January 2021 Issue 224
Contents
Editorial
Sculptures in Ipswich
New members
Ipswich, Sutton Hoo and the Royal Palace at Rendlesham
Chairman’s remarks
Planning matters
Many of us have been here before
Sunlit September walk
The Nursey family of artists
Letters to the Editor
Corrigenda
Bone detectives
Letters to the Editor
Eastern Counties Railway Society Officers rule book 1846
Florentine Ipswich
Street scene
Newsletter deadlines/publication dates
Ipswich rocks
Nursey paintings
Cenotaph memorial sarcophagus, Christchurch Park. Photo by Graham Smith.
Article: page 16.
Editorial
Our readership can almost always be relied upon to furnish further
information on our articles almost before the Newsletter has hit the front door
mat. I would direct you to Letters to the Editor on pages 7 and 22. Also, an
unforgivable omission, I didn’t credit Jan Parry, currently our Mayor and
President of the Society, with the remarkable feature of the proposed
Monopole mentioned in my last Editorial (October issue). Jan unearthed the
fact that the 20 metre phone mast would have been the height of The angel of
the north sculpture in Newcastle. She writes: ‘It is a remarkable fact which I
couldn't quite believe and had to keep rechecking!’.
We continue our theme of public art in Ipswich from last issue with an
excellent piece by John Field on Ipswich sculptures. If John will forgive me,
it’s good to have it ‘from the horse’s mouth’. John was there at a critical time for Ipswich and can
tell all sorts of background stories about the works; my thanks to him. The art theme continues in
other articles, too.
Many readers say that they appreciate our regular Street scene column (see page 12) for the way
in which it keeps them informed about changes which are planned and which have already
occurred in Ipswich. The symbiotic relationship between the Society’s lively Facebook page:
(https://www.facebook.com/ipswichsociety) and your Newsletter pleases the editor greatly. My
thanks to Tim Leggett and, as always, to all the contributors to this issue.
Robin Gaylard
New members
Conservation Officer Bob Kindred and John Field during the move of the Giles family
sculpture as the focal point of ‘Giles Circus’. (John Field archive). Article page 16.
Chairman’s remarks
The control of urban development (acquiring planning permission) is an absolute in ensuring that
local neighbourhoods as we know them are maintained for the benefit of everyone. The
economy on which we all depend itself depends on growth and expansion so we accept that there
will be change: that the built environment will grow and develop, but this expansion should be
monitored and controlled.
The rules and regulations should be acceptable to the vast majority, with restrictions and
requirements which limit factors such as height, mass, appearance, materials and function (the
use of the building). There is a danger here that this might produce buildings that are clones of
their neighbours, for example, a height limit in a city centre produces buildings all of that height.
Beyond this there are assets that deserve greater protection than that offered by the general
planning acts, for example: heritage buildings, ancient monuments and green spaces and it is the
last of these that can cause the greatest debate, particularly when it is simply the ‘green belt’
around an existing community.
Broadly speaking, there are very few ‘Green belts’ enshrined in law; the majority of green spaces
around our towns are protected by ‘local plans’. The possibility of development within an
existing urban area is considered at an early stage and various sites allocated for various types of
future use. By default, the green spaces immediately outside the urban area will have been
considered by the adjoining local authority who, generally speaking, will limit development to
existing village envelopes.
All of which doesn’t take away the pressure on these very green spaces, particularly by the large
house builders who are always on the lookout for potential sites, particularly green fields – virgin
land that is easy to develop – as opposed to brownfield sites that comes with a host of hidden
issues which potentially make the development more expensive.
This all leads to the government’s proposed changes to the planning system which have been out
for public consultation during the autumn; proposed changes which have raised concern across
the political spectrum.
One of the big concerns is that the proposal is too dismissive of what currently works; a second is
the scale and pace of the proposed change. The current planning system does need some reform;
our elected representatives need more power to tackle climate change, the ability to insist on
greener buildings on green sites with trees and clean air, uninterrupted wildlife corridors and
open access lawns around public buildings, new office blocks and residential developments.
What we must not do is to throw away the bits of the current legislation that work; the current
proposals are too dismissive, particularly in respect of public consultation. I realise it isn’t
perfect, that for the majority of schemes the public rarely get involved but the opportunity to
comment when affected by a developer’s proposal is a democratic right that shouldn’t be lost in
the haste to make the process of obtaining the right to build quicker.
The National House Builders Council is critical of the existing planning system, suggesting that
it is a major factor in the delay in meeting housing targets. But isn’t it these very same
developers that are sitting on banks of land on which planning permission has already been
granted? – an asset which is gaining value whilst lying in abeyance, part of their stock in trade
awaiting the developer’s decision as to when the time is right (the price realised of the houses
they build is favourable to them).
I submitted my comments to Civic Voice who assembled a comprehensive reply to the
consultation. We await the government’s next move. John Norman
Planning matters
Former Argos Store, 53-63 Carr Street: retaining the retail unit on the ground floor, there
will be a gym on the first floor and 22 flats (8 x 1 bed, 14 x 2 beds) on the three floors above –
the fifth floor being a new addition. Originally built around 1950 as the Co-op Hardware
department, there have been subsequent additions and changes. The structural engineer report
suggests that the proposed fifth floor will need a steel frame support from the ground floor for
strength. The design is satisfactory and we support the additional town centre residences.
Conversion of the former Best Western Gatehouse Hotel, Old Norwich Road to an HMO: yet
another small hotel succumbs to the House of Multiple Occupation takeover. It’s difficult to
comment on because there’s no Design and Access statement and the plans on display are poor,
but the planning officers will attend to the details.
84 Fore Street: the western gable of this 17th century timber framed and lime plastered house
with a 20th century shop front has been hit by a vehicle in the adjacent Salthouse Harbour
Hotel car park. The damaged plaster has been removed revealing that the timber studs and mid-
rail are decaying seriously; these will have to be replaced and the external lime plastering and
cement rendered plinth restored. Some internal works will be needed plus specialised
scaffolding.
Grade II Brick Wall between St Margaret’s Church and the Park: four attached piers are
needed to support the north wall (on the churchyard side), positioned adjacent to the existing
buttresses on the park side. The pier on the north-west corner will be rebuilt as existing.
Former Barnard’s Mill, 556 Woodbridge Road: the owners of the Westerfield Care Home
(Humber Doucy Lane) have instructed architects KLH to convert the three storey Barnard’s Pet
Store into six one-bed flats and eight bedsits, all assisted living. This will involve demolishing
redundant warehouses at the rear, adding a set back fourth floor and complete refurbishment of
this ‘undistinguished’ building.
The Range, Anglia Retail Park, Bury Road (Unit 1C): this is to allow The Range to sell an
increased level of convenience goods. The current restriction allows only 200 square metres of
their net sales area to be for food and drink; the application seeks to expand this by a further
100m². The products are expected to be a limited range of frozen, chilled and dry/tinned goods
normally seen in The Range’s store. The level of floor-space to be used will remain very much
ancillary to the wider non-food offer of the store being 5.5% of the overall total. The limited
scale of the space and type of products on offer are intended to offer customers with incidental
impulse ‘top-up’ purchases rather than allowing the store to become a main convenience
goods shopping.
The dilemma here is that the original planning consent for the whole complex restricted sales
to large and bulky goods and each application, however insignificant, contributes to the
possible demise of convenience stores elsewhere. A further complication is that the Anglia
Retail Park is owned by Ipswich Borough Assets.
Ipswich Garden Suburb (Northern Fringe): Allen Pyke (Landscape Plan), and Barton
Willmore (Design & Access Statement), have submitted on behalf of Crest Nicholson part of
the Reserved Matters for phase 1 of the development (which includes the Country Park): I will
report The Society’s response to this important application next issue.
Former Billiard Hall 19-23 Upper Brook Street: Accessed through a passage between
Amplifon and Shuropdy, opposite Café Nero. This proposal is to replace the current structure
with purpose built student accommodation or a 15 single bedroom HMO. There will be shared
communal facilities and 28 bicycle storage places but no car parking. The design, by Stan
Beanland Architects, is of a high standard. This is a novel application for the central shopping
area which stretches National and Local Plan rules, but I suspect will be difficult to refuse.
1 Kettlebaston Way: sadly, Victoria Nurseries is going to close; the site is zoned in the Local
Plan for residential dwellings. The first point of interest, given the lack of land available for
housing, is whether there should be a change of use from residential to care home, a difficult
decision. Secondly, the design, by ADG architects whose award-winning practice is devoted to
this speciality, will be three storeys with a total of 73 beds, the first floor, of 28 beds, being
devoted to dementia care. There will be staff training facilities in the basement. The facade has
been deliberately broken up into three sections so as to be less dominating. The majority of the
site will be amenity space. Since the on-line public consultation they have lowered the ridge
line and the chimneys by nearly a metre. Assuming the planning officers are content with the
change of use I can see little that we would object to.
Though the number of planning applications remain high there is little of major significance;
therefore the Planning Development
Committee by Zoom for October was Photograph by Tim Leggett
cancelled and the November meeting
had little of interest.
Similarly, the Examination in Public of the Ipswich Borough Council’s Local Plan is being held ‘in public’
by Zoom. The plan is the vital legal document by which all planning decisions are judged for the next five
years at least. This time we have two planning inspectors holding the plan up to the light and various aspects are questioned by interested parties. I have attended some, thoughadmittedly not all the sessions which are lengthy.
Mike Cook
Right above: the site at 28-50 Grimwade Street after the shops were demolished.
Right below: the planned housing development, with design by Ipswich architects, Hoopers.
Sunlit September walk
An early morning trip into the centre of Ipswich for a
medical appointment gave an unexpected period of free time.
Parking in Fonnereau Road, I made my way into Christchurch Park, walking initially towards
Christchurch Mansion. The sun was rising above the tower of the adjacent St Margarets
Church gradually illuminating the soft red Tudor brickwork of the mansion and casting
shadows over the front lawn as it made its celestial trajectory upwards. A chance to stop and
savour the good fortune of Ipswich in having such a beautiful historical house right in the
town centre which, with the park, provides a much needed area of peace and tranquility. The
knowledge that it could once have been built upon by developers would be horrific now.
Turning around I walked back past the restored Round Pond, now complete with flourishing
fountain. In my schooldays a location where we fished for sticklebacks-that would not be
allowed nowadays. I stopped to look at the seats, all dedicated in memory of long lost family
members. I wondered whether Mr S. T. Baylis, who ‘loved Ipswich’ would mind if I made use
of his seat? There being no objection, I took the opportunity to rest. Nearby the leaves of the
horse chestnut trees were turning gold and amber: a last golden hurrah before winter. On the
ground open horse chestnut shells disgorging shining brown conkers, bringing back memories
of my foray into the competitive world of the World Conker Championships near Peterborough
a few years ago – I was knocked out in the first round by questionable gamesmanship, but
enjoyed the experience.
Walking past the Wilderness Pond I recalled that many years ago there were information
panels so it would be easy to identify the different species of ducks and other birds. As well as
the usual suspects, I remembered seeing Mandarin Ducks and Teal. All there was on this day
was a few mallards and honking Canada Geese. I wondered what had happened to all the
different species that used to visit the Wilderness Pond – gone to sunnier/better climes perhaps.
I also recalled that for many years there was a terrapin which used to bask on the bank;
probably an outcast from a former well-meaning home. No sign of him now.
Up the hill and turning right into the Mayors Walk, trees with green cast iron plaques at their
base, planted by mayors to celebrate their term of office. The walk was well-populated with
Cobbolds, Churchmans and Grimwades. Long gone local dynasties who did so much to shape
the town. Amongst them, J.M. Stewart, mayor in 1963-64. John Stewart lived in Belstead
Avenue, Over Stoke and when I was growing up I was friendly with his third son Keith. John
Stewart kindly gave me a reference for my first taxing job in the Inland Revenue. It was good
to see the plaque and rekindle my memory.
A short distance away was the now sadly empty lawn and pavilion which for many years was
the home of Ipswich Croquet Club. I was fascinated as a child watching the members play this
game; my only knowledge had come from Alice in Wonderland! It is sad that the club is now
located at Finn Valley, with possibly less opportunity to recruit those with a passing interest.
Along the Upper Arboretum to the tennis courts, scene in 1966 to an epic battle, not David v
Goliath, but David v David.
The first David, in my classes for several years, had decided that he wanted to play tennis and
had avidly watched the Wimbledon coverage so he could learn. After a while he was a fairly
accomplished player. The second David was an all-round sportsman, good at everything; after
leaving school had a very successful career in local non-league football. Modesty and
understatement was his trademark.
There was some good-natured banter between the two, and the first David threw down the
gauntlet of a competitive match, which was gladly accepted. However, first David loudly
proclaimed in good Muhammed Ali (then Cassius Clay) style for several days that he would
win the match convincingly. On the day, the inevitable happened, we watched and looked on in
amazement as point after point slipped away from first David, his face getting redder and
redder as he was soundly beaten, eventually slinking quietly away.
Leaving the vivid memories of past ghosts, I walked towards the Lower Arboretum, stopping
to admire the restored armillary sphere sundial, dedicated to the memory of Dr John Blatchly.
The Greek astronomer Hipparchus credited Eratosthenes (276-194 BC) with the invention of
the sphere. What a treat this was on a bright sunlit morning, a shining time-piece standing
proudly on its pedestal – a fitting tribute to Dr Blatchly. Strange to think that this sundial had
once been in danger of decaying away; a real treasure would have been lost.
Then it was time to return to the gate into Fonnereau Road and exit the park. I was grateful for
the memories renewed at this testing Covid time. Ipswich is blessed with a rich variety of parks
which add to the atmosphere and facilities of the town. Life would be far poorer without them;
long may they continue to be an important part of the townscape.
Graham Day
Letters to the Editor (1)
The ‘Sor of Hing’ typo from David Saunders The October 2020 edition of the Newsletter has an article about
public art in Ipswich and mentions the Sor of Hing at St Matthews roundabout. I can throw some light on the name.
For many years my father was a linotype operator working the night shift at the East Anglian Daily Times and I can remember him telling me how the Sor of Hing name came about. Several linotype machines were used to convert the hand-written or manual type-written reports into metal type that was used to make the printing plates for the printing press. The linotype operator worked at a keyboard typing in the reports. Each depression of a
key on the keyboard released a small metal matrix of the required letter/number from a magazine.
The matrix dropped down into an assembler and once a line of type had been assembled it
was sent to the casting section of the machine – hence the name “lin(e)-o(f)-type”. The
casting section had a pot of molten lead and produced a slug that was then used to assemble a
column and ultimately a whole page of the newspaper. This is the derivation of the term “hot
metal” in newspaper production. Once the slug had been made the machine returned the
matrices to the magazine. The production of the slug was quite quick, only a matter of
seconds, and the operator could continue typing while it was going on. It sometimes
happened that if there was high use of a particular letter in the space of a short time and/or the
operator was typing very quickly the machine did not have time to return enough matrices to
the magazine.
This was the situation when this particular item was being prepared. The operator would have
pressed the letter ‘t’ on the keyboard but the magazine was temporarily out of the required
matrix and nothing dropped down. The error should have been picked up either by the
operator himself or the proof reader.
(As a footnote – to the best of my knowledge my father was NOT the operator involved!)
Artistic craftsmen from Margaret Hancock
Thanks for the excellent October Newsletter. I was particularly interested to see articles referring
to the work of some highly skilled Ipswich people in the past – Len Smith the skilled welder at
Jubys assembling Eduardo Paolozzi’s sculptures, and the highly talented team at Titchmarsh &
Goodwin producing quality reproduction furniture for princes, presidents and kings.
The photograph of the Sainsbury’s mural in decorative brickwork etc on Page 11 reminded me of
other tradesmen working for local building firm Cubitt & Gotts at Westerfield in the 1970s. At
the time the firm employed a large workforce of apprenticeship-trained men in all building
trades. They were particularly known for high quality restoration of churches and historic
buildings, travelling as far afield as Somerleyton Hall near Lowestoft. Though the artist/designer
of the Sainsbury’s mural is uncredited it took the considerable skill of two bricklayers to
construct the wall; if my memory serves me correctly these were Dennis Mann and Ron Alcock.
The popularity of The Repair Shop programme on TV shows that practical skills are much valued
even in this technological age. We are fortunate that such expertise is still taking the name of
Ipswich across the world by the top quality traditional craft made by Spirit Yachts.
{SNAP!}Brickwork mural from Derek Clive Norman
Thank you for another most interesting newsletter. Having lived all my life in Ipswich each issue
invariably includes some aspect of Ipswich new to me, plus information on people and places I
have known during this time. The October edition on page 11 showed the relief mural on the side
of Sainsburys supermarket.
At the time I worked for Cubitt & Gotts who were the main contractors for this and the C&A
building, now Wilkos in the 1970s. Although not directly involved with the project, I know from
contact with those who worked on the site that the mural was developed from a sketch design
provided by the architects for the building, Pick, Everard, Keay & Gimson, who, if my memory
serves me, were based in Leicester. The architect was unable to provide working details to the
site staff but having discussed his ideas with the foreman bricklayer gave him free reign to create
the mural we see today.
The bricklayer foreman was Dennis Mann and he was assisted by Ron Alcock. These two
excellent tradesmen contributed to buildings in Ipswich and the surrounding area as well as
helping to train many apprentices through the Cubitt's training scheme. The quality of the work is testimony to the high standards this family building business and its workforce aimed for.
[Thanks to Margaret and Derek for providing this information; the Upper Brook Street Sainsbury branch opened in 1971, so their memories are very good. Unfortunately, the Norfolk & Suffolk Public Sculpture website is now an archived project, so we can’t send details and images of the mural to them. – Ed.]
On September 26 2020 Channel 4 screened the first episode of Series 2 of Bone detectives: Britain’s buried
secrets. Tori Herridge and Raksha Dave present a rather over-excited programme (participants really savour theword ‘murdered’) focusing on Stoke Quay in Ipswich and the 2012 archaeological dig lasting six months which preceded the building of the large Genesis housing development. Stripping out the repetition and odd camera
angles which are a feature of many current television documentaries, the programme did contain
some fascinating research into the location of the lost St Augustine’s Church over a wide time-
frame (9th century to 15th century). Today’s Austin Street is the only indication of this small but
important church which served one of the town’s ancient hamlets: Stoke.
“Nobody has excavated such a large collection of burials from a medieval port before, in this
country.” (– Dr Louise Loe, Oxford Archaeology). Around 1,100 burials were found.
The Suffolk Explorer website tells us that in 2012:
‘Full excavation revealed a late 7th/early 8th century cemetery including 7 small ring ditches
(one with a sword and glass 'palm cup') and 11 inhumation burials with few grave goods ,
suggesting a relatively late transitional pagan/christian date. Also an Ipswich ware kiln and
numerous Middle Saxon pits, wells and post holes from structures are found across the site.
Norman church of St Augustine (replacing earlier timber structure) and remainder of cemetery
(at least 1000 burials) and numerous medieval and Saxon features. Medieval occupation traces
across the whole site but concentrated close to Whip Street. The church was robbed of its stone
after 1484 when last mentioned and replaced by the King's Cooperage in the 17th century and
then a shipyard in the 18th century. The Union workhouse (replaced by malthouses by 1904) was
constructed at the south end of the site and the New Cut excavated (1839-42) along the eastern
boundary of the site.’
The three skeletons looked at in the programme each provide their own story and puzzles. The
first was a high status, 60+ year-old male burial in the centre of the nave of St Augustine’s. Here,
computer-generated imagery brought the church and location to life for the viewer. He clearly
met a violent death probably by several sword blows to the head. More intriguing still, his spine
had been surgically dissected from neck to sacrum, post-mortem. This was most unexpected as
such practices were forbidden by the monarch; prior to this, such anatomical procedures were
believed to have been performed first at Cambridge University in the 16th century. There was
also a tantalising possibility that the body might have been that of John de Halteby ‘such an
unpleasant individual…’, murdered in 1344, but that is speculative.
A teenage boy who also met a violent end was identified by his teeth enamel to have been born in
the Scandinavian countries and brought over to Ipswich at around 6 years of age. This was the
earliest skeleton on the programme, carbon dated at AD 860 to 1040 (Late Saxon period).
The third individual was female, dating from about 1150 to 1300 and, through analysis, was of
African heritage but raised in Europe. There was evidence of tuberculosis and other disease in
the bones.
The main themes drawn from the examinations were that, over a long sweep of time, Ipswich
became a major port centre for a churning population, also for immigration of people coming
from Europe and beyond. Many of the inhabitants lived lives of hard, physical work and suffered
from serious diseases.
Several locations in Ipswich are shown in the programme including the Wet Dock and New Cut,
Stoke Quay, Christchurch Park, Dial Lane and St Lawrence Church. The programme should still
be viewable on the All4 service on the internet.
R.G.
Eastern Counties Railway rule book, 1846
In response to the two-part article by Merv Russen* on the two railway stations in our town’s history, retired Ipswich railwayman Ken Lightfoot got in touch and offered the Society a chance to view this pocket-book, dated 20th December 1846. It was given to him by Mr Cyril Peartree who writes on a slip of paper inside: 'Born 1903, 27 Commercial Rd [now Grafton Way] Ipswich. Left school at 14. Great Eastern pension, retired at 65, was £4.50 a month’.
[*Issues 221 and 222]
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was a company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Yarmouth. ECR became the largest of the East Anglian railways but, in 1862, it was merged with a number of other companies to form the Great Eastern Railway (GER).
Redolent of another age, the line illustrations of a railway employee with top hat and tail coat
show that 1846 was a little like 1746 – or what we imagine it might have been. Railwaymen
had evolved from coachmen and perhaps this is reflected in the uniform, with all the polished
buttons.
You can view the full contents of this historical – and probably quite rare – document at: www.ipswich-lettering.co.uk/railrulebook.html
Sample spreads from the 1846 rule book.
In late November 2020 we had a ‘virtual’ switch on of the Christmas lights in the town centre.
No Christmas market, no people, no music, no snow machine. How times have changed in this
last year. However, life goes on and there are still some positive things happening. Newly cleaned pediment on the old Post Office
You only have to stand on Cornhill and see the new Deichmann footwear store ready to open when ‘lockdown’ is eased. After months as an eyesore, the scaffolding and plastic covering is coming off the old Post Office, gleaming after its major clean up; also, once again we have a large Christmas tree with its thousands of lights and large golden baubles standing in its tub, not unlike the one in Covent Garden in London.
Construction projects have continued and with the New Wolsey Theatre ‘NW2’ Pavilion now complete, work continues on the theatre itself and the landscaping and surfacing of the theatre concourse. The
Ipswich Regent Theatre has been awarded £500,000 by Arts Funding for Suffolk.
‘The Hold’ on Fore Street is all but complete and has been partially open to the public for some
weeks with its café already popular and regular use of the lecture theatre by the University of
Suffolk. The Exhibition Hall is open but with booking online only. The Library and Reading Room will be opening early next year. The Grade I listed Unitarian Meeting House, currently covered in scaffolding and corrugated
iron, is nearing the completion of a major restoration project, partially funded by Historic England.
Work continues converting the former BHS store in Butter Market for the Mike Ashley retail
group where it has been reported Sports Direct, Game, UCS and Flannels are expected to move
in and open around Easter 2021.
The former shops along Grimwade Street have been demolished in preparation for the Council-
owned Handford Homes to build new flats which will include some accessible homes for people
with disabilities, changing the look of Grimwade Street quite dramatically (photographs p. 5).
The £3 million Phase 2 of the railway station project has started and will see office and staff
accommodation redeveloped, a new ticket hall created and an additional shop will be built. New
modern toilets will also be created as part of the redevelopment.
The former Botwoods in Princes Street, more recently a car wash, has been demolished with the
hope that eventually the site will be developed as an office complex with a multi-storey car park
of about 750 spaces behind on the former Livestock Market site on Portman Road. It has been
reported that Travelodge have expressed an interest in the former Drum and Monkey site. Also
on the Princes Street corridor an, as yet, unbuilt set of ‘striking glass-fronted offices is planned
for the old coal yard on Chancery Road behind the RW Paul maltings/Hollywoods night club
office conversion and are already attracting strong interest from potential tenants and buyers,
according to agents.
An 18 month, £2 million project to replace the Port of Ipswich lock gates has just been
completed.
The former Odeon Cinema at Majors Corner was bought by The Hope Church in 2018 and recently the building
has been cleaned up and new signage added to the exterior as work is progressing converting the building into The Hope Centre which as well as a church will be used for community activities including a café.
It has been reported that the derelict Burtons factory on St. Peters Wharf has been given the go-ahead to be
converted into an arts and media hub for the Gecko physical theatre company with a £3 million grant from central government with the condition that the site would have to be structurally completed by April 2022.
Developers plan to build 21 new flats within the former Argos store in Carr Street. Part of the old
Co-op Department Store, opposite, has already been converted into residential apartments.
In the town centre we have recently lost the Edinburgh Woollen Mill clothing shop and the
Office shoe shop. New shops include Deichmann footwear on Cornhill, Lambretta Clothing in St
Stephens Lane, Design Print Signage in Carr Street, Gateway Continental convenience store in
Tacket Street, and Ma Belle Present on Lloyds Avenue. One Below has opened in the former
Poundworld in Tavern Street, ridding the town centre of the ugly boarded-up windows of the last two years.
Soon to open are Joseph Property Agency in Queen Street, ‘Bride of St. Peter's’ Wedding Shop and ‘The
Blitz’ 1940s themed tearooms, both in St. Peters Street. Wildgoose fine foods and deli is coming to St
Stephens Lane and, as already mentioned, new shops are coming to the former BHS around Easter time.
There is a proposal to open a branch of Fireaway Pizzas in Upper Brook Street where Pizza Hut was
some years ago and more recently was a betting shop. Merkur Cashino in Westgate Street has just
completed a makeover. Pocket Watch and Petticoats has moved into empty premises in the
Thoroughfare formerly occupied by Ohh Deer. The Ipswich Furniture Project has taken over the
former Superdrug premises in Westgate Street. Tesco is hoping eventually to move into the
former Croydon’s premises and Jack Wills store on Tavern Street after the latter confirmed it
would not be reopening in the town.
Ipswich now has three Green Flag parks with Bourne Park having just been awarded a flag for the first time in addition to Christchurch Park and Holywells Park.
When the BBC Antiques Roadshow team recorded an episode of the programme in September in Christchurch Park with Christchurch Mansion as the main back drop, presenter Fiona Bruce was recorded in different parts of the park on a glorious sunny September day, so we look forward to Ipswich being showcased on BBC 1 around the time of publication of this Newsletter, when they estimated the episode will be televised.
Tim Leggett
Photographs by Tim Leggett
Ipswich rocks
OK, not a very original title but, when it comes to its building stones, Ipswich really does rock.
Our small ‘city’ has an amazing variety of natural stone in its built environment. Those we
have chosen to describe here are examples with known origins – and all within a half-hour
walk from the Town Hall steps (a good place to start). Ipswich has a large variety of local
building stones, plus, due to the easy access of water transport, early examples of imported
stone - which increased in variety with the arrival of the railway in the nineteenth century. This
legacy, augmented by modern imports from around the world, enhances the street-scene of our
town today.
Our Medieval builders had an interesting array of local buildings stones for use. The
mudstones (clay cemented with lime, sometimes called septaria) from the London Clay, which
is exposed along our estuaries, are an attractive brown colour. The best place to see them is in
the Blackfriars ruins where examples with polydora worm borings can be found, indicating
their origins on the shores of the Orwell – presumably transported by horse and cart. Flint
originates in our Chalk deposits which, although too deep underground to be accessible in
Ipswich, comes to the surface further up the Gipping valley in the Claydon area. Knapped flints
are used in most of Ipswich’s medieval churches – Quay Place has particularly fine examples.
Sarsen stones originate in the sands between the London Clay and the Chalk – just below the
surface here, but sometimes (rarely) dredged/dug up. They are a very hard quartzite sandstone
and are often found in church towers, presumably for added strength. There is a sarsen stone in
St Nicholas Church tower, and indeed, this is the best church to visit if you want to see all
three of these local stones – it has the flint and septaria in abundance. Limestones were
imported to add strength to the churches - Caen Stone shipped from France, for example, was
used in the Quay Place load bearing columns. Occasionally small blocks of rock were
imported for their aesthetic value, as in the dark grey Tournai Limestone of Carboniferous age from Belgium used in the font at St Peters and the Purbeck Stone, full of fossil gastropods, from Dorset, used in the threshold of the main entrance to Christchurch Mansion.
The arrival of the railway to Ipswich in the 1840s gave the Victorians much greater access to British rocks. The
Museum Street Methodist Church and the Congregational Chapel in Tacket Street are both made from Kentish Ragstone, a Cretaceous calcareous
Masons have enhanced this Bath Stone on the Town Hall with a sandstone from the Medway honeycombed surface, copying the weathered burrowed surfaces occasionally seen in other limestones. area. Portland Stone, a white
Jurassic limestone from Dorset was used extensively in the town centre –
in the Corn Exchange, the old post office building and Town Hall. (See Newsletter Issue 209 for an article on Portland Stone by Gill Hackman.) Bath Stone, a creamy Cotswold limestone, is also used in the TownHall along with Mansfield Stone, a Triassic red sandstone from Nottinghamshire, to good decorative effect. The Victorians chose an igneous rock for the internal (load bearing) pillars of the Town Hall – the red granite, with its deep pink feldspar crystals is both strong and beautiful; it was probably imported from Finland via Aberdeen.
Fine-grained Portland Stone can be carved in any Many of our British rocks are valued direction and hold fine detailed work as here at the in more modern buildings, for entrance to Waitrose in the Corn Exchange. example the Ancaster Limestone (Photographs by Bob & Caroline Markham) from Lincolnshire used in the Library – and, under our feet, the York Stone paving slabs used in The Walk and the Wolsey Garden in Christchurch Park are a
Carboniferous sandstone from West Yorkshire. We have also acquired a range of stones from further afield. In the Tower Street entrance of Sailmakers the creamy stone is Botticino Limestone from the Lombardy area of Italy and the green stone is Verde Issorie, a serpentine (metamorphic) rock from the Italian Alps.
The Labradorite cladding of 42 Princes Street is an igneous rock with stunning iridescent feldspar crystals showing a blue schiller – it comes from the Oslo area of Norway. Lastly, the Question outside the University of Suffolk building is an impressive addition to our building stones tally. The white face is Estremoz Marble
from the Alentego region of Portugal, and the black face is Nero Assoluta dolerite from Rosario in Uruguay – Ipswich’s furthest-travelled stone that we know of. The white rock used in the Question is Estremoz Caroline and Bob Markham Marble from Portugal. The attractive shades of colour and veining are the result of mineral impurities.
Sculptures in Ipswich
The Victorian period saw a flourishing of new statuary and sculptures adorning our towns and
cities nationally, and Ipswich was no exception. In fact, the Cornhill can be viewed as an
important outdoor art gallery with four stone female sculptures depicting the Victorian virtues of
Commerce, Agriculture, Law and Order and Justice on the Town Hall, at parapet level above
three roundels containing likenesses of our Cardinal and the two monarchs who gave charters to
Ipswich. The former Post Office building displays four more female figures above its portico
depicting the Victorian pride in its achievements of Industry, Electricity, Steam and Commerce,
with another two female figures at rooftop level representing Genius and Science. A majestic lion
looks down proudly upon the people of Ipswich from the roof of the former Golden Lion Hotel
and Saint George and Queen Victoria grace either side of the entrance to Lloyds Bank on the
north side of the space. (See photograph page 27.)
This flourishing of public art was Cenotaph, Christchurch Park
followed by a long period when
not a great deal of new statuary
appeared on our streets. Sadly, the
notable exceptions relate to war.
As illustrated by early
photographs, the Boer War
memorial, erected in 1906, was
originally located in the middle of
the Cornhill until it was moved
into Christchurch Park in 1931,
where it joined the imposing
World War I memorial which had
been unveiled seven years earlier.
For me, one of the most poignant
and moving sculptures in our town
is the imposing bronze
sarcophagus at the base of the
great cenotaph, which depicts a
vast collection of the equipment, weaponry and paraphernalia, which would have been so
familiar to our servicemen who became embroiled in that tragic period of our nation’s history.
Moving to more recent times, the last quarter of the 20th Century saw an upsurge in the interest
and provision of sculpture and public art features in cities and towns around the world. This
resulted from a growing awareness of the importance of such features, not only to the general
enjoyment of public spaces and the well-being of the public, but perhaps of equal importance to
developers, the increased value given to their new buildings and spaces by the addition of a
works of art. The general provision of public art was accepted as being an integral part of the
‘placemaking’ initiative being pursued by planners and architects.
In 1988, the Arts Council launched an initiative to encourage local authorities to adopt a ‘Percent
for Art’ policy relating to new developments. In Britain, local authorities are not empowered to
require developers to contribute a specific budget to art but can recommend that public art be
included as an item planning gain in negotiations and this has generated considerable interest in
the provision of such works in our centres.
In 1989, the British American Arts Association held a 3-day Symposium in Glasgow, entitled
Arts and the Changing Cities. In the preface to the Symposium’s findings report, the then UK
Minister for the Arts, the Rt. Hon Richard Luce MP, stated:-
‘The arts – all of them – have a vital part to play in improving the quality of life in the cities of
the United Kingdom as in the United States. We must not look on the arts as just an optional
extra: they must be an integral part of any strategy for urban regeneration. While the economic
impact of the arts on cites was a topic of discussion throughout the symposium, and rightly so,
we must remember that the arts are most important because they enrich the quality of life.’
In 1993, the University of Westminster produced a report entitled Public Art in Private Places:
Commercial Benefits and Public Policy. In the report’s Executive Summary, it was stated that
‘the main objectives of the research were to assess the commercial benefits on investment for
developers and investors in public art provision and to investigate the extent of public policies
pertaining to the topic’.
One of the findings of the study was that ‘the research as a whole would support
the view that investment in public art is worthwhile in the medium to long term
in commercial office developments. Developments endowed with art
installations as part of their overall image are likely, provided factors of rent,
location and quality of accommodation are equal, to have a competitive edge
over their rivals’.
Photographs: John Field
Ipswich was no exception to this increase in the provision of public art since
the 1980s but, in our case, I feel that this surge in interest was, generally, a
desire to improve the street scenes of our town as much as developers wishing
to capitalise upon their investment.
As illustrated by the Borough Council’s leaflet Artathon, produced in 2012,
almost forty sculptures and pieces of public art appeared in Ipswich between
1990 and 2011. Of these, fifteen are in the town centre and a further six in the
Waterfront area (excluding those pieces located inside buildings). Although
each of these pieces of public art has its own story to tell, I will concentrate on
a small number from the last forty or so years which I particularly enjoy.
1990 – Madonna and Child (Lady Lane and St Mary Elm Church)
The Marymana Group commissioned local sculptor, Robert Mellamphy, to produce a Madonna
and Child piece, based upon the 12th century sculpture originally located in a nationally-
important shrine in Lady Lane. Unfortunately, the original sculpture was sent to London to be
burnt as part of the Reformation but, along with many people, I believe that it survived and was
smuggled out of the country and now resides in a large chapel fronting the beach in Nettuna,
Italy. The piece is on the wall in Lady Lane close to where the Shrine was located. Robert also
carved a larger wooden Madonna and Child, also based upon the statue in Nettuna, which can be
seen inside St Mary Elm Church.
1990 – Spirit of Youth, by John Rivera Provided by a locally-based developer, Churchmanor Estates, this sculpture brings to life a small space formed in the 1990s by a group of new buildings, situated between Museum Street and Black Horse Lane. I consider that the space, with its delightful sculpture, to be one of the most charming additionsto our town centre and understand that the developer commissioned it in order to further beautify this new intimate
courtyard provided by his commercial investment. A nice touch was the fact that the piece originally included the girl’s broad-brimmed hat lying separately on the nearby seat but, unfortunately, one night it disappeared.
1992 – Triple Mycomorph (Fungus Form)
For me this sculpture has a particularly poignant story. Tom Gondris, whom we lost some two years ago, was for many years an important Borough Councillor who was also keen to introduce more works of art into our town. This sculpture, however, has a strong link to Tom’s own story. He was one of the last children who came to Britain from the then Czechoslovakia via the Kindertransport, organised by Nicholas Winton. Tom was expecting his parents to follow him later but, sadly, that did not happen and he never saw them again. Tom asked his friend and local sculptor, Bernard Reynolds, to create a piece in memory of his parents which is now located in the peaceful
garden behind Christchurch Mansion. It can be viewed as representing new life emerging from the old, or as inspired by ballet dancers, which I understand, was one of Tom’s loves, but I see Mother, Father and Child.
1993 – Giles Family, by Miles Robinson (see the photograph on page 2)
Derek Warsop, another long-serving Borough Councillor keen on introducing works of art into the town’s public realm, and Randall Bevan, then Director of Leisure at the Council, approached Daily Express Newspapers, for whom the cartoonist worked, and persuaded them to fund what is, probably, the most popular statue in Ipswich town centre – Grandma and some of the Giles family. It was placed in its original location in 1993 but moved some ten years later when the layout of the space was being remodelled. By this time the space had been renamed Giles Circus after the cartoonist, who had been voted the nation’s favourite cartoonist of the 20th Century. I remember that Bob Kindred and I had to be on site at the time to ensure that, in her new position, Grandma is still grinning (or is it grimacing) up at the window where the cartoonist had his office for many years.
1995 – Longship Screens, by Antony Robinson
1995 – Tam
A year or so after the Giles statue was first erected, I was walking with friends in Rendlesham Forest and passed by the studio of the sculptor, Honoria Surie, and noticed in the garden the Tam sculpture. I
was immediately taken with it and felt that we should try to find a good home for her in the town centre. I mentioned all this to Derek Warsop; we went to see it and he agreed that we should try acquire it for the town. In financing the Giles statue, Express Newspapers had provided a sum for the sculpture’s future maintenance. Derek approached the newspaper and received their agreement for the money to be used by the Council to acquire her for the town and she was acquired by the Council from these funds. The grass and treed area close to
St Mary at the Elms was chosen as a suitably tranquil location for her. My photograph shows
Derek with the sculptor and the model, her daughter Tam (who had in the meantime changed
from being a devotee of flower power to that of the punk movement).
2011 – Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
Over the years, there was some debate about appropriateness of seeking a statue to celebrate
Ipswich’s most famous, or infamous, son. However, it was finally agreed that his importance in
the national story was such that the town should properly mark that Ipswich was his birthplace. A
number of sculptors were asked to produce ideas for such a sculpture; the judging panel
comprised the Council’s Chief Executive, Jim Hehir, Dr John Blatchly, Peter Mortimer
and myself.
In choosing the winning submission, by Scottish sculptor David Annand, the panel felt that,
although Wolsey was on the international stage both as a senior man of the church and as an
important politician on the European stage, we wished to reflect his main link with the town
which was education. He was at school here before going to Oxford and towards the end of his
life he was building his college in the town. For this reason, the sculpture portrays him as a
teacher rather than his other roles, and around the base is inscribed one of his sayings: ‘Pleasure
is to mingle with study, so that the child may think learning an amusement rather than a toil’.
Regarding its location, although the space in front of St Peters Church would have linked the
statue with St Peters, his Collegiate Church, any sculpture would have been dwarfed by the
enormity of the adjoining space which is, basically, a very large traffic junction creating noise
and pollution.
Its chosen location at the top of St Peters Street is close to where he was brought
up as a child. In addition, towards the end of his life Wolsey was in the process of acquiring Curson House, which fronted the space now occupied by the statue, from Lord Curson. This did not materialise as he fell from grace but by placing the statue there Wolsey was, in effect, coming home.
I have chosen a fortuitous photograph I took one day whilst passing, which beautifully encapsulates Wolsey’s belief that education should be made pleasurable as well as informative, with the child appearing to be totally enthralled by what the Cardinal is saying.
2011 – Question Mark, Ben Langlands & Nikki Bell [See the photograph on page 15.]
Somehow this striking sculpture placed close to the University’s Waterfront Building,
encapsulates the valuable concept of seeking knowledge and learning through questioning. Its
scale allows it to command the space and, now, helps to link the town’s major centre of education
to the recent addition, The Hold: Suffolk’s new archives building which, itself, provides a further
important centre of learning in Ipswich. The piece also provides an interesting and thoughtful
point of interest in the waterfront area – in an area of Ipswich which, I feel, is fast becoming one
of the most exciting and stimulating visitor destinations in our region.
John Field – Chair, Ipswich Heritage Forum
[The Ipswich Society’s guide to public art in the town accompanies this issue of the Newsletter. –Ed.]
Ipswich, Sutton Hoo and the Royal Palace at Rendlesham
Our history lies before us. Suffolk County Council’s Heritage Explorer website
(https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/rendlesham-behind-the-scenes)
is going from strength to strength. Not only an excellent interactive map to spot ancient
monuments, listed buildings, archeological explorations and so on, but a series of illustrated
online talks circling around the subject of the Rendlesham Anglo-Saxon palace.
After twelve years of extensive metal-detecting and archaeological investigation, the site of the
early East Anglian royal settlement has been identified at Rendlesham, first mentioned in the
7th century by The Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People. An
internationally important site. Specialist subject areas are introduced by experts and researchers
in these talks, which are freely available using the above link. From an Ipswich point of view, a
key presentation in November 2020 was Anglo-Saxon Ipswich given by our own Keith Wade,
for many years the Suffolk County Archaeologist.
The talk served as a timely reminder of just how extraordinary and unique is the story of our
home town – a story which was revealed only by modern archaeological excavations (as
exemplified by the article on page 9), most notably The Origins of Ipswich Project, 1974 to
1990. Ipswich is one of a handful of towns in north-west Europe with origins in the seventh
century. By the eighth century it was a major craft production centre engaged in international
trade. The most dominant was the distinctive pottery which came to be known as Ipswich ware
which was mass-produced south of Carr Street and traded across the south-east of England
and beyond.
This founding of Ipswich as an international port and craft production centre in the early 8th
century appears to coincide with the sudden decline in activity at Rendlesham; the two things
must surely be connected. Many of the functions performed at Rendlesham and other royal
vills in the seventh century are transferred to Ipswich where a truly market-based economy
develops. Rendlesham was more of a central place for exchange with some craft production.
As studies continue it is likely that this model of the founding and development of towns in
other parts of the country can be established.
Ipswich was the only one which continued on the same site. It continued to thrive during the
Danish occupation and was in the top ten towns in the country until the Norman Conquest. By
the mid-twelfth century Ipswich had dropped to number 21 in the town rankings as it had to
contend with competition from other Suffolk and East Anglian towns. Never again would it
recapture its Middle Saxon importance.
Incidentally, one of the follow-up questions to Keith elicited the progress on his book about
Anglo-Saxon Ipswich. He said that one would have thought that the 2020 extended period of
lockdown would have been the ideal opportunity to continue the research and writing of the
text. However, this prolonged uncertainty mingled with health and other worries acted as a
disincentive to work as normal – something that many people will have experienced, I would
hazard. However, I believe that the text is more or less complete and illustrative material is
now being drawn and assembled. Exciting times ahead.
R.G.
Many of us have been there before
Being constantly reminded, with great sadness, of the effects which the present pandemic is
having (and will continue to have) on the lives of the young – as well as the old – I thought
back to my own childhood.
Like most of my peers, our early life was consumed by six years of World War Two. I have
tried to compare my memories of some of the privations suffered by children during those
years with those experienced by youngsters during recent months. Most children of my
generation were then probably too young at that time to remember an even earlier life of
freedom and plenty, so that experiences during the war years for them became the norm.
The Class of 47, Luther Road School
Throughout that time, certainly as children, it was hard for any of us to understand why – just
as recently – we weren’t allowed to stray far from our front door. It was early to bed, nights
frequently disturbed by air raids (often spent in our garden air-raid shelter, sometimes under
our beds), with food rationing and ration books – the imposition of which, of course, went on
for long after the war ended. There were no street lights, heavy black-out curtains or shutters at
all the windows, all window glass was criss-crossed by sticky brown-paper tape. There were
identity cards, air-raid wardens, air-raid shelters, Below: Anderson Shelter in the garden
volunteer fire-fighters and fire wardens, and the whole population being fitted out with gas-masks,
each one in an individual cardboard box having a string loop to hang around the neck.
There were few open shops with a scarcity of everything. If your garden had iron railings, they were cut down and carted away, purportedly to be used for munitions manufacture. Scrap metal was in great demand.
Schools were short of all the basics, from books and paper to pens and pencils - with permits for the rest.
Education and everything associated with it, including teachers, was in short supply. There were 50 children in every class at our school, with one teacher for each class who covered all subjects
except sport and religion. Not only was paper for writing scarce, but what we got was poor quality and had frequently already been used on one side for some
Above: the author models his wartime gas mask. other purpose. Pencils had to be shared
Below: the gas mask box. (one pencil being cut into three), with writing practice done using a slate and
chalk. There were scratchy steel-nibbed pens with which we were expected to develop letter-
forms and writing styles modelled on those demonstrated by the class teacher. Each position at
the two-seater desks had an inset white china inkwell. Every morning an ink monitor went
around the desks filling them up and at the end of the afternoon, to prevent loss from
evaporation overnight, (even though there was very little heating) the unused remains
were carefully emptied back into the bottle. Practice air-raid drills – everyone quietly filing out
of class to school shelters – were frequent.
At home, we always kept chickens, grown-on from day-old chicks bought at the livestock
market. They were kept in our garden beneath fruit trees and fed on scraps. There were hens
amongst them who eventually provided us with eggs, and the cockerels were for meat. These
were not pets. My father had several allotment plots at the Maidenhall site, where through very
hard work and long hours, he grew every sort of vegetable and fruit that a family could want.
All your possessions had to be made to last. New clothes and shoes required coupons, so patch
and repair was the norm. Mother darned holes in socks, father re-soled the shoes. Everyone had
more than one ration book – some of which had tear-out coupons, others had sections to mark
off when they had been used. Most children’s toys were lovingly made by parents – with no plastic. There were
virtually no vehicles on the roads. Private motor cars were laid-up as there was no petrol. With very little other traffic, the bicycle was king – but it had to have lights on if ridden at night.
We all now hope that the events which have unfolded since earlier this year do not become the norm. They will surely also be remembered for generations to come?
John Barbrook
The Nursey family of artists 19th century chroniclers of the Ipswich area
In the first half of the 19th century, the Ipswich area was recorded in loving detail by two
generations of the Nursey family of artists. Perry Nursey (1771-1840) was a surgeon, farmer,
landscape gardener and painter at The Grove, Little Bealings, who exhibited at the Royal
Academy in 1799 and 1801 including pictures of the lime kilns at Little Blakenham and
Playford woods.
An acquaintance of John Constable, he encouraged all his children to paint, and two, the Rev.
Perry Nursey (1798-1867) and Claude Lorraine Richard Wilson Nursey (1816-1873) went on
to become prolific artists. Rev. Nursey, who became a clergyman in Norfolk, also exhibited at
the Royal Academy. The younger son was named after two landscape painters, Claude Lorraine
(d. 1682) and Richard Wilson (1714-1782), both great influences on his father.
Claude Nursey, ‘The Wet Dock, Ipswich, from Stoke Bridge’
Claude Nursey studied in London at the Royal Academy and as assistant to his father’s great
friend Sir David Wilkie, Queen Victoria’s portrait painter. After Wilkie’s death in 1841, he
returned to Suffolk and lived for a while in Ipswich, at New Street (1843); Berners Street
(1844) and London Road (also 1844). The town council commissioned him to paint a series of
paintings of Ipswich, of which three are known, and which were lithographed by William
Gauchi. They show the Cornhill; the County Gaol and County Courts in St Helen’s Street; and
the brand new Wet Dock (completed in 1842), painted from Stoke Bridge. Though much has
changed, the sites and some of the buildings are immediately recognisable today. Of the first, the Suffolk Chronicle of 5 March 1842 commented ‘The subject is a view of the Cornhill from Bale’s
corner, showing prominently the front of the Corn Exchange – now doomed to demolition – and the façade of the Town Hall. The vista of St Matthew’s Street also opens upon the eye. The painting is a perfect transcription of a well known local subject’.
Whilst in Ipswich, Claude Nursey also produced a separate series of
Claude Nursey: ‘Interior of Christchurch Mansion, local scenes on his own account, Ipswich’ (courtesy of Ipswich Borough Council which were lithographed by Walter
Collection: Colchester & Ipswich Museums Service)
‘Watt’ Hagreen of Ipswich. These
showed the Brown Room and the
ancient chapel, both in Mr Sparrowe’s Ancient House in the Buttermarket; the grand entrance
hall of Christchurch Mansion (now Ipswich’s superb art gallery); the great salon at Hintlesham
Hall; two scenes inside Framlingham church; Framlingham Castle; the old rectory at Erwarton
and the Seckford Almshouses in his native Woodbridge. None of these scenes have altered
much, albeit that the Brown Room is now full of Lakeland kitchenware products. Hintlesham
Hall is now an hotel and the salon is virtually identical – because they used Claude’s print as
their guide when they restored it. Claude went on to become head master of the art schools in
Belfast, Leeds and Norwich, founded Bradford Art School; inspired the career of the Pre-
Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt; and continued painting all his life. He is buried back
where he began, in Little Bealings.
I trust all readers will agree that the Nurseys’ works are of huge local importance and interest.
I am writing a book about them, and am extremely keen to hear from anyone who knows of any
of their pictures, whether mentioned here or not, as I am sure there are many still to be
discovered. I can be contacted on 07890 068218 or mail@anthonyadolph.co.uk. (Many thanks
to your editor; to Emma Roodhouse and John Day; the staff at Lakeland and Hintlesham Hall;
and also to Glenn Thimblethorpe of the excellent Saurden guest apartment in Playford, where I
stay during my Nursey research forays into Suffolk, for the suggestion of writing this).
Anthony Adolph
[Two colour reproductions of Nursey paintings of Ipswich are shown on our back cover. -Ed.]
Corrigendum
Tony Cross points out that the Newsletter ‘has misspelt the name of the German shoe company that has moved into
Tavern Street: Deichmann, roughly pronounced 'dyke-man' (its literal meaning).’
–Ed.
Letters to the Editor (2)
The lost Queen Victoria statue in front of Christchurch Mansion from Rowell Bell Page 9 of the latest Ipswich Society Newsletter [Issue 233], states that they were cast iron but the 1904 Queen Victoria and the lions were bronze.
Postcard courtesy David Miller
‘Ipswich Art School’ and Eduardo Paolozzi from Michael Lumb
I was delighted to find the latest issue of the Newsletter in my post and read it with as much
interest as always and in particular the article on Eduardo Paolozzi. One point, and please forgive
me if you have already been told this, but I suspect either a slip of the pen or a typo because your
comment after the article by Graham Day says that he was ‘…a visiting lecturer at the Ipswich
School of Art.’ This may well be the case but your next sentence reads ‘He opened the present
Art School in 1987…’ I am pretty certain that you meant it to read the art department of Ipswich
School which, last time I looked, had a plaque on the front of the building commemorating that.
I was completely unaware of the connection of the construction of some of his sculptures in
Ipswich; very interesting. It occurs to me that, with 2024 being one hundred years since he was
born – and with the availability of the ex-Art School building for exhibitions – it would be
wonderful to mount a major exhibition of Paolozzi’s sculpture, potentially in collaboration with
other bodies. I recall the exhibition of his prints but the sculptures would be an entirely
different matter.
Eduardo Paolozzi and Len Smith from Kevin Smith
I was interested to read the article from my friend Graham Day about C.W. Juby links to Eduardo
L. Paolozzi and thought I could add some personal insight with some photographs as Len, the
welder at C.W. Juby, was my father.
Eduardo and Len had a unique working relationship and became friends despite coming from
different backgrounds. Such was their mutual respect for each other's skill often Eduardo would
direct Len to assemble and weld a piece of sculpture in a certain way only for Len to say it was
not possible in engineering practice. Eduardo would then leave it to Len’s discretion to complete
the piece, often going off to London and not returning until the next week, confident his work of
art would be completed.
Eduardo was once quoted in a Sunday Times article that he had worked with Len for so long their
relationship was like an old married couple with a grunt or nod at the right time. As a family we
were often invited to spend a Sunday with the Paolozzi family at their Thorpe-le-Soken home,
Freda his wife making us very welcome although Eduardo would often disappear into his studio.
At the launch of the Paolozzi exhibition at the Tate Gallery, such was Eduardo's respect for Len
that he was invited to London to help set up the exhibition, staying at Eduardo's studio in London
and meeting many art celebrities – quite an experience for a welder from Ipswich.
Like Graham I have a passion for the engineering history of Ipswich and this is just another
example of the diverse legacy many of these companies brought to Ipswich. One footnote
regarding Sor Of Hing on St Matthew’s: C.W. Juby and Len were involved in the fabrication of
the fixings for this sculpture.
Left: Len Smith working on a sculpture.
Right: Len and Eduardo.
Photographs courtesy: Kevin Smith
Decent housing/surroundings and our well-being from Izzy Lane
I wondered if your readers have seen this https://theconversation.com/people-living-in-newer-
homes-found-lockdown-more-difficult-new-research-147724. It’s a report about a study (available
at http://placealliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Place-Alliance-Homes-and-Covid-
Report_2020.pdf) that looked into the impact of where we live and how difficult we found lock-down.
The article points out that, ‘A key finding from this research was that the least comfortable
dwellings, least supportive neighbourhoods for everyday needs, and weakest sense of community
correlated directly with the age of housing’ with people living in the most recently built
neighbourhoods reporting the most dissatisfaction with their home and the local area. Amongst
other things, the study found that having more space indoors meant people were more
comfortable, and access to private, outdoor space – whether a garden or a balcony – was also
important.
When it came to the local neighbourhood, parks and green spaces were key to people’s
satisfaction with the area they live in, along with having local shops a few minutes’ walk away.
People were also happier where they had access to footpaths and cycle-paths that were quieter
and had less traffic.
I thought it was interesting, given the work the Ipswich Society does with regard
to planning applications, and trying to ensure houses are built to a decent standard,
with plenty of open spaces. Clearly the Society does know what it’s talking about!
[Home comforts: how the design of our homes and neighbourhoods affected our
experience of the Covid-19 lockdown and what we can learn for the future was
published by Place Alliance – campaigning for place equality, October 2020.]
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Florentine Ipswich:
‘The Cornhill as an important outdoor art gallery’. Article page 16.
(John Field archive)
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.
Two views of Ipswich by the local artist Claude Nursey (1816-1873), oil on canvass. Things have
changed quite a bit: The Cornhill (above) and The County Gaol, St Helens Street (below). See page 20.