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April 2017                                Issue 207 


Contents 


Editorial           

John Blatchly memorial sundial 

30 new members        

Italianate Ipswich   

Chairman's remarks    

Brickmakers Wood         

Planning matters       

St Peter’s Warehouse archaeological dig   

Ipswich Arts Centre, St Clement Church     

Snibblets   

Archaeology in Ipswich: the sequel     

Bar Fontaine springs forth    

Letters to the Editor        

‘A’ boards       

Ipswich Garden Suburb      

Snippets      

The Upper Orwell Crossings    

Thomas Clarkson: slavery abolitionist   

Ipswich Society Annual Awards 2016    

Bedford and Kathy Brown's garden outing  

Lloyds Avenue photograph decoded    

Society Officers   

F reight shipping          

Diary dates  

Ipswich Market on the Cornhill     

Buttermarket dig from the air, 1986  


A busy time on Market Day  at the Cornhill, Ipswich;  see the article on page 16.

Photograph by Tim Leggett


Editorial 

Spotting a kitchen cooker with a microwave oven perched on top beside the road recently, I 

was reminded of the apparent (to me) upsurge of this phenomenon in the town. Questions: are 

there really, as someone told me, ‘a group of Romanian blokes’ touring the town in a truck 

picking up bits of furniture and appliances left on the pavement, from which they get an 

income? If this urban myth is true, who left the detritus there and how did they hear about this 

recycling service? Who is it that produces an almost endless stream of old mattresses around 

our streets? Why, when we have recycling centres in West End Road and out-of-town on 

Foxhall Road, do lazy people chuck their old stuff on the pavements – or are they professional, 

law-breaking fly-tippers? How fortunate are we to have a Borough Council street cleaning 

service to remove dumped objects? Can this service survive increasing cuts to local authority 

funding by central government? 


This issue of the Newsletter is the biggest distribution we do to members: Newsletter (with an 

extra four pages), AGM booklet including the Chair’s round up of the last year’s activities, 

Outings inserts and some final reminders of subscription renewal. April’s AGM will be our chance to welcome our speaker, Mike Taylor, to his new role as Senior Conservation Officer for Ipswich Borough

Council. Also, no apologies for our continuing coverage of the challenges to local archaeology. 

Robin Gaylard 


Behind the scenes on Monty Don’s Big Dreams 

Small Spaces – the telly comes to Brickmakers  Wood below  

Alexandra Park,  October 2016, see page 19. 


Chairman’s remarks 

One of the surprising jobs your Chairman and members of the Executive carry out on a regular basis is answering queries received by post and email.  Some of these questions are asked by members (which we are pleased to answer); a few are from others who perceive that The Ipswich Society will have the answer to Ipswich’s local issues. 


Questions which usually start with words along the lines of: ‘Why don’t they?’…   


Why don’t they look after Wolsey’s Gate, finish the Wine Rack, move that awful car wash?  

The first parameter is to establish who ‘they’ are, and it is usually the local authority, but  

which one?   


The provision of local services is split between Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) and Suffolk 

County Council (SCC) and although it is usually absolutely clear to the officers, some 

Councillors and members of the public are often baffled.  Areas of confusion include 

Highways, which SCC recently moved from one agency (IBC) to another (Kier, a private 

contractor); and Planning, which is with IBC, with the exception of SCC’s own projects, and 

the countywide strategic decision-making (mineral extraction and waste disposal).   


A classic case in point is the provision of toilets at the Old Cattle Market Bus Station which I 

alluded to in the last Newsletter. Which authority is responsible for the capital outlay to build 

new toilets (SCC) and who will maintain them on a daily basis (IBC)?  Why haven’t they been 

installed, why is this ‘long journey’ bus station devoid of this essential service?  To quote the 

leader of SCC: ‘we’ve carried out a survey and, based on the few people using the existing 

facility, expenditure on a new toilet will not be money well spent’.  Sorry, but if you ask people 

why they are not using a non-existent facility, it is not surprising that there is no demand! 


We are also asked if we can identify the location of old photographs (Tim Leggett usually can) 

and the buildings featured in paintings (somewhat more difficult).  These requests are usually 

accompanied by ‘would you like to keep said image?’  Photographs are scanned and added to 

our online Image Archive for all to see; paintings are more difficult, in that we don’t have 

anywhere to hang them (generally, nor does IBC).   


Books are added to the Ipswich Society library which is kept in Pykenham’s Gatehouse and 

leaflets, brochures and catalogues are a useful source of historical information and can give me 

inspiration for an Ipswich Icons article in the local press. 

  

On a positive note it is good to see the beginnings of economic development taking shape.  In 

London, activity can be measured by counting the tower cranes in the city; in Ipswich, just 

count the number of buildings where scaffolding has gone up over the last couple of weeks:  

Easy Hotel, Northgate Street, Croydon’s shop in Tavern Street, Cranfield’s old building in 

College Street and on office blocks Princes Street.  Local builders tell me that they haven’t had 

this many enquiries for a decade. 


Enjoy the summer. 

John Norman 


Planning matters 

Annual Planning Applications (as at 6.2.2017): a peak in 2003 of 1324, a trough of 847 in 

2008 and a slow trend ever since to 1247 in 2016. 

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

1302 1324 1165 1155 1189 1134 988 847 1037 996 1006 1086 1067 1165


Cornhill. The Commissioning Group for the revision of the Cornhill received two thousand 

comments, the majority unsupportive of their proposals; it has realigned the brief to the 

architects. Their latest iteration will be put forward for a further consultation around the time you 

read this. We think that the changes may be acceptable to those who feel that physical changes 

are necessary to make the space more welcoming; they will remain unacceptable to those who 

feel public money should not be spent on improving anything more tangible than the surface. 


Anglia Parkway Retail Park. The park has been largely empty for some time; its new owners 

(Trinistar Lux SA) have managed to fill many of the vacant units. From the west end, in the 

B&Q garden shop, will be Billy Beez trampoline centre with a family gym; next Go Outdoors 

then The Range will replace B&Q. Comet has a variation of conditions approved to sell ‘food’ 

up to 20% of sales area; would fresh and/or frozen be permitted? Tenant has not been announced 

but it will probably be Dunelm. Smyths Toys will open in June in an adjacent unit. There has 

been an application this week from CDS Superstores trading as The Range, (the company aims 

to provide ‘everything for lifestyle at affordable prices’) for increasing the right hand end of 

B&Q by 20% to make it able to stock their full 65,000 product range. A full sequential analysis 

of all the Borough's possible available sites makes only one possible choice. The town centre 

effect is estimated to be a 2.66% fall which is equivalent to £16.18m annually. Despite improved 

access to Suffolk Retail Park it is still considered inadequate. I think we can say that this marks 

the end of Carr Street and the Westgate Centre as retail areas. 


Agricultural land, Whitton Lane, Old Norwch Road and Fisks Lane. A large, high, 

camouflaged distribution warehouse for Faithfull's floor coverings. A greenfield site zoned for 

employment with access only from Anglia Parkway North. Objections locally and from SPS*: 

loss of agricultural land; visual, light and noise pollution. The Society made no comment – the 

land is secluded and unused; vast warehouses don't produce much external noise and the trucks 

will come in from the Bury Road. Stringent conditions are to be applied addressing those points. 

We agree, however, with SPS that it is an extension of Ipswich into the countryside. 


Old Archant Offices, Lower Brook Street. McCarthy and Stone development of 61 apartments,

11 houses, communal facilities, landscaping and car parking. They are aesthetically and 

reasonably attractive. As is the norm, the developers will ensure car parking, security, communal 

and leisure facilities. We support it, except the 1.8 metre wall as boundary treatment. It is limited 

to the 55+ age group.  


14 High Street, Ipswich. This small block of 1930s shops with offices above is in a prominent 

position overlooking Crown Street. In the Central Conservation area, it is not listed nor on the 

local list, it forms the modernist entrance to the greater importance of Westgate Street and 

Museum Street. It is therefore important to conserve the windows in a form that is nearly as 

original as possible whilst providing modern standards of insulation and low maintenance costs.  

It is now possible to do this as Crittall provide a conservation window replacement service.  

Mike Cook      

 [*Suffolk Preservation Society] 


Ipswich Arts Centre hits a new milestone 

The Ipswich Society has donated £500 to help bring the proposed Ipswich Arts Centre to life. 

Thanks to this support from the Society and other supporters, the centre is building its budget 

to begin the revamp of St Clement Church on Star Lane – the centre’s future home.  


In the wake of its recent bid to win funding from Aviva, more and more people are getting 

involved, spreading the word and donating. Celebrity, Bill Nighy, even got involved in the 

campaign’s publicity.   


Although the project did not win the top prize of £25,000, Aviva awarded a finalist’s grant of 

£500. However, widespread interest in the project continues to rise. 


Early construction work to begin The next major milestone for the project is the start of initial construction work to turn the disused church into a pop-up events venue.  


Simon Hallsworth, University of Suffolk 

professor and a driving force behind the centre, commented: ‘In animportant step 

forward, this summer we will be working with Suffolk New College on early A design proposal by EDRM for the new Ipswich Arts Centre in St Clement Church.building works. Students will be laying temporary floor boards, so we can get the centre open for small events. We will then move on to the next fund-raising phase to finance the full renovation of St Clement’s.’ 


Become an Ipswich Arts Centre ‘Board member’ 

The Ipswich Arts Centre is asking supporters to add to the funds for early building work. In 

return they will enjoy the benefits of being an arts centre ‘Board member’.  


More information will be released in March, but to stay up to date, visit: 

ipswichartscentre.co.uk.  

Or follow activity on Twitter: @ipsartcentre,  

and on Facebook: facebook.com/ipswichartcentre. 


If you have a question about the project, contact: ipswichartscentre@gmail.com


Archaeology in Ipswich … The Sequel 

Abby Antrobus’ article in the last issue has prompted me to reflect on a number of matters 

archaeological. First I must point out that a good deal of what I have to say in this article is, if 

not irrelevant to Suffolk, at least not as immediately disturbing as it is elsewhere. Rather 

remarkably, given the draconian changes at Suffolk County Council, it has retained an 

Archaeological service, much reorganised, but recognisably ‘fit for purpose’. 


I have long been struck by a paradox, which would be rather amusing if not deeply depressing. 

The public fascination with archaeology and (perhaps less so) history is unmatched by 

enthusiastic commitment from any of the various layers of government or, until very recently, 

by business leaders. This is odd given the income that is generated from the ‘Heritage’ 

industry. I doubt there are many votes for any local politician who places historical matters 

high in a manifesto, but it should be made clear that income generated from visitors to heritage 

sites can significantly benefit the whole community. 


When fiscal issues rear their ugly head, funding for archaeology tends to be seen as a soft 

target. Many County Council archaeological units, who oversaw or undertook archaeological 

work as part of the planning process, have been diminished or disbanded. Statutory planning 

obligations are ‘outsourced’ to professionals in the private sector, often geographically 

considerably distant from the sites under consideration. 


A feature of the present planning process is that a developer has the right to put the work of 

archaeological evaluation and the actual digging out to tender. If there is a County Council 

archaeological unit it has to compete with the private sector. A consequence of the closure of 

local authority units has been that a number of displaced professionals have joined commercial 

units or set up in independent practice. There is concern about the quality and consistency of 

some of these contractors. Our fear is that developers may be tempted to take the cheapest 

option or even one which may have a ‘lower threshold’ for finding matters of interest at  

initial evaluation! 


The local authority nevertheless remains responsible for the activities of these independent 

contractors. In particular to IAT members on a site visit with Keith Wade, the Foundation Street 

oversee professional site of Blackfriars, 1983. Tooley’s Almshouses in the background.

competence and adherence to planning regulations. A comprehensive and updatable database of local sites is crucial and needs local expertise and knowledge to maintain it. A planning department lacking such expertisemeans it is possible that the quality of work will suffer.  


Another issue which is vexatious is the contention that the high costs of archaeological evaluation and, especially, subsequent excavation are a disincentive to development especially in urban environments.  


Is this really the reason for so many areas of the town that remain blighted by failed or delayed 

development? The question is often asked: why we are ‘denied’ the opportunity to dig and 

learn more about the town’s origins? It is true that a developer has to pay these expenses and 

they should of course be factored into the initial budget. In the absence of central, local 

government or charitable funding this is usually the only means of paying for investigation. 


Of course, there are many other factors that lead to the problem, but if the situation is 

contributing to the failure to develop then perhaps a more equitable approach would be to 

surcharge all planning applications, whether archaeologically sensitive or not. This would 

spread the burden. 


The national situation has become sufficiently alarming that the Council for British 

Archaeology (CBA) has established a Local Heritage Engagement Network (LHEN). Its role is 

to foster surveillance at a local and national level. This is a form of public advocacy, both 

reactive and active. The CBA offers a list of desiderata for local advocacy organisations.  

These include:  

• Action to protect local heritage, archaeology services from budget cuts. 

• Campaigning for high quality historic environmental  policies in local plans and strategies. 

• Having access to good local knowledge. 

• Protecting individual sites and places during development processes. 

• Raising awareness of and creating good relationships with local decision-makers. 

• Keeping the public informed about archaeological issues. 

• To share experience with other groups and help and support campaigners and watchdogs. 


I am pleased and indeed proud that the Ipswich Archaeological Trust, of which I have had the 

honour to be chairman since its founding in 1982, fulfils these criteria admirably. The  

trusteeship and committee has a very strong professional archaeological membership. Keith 

Wade, former Suffolk County Archaeologist was instrumental in forming the Trust and is the 

Hon Secretary; Tom Loader and Jude Plouviez are esteemed retired members of the county 

unit; Abby Antrobus and Stuart Boulter are current employees of Suffolk County Council. 


Once again I note a paradox! The Trust has rarely been called to major action (apart from the 

Museums review of 1999) because Suffolk has been better at supporting its archaeological 

service than many counties. We therefore keep a close eye on events and aim to keep our 

membership updated  on current archaeological work in the town. 


Nevertheless experience tells us that we can never be complacent. Suffolk remains reasonably 

well provided for but the dreadful situation in many other counties could be replicated here 

should political attitudes change and fiscal problems intensify. I can assure you that the IAT is 

very well-equipped to monitor and act if the need arises. 


If you wish to join the Ipswich Archaeological Trust please contact: Mrs  Eileen Ward, Campion, Chapel Lane, Belstead, Ipswich, IP8 3LR. Details about the Trust can be found on our website: www.ipswichAT.org.uk 

The Council for British Archaeology is at www.new.archaeologyuk.org where you will find a wealth of information about archaeology and stories regarding the horrors being enacted elsewhere. Chris Wiltshire (Chair of the Ipswich Archaeological Trust) 


Letters to the Editor 

Archaeology in Ipswich from Keith Wade, former Suffolk County Archaeologist 


The ‘Chairman’s remarks’ in Issue 206 claimed that, when a developer pays for an 

archaeological dig, it ‘effectively means that house prices are increased to cover these costs’. 

This is (or should not be) the case. The costs of meeting such planning conditions should be 

reflected in correspondingly reduced land values. Experienced developers are well aware of 

this and establish these costs prior to purchasing land and negotiate the price down. Many 

urban sites also have the costs of mitigating contaminated land which again should reduce  

its value. 


However, archaeological excavation in historic towns is very expensive and a combination of 

these two costs can in some cases exceed the notional land value. These areas will be ‘blighted’ 

until property values are high enough to cover the investment. The archaeological importance 

of Ipswich means that a number of potential development sites in the town fall into  

this category. 


The problem is caused by the present planning guidance which is based on site-specific 

‘polluter pays’ principles. I have long argued that a change to an archaeological levy on all 

development, which would pay for all excavations when required, would neutralise these 

problems and put brownfield sites on a more equal footing with green-field sites in terms of 

development costs.


Schools and surgeries from Charles Currie 


I would like to pick up on a couple of items in the January 2017 Newsletter. 

Ann Petherick makes the case for using unoccupied property in town centres to develop 

residential accommodation. The owners of areas like the Mint Quarter appear happy to get 

little or no return and create an eyesore. They should be encouraged to stop bed-blocking. 


John Norman points out that nationally we are running out of school places. The 

redevelopment of the dockside has created an enormous number of housing units, and if the 

area fulfils the Council’s ambitions for it, it will become even more crowded.   


In the 12-15 years since redevelopment began not one new school has been built. Dockside 

residents may not be a demographic that requires a lot of school places, but the 7 schools 

nearest the dockside are all primary schools. Despite this, children from Kesgrave and 

Ravenswood go to the primary school in Waldringfield. Presumably each of them puts another 

car on the road twice a day. It is noticeable how much more easily Ipswich gridlocks during 

term time. 


In the 12-15 years since redevelopment began not one new surgery has been built. Provision 

was made for at least one. The new McCarthy and Stone development will soon add to the 

number of ‘super adults’, a segment of the population which makes disproportionate use of 

medical services. (continues


Planning committees consider individual applications. They do not plan, they enforce 

conformity. And I do understand that overlapping responsibilities and budgets create problems. 

However, rather than bow to central government imperatives to build more housing, councils 

should refuse until money is made available to run the schools and surgeries. If nobody applies 

to build the buildings that provide the services, the buildings won’t appear.  And, although the  

built environment and its appearance are important, nobody is (or, apparently, was) planning to 

provide the services that may not be pretty, but are essential. 

  

Maybe we should plan to put the schools and surgeries in the Mint Quarter. Nobody else is 

planning to do anything constructive (or even pretty) with it. It would be a more effective use 

of land, time and money than levelling the Cornhill, getting rid of roundabouts, unifying traffic 

signals or spending money on consultants so consultants can tell us how to spend money. 


Ipswich Garden Suburb 

(‘The most important planning application in my 10-year tenure with the Society’s planning brief.’) 


The developer, Crest Nicholson’s, outline planning application (16/00608/OUT) for about 

1,100 dwellings, a local commercial centre, a primary school, sports facilities, a Country Park 

with a separate access from Westerfield Road, two vehicular accesses from Henley Road, a 

vehicle bridge and a pedestrian/cycle bridge across the railway together with drainage, 

landscaping and infrastructure works on the agricultural land north of the railway and east of 

Henley Road was granted permission. 


Duncan Innes, Regional Director of Crest Nicolson, a skilled presenter, made an excellent case 

for his company; promising a high standard of design and to make it a national keynote site. He 

was almost apologetic about what the firm had done at the Hayhill Allotments site. 


• We have supported the concept of an Ipswich Garden Suburb ever since 2006; but we 

must insist that the design be of the highest quality. We are comforted that Crest 

Nicholson had changed its colours as regard design and that their new architect 

promised new standards. We will hold them to that. 


• What are the desired destinations? Not so much the town centre but Cambridge, 

Colchester and London to the west; schools, the hospital, Futura Park and Ransomes 

Europark and Felixstowe to the east. 


• There is no mention in the Travel Plan of any attempt to relieve what is likely to be 

gridlock on the Valley, Colchester and Heath Roads and Chevallier Street.  


• Despite a high quality double track railway running through the middle of the 

development (and Westerfield station nearby), there is no mention of any involvement 

of the railway authorities in the Transport Plan. There are many opportunities here – 

digital signalling would allow very frequent services; new small stations would allow 

easy access to the main line and to desired destinations, particularly to the east.  


• Whilst we support granting permission to this outline application, it is vital that Ipswich 

Borough Council holds the developers to high design standards and to being more 

imaginative in the Travel Plan. This is a signature development. 


Mike Cook 


The Upper Orwell Crossings: a bridge too far? 

Clever politicians throw their weight behind projects that are likely to succeed and avoid those 

that will be a long time coming. Thus we can guess that the proposals to build additional 

bridges over the Orwell and the New Cut are likely to happen sooner rather than later. 


However the rationale for the biggest of these bridges is debatable and the methodology used 

to establish a need questionable.  Certainly, by using the calculations employed in northern 

Europe a different outcome would be likely (but then Holland and Denmark understand the 

value of sustainable transport). 


In March 2016 Suffolk County Council received provisional funding of approximately 77 

million pounds from the Department for Transport for the Upper Orwell Crossings project.  

This enabled a feasibility study and the initial design to be instigated.  


CROSSING 1 is a major new road crossing the open water between Hawes Street (Wherstead 

Road) and Landseer Road, a bridge which would connect the east and west banks of the 

Orwell.  This crossing would be for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.  Details of the actual 

route, the height and the method of allowing yachts to pass beneath the bridge are still at the 

planning stage. 


Artist’s impression of a proposed solution to the  

problem of high-masted boats sailing under the 


Upper Orwell Crossing. ©W. Heath Robinson


CROSSING 2 is a new local road, across the New Cut, which will connect the west bank 

(Stoke Quay) to the Island (probably running between Felaw Street and New Cut East).  This 

bridge would be for all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians (but would be the only 

access onto the Island for vehicles).  Thus it would enable the under-developed land on the 

Island to become a business and technology centre.  It is likely that housing and leisure 

facilities would also be included.  

(Note that The Last Anchor restaurant and Ipswich Haven Marina are on the Island.) 


CROSSING 3 is a new (small) bridge over the Prince Philip Lock: access onto the Island from 

Ship Launch Road.  This crossing would be for cyclists and pedestrians only, but would         

re-open the route from Stoke Bridge to Cliff Quay across the Island.  It is likely this would be a 

moveable bridge to enable yachts to pass through the lock and would supplement the existing 

swing bridge. 


The rationale behind the bid (for funding) was to open up land for development thus creating 

the potential for more jobs.  Relieving traffic on Star Lane and College Street was a secondary 

consideration, but this was the key rationale picked up by the public during the consultation.  

Our initial investigations indicate that it will not reduce vehicles on the existing Star Lane / 

College Street gyratory’ to the extent imagined by some correspondents.  In fact we know that 

new roads bring additional vehicles, additional distances travelled by existing road users and, 

after a short honeymoon, more congestion.  


We do, of course, welcome the opportunity to develop underused land close to the river south 

of the wet dock and the use of the Island as a technology centre connected to the University. 

John Norman 


A sketch map of the Ipswich Wet Dock, New Cut and upper reaches of the River Orwell showing speculative locations for the proposed three new bridges.


Ipswich Society Annual Awards 2016 

Wednesday 16 November saw large numbers of society members and invited guests gather in 

St Peter’s Church to celebrate our annual awards. Unlike last year which saw a catching-up of 

two years’ nominations, there was a very good field for the 2016 awards.   


Although the awards ceremony tends to take place in November, we do accept nominations 

during the course of the year. It is not possible for the Executive Committee, nor the Awards 

Committee, to have a full overview of work which is going on around the town; therefore we 

do depend upon members who are eagle-eyed and keen to promote projects which are in their 

‘manor’.  If you become aware of projects reaching their completion near where you live and 

think they are worthy of nomination, please get in touch with the Society. 


Nineteen nominations had been received from a wide variety of sources, and a wide variety of 

project was laid before the eager, waiting audience.  


We were introduced to the nominations by Dr Chris Wiltshire, our Vice-President.  With his usual 

incisiveness and aplomb we were presented with a detailed, yet broad, account of the nominations accompanied by crisp images.  (Full details and images may be found in an album in our Image Archive on Flickr, the internet photography website). 


There were two residential nominations: a single dwelling (Anglesea Rd rear garden development) and 


Chantry Academy a large estate (the Malcolm Road new housing estate). 


The education sector was represented by the following nominations: The Atrium, a technology centre at the University of Suffolk; the Music School new building at Ipswich School and a winner, with a Commendation, Chantry Academy.  It was praised for its imposing and authoritative design and the artistry in the utilisation of everyday materials – a place to be inspired by and of which to be proud. [Education Funding Agency; Kier Construction] 


Two projects in the health field were: the Woolverstone Wing, Ipswich Hospital and a winner, with a Commendation: the Two Rivers Medical Centre, Woodbridge Road (right) seen as a sleek yet temperate response to the site and the needs of the clients. [Apollo Capital Projects Development; DGA ; KLH; Barnes Construction] 


In the town centre there were a number of nominations.  Retail projects included the Buttermarket Centre; Sailmakers development; The Walk refurbishment as well as two shop-front renovations at Jack Wills, Tavern Street and Primark in Westgate Street. 


The refurbishment of two landmark buildings was both timely and arresting.  At Electric House, residential reworking and dramatic topping out proved to be brave and striking;  whilst Connexions, 159 Princes Street revealed a treatment of power and boldness in this important artery of the town. The nomination of 12-20 St Matthews Street was a little controversial though the impact of the repainting has resonated across the town and seemed to find mostly approval. 


A quaint retail addition was Waterfront Bikes adjacent to The James Hehir Building, a delightful reworking of a disused shed. The ice house in Holywells Park, was interesting and notable for the involvement of students in its completion – always welcome.   


In Whitehouse Park the Skatepark was a worthy winner, with a Commendation. A place of vibrant activity and careful beauty in concrete, the relatively small activity area was not to be missed.  The detail of the half-pipes, transitions, ledges and copings was a tribute to the virtuosity of the concrete artists. [Ipswich Borough Council; North West Ipswich Big Local Trust; Wheelscape] From the left: Ginny Idehen, Manager of Quay Place; 


John Norman, Chairman of The Ipswich Society; Councillor Glen Chisholm, Deputy Mayor; and Tessa Harvey, Regeneration Officer for the Churches Conservation Trust.


The winner, with a High Commendation  was Quay Place. The conversion of the medieval St Mary-At-Quay Church into a wellbeing centre, Quay Place, which was delivered in a partnership between the Churches Conservation Trust (the national charity protecting historic churches at risk) and Suffolk Mind, the mental health charity. [Molyneux 

Kerr Architects; Bakers of Danbury] 


Our Chairman, John Norman, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glen Chisholm, presented the awards to 

grateful guests who represented the clients, designers and builders involved in the winning projects.  Once again, 

The Society was delighted with the response of the guests who expressed their thanks most graciously for the awards and the reception afterwards.   

Tony Marsden 


Quay Place new extension Tony


Lloyds Avenue photograph 

The brain-power of the entire Ipswich Society Executive Committee 

was focused on the dating of this photograph from our online Image Archive.  


The sign on Reggie Egerton’s showroom reads: ‘…GERTONS  (IPSWICH)’ but it is on the darker areas of paintwork, once covered by cut-out letters and therefore not faded by the sun. This suggests that this large showroom and works was empty at this time, awaiting demolition. 

The Crown Street premises were built in 1928. After a series of takeovers and amalgamations, the Crown Street site became redundant and in the early 1960s was sold for a new town swimming and leisure facility, Crown Pools, which was built in1985. Note how narrow Crown Street appears at this time. The ‘House Warming Centre’ at the right later became a Job Centre, then the Hogshead pub. 


Looking at the vehicle registration numbers, they changed in August 1962 to include three letters and three numerals plus a letter suffix. The ‘reversed’ registrations (letters after numerals) were introduced in 1953 – see the ‘925 YOO’ plate on the white taxi. The taxi itself, a Ford Zephyr, was registered in Chelmsford in 1963. Avenue Taxis (at that time) rarely bought new vehicles, so the photograph is post-1965. 


Bob Markham tells us that it is a 1950s bus standing at the bus shelter, but that they were not scrapped in Ipswich until the 1970s. Buses on route 12 were put onto one-man operation (note the ‘Pay as you enter’ sign) from April 1970 and that particular bus (no 9) was disposed of in the second half of 1973. So the photograph is early 1970s then….               

R.G. 


Freight shipping 

The turmoil in the shipping industry starts with over-capacity and leads to global downturn.  The 

arrival of the triple E class container carriers* increases the available hold space (which 

decreases the cost of moving goods).  The demise of Hanjin, the world’s seventh largest 

transporter of containers is the major casualty (a side effect of which is to leave 20,000 empty 

containers at Felixstowe taking up stack space).   


Maersk have taken over Hamburg Sud which reinforces their position as the world’s largest 

container line (almost 20% of the world market).  MSC are second, carrying over 5 million 

containers every year. 


Although Felixstowe regularly shout about having the berth capacity for the world’s largest 

container vessels (both length and width) there has been trouble handling them to schedule; the 

lack of quayside stack space contributes. 


The industry is alive with rumour that OOCL (the fourth largest carrier in Asia) is for sale, 

concerning for us here in Suffolk because their western hemisphere headquarters are in the old 

Fisons building at Levington.  Possible purchasers include China’s COSCO and Taiwan’s 

Evergreen.  Incidentally, China Shipping is now part of COSCO.  


The 25 largest container carriers collectively recorded a loss carrying boxes in 2015. Very 

broadly speaking the cost of bringing a container from China has been £1000; in 2015 it dropped 

to half that and although it has recovered since it still costs considerably less than it did 12 

months ago. 


The most notable feature of the downturn is that the shipping lines are sharing on-board capacity; 

the world’s biggest rivals are working together to survive. 


The Maersk Triple E ships (18,000 TEUs§) have recently been usurped by the MSC Oscar and 

Oliver (19,225 TEUs), all built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in a 

little under a year (each ship).   They are all much the same physical size, 400 m long and 60 m 

(23 containers) wide requiring 16 metres draft.  20,000 containers is considered by some to be 

the economic maximum size of the super-large ships. 


Ships of this size cannot easily access the east coast of the USA, nor can they pass under the 

Golden Gate Bridge, thus Oakland (San Francisco) is out of bounds.  Long Beach (Los Angeles) 

is too shallow and San Diego is too far south. Thus the 15,000 TEU ships still have a future 

sailing across the Pacific. 


Meanwhile freight trains are leaving Yiwu railway yard in Zhejiang Province, China bound for 

the London Freight terminal in Barking, Essex.  An eighteen day journey of 7,500 miles 

including the Channel Tunnel is considerably cheaper that airfreight and is quicker than the sea 

route. 

John Norman 


*  Triple E ships:  Economy of scale, Energy efficient and Environmentally improved. 

§    TEU: The Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit; a 20 foot-long freight container is 1 TEU. 


Ipswich Market on the Cornhill 


Ipswich Market on the Cornhill 

The role of the market is often under-appreciated in my opinion.  Of course there are people 

who don’t need to use it, there are people who choose not to use it because they think the 

produce is second-rate, and those who think it’s too small to matter.  But I do buy things there 

regularly, it’s not second-rate, and although it is small for the size of our town that seems to me 

a reason for making it bigger and better. 


When Sir Stuart Rose, ex-M&S boss, described in effect our town centre as the dullest place on 

earth he must have been looking at the Cornhill on a Monday or Wednesday with no market 

there.  The fact is that the market brings more life to the Cornhill than anything else – and for 

200 days a year in all weathers.  It brings together customers, traders’ shouts, chance 

encounters with friends, browsers, people watchers, a bit of bustle and, yes, some good value 

things to buy.  (Fresh fruit and vegetables at a “pound a bowl” are helpful to one’s wallet and 

health.)  To me, this variety of activity is an important part of what town life is all about. 


With no market there, the Cornhill is indeed a dull place because no shops face on to it, except 

for the corner entrance of ‘Grimwades’, and it is hard to envisage the Town Hall or former Post 

Office being magnets for continuous comings and goings, or outdoor tables being regularly 

occupied as if it were the Costa del Sol. 


So, in my opinion, the market should stay on the Cornhill and should be helped in every 

possible way to grow and diversify, especially as more and more people will come to live in 

the town centre. Pushing it down Princes Street and into Queen Street would be “out of sight 

out of mind”.  Even such a temporary re-location while the Cornhill is being re-surfaced 

would, I think, be undesirable when the better temporary alternative would be along the 

adjacent parts of Tavern Street and Westgate Street where the maximum footfall is. 


Some would argue that removing the market from the Cornhill would provide more scope for 

lots of other activities – but surely not for 200 days a year?  More likely, Sir Stuart Rose would 

find it the dullest place on earth for 300 days a year!  

Neil Salmon 


[Note the anecdotal evidence that morning buses from Stradbroke to Ipswich via Witnesham are usually crowded on days when the Ipswich market operates and full of shoppers carrying bags of produce and merchandise on the return journey in the afternoons.  -Ed.] 

T.L.




Dr John Blatchly memorial armillary sphere sundial unveiling 


Photograph by Tim Leggett


Thursday January 5 saw an impressive gathering in even more impressive sunshine in the 

Christchurch Park Butterfly Garden to officially ‘open’ the beautifully restored armillary sphere 

sundial (see our last issue) which is dedicated to the memory of Dr John Blatchly MBE. 


David Miller, Chair of the Friends of Christchurch Park, introduced the event and the main 

speaker, John Field, paid tribute to John Blatchly’s many contributions to the town and its 

history. John Blatchly was, of course, a good friend to the Society. Dr John Davis of the British 

Sundial Society gave information about the structure and its function (not a simple sundial!). 


Finally, the Mayor of Ipswich, Roger Fern, added his own words of praise and, ‘from one 

Headmaster to another’, cut the red ribbon to officially add this fine feature to the park. There 

is an excellent information board mounted nearby and the garden setting of the restored sundial 

will no doubt mature and beautify the location.  

R.G.


Italianate Ipswich 


The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical 

architecture where the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance 

architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and Neoclassicism, were 

synthesised with picturesque aesthetics. The style of architecture that was created, though also 

characterised as ‘Neo-Renaissance’, was essentially of its own time. The Italianate style was 

first developed in Britain about 1802 by John Nash, with the construction of Cronkhill in 

Shropshire, which today is open to the public, care of the National Trust. 


[Dates refer to that of each 

photograph]

1. 16 Fonnereau Road 1967

2. Stables Holywells Park

3. 90-92 Berners St, built as      

    a nurses’ home 1980s

4. House behind Arthurs 

    Terrace 1970s.

5. 12-14 Fonnereau Road   

    1970

6. Bentley Tower Hotel,  

    Norwich Road 1990s

7. The Casino, Woodbridge 

    Road, 1983

8. 27-29 Tuddenham Road 

    1983

9. The Custom House, Common Quay, Wet Dock 

    1970s


All photographs from the Society’s Image Archive. There are more Italianate examples 

to be found in Ipswich.


Thomas Cubitt, a London building contractor, incorporated simple classical lines of the 

Italianate style as defined by Sir Charles Barry (architect of the Palace of Westminster) into 

many of his London terraces. Cubitt designed Osborne House under the direction of Prince 

Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and it is Cubitt's reworking of his two dimensional street 

architecture into this free-standing mansion which was to be the inspiration for countless 

Italianate villas built by the new and wealthy industrialists of the era throughout the British 

Empire. The Italianate style of house often features the square belvedere or signorial tower. 

Ipswich boasts a fine collection of such houses, their towers catching the eye of the passer-by. 

R.G. 


Brickmakers Wood 

A new, caring project to reclaim a ‘lost’ corner of Ipswich 


On Friday 3 February BBC 2 screened the latest edition of Monty Don’s series Big dreams 

small spaces. It featured a remarkable project being led by father and daughter team of Rob 

and Jo Brooks, who have already established the Eden Rose Coppice retreat in Quay Lane, 

Sudbury. The unpromising, if not impossible, (in Monty Don’s view) site of the new venture in 

Ipswich is on the wooded area of The Potteries clay-pit for the brick and tile works which 

appears on maps as early as 1674: hence the name. The ‘cliff’ rising behind Suffolk New 

College up to Alexandra Park is a much neglected and abused tract of land which the pair and a 

host of volunteers are bringing back into productive life. 


Choked with ivy, thickets and human detritus, the steep woodland site required steps and 

walkways to enable access. It now has terraced growing areas, an area with tiered seating, 

wildlife-friendly features, children’s seating and activity areas, environmentally-friendly 

compostable toilet with disabled access and much potential for further development. The 

project received a huge boost in July 2016 when it attracted the top award of £150,000 

transformation money as part of the Building Better Communities competition sponsored  

by Jewson. 


But there is more to this than making a woodland and productive terraced allotment. Rob 

Brooks, a cancer survivor, points to medical evidence showing that many of the most effective settings for recovering from fatigue or illness involve the natural environment. Such restorative environments are in shortsupply in many urban areas. He was inspired to create the Eden-Rose retreat in Sudbury and this is being used as a blueprint for the Ipswich site.  


Rob and Jo are enthusiastic to  make links not only with volunteers, but also groups and individuals who can also take benefit in a variety of ways from the sanctuary provided by the changing surroundings. Local school children, known as ‘Hoglets’, come to learn about nature and the environment. As soon as basic work had started on Brickmakers Wood and standing water had been reintroduced, frogs, stag beetles, butterflies, foxes and other wildlife were spotted behind the curving huts which form a perimeter along part of the lower slopes. There are even elm trees hidden in the wood amongst the dominant sycamores. 


The therapeutic potential of the project means that Brickmakers Wood can involve people with 

learning disabilities and mental health problems, youngsters from Pupil Referral Units and 

many others who find purpose and pleasure in planting  and picking vegetables, helping with 

paths, seats and other creative structures which make Brickmakers Wood a unique place in the 

town and wider region. 


Incidentally, those large Nissen huts are understood to have housed barrage-balloon 

maintenance vehicles during the war. For many years they were home to the county’s mobile 

libraries. Now they have the potential to be a covered area for workers and visitors, but at the 

moment there are no services on site. Despite water flooding the site last year, a vandal 

breaking in and destroying some of the work and other set-backs, there is such a ground-swell 

of goodwill and enthusiasm here that this project is bound to succeed. 


So much achieved and so much to be done; a testament to the drive and vision of two people to 

whom the town should be very grateful. Needless to say, the project would love to hear from 

potential supporters and volunteers (https://localgiving.org/appeal/BrickmakersWood).   

R.G. 


A view from the top of Brickmakers Wood: the lower part of Back Hamlet, Grimwade 

Hall and the curving sedum roof of the University of Suffolk Waterfront building.


St Peter’s Warehouse archaeological excavations 

At very short notice the Society was given the opportunity to visit the archaeological dig taking 

place on the vacant site alongside Bridge Street (the gateway to the Waterfront).  This was only 

an investigative dig to establish the extent of the full survey (to be carried out later should one 

be required). You may recall that the St Peter’s Warehouse building, a brick-built Paul’s 

malting, stood on the site before a disastrous fire in 2000. 


We know from other previous digs Ancient well across College  (where the roundabouts are now) that Street from Wolsey’s Gate. the river was, in Tudor times much wider.  A succession of revetments marked the line of previous quays.  At the time of our visit little of significance had been found: Victorian bricks, fragments of pottery (still to be dated) and other unidentified small items which have been taken away for 

further investigation. 

J.N. 


Snibblets 

Living in the town 

Perhaps we are at the start of a new era when town centre living becomes an accepted option 

for people of different ages and circumstances.  Perhaps 20th century assumptions are being 

questioned – that you get the best of town and country in a suburb, with a costly car for each 

adult.  The number of schemes for new houses and flats near the town centre suggests a change 

is happening –  there are projects for Electric House, Lower Brook Street, Rope Walk, St 

Margaret’s Plain, the Wine Rack, Mather Way, Museum Street in due course and a little further 

out at Hadleigh Road with the biggest still to come at Grafton Way.  However, it must be 

admitted that the Northern Fringe development will outnumber all these put together, even if it 

is an old-fashioned concept! 


Sunday opening 

High Street Museum and the adjoining Art School Gallery are now open on Sundays, as is 

Christchurch Mansion.  We hope this will prove helpful to people who are unable to visit 

during the week – especially if it attracts more visitors from other places. 


Which new shops should set up here? 

It was reassuring to hear the common sense approach of Ipswich Central’s Chairman, Terry 

Baxter, and the Borough Council’s leader, David Ellesmere, on this subject.  The former said, 

“I know people want us to bring in big department stores like they have in Norwich and 

Cambridge, but Ipswich is not the same as those places.”  Ellesmere said, “We have looked at 

the centres just above us in the Experian ratings, at the [shops] they have and we do not.  There 

is no point in trying to attract businesses that are only interested in the largest cities or 

towns.”  (Ipswich town centre is ranked 56th in the UK for retailing, as assessed by Experian, 

the industry rating company.) 


Bar Fontaine springs forth 

Your Executive has been dealing with comments and complaints from near neighbours and Society members who regularly pass along St Margaret’s Street about the condition of Bar Fontaine.  Formally the premises of Green and Hatfield, antique dealers until 1980 when Mr Green retired, it became Falstaff, Prince of Orange and operated as a bar and nightclub until 1996. The building has slowly deteriorated over the past twenty years. 


We are pleased to see therefore that a planning application has been submitted to the Borough Council to convertthe building into twelve flats.  The proposal respects the mock Tudor style of John Sherman, the architect whose offices were in Northgate Street, who added false frontelevations to both St Margaret’s Plain and Old Foundry Road in the early 1930s.   


The changes, proposed by architects Poole and Pattle, will be hardly noticeable other than that the building will become much more presentable.  Air-conditioning units and other roofline clutter will be removed and additional dormer windows installed. 


‘A’ boards 

At last a move on the obstructions that blight the High Streets across the country.  A couple of 

councils in the north of England have moved to restrict the use of A Boards in shopping streets. 


York City Council have introduced a ‘prohibition zone’ banning pavement advertising boards 

which will go some way to clear the pavements of clutter.  York is not the first council to outlaw 

A Boards; Bradford City Council has imposed a trial year long ban.  Liverpool has licensed A 

Boards since 2012 and enforces a set of parameters that owners must follow, a clear 2 metre 

space around each board and no boards in Conservation Areas or outside listed buildings.    


Some streets in York are narrow and crowded, leaving little space for street furniture. The arrival 

of an increasing number of A Boards over recent years has been causing areas of obstruction, a 

trip hazard and restricts the free movement of emergency vehicles.  

Other councils, including Loughborough and Chester are watching York with interest. 


Ipswich Borough Council has in the past been unwilling to upset those local businesses which currently use A Boards (which includes the Tourist Office in St Stephens Lane and M&S in Westgate Street). 


The ban has not been universally popular amongst some of York’s street- side businesses. 

J.N.


Tacket Street:  ‘A’ board nirvana


Erato* The date given for the photograph of the block-paving of Cornhill on last issue’s 

front cover has been hotly debated. John Field, who should know, suggests that it’s more 

likely to be 1986-7. The brass plaque commemorating the completion of the paving was 

laid by Mayor Bill Quinton on 15 November 1988. Also, the attribution of the street name 

for the photograph of the stagnating buildings on page 10 has been hotly etc. Many say 

that it’s Crown Street, not St Mathews Street as printed. Some disagree… 

[*Erato is, of course, the Ancient Greek Muse of lyric poetry. Not an error.] 


Snippets 

St Benedict’s School, Bury St Edmunds came to visit Ipswich in early February.  The AS 

Level Geography class came for a trip all to do with the regeneration of towns. Their visit was 

part of a comparative study with their home town, Bury St Edmunds and, by analysing a 

variety of aspects of each town, Ipswich came across (in the eyes of the young students) very 

well.  The negative comments that are all too familiar in the press and on local radio are 

perhaps overstatements of the actual situation.The Ipswich Society was contacted by a member 

of staff and asked to provide guides and advisers. Our Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Hon. 

Secretary were all involved in the tour of the town, a trip to the award-winning Quay Place and 

a visit to the Waterfront.  We were asked if this was a regular occurrence because the value 

they placed on such contact was very high.  Perhaps the profile of the Society might rise, with 

other young people if we were to promote this aspect of our work more prominently?  There 

may be more work to do on this matter. 


Coach company National Express said (Ipswich Star 14.2.17) that its advanced bookings 

revealed Ipswich to be the sixth most popular town in the country in terms of passenger 

arrivals for the February half-term week, with thousands of people set to visit. ‘Ipswich is a 

beautiful town and absolutely packed with things to see and do, so it is little wonder it’s one of 

our most popular half-term visitor destinations.’ 


Many of you will know that Barnes Construction have been building the new Rosehill Centre 

for the last couple of months. The East of England Co-op has announced the retailers who will 

fill the expanded spaces. Greggs (today just a lunchtime snack retailer) will take the single 

shop unit close to Felixstowe Road. 

A new gym, Fit4less will occupy the new large unit on the extreme left, Aldi will move into the 

second unit, a slightly larger shop than their existing unit, importantly with wider aisles to 

enable shelf restacking during busy periods. The Co-op will remain in its existing unit which is 

being changed internally and Poundstretcher will occupy the existing Aldi store. 

You will be pleased to see that the car park has been extended, and the arrival of the gym will 

bring trade to the retailers at what have been quieter times. New homes are to be built behind 

the stores (fronting on to Derby Road adjacent to Rosehill School). 


Buttermarket Centre sold 

It might seem odd that a company which bought the 

Centre for £9.2m and has spent £25m on its radical 

changes should now agree to sell it to the National Grid 

Pension Fund – until it is pointed out that their profit is 

some £20m.  The days of Grimwades, Ridleys and 

Edwards have long since gone. 


Thomas Clarkson: slavery abolitionist 

‘Wilberforce’s right-hand man’ 

2010 was the 250th anniversary of the birth of this notable man who lived the last thirty years of his life at the late 16th century Playford Hall. It is never too late to play catch-up, so let’s celebrate him here. 

Thomas Clarkson was born on 28 March 1760 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. He was the son of a clergyman who also taught at the local grammar school. In 1779, Clarkson went to Cambridge University where he won a Latin essay competition on the subject of: Is it lawful to enslave the unconsenting? 


While travelling from Cambridge to London in June 1785, Clarkson found himself thinking not 

about the competition, nor about the promising church career awaiting him, but about slavery.  

He got off his horse and sat down by the roadside at Wadesmill in Hertfordshire, feeling that 

someone should do something about this evil. Ending slavery became his driving passion for the 

remaining 61 years of his life. He translated his prize-winning essay into English and it was 

published in 1786. The essay attracted a lot of attention and enabled him to meet other 

abolitionists, including Granville Sharp. 


In 1787, Clarkson and Sharp were instrumental in forming the Committee for the Abolition of the 

African Slave Trade. Many of the other members were Quakers. The Committee helped to 

persuade the Member of Parliament William Wilberforce to take up the abolitionist cause. 

Clarkson's task was to collect information for the committee to present to parliament and the 

public. He devoted his time and energy to travelling tens of thousands of miles on horseback 

around Britain, particularly to the ports of Liverpool and Bristol, gathering evidence about the 

slave trade from eyewitnesses, especially from sailors who had worked on slave trading ships. 


Clarkson also bought examples of equipment used on slave ships, including handcuffs, shackles 

and branding irons, which he used as visual aids. In 1789, he travelled to Paris where he 

attempted unsuccessfully to persuade the new French government to abolish the slave trade. 

Between 1791 and 1792, Clarkson's brother John was involved in the attempt to establish a 

settlement of former slaves in Sierra Leone in West Africa. 


After years of hard work by the Clarksons, Sharp, Wilberforce and many others, the slave trade 

was abolished in the British empire in 1807. The following year, Clarkson published his book 

The history of the abolition of the African slave trade and, although his health was now failing, 

continued to campaign for the complete abolition of slavery. In 1833, parliament passed the 

Slavery Abolition Act, which gave all slaves in the British Empire their freedom. Clarkson, 

evangelical Christian, tireless campaigner and activist had moved to Playford in 1816 where he 

died on 26 September 1846. 


Two of the important figures in the history of Ipswich are Dykes Alexander and his son, Richard 

Dykes Alexander, a noted photographer of the town. The latter built his house on the corner of St 

Matthews Street and Portman Road; long empty, this distinguished building was in 2009 

extended and refurbished as student flats. When Richard Dykes Alexander made land available 

for housing in the 1850s he stipulated that some of the street names should be those of leading 

abolitionists. Four British names and arguably four American names appear in the list: Edward 

James Eliot (1758-1797), William Wilberforce (1759-1833), Granville Sharp (1735-1813; 

Granville Street), William  Dillwyn (1743-1824), Anthony Benezet (1713-1784), Abigail Hopper 

Gibbons (1801-1893), Samuel Emlen (1789-1828) – he lived in Burlington, New Jersey, 

whence we get the name Burlington Road.                      

R.G. 


Bedford & Kathy Brown’s garden: an Ipswich Society outing, 16 September 2016 

Our last trip of 2016 took us to the Swan Hotel, Bedford overlooking the Great Ouse (non-tidal 

this far from the sea). The original hotel was rebuilt in 1789 by the then Duke of Bedford. It 

has an imposing Classical frontage and some of its medieval work survives. The Victorians 

built the nearby Embankment along the Ouse, part of a 19th century town expansion.  


St Paul’s Church stands opposite The Old Court Buildings where James Hanratty was tried and 

sentenced to be hanged, one of the last eight people in Britain to be executed. St Paul’s is 

Perpendicular in style and was doubled in size in the 19th century, creating a ‘hall church’ with 

nave and aisle roof levels the same. During World War II the BBC ran their religious 

broadcasts from this church, but its location was kept secret.  


Bedford’s motte and bailey castle was largely destroyed in the siege of 1224, but part of the 

Great Hall survives. I also visited The Higgins Bedford which houses the internationally 

famous collection of fine and decorative arts. There is much of interest here including a room 

illustrating Bedford’s history: in 1666 Henry II signed the historic Royal Charter, the second 

oldest in the country. Bedford then grew from a medieval market town, through a 19th century 

five-fold increase in population, to a 20th century manufacturing town which continues  

to grow. 


We travelled through surrounding villages in the grip of developers: Elstow, John Bunyan’s 

birthplace; Cardington, where victims of the R101 airship disaster are buried in the churchyard. 

We passed the vast, former airship hangars – both higher than Nelson’s Column. 


The small village of Stevington was the highlight of the day: the garden of Kathy Brown. The 

Old Manor House was originally a ‘hospital’ for pilgrims and is reputed to be the site of an 

episode in Pilgrim’s progress. Over the last twenty-five years Kathy and her husband Simon 

have created a very personal garden and they showed us round in two groups. Kathy covered 

planting up display plots, blending-in and contrasts. Simon showed us a narrow, French-style, 

formal garden with beech hedges, lavender borders and rose bowers, with a distant focal point 

across the fields; then to a section which used different colours of plants and hedges to give an 

‘Impression’ of paintings by Monet, Matisse, even Rothko – certainly an original idea. 

We all gathered in the house and conservatory for a delicious tea of Kathy’s cakes, using ingredients from her 

own garden – not a crumb  was left.  


A lovely end to an unusual day – well worth going. Our thanks to Barbara Barker for arranging this outing. Richard Worman Kathy’s Garden, September


The Ipswich Society 

www.ipswichsociety.org.uk 


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 


Other members  


Dates for your diary 

Wednesday April 26, 7.30pm: AGM. Mike Taylor, Senior Conservation Officer – 'Area 

Appraisals (Ipswich)'. Venue: 2nd floor auditorium, University of Suffolk Waterfront Building. 

Society Outings are organised through the summer months, publicised via Newsletter inserts:- 

Thursday April 27: Tour of Bungay and St Peter’s Brewery, South Elmham. (Fully booked) 


Sunday April 30 from 10am: The Cobbold History Charity Bicycle Ride: 27, 50 or 70 miles… 

(www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/159350/The-Cobbold-History-Charity-Ride-2017) 


Thursday May 11: Evening walk with Bob Markham – Barrack Corner to Bobby Robson Bridge. 

Tuesday June 13: Sissinghurst Castle and Garden. 

Tuesday July 18: Watts Gallery Artists’ Village, Guildford. 

Tuesday August 8: Eltham Palace. 

Wednesday September 27: Hampstead and Kenwood House 


Newsletter deadlines & publication dates (the latter may vary by a few days) 

Deadline for material: 1 December;     Publication date: 22 January; 

            1 March;                 2 April;  

            1 June;                   17 July; 

            1 September;                9 October.


This remarkable aerial photograph shows the Buttermarket  site during archaeological  investigations in 

1986. The Cornhill is at top left with the Old Cattle Market bus station at the lower right. It is interesting to see several buildings (later demolished) still standing on the north side of Dogs Head Street and Falcon Street. The trenches and test-pits are extensive to the east of the site, adjacent to St Stephens Lane at this time. 


 See the related article on page 6 of this issue. 


Image courtesy Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service ©

Issue 207 April 2017

© 2024 The Ipswich Society, Registered Charity Number: 263322

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