches) of being Newsletter editor is the wealth of subject matter
and material jostling for space. At last on page 10 we can include an article about Shakespeare’s link to Ipswich. In a year when there has been media overload about the Bard and when Ipswich’s most famous theatrical son, Trevor Nunn, triumphantly directed ‘the only Shakespeare play in the canon he hasn’t done’: A Midsummer Night’s Dreamat The Wolsey Theatre in July, it may be fortuitous that this article is a little late and thus avoids overkill. It was 500 years since the death of the poet in April.
Another held-over piece is the article reprinted on page 25 about the beating of the bounds for St Clement Church, perhaps particularly timely when plans are moving forward for the conversion of the church into The Ipswich Arts Centre.
Finally, here is a composite photograph to commemorate the sad demise of British Home Stores.
The first floor of the Ipswich branch featured a lively carved bracket showing a lion (now painted white). It was not so when it was in the care of John Field who saved it and offered it to the builders of the new store which followed the Butter Market fire in 1992. Let us hope that we may be able to view the lion again once a new use has been found for the building.
Chairman’s remarks
Result! Following lengthy campaigning by the Ipswich Society and over 2,000 respondents to the Borough Council’s public consultation the proposals for ‘levelling’ the Cornhill are being revised.
The Society consulted widely with its membership for both the first set of proposals, and for
the revised scheme issued earlier this year. Our stance from the beginning has been that we are
not against change, not against refurbishment (a carpet that has been walked on for thirty years
is bound to look a bit frayed) but we were against a scheme that effectively halves the space for
assemblies in the centre of town (and in this case assembly very clearly includes the market).
David Ellesmere and others on the ‘Vision Partnership’ have recognised that the
overwhelming voice of public opinion was against the proposals (in our opinion there was no
great difference between scheme 1 and scheme 2). The revision did not address our, and that
of many others, fundamental criticism. That is, that although the scheme would improve access
to the ground floor of the Town Hall it would seriously curtail the free flow of pedestrians,
wheelchairs and perambulators across the open space.
To quote David Ellesmere from his press release “I think it’s probably likely that we won’t go
forward with exactly the scheme that we went out to consultation on”. David, and Hall
McKnight if you’re listening, the basis of both scheme 1 and scheme 2 is wrong and a
complete revision, including access to the Town Hall is required. It might be worthwhile
asking the Statutory Consultees before any further work is undertaken of their requirements
and limitations, (Suffolk CC Highways for the line of the Public Highway, Heritage England in
respect of the listed buildings, the Emergency Services for their requirements in terms of
access for fire appliances and ambulances and the disabled access group about steps and ramps,
amongst others).
There is also a considerable amount of public opinion that the business case does not
correspond with the cost of the proposed investment (some £3.5 million pounds).
Next, a big thank you to everyone who took part in, or helped to organise Heritage Open Days,
almost every venue and historic building open to the public reported record numbers,
inquisitive interest and a wide age range of participants. It was the Ipswich Society’s most
successful event ever.
I should particularly mention the flyer which was widely distributed to numerous
establishments up to 90 minutes travel time from Ipswich, and the superb booklet which
became available closer to home from mid-August.
Special thanks to our Treasurer, Graham Smith, and designer, Su Heath, for getting both flyer
and booklet together and ready for distribution on time, and thanks to the team of helpers who
travelled far and wide ensuring that East Anglia knew Ipswich was holding the event.
A quick reminder that the Ipswich Society Annual Awards evening will take place next month
(November 16) providing there are sufficient nominations to make judging worthwhile. I’m
sure that there are still projects that we’ve missed and you’ve just got time to phone, or email
Tony Marsden with a reminder (contact details on page 27). Don’t assume somebody else has
already nominated it; better to receive two calls than to miss a potential winner.
I am heartened this month by the ban, by York City Council, of ‘A’ boards in the city streets,
and by the campaign led by Griff Rhys Jones for the removal of inappropriate roadside
advertising. Attaching a 48 sheet poster to the side of an abandoned artic trailer and dumping it
where it can best be seen by passing motorists flaunts the most basic of planning guidelines,
and blights the countryside.
The reason they remain is a quirk in the law that quite reasonably allows the name of the
company to be attached to the side of their vehicles, allows farmers to park agricultural
machinery wherever they deem necessary (on their own land) and providing the offending ‘bill
board’ has wheels (however rusty) it technically remains a vehicle.
Drive south via the A12 or around the M25 through Essex and such eyesores abound. They
could and should be removed; the Highways Act specifically forbids hoardings alongside main
roads in rural areas.
I studied marketing as a student so I should know the rationale and advantages of ‘A’ boards.
Like all advertising they are designed to draw attention to your business. As Chairman of the
local Civic Society I hold that they are a major contributor to street clutter, they are an
obstruction to the unhindered passage of pedestrians and a visual intrusion into the street scene.
Well done York City Council; take note Essex County Highways.
John Norman
The Broomhill Pool
Following my article in last Christmas' Newsletter, just a quick update. The preliminary
contract has been won by the Ipswich professionals that have been so supportive both in
their time and services since the start of the campaign fourteen years ago. Led initially by
Bill Haward and later by Alan Wilkinson, who is now with KLH Architects, the
international tendering process has been won. Many of those tendering swam in the pool
when young! The operator, Fusion Lifestyle, has commissioned Baker Langham to carry
out a public consultation on our wishes and fears. They opened the exercise at the pool
on Heritage Open Days.
Mike Cook
Planning Matters
Land north of the railway & east of Henley Road (Outline – Crest, Nicholson). 1,100
dwellings, local shopping centre, primary school, sports facilities, Country Park, open space, 2
vehicle accesses to Henley Road, two railway bridges, one for pedestrians and cyclists and one
for vehicles. As the application is an outline, most matters are reserved so details are not
available. Our concentration will be directed towards transport and services. The overall
general plans seem good and the Country Park not just a token. Crest have a good architect and
may have changed since Hayhill times. We shall see. However, it is important to realise that
this is just the first of many applications to follow for the Ipswich Garden Suburb as we now
know it which will transform the Northern Fringe of the town over the next 15 years. Upwards
of ten thousand people will live there with schools, shops, medical centres, and leisure facilities
including a country park. The implications for the Town are huge and have hardly been taken
on board. But it is going to happen.
Land between John Lewis & the railway. Ten 2.0 Megawatt gas powered turbines to produce
20 Megawatts of electricity for the Grid and…
Old Cliff Quay power station site. 48 bio-diesel generators, requiring two tankers a week,
producing 40 Megawatt stand-by electricity for the grid. Not on for more than two hours/day,
or 200 hrs/year, all between 7.30am & 10.30pm. This is the new pattern of power production;
the North Sea and solar panels are producing a lot but instant back-up is required for wind-less
and sun-less times. We are looking at the deathknell of huge power stations, however fuelled.
These generators will provide that relatively discreetly, if not very sustainably.
Donalds Volvo & Mazda garage. Twin glass and steel boxes at the roundabout in Futura Park.
The west side of the old Cranes site, now Futura Park, will become a major go-to auto centre
with Jaguar, Land-Rover, Audi and now Volvo with Mazda.
Civic Drive & St Matthews Street (former Iceland & Queen’s Head). Change of use to large
global fusion food restaurant. The owners are Chatham-based. No details whatsoever of
external appearance.
The Cornhill. We've sent our objections to the scheme in and spoken to the architects. We
await the results of the 2000+ replies that were sent (they were predominantly strong
objections) and a planning application. [See also Chairman’s remarks, page 3.]
Orwell Crossings. A business plan and a proposal for three crossings of the Upper Orwell has
been allocated £85 million in the Government's infrastructure list and Suffolk County Council's
Cabinet has allocated £10 million to carry forward the planning stages. Details of the
connecting roads, how high the bridge is from around the Cobbold Brewery to Bath Street and
of the vehicle bridge across New Cut are all sparse . It seems curious to us that ABP have
agreed to pedestrians and cyclists crossing the lock when we fought a Rights of Way case a few
years ago at which their QC persuaded the Planning Inspector that it was not possible. It is
unlikely it will have as beneficial an effect on traffic in the Star Lane gyratory as their advisers
say. We shall see. Perhaps it needs Brussels funding.
Mike Cook
Four new Blue Plaques for Ipswich women
Exciting times are in prospect for the Blue Plaques with which the society adorns our town this
coming autumn. Having received mild criticism from feminist groups for the lack of female
candidates for the plaques since inception of the scheme at the turn of the millennium, we now
look forward to four Blue Plaques being unveiled during the course of October.
The Ipswich Women's Festival Group, which aims to research and celebrate local women’s
achievements via their excellent website, in conjunction with the Society will oversee the
unveiling in early October of plaques around the town.
Joy Bounds, who leads the women's group and Tony Marsden, Society Vice-Chairman and
responsible for the plaques, have spent a great deal of time during the course of the year
establishing the credentials of the women in question. With other members of the Festival
Group, speedy activity has seen the compilation of data, lengthy negotiations for permissions
and detailed discussions in two cases with the Borough Council on the exact placement of
plaques themselves.
The role of the Society has been to sponsor this event and to support it fully, procuring the
plaques and seeing the new Blue Plaques brochure into production ready for the unveiling.
On October 8th from 2 till 4pm a trail which starts from St Edmunds Road via Foundation
Street ending up at the Cornhill will witness the celebration of, respectively the artist/illustrator
Margaret Tempest, (Lady Mears); Nina Layard, the archaeologist; leading Ipswich
suffragette Constance Andrews and Mary Whitmore MBE who was the first woman mayor
in 1946.
Tony Marsden
The ‘Woolverstone Wish’ has been granted
Up until very recently if you were living in Suffolk and were unfortunate enough to be
suffering from cancer and in need of chemotherapy then you would have received your
treatment in the old Woolverstone Wing of the Ipswich Hospital. With room for only 15 patient
treatment chairs it was a small cramped space, impersonal and with no room for loved ones to
be with you.
Seven years ago a small group of people including hospital staff, volunteers, patients and their
loved ones had a strong desire to change this and they set up a fundraising group called the
‘Woolverstone Wish’ with the aim of raising £800,000. Their will and determination to
improve the facilities for the treatment of cancer patients enabled them to achieve their goal
within five years. A fantastic achievement, not only to raise the money, but to successfully
share their dream with the community and make Macmillan Cancer Support aware of the need
for better facilities.
In 2014 the Woolverstone Wish fund was made up to £1million by The Ipswich Hospital
Charitable Trust and they joined forces with Macmillan Cancer Support to set about raising a
further £3.7 million to enable them to build a brand new £4.7 million treatment centre.
In just two years the new treatment centre was built and paid for, mostly by the generosity of
the people of Suffolk. It is an amazing, fully functional place offering space, light and up-to-
the-minute treatment facilities with privacy when it is needed. Twice as many people can be
treated at any one time and they can be cared for in more comfortable surroundings with their
loved ones by their side. Whilst no one wants to have to go through such treatment it is
reassuring that it can now be undertaken in the best possible environment, and with the ability
to treat twice as many patients at one time; the waiting list is down, as is the need to send
people elsewhere.
So well done if you gave your time, put money in the pot, made a cake, drank some coffee,
bought a raffle ticket, ran a race or some other fundraising event over the last seven years for
either Woolverstone Wish or Macmillan Coffee Morning. You now know where your money
went and that your contribution has made a tremendous difference. Please keep giving, as
funds are still needed to provide specialist care, Macmillan nurses and those little extras that
make a difference.
Christine Norman
Planning matters bonus
A Planning Application for a statue commemorating Edith Cook (born Fore Street, 1878 - a Blue Plaque marks the house) has been refused permission by Ipswich Borough Council. The Society responded to the application suggesting that the proposed statue was underwhelming for the prominent position at the junction of Fore Street and Long Street.
A further application for a large detached house adjacent to Woodside in Constitution Hill (the top of the sheep meadow when viewed from Valley Road) has been granted permission. The applications for this site have had a chequered history over the last few years, most being refused but an earlier one - having been granted permission - was never built.
Book review
Ipswich in the Great War by Rachel Field. Pen & Sword, 2016, 176pp.
(ISBN 9781473828117). £12.99
This is a handsome book, well put-together with an intriguing colour picture on the front cover which encourages one to dip in.
What we find is a warm, generous social history of Ipswich with some reference to the county and surrounding towns and villages. There are informative and fascinating monochrome illustrations which are very well chosen. Furthermore, the captioning of them is in itself abundant and illuminating.
The anecdotal accounts are widely sourced and adjust to the tone of the times - bewilderment and awe followed by incredulity and grief culminating in surprise and jubilation.
The cooler factual and mundane matters of the times are an equally captivating counterweight to the human stories: the excellent reference section at the end has, for example, good details of the Suffolk Regiment’s involvement in the Great War. The accompanying concluding timeline is also very useful in encapsulating much of the events of the Great War as they affected the town. Moreover, the bibliography of research at the Suffolk Record Office is extremely detailed and very useful for anyone else who cares to follow up the information provided by the author in this estimable book.
From VC war hero to “conchie”, from schoolchild to local worthy, the book captures a sense in the people of the time of the resonant, repugnant and yet ultimately redemptive effect the warhad on the town.
The audience for this book is broad; an absorbing quick read or one to refer to from time to time. It would be appreciated equally by a student as by someone who wants to become swiftly familiar with the Great War.
Tony Marsden
Global Rhythm, Ipswich's annual free festival which showcases the best of world and roots music and dance in the perfect setting of Christchurch Park was in its sixth year this July. The main stage has been renamed in memory of Martin Burley to recognise and celebrate his contribution to the musical life of Martin
Ipswich. Martin, who sadly died earlier this year, was a Burley founding member of Peppery Productions and a musician himself, playing in the blues/jazz/Americana duo The Hofners. He also presented a Peppery world music programme on Ipswich Community Radio (105.7fm). A family man and retired teacher, Martin was always recognisable at music events by his trademark white cloth cap. His legacy to our town is the establishment of Ipswich as a host to world-class bands and musicians performing ska, country, Afrobeat, reggae, Bollywood, Latinjazz, Congolese rhumba, folk, bhangra (and so much more).
Creeks, cockles and Cockneys: a Society outing
On Tuesday July 19, the hottest day of the year, we had a trip to Southend. First we stopped at Hadleigh [to the north of Canvey Island] near the Olympic Mountain Bike course. We had refreshment at Hadleigh Farm overlooking the ruins of Hadleigh Castle, guarding the Thames Estuary. The Farm was built by William Booth in the 1890s as a place of refuge and training for the destitute Cockneys; the Salvation Army still owns the site today.
A coach tour followed, exploring the creeks and wide open spaces of today’s landscape. We
made our way to Southend to enjoy lunch at the Palace Hotel, overlooking the sea. Free time
was spent here and some of our party went on the pier: the longest in England. The EU has
given millions of pounds to help with the developments of the sea front. Many Cockneys came
here on the train in the past for a day out.
We drove a short distance to Leigh-on Sea, a thriving fishing and smuggling village when
Southend was naught but a sleepy hamlet. The Leigh fishermen, who were once condemned as
smugglers, are today celebrated as Dunkirk heroes and they keep alive Leigh’s reputation as
the world centre of the cockle trade. We enjoyed walking down the main street with a
ramshackle mix of cockle sheds, sailors’ inns and clapboard cottages. Thanks must go to our
guide, Martin, of the City & Village Tours who made the day so interesting.
Barbara Barker
King’s Lynn and the New Hanseatic League: a Society outing
We were so lucky to have Dr Paul Richards, local historian and one-time Mayor of King’s
Lynn for our guide on our visit there on June 8th – with him we visited ‘behind the scenes’,
gardens, courtyards and more in this lovely historic town. Clifton House for example, the best
merchant house in Lynn, is privately owned but we visited the garden because Dr Richards
lives next door and shares the garden. Like our own ‘Isaacs’ warehouse, Clifton House
extends back from the quay to the shopping street and has medieval origins, including a
beautiful Tudor tower. We were guided round Hanse House, one of the original ‘kontors’ or
warehouses of the Hanseatic League - indeed the only surviving intact Hanseatic warehouse in
England. King’s Lynn, according to Dr Richards, is an Edge Town – on the edge of the Fens, on
the edge of East Anglia (it is closer to Leicester than to Great Yarmouth), on the edge of the
Midlands and on the edge of the Hanseatic League – it was a partner town along with Great
Yarmouth and Ipswich.
The Hanseatic League or Hansa was a confederation of merchants stretching from the Baltic to
the North Sea in operation from the 13th to 17th centuries. A New Hanseatic League has been
formed, with its headquarters in Lübeck, for those with connections to the medieval Hansa –
King’s Lynn was the first English town to join in 2006. Great Yarmouth followed soon after
and we look forward to Ipswich putting in its application and becoming a member of this
historic economic association.
A big thank you to Jessica Webster and Margery Sheldrake for organising this splendid day out
with so much relevance to our own town.
Caroline Markham
Shakespeare in Ipswich?
A recent BBC web article examined this subject in some detail. Shakespeare’s company visited Ipswich ten times – an unusually high number for that company. They first visited Ipswich in 1594-5, the year in which the troupe was re-formed as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. As a young writer-actor, Shakespeare himself would probably have travelled with the troupe.
James Stokes, Suffolk editor from the Records of Early English Drama, writes: “Ipswich had
been a port, perhaps England’s oldest, since AD 600, and the city (sic) had been a chartered
borough from 1200. It was counted among the ten richest provincial cities during the period. An
important trading centre since before the Conquest, it was the hub for converging river traffic; it
had become an important cloth town; engaged in continental trade. In addition, the city, as was
Suffolk in general, was home to nationally important families of the first rank. For those reasons
and others, East Anglia was the favoured playing circuit among major troupes.”
The town paid Shakespeare’s company 40 shillings for its performance (four times as much as
four of the other troupes visiting the town, and twice as much as the Queen’s Men, which was
mainly a provincial touring company. Clearly Shakespeare’s company was perceived locally as
the most important of the six troupes. The date, venue, or play title for this first visit by
Shakespeare and his colleagues are not recorded, but the company would have had access to
Shakespeare’s early history plays, The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, and Richard III,
among others: all of them huge crowd-pleasers.
The troupe next visited in 1603, now as the newly formed King’s Men or His Majesty’s Players.
For that performance they received 26 shillings 8 pence. They were the only professional troupe
to visit Ipswich that year, but the town did pay considerable amounts to its own company of waits
(singers and musicians). Given the extensive use of music in many of Shakespeare’s plays,
perhaps the waits became part of the performance; other records confirm that the Ipswich waits
acted as well as played music.
Whether Shakespeare was present with his troupe in Ipswich in 1603, the records do not say. But
this was their first visit representing the new monarch, King James I: a rather important moment.
During the intervening eight years since the company’s first visit, the Bard had written his great
history plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, other great comedies,
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar. Why would the troupe have picked something
other than one of those masterpieces – accessible in their repertoire – for the mayor, burgesses,
and others in the Ipswich audience?
Shakespeare’s company performed again in Ipswich on 9 May 1609, by which time The Bard had
written all the great tragedies, and two of the romances. The King’s Men visited again in 1617-18,
as did the Queen’s (Anne’s) Players. The two troupes were each paid one pound, six shillings,
eight pence, an amount that appears to indicate both monetary inflation and the growing
importance of royal troupes throughout the kingdom. Although Shakespeare had retired in 1613,
the company still had access to the complete canon of his plays.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, Ipswich was a magnet for the most important national troupes.
During her long reign, between four and seven of those troupes visited annually. In the reigns of
James I and Charles I, the number fell to between two and three troupes each year.
Two striking features occur in the records. First, the Queen’s Players (the royal troupe committed
to provincial performance) visited far more often than those of any other patron. Second, during
the reigns of James and Charles, most troupes fell away. Only the various royal troupes (Queen’s,
Prince’s, Princess, King’s, Children of the Revels, and Lady Elizabeth) visited regularly. The
Queen’s Men certainly would have had access to Shakespeare’s plays as their performance texts.
Appearances by The King’s Players in Ipswich tapered off. Eventually in 1634-5, on 2 May 1637,
and on 20 February 1638, each time when they arrived, the town paid the players not to perform;
in consideration of their royal patron, the worthies of the town gave the troupe what the city
called a gratuity, essentially a payment to go away.
Whether the town worthies feared the spread of illness, or local puritans objected, three refusals
in four years seems a significant pattern. The company’s appearance in 1638 marks the
melancholy end of sponsored professional drama in Ipswich until the Restoration.
Between 1564 and 1572, some records indicate that the plays were staged in the Moot Hall (also
called the Guild Hall or The Hall), ‘converted from, or erected immediately to the north of, the
redundant medieval church of St. Mildred.’ which was located on The Cornhill. Shakespeare’s
troupe probably performed in the Ipswich Moot Hall in 1594-5, 1603, and 1609, during the peak
of Shakespeare’s time with The King’s Men. In 1614, the town ordered that no plays be staged in
The Moot Hall, indicating that officials were putting an end to a common practice.
[See also John Southworth’s book Shakespeare the player, History Press 2002.]
Photograph from the Society’s Image Archive
Above is a view of the north side of the narrow Tankard Street (now Tacket Street) looking east.
The Tankard Inn had begun life as the home of Sir Humphrey Wingfield (Wingfield Street is
nearby). It was transformed into an inn during the early 18th Century. The Salvation Army
Citadel in the foreground began life as the first permanent theatre in Ipswich; it was built by
Henry Betts, a local brewer and owner of the Tankard Inn in 1736. In 1741 an unknown actor
called Lyddal made his debut appearance as an African slave called Aboan in Thomas Southerne's
play Oroonoko. This unknown actor was in fact the soon-to-be-famous Shakespearian, David
Garrick. All of the buildings in this view were demolished during the road widening of Tacket
Street. Today’s entrance to the NCP car park on the site of the old Steam Brewery is to the left of
this picture.
The Ipswich Flood Barrier
The Environment Agency is the main organisation driving this project, in partnership with Ipswich
Borough Council and The Haven Gateway Partnership. The initial task was to produce the Ipswich
Flood Defence Management Strategy. This was approved by DEFRA (Department of Food and
Rural Affairs) in March 2006 with an estimated price tag of 45 million pounds. The objective was
to ensure that the centre of Ipswich would have only a 1 in 300 chance of tidal and fluvial (river-
flow) flooding each year in a 100 year period that is, until 2106.
The works connected to the project go much further than just a river barrier which can be raised
and lowered. They involved strengthening the defences all around the upper part of the river
estuary to the east and west of the lock gates, which were built in the 1970s. To quote the
Agency’s :-
“Similar to the Thames Barrier, although quite a bit smaller, the 20 metre wide gate will rise
during periods of extreme high tides to hold back the North Sea and, with the help of the sheet
piling, keep Ipswich dry.
When finished, the works will reduce the risk of flooding to 1,608 homes and 422 businesses and
support key infrastructure such as the fire station and council buildings. Everything upstream of the
barrier will be protected against a tidal surge like the one experienced in 1953 and, more recently,
in 2013. That will be hugely reassuring to the home and business owners on the waterfront, many
of whom suffered thousands of pounds worth of damage and disruption after the tidal surge in
2013.”
Andrew Usborne, Project Manager for the Environment Agency
The other works required were to replace and relocate two huge power cables in sizeable vertical
and horizontal shafts taking them well beneath the Wet Dock lock entrance in a chalk layer. One of
the main consumers of this electricity is the Port of Felixstowe, so breaking the power supply was
not an option. Also there was flood gate replacement at the Wet Dock entrance and refurbishment
of the Handford and Horseshoe Weir sluices. The tripartite project involved Associated British
Ports (ABP), UK Power Networks and the Environment Agency.
Ipswich Society members view the Ipswich Flood Barrier in the evening sunshine;
composite picture taken on Tuesday July 19, 2016 from offices near the end of Bath Street.
The tender for the movable tidal barrier was awarded to the main contractor, VBA in Holland,in November 2014. Anyone aware of the history of the silting up of the Orwell will not be surprised that dredging works were important to ensure that the barrier would fit. Dredging, unsurprisingly, will play its role in the future,too. A cofferdam, a temporary watertight enclosure pumped dry to enable the barrier’s construction at the southern entrance to New Cut, was completed in 2016.
The tidal gate itself will be delivered in April 2017 and will become operational in the spring of
2018. This is a major engineering project happening at the end of Bath Street with a shifting cast of
medium cranes, huge cranes, pile-drivers, concrete-pourers, metal structures and changing staff
specialists, labourers, engineers and managers. It required an Act of Parliament to build it with a
range of licences, conservation consents and legal agreements. When complete there will be an
unmanned control room on the southern end of the Island site (see illustration). Sophisticated
monitoring and modelling systems will give ample warning of potentially extreme weather and
tidal conditions – then staff will operate the barrier appropriately. However, most of the time the 20
metre high radial gate will remain underwater in its recess in the river bed.
The projected final cost is 58 million pounds. Once completed the scheme will unblock various
developments in the town, so the effect of the barrier goes far further than managing water. We
should all be grateful for this investment in our town and the wider benefits upriver. The original
prediciton was that the Ipswich barrier would be raised once every four years; the computer
projections for global warming suggest that this might rise to six times per year in 100 years time.
R.G.
Not now ‘a nation of shopkeepers’
– unless you are internet savvy
The writer of the letter in Issue 203, William Thompson of Norwich, said he worked for Smyth
Brothers in Fore Street. During the years which he describes, Smyth’s were on both sides of
Fore Street. They operated extensively on the north side, but also with small premises on the
south side next to Wells’ the pork butcher. That south side shop was, I think, their glass
department. Bernard Welton was Smyth’s ‘glassman’. I went to school with his son.
This story is to remind us all of the dramatic changes that have occurred in towns such as ours,
where shops like Smyth’s that you could walk into, have largely disappeared – not really about
my youthful experiences as an amateur telescope maker. But I describe the latter to highlight
the former.
In around 1950, when I was aged 14, I was seized with a fascination for gazing at the heavens and astronomy. I joined the newly formed Ipswich & District Astronomical Society – at the time their youngest ever member, I wastold. Several older hands took me ‘under their wing’. One in particular, Norman Whatling who worked for CEGB at Cliff Quay, was the Society’s ‘practical expert’. At this time it was not possible for amateurs to buy small astronomical telescopes so he had built his own and encouraged me to have a go myself. Not only would this involve my constructing the tube and mountings but also more critically the optics, including a six inch diameter concave parabolic section mirror.
After visiting all the ships’ chandlers around the Ipswich docks looking forporthole glass, I concluded that such
ready-made disks were far too thin. This brought me back to Smyth Bros in Fore Street. I approached them and asked if they could get for me a seven inch square of inch-thick plate glass. I can remember the humiliation to this day, when I tried to explain what I wanted it for and how I would accurately cut out a circular disc which I wouldgrind and polish (and silver) to precision optical standards. My recollection is that kindly Mr Welton and his colleagues ‘fell about laughing’. “A kid here who says he can cut out a circular disc from inch thick plate – it can’t be done boy”.
I was crestfallen and near to tears. But I insisted, and eventually got my square of glass for seven shillings and six pence, I believe, paid for out of my choirboy’s pay. I won’t relate the rest of the triumphal story, because most of
that is in a three part article (‘Astronomy on a Shoestring’) which I wrote for the present local Astronomical Society – where I describe the whole process. Along the way, I suffered similar humiliation and gentle mockery at the hand of Mr Wiggin the chemist (one time Pharmacist in St Matthews Street) when I attempted to buy the chemicals for silvering. Many of them were highly toxic. “This is not the sort of thing that 14 year olds do”. Telescope mirrors, to function, must be silvered on their face – although I think he suggested that all mirrors were silvered on the back. How wrong he was!
Materials such as silver nitrate, caustic potash and nitric acid were required for the job. Where
now could anyone (still less a 14 year old) buy locally what I had on my shopping list. Either
Health & Safety rules would intervene or perhaps firearms and explosives laws. I was told that
you could easily, even by accident, make silver fulminate from silver nitrate which is much
more powerful and unstable than many high-explosives. Other ingredients were sourced from
Martin & Newby’s, Cornell’s in The Walk, Smith & Daniels in Westgate Street and Croydon’s
the jewellers. I think that the staff in all the shops were less than impressed when I had to
reveal what I was attempting to do – especially in Smith & Daniels who had to order a whole
range of optical grade Carborundum powders from America.
After about two years of spare time and exacting labour, still aged 16, I completed my mission,
producing the telescope which still works – though it hasn’t been out for a while. But that’s a
different tale.
Reminiscing about how most of the shops which were in Ipswich during my youth – both now
long gone – prompts me to realise how different our town and world have become.
John Barbrook (with his eye to the telescope)
Long time, no see…
On September 9, Ken Hammond of the Transport Museum alerted Bob & Caroline Markham to the unearthing of the old tram-rails during work on the road surface in Princes Street. Bob says they were laid in 1903, last used by trams in1923 and covered up in 1924. Tim Leggett had got there first and put the photographs on to the Society’s popular Facebook page.
Photo by Caroline Markham
Snippets 1
The Cornhill saved, for the present
“THINK AGAIN” was the Ipswich Star’s front page headline on 12 September. Welcome news indeed for most Ipswich Society members! IBC’s consultation with the public did succeed in killing off that absurd scheme of levelling access to the Town Hall door with a long platform flanked by hazardous steps. We hope to see more sensible new proposals.
The Year of the Pig
The Pigs Gone Wild project has probably exceeded all expectations. The forty large pigs were
a constant source of interest during the summer holidays. Parents and grandparents were to be
seen everywhere with their children studying their maps and putting stickers in their albums.
But even quite young adults were often fascinated and some people who don’t usually come
into the town centre made an exception for this. We hope that the final stage of auctioning off
the pigs will have raised substantial sums for St Elizabeth Hospice.
Sailmakers
The £4m investment in modernising Sailmakers has borne fruit in that several new units have
opened recently and most of the complex is well used. So it should be – on a site so close to
the town centre and with a sensible use of the rising land providing ground level access at both
front and rear. But it is clear that prospective retailers prefer the lower floor because of the
footfall in Tavern Street. Direct access from the town’s main bus station to the upper floor
doesn’t make that equally popular. The eventual doubling of the capacity of Crown Street car
park should make a difference.
Ipswich Hospital
The Society expressed its pleasure in the April Newsletter that the Hospital had been able to
acquire the large site of the former school between the Garrett Anderson Centre and Heath
Road. Hospital managers say that it could be used for a ‘health village’ which would address
health issues like childhood obesity and social factors
affecting health. Such a valuable preventative facility
would depend, however, on securing substantial
funding.
Progress on the Waterfront?
We welcome IBC’s purchase of the burnt-out site of St Peter’s Warehouse and the Listed old house in College Street which should help to make re-development more likely. (Perhaps a handsome block of flats with a good convenience store at ground level?) The former Paul’s concrete silo on the adjoining site is owned by an investment company. Let’s hope these two very different bodies can work together. This ‘gateway’ to the western end of the Waterfront has created a bad impression for far too long. If the promised ‘Wine Rack’ development into flats starts at the end of this Spotted on Albion Wharf in July: year, then this precious ‘new’ part of town will the lifting of the remaining railway really benefit. lines of the Dock Tramway
Whitechapel Bell Foundry: an Ipswich Society outing, 13 August 2016
By coach to the Art Gallery at London’s Guildhall where a wooden scale model of the City of
London, with all it buildings, was on display. It was colour-coded and our guide explained which
period each colour referred to. She took the most important of the ‘skyscrapers’ that have been
erected in the financial district and talked about the architects, building materials and designs.
The model-makers had used a tiny piece of material from each skyscraper to create its relevant
model, which added interest.
The ‘Five sights’ convention is a legal requirement for St Paul’s Cathedral to be visible from five
vantage points around London, thus creating, some control over what is built, and where. There is
also a height limitation because of aircraft; that prevents the London skyline looking like New
York’s, although the gimmicky designs of the skyscrapers threaten the aesthetic unity of the City
and beyond.
In 1985, excavation for the building of the art gallery on the east side of the Yard revealed the
east entrance to the Roman Amphitheatre which stood here c. AD100 and held up to 6,000
people: a third of the city’s population at that time.
Despite my fear of heights, I took the opportunity to whizz up the 40 floors of the ‘Walkie Talkie’
building in Fenchurch Street in less than 30 seconds. The Sky Garden is a welcome bit of
greenery in what is, basically, an office block. From the viewing terrace (360 degree views) we
could see the Shard across the Thames – we came about half-way up – and many other sites.
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was established in 1570 and is Britain’s oldest manufacturing
company; it has occupied the present one-third of an acre site in Whitechapel Road since 1738.
The original works had been built in the countryside beyond Aldgate and the City walls. The
Hughes family have owned the business since 1904 and company director, Alan Hughes, was our
guide. I never realised that bell founding was so complex and skilled. Medieval techniques are
still in use here today. After being cast, a bell has to be tuned: a highly-skilled job.
We also heard about the art of change-ringing (a British thing) with its multiple permutations.
A steep, narrow staircase took us to the handbell workshop. The woodwork shop for bell wheels
was cramped, hot and low-ceilinged. Famous bells cast by this foundry include Big Ben (1858)
and what later became known as the Liberty Bell (1752). There is also an over-400 year link to
Westminster Abbey. The workforce today is 23 and often vacancies only arise on retirement. We
owe John Norman many thanks for organising such a fascinating and unusual outing (the
second such).
Richard Worman
[See Society Outings on page 27 for information on a similar outing in December. The 15th C.
bells of St Lawrence Church were overhauled by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry; rehung in 2009.]
“There’s now’t to do in Ipswich”, Part 1
Groups and organisations which relate to our town:
a list to challenge those who claim that ‘nothing ever happens in Ipswich’.
Greenways Countryside Project
It exists to protect and enhance the countryside, landscape and open space across an area of about 100
square kilometres in and around the town of Ipswich, and home to around one quarter of the population
of Suffolk, for the benefit of wildlife and local people. The project relies on volunteers to complete
much of its practical conservation work. (www.greenlivingcentre.org.uk/greenways/)
River Action Group
The RAG was established in 1997 when the Borough Council's Environment Panel decided that the
area of the Gipping from Stoke Bridge to Sproughton needed particular environmental improvement.
Initially the Group comprised volunteer groups, Ipswich Borough Council planning officers,
Greenways Project, Anglian Water and the Environment Agency. More recently members have included
Sustrans, representatives from Suffolk County Council, the Inland Waterways Association and the River
Gipping Trust. (https://www.ipswich.gov.uk/rag)
Ipswich Arras Association
The Association warmly welcomes new members and family members to share in our friendship with
the people of the city of Arras in northern France. Ipswich has long had an Accord with Arras which is a
city steeped in history from Roman times through to the French Revolution, the Great War and World
War 2. In medieval times Arras was renowned for the quality of its tapestries and that heritage is still
celebrated today. (http://ipswicharrasassociation.onesuffolk.net)
Ipswich Heritage Forum
Ipswich Heritage Group was set up around 2001 by Ipswich Museums so that heritage-related
organisations could provide some mutual support and exchange information. Since the latter has been
predominant the Group decided in 2011 to change its name to 'Forum'. It makes possible the spread of
information about the activities of participating organisations when we could easily remain in ignorance
of each other, however active in our field. (https://www.ipswich.gov.uk/content/ipswich-heritage-group)
Friends of Ipswich Museums
The FOIM is a group which enjoys the Ipswich museums (Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich Museum,
Ipswich Art School Gallery) and supports them by raising funds from membership fees and special
events. Sometimes it initiates the projects but mostly it responds to suggestions from the Museum
Service. (http://friendsofipswichmuseums.org.uk)
Ipswich Building Preservation Trust
includes conservation enthusiasts, Council members and officers, and the business community. Since
1978, all these groups have been represented on the committee of the Ipswich Building Preservation
Trust, a daughter organisation of The Ipswich Society. We monitor buildings at risk. We support the
officers of the Borough in working to secure historic buildings. We are ready to play our part when
buildings become available for restoration. (www.ipswichbuildingpreservationtrust.org.uk)
Ipswich Historic Churches Trust
The Trust's aims are 'the preservation and maintenance for the public benefit of redundant churches of
all denominations in the Borough of Ipswich which are of historic or architectural value'. For the
churches in our care we want to keep them in good repair, find suitable new uses and tell people about
their history and special features. (www.ipswichhistoricchurchestrust.org.uk)
Ipswich & District Historical Transport Society
The Society provides a forum for all those interested in the history of transport. A small group of local
transport enthusiasts formed the Society in 1963 to cover transport by air, road, rail and water. Invited
speakers at meetings, visits and a newsletter are included in their activities.
(www.ipswichanddistricthistoricaltransportsociety.co.uk)
Ipswich Archaeological Trust
The Trust was formed in October 1982 to inform the people of Ipswich about, and involve them in,
archaeological work being undertaken in the town and surrounding area. The archaeological deposits
which underlie Ipswich town centre are of international importance. Excavations carried out since 1974
demonstrate that Ipswich is one of the earliest English towns and one of the first in north-west Europe.
The town was probably founded by the East Anglian Kings buried at the famous Sutton Hoo cemetery
in the early 7th century. The archaeology of Ipswich provides a unique opportunity to understand the
early development of our present-day urban society. (http://ipswichat.org.uk)
Ipswich Maritime Trust
The Trust was formed in 1982 from the Maritime Ipswich Committee, which organised a year long
series of events as part of the Maritime England Initiative. These included a summer exhibition in the
‘Home’ warehouse (now Ashton KCJ office). IMT then prepared a visionary plan for the then run-down
Wet Dock. It aims: ‘to educate the people of Suffolk in all matters maritime’. The Trust runs the
Window Museum on Albion Quay celebrating the town’s rich maritime heritage, organises talks and
other events. (http://www.ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk)
Ipswich Women's Festival Group
The group aims to research and celebrate local women’s achievements – organising events and
developing resources including the Ipswich Women’s History Trail. The Group started in the 1980s and
was continued by Community Education Local Women’s History Group in the 1990s, which compiled
the first leaflet, and also held an exhibition of Women and Work. In 2011, the group decided to
celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Census Boycott, when 30 local women avoided completing
their Census forms by staying at the Old Museum Rooms overnight in a campaign to get Votes for
Women. (http://ipswichwomeninhistory.co.uk for the Ipswich Women’s History Trail illustrated guide)
Friends of Christchurch Park (http://focp.org.uk)
Friends of Holywells Park (http://www.holywellspark.org.uk)
Friends of Chantry Park (http://chantrypark.org)
Friends of Landseer Park (https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfLandseerParkIpswich/)
They exist to secure the preservation, protection and improvement of the Parks as a places of historic
and ecological interest, beauty, tranquillity, rest and recreation; to promote the conservation of the
natural plant, animal and bird life in the Parks; to encourage appropriate use of the Parks through a
range of activities; to educate the public in the history, natural history and other aspects of the Parks.
Ipswich Transport Museum
It has the largest collection of transport items in Britain devoted to just one town. Everything was either
made or used in and around Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk. It was founded in 1965 as the Ipswich
Transport Preservation Group, and since that time a collection of over 85 vehicles has been built up to
give a fleet of exhibits second to none in the country. In 1988 the Museum was granted a licence to
occupy two-thirds of the former Priory Heath Trolleybus Depot, and this enabled the many exhibits to
be gathered together under one roof for the first time in their lives. Open to the public on around 100
days throughout the year. (http://www.ipswichtransportmuseum.co.uk/index.html)
Suffolk Local History Council
The purpose of the SLHC is to encourage and support the study of local history and to act as an
umbrella organisation for groups and individuals with similar interests in the county of Suffolk. It
administers a Local Recorders Scheme throughout Suffolk, publishes a journal and newsletter and
arranges events. (http://www.slhc.org.uk)
Suffolk Preservation Society
The Society is a small self-funding charity that stands up for Suffolk's special heritage and landscape
qualities through the planning system - its historic buildings, towns and villages and distinctive
landscapes. With no political or commercial affiliations, it takes a long term strategic view. It helps
communities to protect and promote their valued landscapes and historic environment and provides
independent advice to district planning authorities. (http://www.suffolksociety.org/home)
There are many more active organisations in and around our town, most of them relying on
enthusiastic volunteers – just like The Ipswich Society.
See our back page ➡
Letter to the Editor
St Matthews Street paint job from James Empson, founding owner 1964 of Anglia Cameras,
for many years at 15-15a St Matthews Street.
When I arrived in Ipswich in 1964 this ‘beautiful’ 1960s brutalism was just being built. I
watched its demise over the decades – but where is the town council now? I was chastised for
putting a very small sign at first floor level and had to remove it (in the days of Bob Kindred
MBE!). I look forward to the next issue of The Ipswich Society Newsletter to see if any action
has been taken…
Ipswich Building Preservation Trust
brief AGM followed by
Guest speaker, Jay Merrick, Ipswich-based architectural critic, journalist and novelist.
‘Build, build, build: Are planners, developers, and architects destroying the idea of excellent
ordinary urban fabric?’
Wednesday October 19 2016, 7pm
Jay will outline, and illustrate, his concerns about slackening planning controls in relation to the government's desire for accelerated project approvals and construction, in a climate where bad architecture is routinely marketed as "landmark" or "icon". He will also, in deference to the central interest of the IBPT, offer an exotic secondary amusebouche: an illustrated description of how the Qataris, using British architects, are preserving key heritage buildings in Doha. Venue: Isaac’s Crossway Room on the Waterfront. The evening is free and open to all; it includes a light buffet and finishes by 9pm. Our friends in the Ipswich Society are very welcome to attend and the AGM is short. Please book a place by contacting njacob@njarchitects.co.uk
Ipswich Society membership boomtime
There are 863 paid memberships, of which 18 are corporate members. Of the 845 remaining,
353 are family members so there are currently 1,198 members plus 18 corporate members.
Going through all the back copies of the Newsletters to get an idea of how long people have
been members, when they left etc.; there are a lot of gaps, but it was an interesting exercise.
Here are some notable features:-
March 1963: individual membership was 2/6: 12.5 pence in today’s (devalued) money,
January 1970: it was 50p
and in January 1976 it was £1.
• Issue 25, July 1971 there were 438 members – no names;
• Issue 26, October 1971 there were 477 members and 17 groups;
• Issue 44, April 1976 there were 561 members and 22 groups. This issue was the first to
have a New members list – perhaps unsurprisingly, there is no-one still on the current list.
• Issue 52, May 1978 there were 468 members but there was a note that only 272 had paid,
so this was likely to be their last Newsletter unless they paid up. Some things don’t change!
The Society finds itself in a very strong position just at the moment. The most recent count of
the new members shows that we gained 109 in the six months up to 1 July 2016. This
compares with 85 new in all of 2015 – 54 new in all of 2014 and 107 new in all of 2013 – itself
a very good year.
There are currently 1,200 members, a figure which does not include corporate members. We
must be doing something right: John Norman's Ipswich Icons weekly press article, national
recognition for one of our great projects in the town, not forgetting the scrutinising mode we
seem to have entered into with views on the Cornhill, the Wet Dock crossing and the Northern
Fringe; or perhaps it is the Society’s greater internet presence via Facebook, Flickr and the
great new website.
Celia Waters, Membership Secretary
e-Newsletter
For those who prefer reading publications on a screen and avoiding paper-clutter, our e-Newsletter can drop into your Inbox every quarter. It's very much in the spirit and ethos of the Society that we offer both paper and electronic versions and don't just say: "only available by email", which some societies do.
Please let the Membership. Secretary know (contact details on page 23) if you would like to receive the e-Newsletter, rather than a paper version.
Courses at Suffolk Record Office
Would you like to broaden your social circle this autumn? Meet a celebrity or two? Let us
introduce you to St Edmund, King John or Samuel Pepys. Ipswich Society members interested
in World War I can opt to meet Alice Packard, a farmer’s wife from Shotley who kept a diary
during the war, or David Empson, a twenty first century historian whose research on Suffolk
soldiers has produced many tales of courage under fire. Simply set aside a Saturday morning,
arrive at the relevant branch of Suffolk Record Office and prepare to enjoy one of the exciting
range of talks we have put together.
With a little luck, we can even arrange for you to meet your ancestors or the people who lived
in your house long before you moved in. At Ipswich Record Office, we offer a five week
Introduction to Family History and a Hands on History session: ‘Who lived in your House?’
The Family History sessions take place on Thursday afternoons starting Thursday 29
September; the next course for property historians is on Monday 21 November at 10.30am.
For the first time we are running Study Days: Bury Record Office presents an in-depth look at
a trio of eighteenth century ‘horticultural revolutionaries’ on Saturday 29 October. Here in
Ipswich, we are delighted to offer an opportunity to taste medieval food and drink courtesy of
food historian Monica Askay on Saturday 3 December.
To find out more, request a brochure or book a place please ring Ipswich Record Office on
01473 263910, email: ipswich.ro@suffolk.gov.uk or check out our fabulous new website
Ipswich Record Office is based in a Victorian school on the corner of Bramford Road and
Gatacre Road; we share the building with our dramatic ‘other half’ – the Eastern Angles. Buses
run from the town centre and we have a large, free car park. The Record Office is open every
day except Wednesday and Sunday from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Staff are always on hand to guide
you whether you are researching your home, family, sports club or a local right of way.
Amongst a wealth of other material, we hold Victorian OS maps of Ipswich, electoral rolls and
street directories. Our archive includes a huge selection of photographs of Ipswich from the
nineteenth century to the present day plus extensive cuttings files from the 1950s onwards. You
may even find a photograph of yourself in a school play, sports team, or street party.
When our new website goes fully live this autumn, you’ll be able to order research and copies
of documents online. You’ll even be able to download digital images (where the documents
have already been scanned). Customers can already order documents online – this means your
documents can be viewed as soon as you arrive. Of course, we’ll still be delighted to respond
to queries via email, letters and phone calls.
We know that many members of The Ipswich Society are already ‘regulars’ at the Record
Office but we’d like to meet more of you, either in person or online. We look forward to
welcoming you this autumn.
Anne Murray
(Searchroom Assistant at Ipswich Record Office and Ipswich Society member
[N.B.: all of the Society’s wonderful Image Archive slides now reside at Suffolk Record Office.]
Ipswich Society
Chairman honoured
Our chairman, John Norman was recently honoured by the Ipswich Rotary with a prestigious award. Established in 1957 the Paul Harris Fellowship acknowledges individuals who contribute to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International; here in the UK it is awarded for good works undertaken.
As a child John is remembered as a fundraiser for local projects involving underprivileged children, the
poor and lonely elderly: the experience of which has stayed with him for life. All this and John’s
passion for walking, climbing, camping and cycling, sharing his experiences with his own children,
foster children, students, friends and adult groups has exerted an influence well beyond a personal
and professional life.
On arrival in Ipswich in 1979 he became a foster parent, with Christine, his wife, sharing their
home, life and experiences with numerous foster children, improving their lives and also
organising, on behalf of the Ipswich Foster Care Association, many outings and activities for the
families and children.
Hugely helpful and caring he has been involved with countless youth groups including the Scouts,
Duke of Edinburgh Awards, cycling proficiency and school camps. In the late 1980s he became
County Co-ordinator for Operation Raleigh (now Raleigh International). This was to select young
people for gruelling three-month challenges in foreign lands focusing on working through, for and
with youth to inspire and make positive changes in the areas of careful use of natural resources and
building resilience in vulnerable communities.
For years he led groups on rock climbing trips to Derbyshire’s Peak District, the Lakes and
Scotland; he has stewarded at fireworks in Christchurch Park and Ipswich maritime events.
Currently he is a volunteer for the National Trust working as a warden at Orford Ness during the
summer months; as well as this he sits on the Northgate Foundation's Board of Trustees, an
educational charitable trust based in Ipswich.
Working at Suffolk College, as a lecturer and latterly Head of Construction, he organised ‘study
tours’ for his students providing real-life experiences of major construction projects. A great
believer in life-long learning he continues to educate people through his many talks about Ipswich
and he has assiduously researched and written almost two hundred ‘Ipswich Icons’ articles in the
local newspapers reaching large numbers of the population with his informed and critical accounts.
To add to this he writes and gives interviews to the Talking Newspaper and can often be heard on
the local radio or television giving the Ipswich Society point of view on local issues.
A member of the Ipswich Society for many years he is our Chairman but also sits on Ipswich
Borough Council’s Conservation and Design Panel reviewing planning applications in
Conservation Areas. Moreover, he finds time to be a Trustee for Suffolk Building Preservation
Trust and a Trustee and Chairman of Suffolk Architectural Heritage Trust. As an Honorary
member of the Suffolk Association of Architects (part of the RIBA) he judges the Craftsmanship
Awards for Suffolk. The depth of knowledge he possesses and the commitment he shows for the
preservation of Ipswich and its history is outstanding.
Rarely orthodox, untypical, and not always a team worker, he is however, an achiever. Pragmatic,
determined, in all he does, he always puts himself out to help others. He is single-minded, focused,
sometimes dogmatic, but warm and totally dedicated to the task in hand.
The Paul Harris Fellowship award is among the highest of honours to be bestowed. We in the
Society, who have known John’s attributes for so long a time, can only be grateful to Christine for
her support and forbearance but loudly applaud the work shouldered by John and marvel at the
amount that our worthy Chairman manages to undertake while not ‘on duty’. Tony Marsden
Snippets 2
Ipswich Traffic
‘The traffic in Ipswich is getting worse.’ How many times have you heard that phrase? Assuming
by worse we mean that the traffic is increasing and as a consequence queues are getting longer,
we are absolutely right. As well as more vehicles on the road there has been an increase in the
number of miles driven nationally.
The total number of miles covered has increased by 7 billion miles and is now a staggering 320
billion miles annually. The sector that has shown the greatest increase is ‘light vans’, no doubt
delivering your internet shopping. You may no longer go into town to purchase a new washing
machine, camera or your weekly food shop but these items still make the journey from store
to door.
Park and Ride wobbles?
It appears that Colchester’s Park and Ride is not doing as well financially as had been hoped.
The figures after the first year of operation are not promising.
It is common practice that a commercial investment, such as the Park & Ride service should
‘pay-back’ the initial outlay over a period of ten years. Given that the Colchester operation cost
£6.2 million it needs to recover an absolute minimum of £620,000 per annum. It does of course
need to recover an income much greater than this to pay for its daily outgoings, (fuel, wages, bus
lease payments, etc.).
However with passenger numbers at only 77,000 over the first year (May 2015 to April 2016) it
is well short of break-even!
77,000 annual users equates to some 300 people per day, an average of less than ten on
each bus! The service is run by the TGM Group, a company within Arriva plc one of the largest
commercial transport organisation in Europe, but the operating losses are met by Essex County
Council.
Using the ‘gaps’
The Society and other organisations have long regretted that there is insufficient linkage between
the town centre and the Waterfront, particularly in the Turret Lane/Lower Brook Street area. The
principle of having many more people living there is a good one, so proposals for building new
retirement homes on the Archant (EADT) site sound promising. The proximity to the town
centre is important for residents. But to make it more appealing, for those who would also like
to go to the Waterfront, better crossing facilities at Star Lane and Key Street would help – as they
would for all pedestrians.
New trains, at last
Abellio’s nine-year contract has brought the promise of new trains on every service, starting in
early 2019 and to be completed by October 2020. In addition to the new InterCity trains, there
will be hybrid trains (electric and diesel) for routes like Ipswich to Cambridge which are only
partly electrified, and Bombardier Aventra commuter trains. Doubling the service to
Peterborough, making it hourly, should greatly encourage more passengers travelling north and
north-west. The future prosperity of Ipswich will be enhanced by better transport.
Bigger Primark
Whether you ever go into the shop or not, it is quite clear that Primark is popular, as could be
expected in a relatively low wage town. By taking over the splendid building next door, vacated
by Gap, Primark is now double in size. Its future success seems more guaranteed than the
presence of the many new restaurants.
Beating the bounds, St Clement’s 1895 s a
The following notes were written in 1965 by Henry Lewcock who, with his brother Bill, was a
chorister at St Clement Church in 1895 when this particular Beating of the Bounds took place.
Given to the Society by Jim Lewcock for publication in The Ipswich Society Review 1981.
“The proceedings opened with a service attended by a congregation which included merchants,
tradesmen, church servants, scholars and singing boys. The service was taken by the vicar, John
Powell, known to the scholars and singing boys by the irreverent name of “Greasy Jack” due to
the large quantities of Macassar oil which he placed on his hair to keep it in order and which
stained not only his clerical collar but also his coat.
The Rev. Powell had two helpers in the performance of the Sacrament. They were Samuel Jones
and Mr Scriber.
These Men of God prayed on behalf of the people assembled a long prayer called the Litany
which, although possibly understood by the older merchants and tradesmen, certainly caused
much fidgeting amongst the scholars and choristers. Even the Rev. Powell appeared to find the
whole thing irksome because he took to fumbling about in his surplice causing one of the scholars
to remark in a rather loud voice: “Gosh, I believe he’s got a ferret in there”. This brought the
service to a rapid close and we hastily set forth on our journey with the blessing of God.
All the men and children were given long willow wands, whilst two or three carried ladders for
climbing over walls and fences and two of the more quiet and trustworthy elders carried a map
and a paint pot for the purposes of refreshing the Boundary Stones to ensure that no man might
say “This is our land”, except those who came from the congregation of St Clements. The first
part of the journey had to be made on foot and we started along Church Lane westward onto Fore
Street.
Among the characters I remember are:-
Alfred Sizer Church Warden
William Orvis Church Warden, Ship Builder and Repairer
James Widgery formerly a school master of the school belonging to the church and now Parish Clerk
Charlie Keel Vestry and Clerk to the Overseers
Joseph Turner Grocer
Edward B. Lewcock Ship Agent
Charles Hawk Grocer
George Jary Outfitter and Draper
Arthur Cook Baker
Walter Mills Clerk and Chorister
Henry Card Engineer and Chorister
Percy Hawk }
Edward W. Lewcock }Scholars of the Ipswich Middle School and sons of the aforementioned Henry C. Lewcock }
Jack Fearns carried the paint pot and six singing boys from the choir the ladders. Having arrived
in Fore Street we made our way along Salters Lane to the Jewish Cemetery which, being
surrounded by a high wall demanded the services of a ladder, much to the joy of the lads carrying
it. Having descended into the Lower Wash [Lower Orwell Street] the company proceeded
northerly to the “Prince of Wales” which stood on the corner of Fore Street and on into the Upper
Wash [Upper Orwell Street] to about 100 yards on the eastern side where there is a stone in the
wall about 10 feet from the ground marked “St. C+B”. This stone was duly tapped three times by the company holding the wands, perhaps three in the name of the Trinity as this custom of
Beating the Bounds goes back into the early ages. The stone is still in position.
From thence over the walls into the Rope Walk via the cold dung hills and I believe we went into
the yard belonging to the prison which stood somewhere near where, in 1965, stands the Labour
Exchange. Across Pottery Street and Hill Street, through Bennett’s brickyard to Byles Park
[Alexandra Park] where there is another stone upon which a bumping took place on the ground in
what is now the eastern part of the park close to Grove Lane and above what is now Kings
Avenue.
And so to Hill House [home of the Byles family which once stood on Hill House Road], through
which the boundary ran, through one of the windows on the ground floor we had to climb with
some difficulty. John, the Man of God, had not the agility to negotiate this window easily and was
stuck and had to be helped by two maids from inside with the scholars and singing boys
administering sundry smacks on the Reverend bottom from the outside.
This difficulty being overcome, Back Hamlet was reached and so on to Foxhall Road to the
Asylum grounds through which the assembly went, to a spot near St Augustine’s Gardens where
there is another stone. I cannot remember whether we took in Warren House cottages or not. I
think that they were described as extra-parochial and so perhaps we had no need to. We arrived at
Felixstowe Road where the heath was somewhere opposite to where now stands the church of St
Augustine. Here was another stone on which the local policeman, one Pyett, was well and truly
bumped, much to the delight of the assembly and much to his loss of dignity. Thence across the
heath to Gainsborough Lane and to the very end of the parish, Pond Hall Farm, which was a land
flowing with milk and honey in the shape of refreshments. It was a gladsome sight as we had
been going since before 8 and it was now past 1 o’clock.
The merchants, Church Wardens, Overseers and grown up members of the assembly partook of
food and wine in the farmhouse, but the scholars and choristers were provided with sandwiches
and other meats outside on the grass; because the weather was favourable it was most enjoyable.
After a good rest for food and talk we launched a number of boats, as the farm is close to the
river, and rowed out into the middle of the stream and then proceeded up midway between the
banks to the cliff bite and the lock gates (new) which were opened and so up the middle of the
dock to a wharf in front of the Wherry Inn. Here we disembarked to walk up a narrow passage
[Wherry Lane] to the corner of Salthouse Street and Fore Street where we had started so many
hours earlier.
Climbing the wall of the Jewish Cemetery
The journey being ended a portion of the (photo from Ipswich Historic Churches Trust website)
Rogation hymn To Thee O God We Fly for
Mercy and Grace was sung and the blessing
which begins “The Lord Bless Thee and
Keep Thee” was given by John Powell, who
was very fond of this particular one and
always said it as if he meant it.
The parish of St Clements had various
alterations and adjustments made when the
parishes of Holy Trinity, St Bartholomew and
St Augustine were formed and no doubt the
boundaries were altered, but in 1895 these
formed part of the parish of St Clement.
I believe that the boundary covered that day
extended to seven miles.”
The Ipswich Society
email: secretary@ipswichsociety.org.uk
Registered Charity no. 263322
This Newsletter is the magazine of Ipswich’s civic amenity society established in 1960
(views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Society).
Executive Committee
Dates for your diary
Winter Illustrated Talks at Museum Street Methodist Church; all talks start at 7.30pm and
free tea, coffee and biscuits are provided afterwards.
Wednesday October 26: Tim Miller on The History of Shingle Street illustrated with
photographs from his book Life on the Edge.
Wednesday November 16: Annual Awards Evening, 7.30pm, St Peter’s by the Waterfront
Wednesday December 21: The Orwell Tidal Barrier project, its purpose, planning, installation
and protection of Ipswich. Speaker tbc.
Society Outings (2016)
Saturday December 3: John Norman’s City of London Tour, including the Whitechapel Bell
Foundry (booking form included). Similar November 19 tour is fully booked.
Society Outings (2017)
Thursday April 27: Tour of Bungay and St Peter’s Brewery, South Elmham.
Thursday May 11: Evening Walk with Bob Markham – Barrack Corner to Bobby Robson
Bridge.
Tuesday July 18: Watts Gallery Artists’ Village, Guildford.
Wednesday October 19, 7pm: Ipswich Building Preservation Trust brief AGM;
guest speaker: Jay Merrick – ‘Build, build, build: Are planners, developers, and architects
destroying the idea of excellent ordinary urban fabric?’ Venue: Isaac’s Crossway Room on the
Waterfront. See page 20 to book a place.
“There’s now’t to do in Ipswich”, Part 2
Here is a selection of clubs and societies not mentioned elsewhere in this issue which are based
in our town. So, if you fancy bagpipe playing, underwater hockey, bardic storytelling, Morris
dancing, community gardening, mountaineering or Paganism, Ipswich is the place.
Clifford Road Air Raid Shelter Museum Co-op Art Class Co-op Ladies
Choir Cyclist’s Touring Club (CTC) Suffolk FILM Suffolk Green Bike Project
Groovehunters Djembe Drum Group Iceni Computer Club Ipswich Anglo
Scottish Society Ipswich Art Society Ipswich Arts Association Ipswich &
District Electrical Association (IDEA) Ipswich & District Ramblers Ipswich
Beer Festival Ipswich Bicycle Club Ipswich BMX Club Ipswich Chamber
Music Society Ipswich Chess Club Ipswich Choral Society Ipswich
Creative Writing Classes Ipswich Croquet Club Ipswich & District
Photographic Society Ipswich Divorced & Separated Social Club Ipswich
Electrifiers Ipswich Engineering Society Ipswich Fencing Club Ipswich
Film Society Ipswich Flower Club The Ipswich Horse Society Ipswich
Hospital Community Choir Ipswich JAFFA Running Club Ipswich Jazz Club
Ipswich Juggling Workshop Ipswich Junior Chamber Ipswich Model
Engineering Society Ipswich Mountaineering Club Ipswich Numismatic
Society Ipswich Octopush Club (underwater hockey) Ipswich Organic
Gardeners Group Ipswich Outdoor Group Ipswich Operatic & Dramatic
Society Ipswich Pagan Council Ipswich Philatelic Society Ipswich
Paranormal Investigations Ipswich Piping Society (bagpipes) Ipswich Radio
Control Model Club Ipswich Ravens Volleyball Club Ipswich Recorded Music
Society Ipswich Silver Spinners (majorettes) Ipswich Transport Society
Ipswich Wildlife Group (IWG) GeoSuffolk (geology) Lagabag Morris
Dancers Margaret Catchpole Bowls Club Merchant Navy Association
(MNA) Ipswich Branch Orwell Art Club Orwell Astronomical Society,
Ipswich Pagan Social Moot River Gipping Trust Roundwood Tennis Club
SAMBOOMBA (Afro-Brazilian Rhythms band) Scrabble Club And Other
Games Seckford Dolls House & Miniatures Club Soroptimist International
Ipswich & District South East Ipswich Cage Bird Society Storytelling with
Bards Aloud Suffolk Fabian Society Suffolk Industrial Archaeology Society
Suffolk Mac User Group (Apple Macintosh computers) Suffolk Naturalists'
Society Suffolk Soul Singers Suffolk Theology Forum Team Ipswich
Water Polo The Cameo Club – For the over 50s The Ipswich Bach Choir
The Landseer Players The Oddfellows (Ipswich Branch) The Peoples’
Community Garden – Ipswich The Springfield Follies The Vintage Motor Cycle
Club (VMCC) The Waterfront Book Club The Woolpack Bowls Club
Trianon Music Group University of the Third Age (U3A) Wolsey Writers
The Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History . . . . . . . . a n d s o m a n y m o r e