October 2022 Issue 231
Contents
Editorial / New members
Book review: Gipping Navigation
Chairman’s remarks
Ipswich Society Awards
Planning matters
Making malt – the old way
BT Hubs, central Ipswich
Outing to Hampstead & Highgate
Ipswich expansion
Letters to the Editor
Cornhill fountains
Ipswich Garden Suburb
Debenhams and the Unex Group
Letter to the Editor: 4 College Street
Conservation Corner at the Museum
Ipswich Society officers/contacts
IBPT sustainability talk and AGM
Diary dates
Street scene
Newsletter deadlines
Platinum Jubilee on the Cornhill
Platinum Jubilee on the Cornhill (colour)
Georgian coal-hole covers in the pavements of Church Row, Hampstead, photograph by Andrew Hardwick
Editorial
Hampstead? Why has street furniture in Hampstead appeared on the cover of The Ipswich Society
Newsletter? Simply because new member Andrew Hardwick, on his first Ipswich Society Outing
(to Hampstead and Highgate Cemetery in August) took the time to record the pavement features
of the notable Georgian street, Church Row – and to assemble the images so effectively. A report
of the visit appears on page 20. Restarting the Society’s summer outings after the pandemic has
proved quite a task for our Hon. Secretary, Caroline Markham, with difficulties in persuading
coach companies, not to mention the experienced guides to commit to a date. Whereas in the past
the Society has run a number of outings each summer, we were therefore limited to one this year
– apart from limited availability trips on the S.B. Victor – due to such problems.
Highgate Cemetery West: The Circle of Lebanon,
photograph by Andrew Hardwick
It’s not often that hard rock enters the pages of this Newsletter*, but it’s worth mentioning the
rise of twelve year-old Ipswich schoolgirl Nandi Bushell, formerly of St Margaret's Primary
School. She got her first drum kit aged five and by nine she was being interviewed on The Ellen
Show on American TV. Forming a special relationship with Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl, after
challenging him to an online drum-off, she played onstage with the band in Los Angeles in
August 2021. This happened again on September 3 this year during the Foo Fighters’ tribute
concert to their late drummer Taylor Hawkins at Wembley Stadium. It’s probably worth keeping
an eye on this young, talented and ambitious multi-instrumentalist.
Robin Gaylard
[*apart from some articles from GeoSuffolk…]
New members
Chairman’s remarks
Those of you who turned up for Heritage Open Days on Saturday 10 September and found the
majority of buildings open, may be surprised that we’d had to make the difficult decision about
participating. You will, of course, know that on Thursday 8, just 16 hours before our
deliberations, the death had been announced of Her Majesty the Queen. The dilemma: do I
instruct each venue not to open and join those who had decided to enter a period of mourning, or
to follow the lead – which was obviously being adopted by the major retailers – and open
as planned?
We debated the pro’s and cons of each alternative and a few mixed scenarios in between. I
checked the Government website (which incidentally became very clear after I’d made the
decision), spoke to colleagues at the major venues, WTW and Mutual House, and before
lunchtime decided that as it would have been impossible to inform every member of the general
public – who by now were clutching their copy of the booklet (clearly stating opening times for
each venue) – so, we decided to open as planned.
We clearly made the correct decision; it turned out to be our most successful Heritage Open
Weekend ever. Each venue reported record figures and the two new additions, the Ancient
House (600) and number 4 College Street (1,000 visitors) were incredibly busy. At College
Street the volunteers had a particularly difficult task of managing the crowd, which at times
stretched along Bridge Street.
Willis (or to give then their correct new name: WTW) was unsurprisingly busy, not only with
Heritage visitors but also former employees who were taking the opportunity to remind
themselves of their place of work. The building was designed to accommodate 1,400 employees
and, of these, only 250 will be in the office on any given day (the rest will be working from
home, etc.).
This is an issue for the catering team. When the building first opened, a majority of staff used the
restaurant at lunchtime and a variety of hot and cold meals were served. This number has
declined over the years but fell dramatically during the pandemic. However, the catering
manager proved to be a star for the heritage weekend providing a choice of value-for-money
meals to all visitors. As one of the many diners, I would like to thank him personally.
WTW staff volunteered to answer the many questions raised by the visitors, and to lead tours of
the various features of the building, a chance to see the swimming pool and to understand how
the glass walls work. This was a fine example of how an international company can
communicate and relate to the local community. This Grade I listed building may be theirs but we love it, and the way they ‘share’ it.
One final note on Heritage Open Days: we learned a lot over the two days: things we
did well and the things we occasionally got wrong, but I’m sure there are things we missed. Please email the Secretary and let her know; we’ll strive to improve things for next year, and if you’d like to be involved (from May onwards in the organisation) or just for an hour or two on one of the ‘open days’ please let us know.
John Norman
The queue outside 4 College Street.
Planning matters
The New Wolsey 2 Participation building has received a Royal Institute of British Architects
East award and Client of the Year awards. This is a signal honour from one of the major civic
organisations.
Link for full information:
https://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/riba-regional-
awards/riba-east-award-winners/2022/nw2-participation-building-and-theatre-square
Land between Unity Street and Tye Road, off Duke Street. Erection of a six storey, 174-bed
student hall. A previous application (for apartments) was refused and they now address the issue
by a redesign and alternative use. They contend that there is support from the University and that
other planning matters will be dealt with.
St Michaels Church, Upper Orwell Street. Designed by E.F. Bisshopp, listed grade II. This
Victorian church was burnt out in 2010 when it was owned by a Muslim community. They had
plans for rebuilding and conversion to a community hub which came to nothing. It has recently
been purchased for £175,000 by The Ark of the Lord Church. They need a further £1,200,000 to
complete the project.
3-5 Silent Street. This Tudor building, once Claude Cox’s bookshop is adjacent to 45-47 St
Nicholas Street, they were built in the late 15th century as an inn. Listed at Grade II*, it has
many outstanding features and is of national importance. (Pevsner describes it as
uncommonly fine’).
The current owner, a Society member, now wishes to make alterations, mostly to the interior to
improve access and to facilitate functions for up to 35 people. These include a small glazed link
extension to the rear, providing an interior route to the WC; the removal of a late 19th century
screen in the front room; a small room will have a new kitchen; replacing a pair of casement
windows in the rear elevation with modern glazed Crittall doors – this will allow light into the
rear and improve access to the garden. The Silent Street elevation will remain untouched. These
sensible improvements will be carried out to the highest standards and will have respect for the
building which Heritage Assessor, Leigh Alston, considers should be Grade I. There is an
architect’s model on display in the building’s window.
114 Fore Hamlet. Handford Homes for IBC propose to demolish the Orwell (Hope) Church and
replace it with two blocks consisting of thirty apartments containing 10 one-bed and 20 two-bed
apartments. The building will be constructed of brick, rusticated on the ground floor. Some
apartments will have Juliet balconies. Being so close to bus routes and the town centre, only
eleven car parking spaces have been planned, all with EV charging points. The height will
descend from six to four storeys’ to fit in with adjacent buildings. Two multi-stemmed Plane
trees at the South East corner of the site are protected by a Tree Preservation Order and will be
retained. This appears to be a satisfactorily designed scheme and will provide much needed
affordable housing.
37 Berners Street. This proposal is to convert a Grade II listed three storey mid Victorian gault
brick, now painted house, into apartments. There is a large rear extension so 3 one-bed and 3
two-bed flats, together with some communal space, can be fitted in. Three parking spaces will be
provided to the rear and three to the front of the building. The exterior of the building will not be
altered. They comply, just, and if approved will provide six more apartments near the town
centre.
Ipswich Garden Suburb. Crest Nicolson’s application for the appearance and design of the
Visitors Centre and associated works for the Country Park. The design of the centre is modern
and exciting but half the necessary size for future uses. Otherwise this application is reasonable.
Granted permission subject to many conditions which will be overseen by Officers.
Two Bridges: A Vehicle Bridge and a Foot/Cycle bridge across the railway, Ipswich Garden
Suburb (Crest Nicolson). These are two important pieces of infrastructure which will enable
communication and help the development become a real community.
The vehicle bridge has been designed by a firm of bridge designers from Shropshire. It conforms
to Network Rail’s demanding criteria regarding clearances, safety for rail workers, safety of users
and prevention of track access by the general public. Unfortunately, it is an entirely utilitarian
prefabricated structure of metal and concrete with no aesthetic value whatsoever.
The foot/cycle bridge, closer to Westerfield station and providing access to the Country Park, is
designed with zigzag steel ramps on either side of the railway with flights of stairs for those on
foot. Planned at 3.5m wide where the national standard is 4m. This will be an expensive
structure to build, difficult for cyclists to use and awkward for mobility scooters and pushchairs,
potentially an eyesore within a rural setting (see a similar footbridge at Trimley). It would have
been more sustainable to build straight ramps of sufficient width out of spoil material. The
Committee granted permission with one against and two abstentions.
[See also the article about Ipswich Garden Suburb on page 22.]
Grafton Way. Galliard Homes proposed development has previously been approved. This
application concerns amendments to ensure all rooms conform to National Standards, garage
configuration, bin storage arrangements, omission of metal cladding, and the rationalisation of
roof forms. The landscape design has been set out to provide green corridors from Grafton Way
to enable a view of the River Gipping, landscaped frontage to Grafton Way and new public space
on the corner of Grafton Way and Bridge Street. A hundred trees will be planted.
Unfortunately, conditions 18 and 19, which refer to the provision of foot/cycle paths along the
river from Stoke Bridge to Princes Street Bridge parallel with Grafton Way, are not mentioned.
This is potentially the most worrying aspect of this application, an omission which we will point
out to the Officers and to the developers. Otherwise this seems to be a satisfactory application.
Westerfield Care Village. Final designs for this new concept of care for the elderly were
granted permission. 147 apartments and two staff houses complete with treatment rooms,
lounges, saunas, café, and a cinema room. The architecture, by Bryan Whybrow of KLH, is fine
and a welcome addition to sheltered accommodation in Ipswich
Former Defiance public house, Stoke Street. There have been many applications to convert this
old pub into dwellings. This application for Mac Khan by KLH, proposes a four bed HMO,
together with 1 two-bed apartment, and 1 one-bed apartment. There are great concerns about
daylight reaching some of the living areas. The Committee deferred a decision in order to make a
site visit.
St Stephens Church. This building has been unused since the closure of the Tourist Information
Centre in 2020. The owners, IBC, have instructed Nicolas Jacob Architects to update the small
14th century parish church to a fit-for-purpose, 225 capacity modern music performance venue
and a new daytime culture-led café and co-working spaces to support creators and artists for
‘Sounds Unlimited’. The church will become a venue, capable of hosting a variety of live music
performances and programmes of events; the creation of a new daytime café and co-working
space will enable use by artists, performers, creatives and entrepreneurs. The changes include
installation of four modern toilets in the south aisle, insertion of a new external door in the north-
east aisle and secondary acoustic glazing. Some of the valuable heritage artefacts will be moved
(within the church) or encased to enable the new use.
24 Park Road. The agreed glass extension on the south elevation, overlooking Christchurch
Park, proved technically impossible to build. A new design by KLH will overcome problems of
glare and solar gain and accede to new building regulations – and it will look better from the
park. We still think it's a shame they wish to remove the elegant wooden trellis on the Park
Road elevation.
Padel Courts, Ipswich Sports Club, Tuddenham Road. Permission has been granted for six
Padel courts, a sort of small-scale tennis, the fastest growing sport in the UK. There were many
objectors on the grounds that the entrance was unsafe. However SCC Highways did not object
and there have been no reported problems for many years.
Town Hall. It has been agreed that the Pickwick Room and its annex should be refurbished and
become licensed for Civil Marriage solemnization.
Anglia Parkway South. The CarPhone Warehouse Shed will become a Taco Bell outlet, making
this the fourth fast-food outlet at the entrance to the retail park. Is this the unhealthiest spot in
Ipswich? Simply drive in to consume excessive amounts of processed fast-food.
Mike Cook
BT Hubs, central Ipswich
These ‘information hubs’ are basically large, double-sided TV screens which, in some locations,
would replace unused telephone boxes. We are told (by the applicant) that they will broadcast
‘community news’, local authority information, but for 95% of airtime, commercial advertising.
Three metres high, 1.25 metres wide and 35 centimetres thick, they will additionally provide free
outgoing 999 phone calls, ultrafast wi-fi, USB ports to recharge your mobile device and
environmental sensors. I have recently spent a day in Northampton and seen the detriment to the
street scene that these (and other similar) devices cause.
We feel that they all should be refused but those away from listed buildings or conservation areas
may be approved.
The chosen sites are:-
1. Amenity Land Old Foundry Road to replace a bank of three BT phone boxes. No objection.
2. Highway land outside 56 Westgate Street*. Unnecessary in this historic location as there is an
‘Information monolith’ nearby. We suggest that the application is refused.
3. Highway land opposite 6 Civic Drive*. This would be a distraction to drivers on an extremely
busy road. An electronic billboard further down Civic Drive has been refused on these grounds.
4. Highway land outside 283 Duke Street*. Very close to the street and thus distracting. A better
site is by the nearby layby.
5. Highway land outside Electric House*. This site in the busy bus station is potentially
acceptable.
6. Land adjacent to Waterloo House, Lloyds Avenue. Historic area. Refuse
7. Amenity adjacent to 19-21 Neptune Quay*. The plaza outside the University Waterfront
Building, a Conservation Area. We recommend refusal
8. Highway land outside 46-48 Buttermarket*. An inappropriate town centre site, so we
recommend refusal.
*All proposals marked with an asterisk* do not replace BT phone boxes.
Mike Cook
Ipswich is growing, its population rising and the number of homes increasing. OK, you didn't need me to tell you this but I can put some official (Suffolk County Council) figures on the picture. In the 2011 census the population of the wider conurbation was 178,000, of whom 133,000 lived inside the Borough boundary. This latter figure is estimated to grow to 155,300 by 2036.
These additional families will need somewhere to live; here we look at the Local Plan produced by the District Councils, including Ipswich Borough. Plans for the wider Ipswich include provision (allocated space) for 9,777
dwellings by 2031. The largest clusters will be Brightwell Lakes, Wolsey Gardens and Ipswich Garden Suburb.
Predictions in the Local Plan need to include employment, suggesting land where there is opportunity for the creation of offices, industrial estates and distribution facilities. This is where it gets considerably more difficult; noone at the Borough is expecting a major employer to suddenly arrive and build a car plant, a large scale food processing facility or even a labour-intensive production facility.
These days this type of operation is automated, with the number of employees almost in single figures looking after multiple machines. These machines work many times faster, without breaks, than the former workforce ever did. It matters not if this ‘shed’ is a distribution warehouse or a packaging plant, it might not need labour but it still needs space: land that is accessible, level and conveniently situated.
In the twenty first century these industrial estates are not the major employers, although they are
significant in the economy of the town. Today, most people work in the service industries: for the
local authority, for the health service – in hospitals and in the multitude of other medical facilities
– and in the hospitality and leisure industry.
I have carefully avoided mentioning the one key bugbear in these predictions – that of traffic
growth which, according the SCC, is expected to grow by 20% over a similar time period. What
is worse is that the growth will not be accompanied by an increase in road space. There might be
minor differences as we improve junctions, but in Ipswich the existing street pattern will
remain. This predicted increase in traffic will be accompanied by an even bigger increase in
congestion, a reduction in air quality and a slowing of economic growth.
Quite logically SCC, as the highway authority, has suggested that, as the population increases,
there should be a modal shift from single-occupancy private cars to sustainable transport. Given
the problems brought about by the Coronavirus, this is likely to be cycling and walking rather
than additional public transport.
So SCC is working on the LCWIP: the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, which
comprises suggestions and proposals for all major towns across the county. In Ipswich, where the
majority of journeys into the town centre for work, shopping or leisure are less than 4 kilometres,
the benefit to the individual of leaving the car at home will be measurable, if only we can
persuade drivers to become cyclists.
The proposals are centred on making more road space available to cyclists, making them feel
more comfortable, less exposed and more confident to select the bike for the short journey.
'Pinch points' on the existing infrastructure will be closed to motorised vehicles; this will have
the additional benefit of stopping some of the 'rat-runs'.
The narrow tunnel-like bridge under the railway in Bramford Lane is to become pedestrian and
cyclists-only, as have the bridges over the railway in Marlborough Road and Fuchsia Lane.
Milner Street, close to Suffolk New College, has restricted access which has improved the
ambience of Kings Avenue and Oxford Road.
Between Colchester Road and Rushmere Road, Leopold Road and Westbury Road have been
closed to through traffic to make cycling less stressful and the cycle lanes around the Colchester
Road bypass 'improved'!
Will any of this increase the number of people cycling rather than driving? Some parts may help.
John Norman
Ipswich Cornhill Fountains
The Society is disappointed to learn that the dancing fountains on the Cornhill, although still
working are failing to ‘dance’. They can still produce equal vertical columns of water from most
of the outlets but can no longer issue varying jets from the eighteen different nozzles at different
times. We’ve also noticed that some of the nozzles are blocked. We understand that this is a
computer problem rather than a mechanical or hydraulic problem. Frustrating; however we wish
the engineers well in solving this issue.
The repaving and upgrading of the Cornhill cost some £4 million in 2018, with the fountains
creating additional dwell time.
Debenhams and the UNEX Group
When Debenhams closed their Ipswich store the building was purchased by the Unex Group, a
family firm owned (and chaired) by Bill Gredley of Newmarket. It is understood that Unex paid
£3 million for the freehold of the building. Unex have an enviable recent history in the
innovative reuse of similar redundant buildings. Previous redevelopments and new uses include
what was the Fraser House/Maple Court building on the corner of Princes and Museum Streets
(Savills occupy the corner ground floor unit).
Frasers former store,
Museum Street/
Princes Street,
Ipswich
‘Debenhams’ today
The Unex Group portfolio includes numerous buildings across East Anglia from the elliptical 26
storey Unex Tower in East London, adjacent to the Stratford transport hub (National Rail Network, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and ‘bus station) to Unex House in Peterborough. As could be expected given that their headquarters are in Stetchworth, southwest of Newmarket, their largest portfolio is in Cambridge.
Unex Tower, Stratford
Unex haven’t yet announced potential new uses for the Ipswich building but their architects have
an enviable record of designing flexible spaces and Unex, a history of rooting out a variety of
potential users. In Ipswich it is probable that the ground floor will be divided into smaller retail
units and favourable rents could well attract those stores currently trading on what has become
the periphery of the town centre to move closer to the Cornhill.
It was initially hoped that some retailers would be trading by October and across the all-
important Christmas period, but this now seems unlikely. There has been speculation that the
basement could be a music venue (nightclub) but this might compromise potential use of the
upper floors as residential, alternatively the first and second floors could become offices,
possibly to have a non-invasive medical use (clinic, advice centre, diagnostic testing) or become
a modern apartment-hotel (the agent’s brochure goes on to suggest Ipswich receives 3.5 million
tourist visits per year).
The building also has the potential for a leisure use (including restaurant), contributing to the
night-time economy of the town centre. Speculation suggests this could spill out of the building
onto a pedestrianised part of Lloyds Avenue to provide al fresco dining.
Debenhams closed in May 2021 after two centuries of retailing. The original Footman’s store
was founded in 1815, hence ‘Waterloo House’, and moved onto the Westgate Street/Lloyds
Avenue corner site in 1842. The current store was built in 1979 with a basement supermarket,
ground floor and two upper floors.
John Norman
Conservation Corner at the High Street Museum I clean rust off weaponry with fine wire wool or emery paper, or tarnish off silver with Autosol silver polish – in this case, coins 1,000 years old picturing Aethelred the Unready, circa AD 997.
After the ‘before’ photo is taken of the coins it is on with the polish and a light rub with cotton wool, then the white spirit, which removes any residue as well as tarnish and dirt and finally on with the Renaissance micro-crystallin wax polish to shine and preserve. Some of the coins had been found sandwiched in a silver brooch of the period, which I cleaned.
My bonus is looking up the history of the objects entrusted to my care. The king’s name, portrait, and royal style on the obverse, were complimented by the name of the moneyer and the mint who had made it along with a Christian design or motif on the reverse.
The design on these coins was known as the Long Cross, which was an adoption of a striking portrait, modelled on a coin type from Imperial Rome, which reflected growing confidence in Aethelred, who had been on the throne since aged 12 in 978.
The Unready bit translates to ‘ill advised.’ After the Battle of Maldon in 991 which the Anglo-Saxons lost,
the King was advised by the Archbishop of Canterbury to pay the Vikings 3,300 kg of silver tribute to cease further fighting, with mixed results. “993 This year Anlaf came to Staines with 93 ships and plundered that part of the country; and he went thence to Sandwich and so on to GIPPESWIC and laid all waste”… The beginnings of an eventual shipment of 100 tons of silver.
St Brice’s Day massacre 1002, intended to kill all Danish men living in England, was not a good idea, especially when Gunhilde, the sister of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of the Danes 986-1014, was killed too. Invasion followed in 1003, and
continued to cost in lives, property and tributes ‘Danegold’ up to 1013 when Sweyn decided to
take the English throne, Aethelred headed to Normandy in exile. Aethelred returned after Sweyn
died a year later, having to negotiate his restoration, and died in 1016 – the longest reigning
Saxon King. Aethelred was briefly succeeded by his son Edmund but he died after a few months
and was replaced by Sweyn’s son, Cnut the Great: King Canute, of the North Sea Empire, a
thalassocracy of England, Denmark, and Norway…
Now I must say goodbye to the creaky wooden staircase, vintage posters and the high ceilinged,
two-level lab, where everything had its place and purpose – even when not obvious. We had
coffee and biscuits on the upper deck by the desks and applied a little tender-loving care to
artefacts on the lower deck to light background pop or classical music, with daylight filtering
through the dusty windows.
Rowell Bell
Part of the Barsham Hoard after cleaning (Aethelred II long cross type coins: 997 to 1003), found in
1986 on Barsham Marshes on the bank of River Waveney [from Suffolk Heritage Explorer].
Ipswich Building Preservation Trust
Members of The Ipswich Society are invited to a talk by
Dr Alison Pooley and Dr Hannah Steventon from the core team of the new Suffolk Sustainability Institute of the University of Suffolk.
The Trust will launch its new project Caring for Your Vintage House, which aims to encourage sustainable retrofitting of vintage homes in Ipswich whilst retaining their essential character.
This will follow a short AGM; light refreshments will be available.
Thursday 27 October 2022 at 6.30 for 7pm
at the Waterfront Building, University of Suffolk
Fore Street
When I last wrote Street Scene I did not think there would
be much to report this time what with the ‘Cost of living
crisis’, world shortages due to wars and the pandemic etc.,
but as ever, our town continually changes and throws up
surprises. With the very successful ‘Big Hoot’ Art Trail
filling the town with colourful Owls the town has been
awash with children from Ipswich and further afield
dragging their parents and grandparents all round the town
for selfies with all the owls whilst using many of the town's
facilities as they go – and greatly adding to the town centre
footfall. This is the third Art Trail held in Ipswich and each
time they seem to get busier.
Town centres are contracting and the
stronger businesses tend to be moving more centrally as space becomes
available. It was not long ago Superdrug closed both its shops on the edge of town and opened a new
one right in the centre on Tavern Street. Ann Summers has moved from
the far end of Westgate Street, filling the old Paperchase unit in Tavern Street. Time 2 Vape has just moved from Butter Market into the old Thorntons unit in Tavern Street. Sports Direct and Time2Vape, Tavern Street
Game with other Fraser Group brands are expected to move in the near future from Carr Street
into the more central former BHS building in Butter Market, which it now owns.
The Sailmakers Shopping Centre (formerly Tower Ramparts) has recently The Grape Escape, St Margarets Plain
changed hands and the new owners, ALB Group, seem determined to get it up and running again. All the empty units have been cleaned up and refurbished since they took over. Bex Bait & Tackle and The Military Unit have moved into the refurbished former Post Office site on the first floor. Blue Inc were to close but are now reported to be staying open whilst Harry’s handcrafted
Doughnuts are shortly to open in the former Bags 4 U unit. Media suggests there are other
interested parties looking at the complex.
The Grape Escape wine shop is to open soon in the long-empty former Alexandria Hair Artistry
building in St Margaret's Plain which has just been refurbished. The Great Escape rooms (a sort
of Crystal Maze-style set of puzzles) has just opened on Fore Street.
Lush in Tavern Street has recently been closed and has now reopened after a complete freshen
up. The former Burger King unit in Westgate Street, where building work is in progress, will
soon be opening as a Thai/Chinese Restaurant. Instead of closing, Next has made their London
Road store in Suffolk Retail Park into an Outlet Store selling off end of line stock as well as a
Click-&-Collect hub.
After closing during the pandemic Arlingtons restaurant is open again on Museum Street with
a new owner.
The Oasis Lounge bar and café has opened on Albion Wharf next to the Winerack and work has
started to refurbish the former La Tour Cycle Café unit for the BrewDog pub chain (also on
Albion Wharf, at the head of the Wet Dock). The Gandhi Indian Restaurant in St 4 College Street
Peter's Street which has been managed by Mohammed Miah since 1990, has been leased to Caprinos Pizza and is being converted into a Pizza restaurant, whilst the former Carphone Warehouse unit in the Anglia Retail Park is to become a Taco Bell restaurant.
After months of work, 4 College Street, the Grade II listed merchant’s house by the docks which has been derelict for many years has completed a major refurbishment and restoration by Ipswich Borough Council and now looks smart and loved once more. This is the first phase of IBC's plans to restore the remaining buildings by the Waterfront gateway off Bridge Street which includes landscaping plans for the current temporary car park on the former Paul’s maltings site.
Construction continues with work
progressing fast on the new McCarthy Stone ‘assisted living complex’ in Lower Brook Street on
the former Archant newspapers site, while work is surging ahead on the new 100-bedroom
Travelodge next to Endeavour House (SCC HQ) on Russell Road. Ipswich Museum is soon to
close for two to three years whilst it undergoes a major refurbishment and upgrade assisted by
the Lottery Heritage Fund. Plans are in place to build a state-of-the-art Aqua Park swimming
pool on the Portman Road car park, replacing Crown Pools – which are considered to be
substandard for today's expectations. A multi-storey car park is also planned to serve the Aqua
Park, the football stadium and the evolving office and business corridor in Princes Street.
The new Handford Road flats for the disabled have recently been completed and look good.
The Duke Street residential development construction continues (slowly) with indications that
the flats are not selling as quickly as the developer would like.
The Blue Light Hub, Princes
Street and Chancery Road
The Blue Light Hub – combined Police Station/Fire Station/Ambulance Station – on Princes
Street has been completed and is looking much smarter than the dated and tired Fire Station
building it has replaced. St Clement's Church Arts Centre has completed Phase 1 of its
conversion into an Arts Centre with its brand new oak wall-to-wall floor. Fund-raising continues
for Phase 2, to include toilets and a kitchen.
Tim Leggett’s panoramic shot of the Cornhill in June 2022: the Platinum Jubilee (see also back page).
As part of the ‘Greener Ipswich Project’, new bespoke seating has beeninstalled on the
paved area by St Peter's Church tower with plans to add to the landscaping in the area.
With some of the hoardings removed the New seating by Tidal Barrier St Peter's Churchviewing area at the end of Bath Street has become more visible but discussion is still taking place to try and overcome the Health and Safety issues and get the whole block-paved and landscaped area fully accessible to the public.
Tim Leggett
Book review
The Ipswich to Stowmarket Navigation by Ian Petchey, The River Gipping Trust
I really enjoyed this well-illustrated 100+ page book written by Ian Petchey in conjunction with
the River Gipping Trust. It tells the story of the River Gipping Navigation completed in 1793 from Stowmarket to the tideway in Ipswich using a mix of written records and landscape features, many illustrated with photographs. I love this ‘industrial archaeology’ approach and the book will inform my next and future outings north into the River Gipping valley.
Subtitled ‘John Rennie’s First Canal Project’ it has interesting content on this early Scottish engineer at the start ofhis career in the 1790s. This was indeed his first project, and he announced (at the age of only 31) that ‘the ground for the foundation of the Locks should be bored which will enable me to point out the proper mode of laying down the foundation of each’. He also insisted that the bridges and locks should be built from brick rather than timber and earth. A progressive Georgian engineer indeed and no wonder we still have so many of his structures intact including the East and West India Docks, Waterloo Bridge, Southwark Bridge and London Bridge.
The chapters are organised for the most part in a topical rather than geographical way, so you can
dip into ‘Some original bridges along the canal’; ‘Water mills along the Gipping’; ‘Industry along the canal’; ‘The Gipping and the oldest photo in Suffolk’ (about our early Ipswich photographer John Wiggin) – and thus theme your trips into the Gipping valley.
The last fifteen pages, however, are about the geographical end of the Navigation, the River
Gipping in Ipswich. The Alderman Canal/Little Gipping area of our town, so difficult to work out
in the field, is explained for us and there is an interesting section on Wright’s Boatyard in
Cullingham Road. Entry to the tideway was problematical. John Rennie was concerned about
lack of water depth under Stoke Bridge (his notes from the National Library of Scotland are
transcribed in an Appendix and this topic takes up a full page out of the four reproduced) and by
the early 1880s the plans for the new Ipswich wet dock caused great consternation among the
Trustees of the Navigation when they realised they would not have access to the new dock
directly from the river, but would have to go downstream to the lock.
This book is a valuable addition to literature on the landscape and history of Suffolk and the Ipswich Society is pleased to have contributed towards its cost.
The Ipswich and Stowmarket Navigation 2022 by The River Gipping Trust and Ian Petchey
(ISBN 978-1-7396717-0-9) can be obtained from Dial Lane Bookshop,
hello@diallanebooks.co.uk, 8 Dial Lane, Ipswich, IP1 1DL Price £10.
Caroline Markham
Ipswich Society Awards, 2022
The Society looks forward to the prominent date in November when we celebrate the recent
completion of projects around the town, ones that are worthy of being considered for the annual
Ipswich Society Awards.
The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday November 23 and we are pleased we have been able to book The Hold, as last year, for the event which will begin at 7.30pm.
There are expected to be about fifteen nominations being celebrated on the evening. The nominations include new public buildings, renovations of houses and at least one new factory!
Look on the Image Archive site via our web page and you will find a full list and many photographs of all the nominations.
Around now, our adjudication team will be meeting to decide upon the merits of each nomination. The Awards are in three categories: Distinction, High Commendation and Commendation depending on the level of quality within our criteria.
The criteria are to do with architectural quality; projects which are in character with the
surroundings or forming a focal point; an improvement to the original building or its setting;
well-considered and appropriate scale, detailing, colour and materials; good quality of
workmanship and standard of finish and finally impact: does the project set a good standard for
others to follow?
The degree to which these criteria are met determines the category of the award.
We generally get a large audience for the event, so make a note in your diaries for late November.
If you are interested in the history of the Awards go to our website and explore the Image
Archive where you can see Albums which go back to 1977.
Tony Marsden
(Image Archive Curator & Vice Chairman)
Making malt – the old way
The Friary Meux maltings, Ipswich, in the sixties
This photograph is from The
Meux’s Brewery Co. Ltd maltings on the east of Common Quay Ipswich Society’s Jepson 1961
photographed from the Island site by Brian Jepson in 1961. The Image Archive album (search
recently opened Civic College rises in the background with Eastern
Counties Farmers feed mill at the right. Photograph from our Fore for ‘Meux Maltings’) and Ron
Street Facelift mini-site: Wragg writes in to confirm
[http://www.ipswichsociety.org.uk/fore-st-facelift/history/meux-maltings/]. that the building was indeed a malting, not a brewery. He knows, because he worked there at that very time. The buildings were between Fore Street and the dockside in Ipswich, near the Customs House, but are now demolished. These are his recollections of the job.
I was living with my parents in Whitton. Friary Meux had two malthouses next to each other on the dock. I knew some people who worked there and they said it was a good job because although it was 7 days a week you only worked half days. In the winter we started early - 6am until 1’ish, and made the actual malt. I wasn’t keen on those early starts because I was courting and wanted to be out quite late in the evening. You can only make malt in the winter, because it gets too hot, too fast, in the summer. In summer you didn’t start til 7am and we did things like unloading the coal wagons - the kells (= kilns) were fed by coal. It was in big lumps and arrived a couple of times a season. You had to climb into the railway wagons and shovel it into wheelbarrows and then into the two coal holes – one for each of the two kells. In the summer we also bagged up the previous season’s finished malt for the Friary Meux brewery in London, and also took in the bulk loads of the new season’s dried barley which we loaded into hoppers.
Malt has to be turned manually and kept aerated to keep cool or it runs away. It was hard to keep
all the malt at the same stage together and tidy – the Brewery would check it. You start off by
dropping the dry barley from a hopper down into the ‘steep’ which was a brick built pond about
four feet deep, and you would add the water and leave it there for 2 or 3 days to soak. Then it
was drained off and we jumped over the wall into the barley and shovelled it out with aluminium
shovels into pan carts which were a sort of high bin sitting on an axle with big rubber-tyred
wooden wheels, one each side of the pan. There is one in the Museum of Food in Stowmarket, and a video of it in use, and two of them are displayed at Snape Maltings. The pan swung so that you could push it and empty it out onto the floor where the malt was made. A load of barley be spread out on the malting floor, about ‘Ploughing’ the sprouted barley; 20-30 feet wide and 50 feet long. You would make the piece 12 to 15 inches deep and 6 by 20
feet. Then after 6 or 7 days it grows legs – that is the growing roots. We had to keep turning it
with 15 inch wooden turning spades to spread it further and to a uniform thickness. Then when
it started you ploughed it with 15 inch wide, two-handled rake with wide triangular flukes, to
disturb it and cool it (see the drawing). Once it grew legs you used a malting fork with 4 or 5
wooden tines about 1 inch thick. The maltster - who we referred to as ‘The Doctor’ just because
he had been on a first aid course - would grab a handful and say how far ahead we were to extend
it today, to cool it the right amount. It mustn’t be allowed to grow shoots or it was ruined – lost
all the sugar. As you pushed one piece forward you started another piece behind it, a standard
amount set by the team leader.
When it arrived at the far end of the floor there was a loading mechanism which took it 2 or 3
floors up to the kell where it was roasted. The kells were either a 12 foot to 15 foot square of
perforated glazed tiles or a steel mesh floor – mostly they were the mesh kind. Heat came up a
big flue from the furnace on the ground floor. The firing burned the roots off and they fell down
and got bagged up – I do not know what they were used for. It was very dusty. The grain was
now malted barley and we shovelled it down a hole in the floor to the bins which were a sort of
room, a hopper really. The malt cooled and you bagged it into ‘coomb sacks’ to be weighed and
collected by a cycle of articulated lorries which would come up from the London brewery, each
bringing us 4 barrels of beer which lasted us until the next lorry load. It was thirsty work – we
drank loads. There were no toilets so I will not tell you what we did about that.
There was a manager plus two teams of 4 or 5 of us labourers with a team leader per team – a
sort of foreman who said when it was time to go up to the kells and fire it off when it was ready
to take it off the steep. There was rivalry between the two malthouses and our Maltster in No. 2
house had a temper and was likely to hit you. No. 1 house was all tall men, but in our house we
were all short – which was good as the ceilings were low.
It was hot in the bins: 70-80 degrees. And no vents, just the hole in the middle of the floor. We
had to work fast shovelling it into the hopper as the blokes below would be shouting to hurry up
so they could bag it, weigh it and get it onto the next lorry. Wading around in the hot malt did
slow you down. We wore malting boots made of canvas with a soft sole (maybe rope?) so that
when you trod on the grain you didn’t crush it. There were no special clothes – they were always
sweaty and dirty – but in the kells we wore paper masks and an extra shirt like a smock because
of the dust, and a light cotton cap. We didn’t have goggles though. We were given lapel badges –
if you had two you could use them as cufflinks.
The malt had mice in it. And maggots. They were pink and you found them on the boards at the
entrance to the bins. You would brush them off before you climbed in. It was very dark – just
little side windows with shutters which were usually closed unless you needed to cool the piece.
In the summer we had lunch-breaks in a separate cabin with benches. In the winter we had a one
hour break at 7am for breakfast, which was a cheese sandwich – then worked through until
12.30 or 2pm. The whole Maltings shut down for two weeks paid holiday in the summer. Then
the new barley would come in, and so would the coal.
We were paid weekly, in cash. The Manager brought it to each of us. I was only 23, the babe of
our team. The others were in their forties and would have already worked for 20 years. I only
stayed 18 months because I hated the early starts. I think the whole place closed down not long
after I left. I am now 83, so I am probably the last one alive to remember the work.
Ron Wragg
Hampstead and Highgate Cemetery: an Ipswich Society outing
‘A super day’ weather-wise as we travelled to Hampstead and Highgate, the first Society outing
since September 2019 (which had been to Buckingham Palace).
After meeting our excellent guide, Gail, and coffee, first to Church Row, Hampstead and the
1745 church of St John’s by John Sanderson with later additions. In the graveyard lie John
Constable, Nicholas Parsons, Kay Kendall and Hugh Gaitskell. Also, among others, Sir Herbert
Beerbohm Tree who had an interesting funeral when his family discovered his other ‘unknown’
family, the Reeds, which included film director Sir Carol Reed (‘Oliver’) and actor Oliver Reed.
Church Row is Hampstead’s greatest architectural treasure. Residents have included Gracie
Fields, H.G. Wells, Wilkie Collins, Moira Shearer and her husband Ludovic Kennedy. The
underground station in Hampstead is the deepest in London.
After the short journey to Highgate our party of 27 split into groups with two knowledgeable volunteer guides.The original west cemetery, built in 1839 was reopened in the 1970s and is now run by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust. It was one of eight cemeteries opened around London when church graveyards reached their capacity. The west cemetery has the impressive Egyptian Avenue, Lebanon Circle and Terrace Catacombs. Famous inhabitants include Beryl Bainbridge, Michael Faraday, George Michael, Alexander Litvinenko and Patrick Wymark. The east cemetery across the road contains the remains of such diverse people as Karl Marx and Max Wall, great train robber Bruce Reynolds and ‘Trigger’ Roger Lloyd Pack. Also there, the grave of Richard ‘Stoney’ Smith, the miller who patented the Hovis (from the Latin Homos Vis: ‘force of humankind’) high wheat germ flour process.
A super day indeed, one of the best visits and grateful thanks to Caroline Markham.
Colin Mayes
Egyptian Avenue photograph by Caroline Markham
Letters to the Editor
Street Art could give town a more positive image from Graham Day
One of the sad things about walking around the centre of Ipswich, as I often do, are the empty
shop fronts and zombie sites which help to engender an air of desolation and decline.
However, one can applaud the initiative by Art Eat in encouraging young artists to produce
murals at St Peters Dock and at the Stoke Bridge skate board park. On a sunny morning, on a
walk across the Waterfront from the university to Stoke Bridge, I was delighted to see the
colourful murals brightening up the street scene. I stopped for a while to look at each one in turn
and enjoyed trying to understand and interpret them. The laudable intention of Art Eat is
ultimately to encourage the production of artwork and murals across the town.
In May, the Upfest Festival is held in Bedminster, Bristol. The city is the original home of the
graffiti artist Banksy and this street art festival has apparently attracted an estimated thirty
thousand visitors.
Ipswich has a proud artistic history. The School of Art had an excellent reputation and the
international sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi produced his sculptures in the town.
The time has, I believe, come to use the blank canvas provided by empty shop fronts and
hoardings. It would be possible to develop the artistic credentials of the town, and in the process
remove some of the impression of drabness and decay, which is a common negative theme from
some residents in the town.
The success of the new arts installations would need to be capitalised upon. Perhaps eventually in
the calendar of events could also be a smaller scale but regular street art festival of our own.
Over the last few years the biennial sculptures placed around the town to raise funds for St
Elizabeth Hospice, so far ranging from pigs, elephants and now owls, generate enormous
interest. A regular street art festival in the intervening years could keep artistic interest alive.
It might be a challenge to organise and secure funding but it would be very worthwhile indeed.
At some time such a challenge needs to be met.
Norwich housing development from Peter Threadkell
I found the latest issue of the Newsletter (Issue 230) very interesting especially the Chairman’s
remarks and the report of the lecture by Jackie Sadek about modern day housing developments.
Like Ipswich, Norwich is under pressure for more housing developments not always suitable as
to type and location.
For example, the City council is trying to prevent more conversion of empty office blocks to one-
bedroom flats and has recently been involved in a battle – which it won – to stop a developer
building a 23-storey block of flats only half a mile from our Norman cathedral. No existing
building in Norwich is more than ten floors high. Some 4,500 housing units are due to be built on
the site of the recently closed Coleman’s Mustard factory site, so both the city council and the
Norwich Society have got to be on the alert to see that suitable housing – whether flats or houses
– are built. All urban/rural planning authorities need to be aware of unsuitable building
developments proposed for their areas.
IpsSoc: the next generation from Pam Pelling
I sympathise with your item IpsSoc: the next generation (Issue 230). I follow ‘Ipswich
Remembers’* on Facebook – as do so many young(er) people interested in the town. May this
prove a source of The Ipswich Society’s survival?
[*this group runs in association with Ipswich Star]
As the huge development of the Northern Fringe starts and a plethora of lengthy planning
applications lands on our computers, I thought members would be interested in an overview of
the history, the rationale, the dwellings, the community aims, the infrastructure and connections
to Ipswich and Suffolk.
It is an accepted fact that the UK does not have enough houses; to allow developers to build new
houses, every Local Planning Authority has to have an agreed quota of annual starts. Ipswich’s
‘greenfield’ sites within its tight boundaries have all been utilised; there are few spaces left,
except previously used ‘brownfield sites’. There was one exception, importantly, the farmland
north of Valley road between Henley, Westerfield and Tuddenham Roads. To fulfil its quota, this
had to be allocated to a large new development, otherwise, in the absence of adequate identified
land allocated to housing in the Local Plan, developers could build almost anything, anywhere.
So, in 2011, this large parcel of farmland was named the Northern Fringe and allocated in the
Local Plan to be an urban extension of Ipswich; it will have at least 3,500 new dwellings, a
primary road structure with two bridges across the railway, a secondary and three primary
schools, district and local shopping centres, a health facility, public open spaces and, not least a
large Country Park.
The Adopted Core Strategy Ten (CS10) describes the land use and infrastructure requirements in
detail. The Planning Department started a public consultation in April 2012, from which, after a
period of responses and consultations, including visits to new developments in Cambridge,
Milton Keynes and Harlow as well as Ravenswood, some trips being organised by The Society.
Eventually a Draft Strategic Planning Document was produced which was adopted after
modification in March 2017, with an infrastructure delivery plan. Throughout, Ipswich Borough
Council has allocated a dedicated team of officers to the project.
And a word about the financials. The figures are staggering; up to 3,500 houses at an average of,
say, £275,000 will bring in close to a billion pounds. But the infrastructure costs, at 2015 prices,
will be £132,000,000. To this must be added the land acquisition and build costs. However, I
think we can be sure that the developers will ensure their usual final margin of 20+%!
One of the major problems concerns the percentage of Affordable Housing to be delivered; an
independent consultation stated that somewhere between 20% and 35% was viable.
There will be five main developers for separate areas; each submits a preliminary Outline
Application which covers the overall sketch for their part – house numbers, estate layout and
landscaping. This is followed a considerable time later by a Reserved Matters Application which
deals with the details of the architecture, design and landscaping. A similar approach is required
for the Country Park, the bridges and access from the main roads. This adds up to an enormous
amount of computer screens to scan to get to the essentials of the applications.
Up to the present, The Society’s (together with our colleagues, The Northern Fringe Protection
Group’s) main points of objection are :-
• The provision of connectivity to the surrounding locality; good internal roads and cycle ways
will be provided but there is no suggestion of more than reaching the roads and Fonnereau
Way.
• There are no proposals to deal with the vehicle traffic that will be generated beyond
converting Westerfield Road roundabout to light controlled. Congestion along Valley/
Colchester/Heath roads will worsen as will Chevalier Street.
• The site is subject to pluvial flooding and the measures taken to modify this may not be
adequate, considering the increased run-off / local drainage.
• There are well founded concerns that the sewer provision will need a major upgrade in the
near future, causing a long period of major road works on Valley Road.
• The design of the vehicle/cycle/pedestrian is functional and future proofed but is entirely
utilitarian. In the past, our railways designed attractive site sensitive bridges but not so in this
case. Similarly, the cycle pedestrian bridge close to Westerfield Station uses steel zig-zag
ramps rather than straight approaches which are difficult and dangerous to cycle around,
more expensive and ugly in their rural surroundings.
• The architecture of the dwellings, the street layout and the landscaping proposal in some of
the recent Reserved Matter applications are redolent of a late fifties estate. They are nowhere
as satisfactory as the examples we have shown the developers in Colchester and elsewhere.
Further, they do not fulfil the criteria laid down in the Supplementary Planning Document
which is a legally binding document to which they are required to adhere.
• The most recent application suggests a mere 7.5% Affordable Housing provision.
The Country Park, at 85 hectares, larger than Christchurch Park having a lake, a sky lark area, a
dog walking/socialising area and an attractive Visitor Centre with café is looking good.
Landscaping plans for the site overall predicate that there will be very little tree and hedgerow
loss. They have said they will replant on a two-for-one basis.
Overall, it’s great to have this new garden suburb so close to the town but it’s an opportunity lost
to produce something exciting, inspiring and fit for the mid-21st century – I shan’t be here to see
it finished in 2040 – but we are replacing the last contact with agriculture close to our town with
something very ordinary. The devil is in the details of the design and transport; we could have
had better.
I will continue to digest the applications, tender our objections cogently, concisely and
unemotionally, attend relevant meetings and carry out site visits on behalf of our members. If
you’d like to talk to me about any aspect of The Ipswich Garden Suburb, ring me on 07889
050607 or email mikeck9@gmail.com.
I’d be pleased to hear from you.
Mike Cook
Recent planning applications relating to Ipswich Garden Suburb
Ipswich Garden Suburb. Application for a road bridge and a pedestrian/cycle bridge to
serve Ipswich Garden Suburb including drainage, earthworks and ancillary works, temporary
haul roads and construction compounds. The vehicle bridge is to be 150m (metres) to the east of
Henley Road and consist of a 41.5m precast concrete span on concrete piles. It will carry two 2m
footways, one 3m cycleway and 6m wide road. The pedestrian and cycle bridge will replace the
current foot crossing west of Westerfield Road and carry a 33.4 metre pressed steel span on steel
pillars. Access will be by stairs or by 1:22 ramps on either side.
Two construction roads will be needed, one exiting Henley Road between the empty plots
between numbers 156 and162 Henley Road and the northerly one already constructed. There will
be an increase in traffic during construction including tipper trucks and cranes. Both bridges are
utilitarian and are not things of beauty. It is a shame that the footbridge with its ramps will be so
intrusive. It has been suggested that straight ramps, to the 3.5 m width required, would be more
attractive, safer and easier to use. We did make a note concerning the infrastructure proposals
viz.: the bridges must accommodate future overhead line electrification (they do); they should be
of much more interesting design rather than the boring concrete utilitarian nothingness; the
pedestrian/cycling ramps should be straight or curved instead of zig-zag (which are very difficult
for cyclists and ugly).
David Wilson Homes, for 147 dwellings, roads and paths, a foul water pumping station and
some landscaping. The site is to the east of the current Crest Nicolson houses on Henley Road
and will be largely invisible from the outside. There is a nearly straight primary road which is
concrete kerbed with no trees. There is no provision of dedicated cycle paths. The foul water
pump is inappropriately sited, the design of the houses totally disappointing; it’s as if they copied
the boxes of seventy years ago and then shrunk them. There is a design code which has been
granted planning permission and is therefore a legal document with which they must comply.
Furthermore, their intention is to build the houses with minimal insulation, no solar panels and
gas boilers as they may well get round the new Part L Building Regulations which came into
force on June 15, 2022. The date of this application is June 14, 2022.
The Ipswich Borough Council officers are working desperately hard to get the developers to
radically improve this application.
Ipswich Garden Suburb south of railway, Westerfield Road. Bellway’s application for 440
dwellings, a district centre and a primary school with access from Westerfield and Henley Roads.
This will be built alongside Westerfield Road to the left as you go from Valley Road to
Westerfield Station. Two accesses will lead to a total of 440 units, 33 affordable (+7.5%); over
half will be three bedroomed houses but there will be 33 apartments. Their design, as far as one
can judge from particularly poor elevation drawings, will represent a typical example of estates
built in the mid-20th century. The new Building Regulations have made Bellway increase
insulation and U-values, install solar panels and combination boilers. Most of the internal
cycleways appear to be reasonable, but once more they are in isolation and are unconnected to
the rest of the world. There are outline plans for two district shopping centres and a 2 hectare
primary school with a playing field.
Mike Cook
And a late arrival: a Letter to the Editor
4 College Street from Bob Kindred MBE IHBC, (Ipswich Borough Conservation Officer
1981-2012)
My congratulations to the Ipswich Society for their annual organisation and promotion of yet
another two excellent Heritage Open Days.
I was particularly pleased to see No. 4 College Street on the front cover of the promotional
booklet covering the buildings open to the public on the 10th and 11th of September.
The short explanation on page 19 did not delve into the recent history, but readers may be
interested to know that No.4 College Street first became vacant in 1981 and by that time was
already in quite poor condition.
When Ipswich piloted (with English Heritage) the first national local authority computerised
buildings-at-risk register in 1984, this building was one of the first properties to be included. At
one stage the Ipswich register contained 44 entries but assiduous work by the Council reduced
these by over 90% over the subsequent 25+ years.
Unfortunately a renovation solution for this building proved intractable and in the intervening
period, a break-in at the rear and the action of squatters resulted in arson significantly damaging
the interior, but persistent encouragement to keep the building weathertight ensured its survival
until a repair solution was found.
Therefore, four decades on, I’m delighted that the Council acquired and repaired the building and
it once again contributes positively to the townscape of central Ipswich.
Buildings-at-risk cases are rarely easily or quickly solved and sometimes it can take decades for
them to be returned to good condition and a beneficial use. It is to be hoped that an appropriate
solution will be found soon for Nos.1-5 College Street (also still at-risk).
4 College Street from front and rear prior to renovation.
Thanks to Bob Kindred for opening the door for us to look at this building. No. 4 College Street,
otherwise known as ‘the Benet Aldred house’ is a small, long-neglected merchant’s house
standing on the opposite side of College Street from St Peter’s on the Waterfront.
We are grateful to Nicholas Jacob Architecture for these photographs (supplied to us via the
good offices of Ipswich Borough Council) which document the process of the conservation of
the building. This September’s Heritage Open Days provided what may be the only
opportunity for the public to see inside the building before it is occupied as commercial
premises. The queues outside certainly kept the Ipswich Society volunteers on their toes all
weekend, particularly because of the need to limit numbers to these small internal spaces.
Exposed early ceiling.
Decay found in the structure.
Strengthening and renovation.
“I think College Street was the hit of the weekend.
I spent some time there yesterday afternoon [Sunday 11th] chatting to visitors. They were all
keen to see inside. About four o’clock, I started to try and discourage people from joining the
queue. Failed miserably as every new person who turned up, I allowed to join and said, ‘it’ll be
fine’.
Last to arrive were two very pleasant young girls, I’d guess late teens. I asked if they’d been
anywhere else. The list comprised pretty much everywhere in the town centre over the weekend.
Nice to see youngsters enjoying the event as much as us more mature old codgers.”
Neil Thompson (Ipswich Society organiser of Heritage Open Days)
Roofing works on gable and dormer window.
We will have a full account of Ipswich Heritage Open Days 2022 in the January 2023 issue of
our Newsletter. Visitor numbers were pleasingly high and we can celebrate a great success.
The Ipswich Society
Registered Charity no. 263322
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This Newsletter is the quarterly journal of Ipswich’s civic amenity society established in 1960. Views expressed in
the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Society. We make every effort to comply with copyright and GDPR
law in our publications; please contact the Hon. Secretary if you have concerns about any content.
Diary dates
Winter Illustrated Talks at Museum Street Methodist Church (entrance in Blackhorse Lane); all
talks start at 7.30pm and free tea, coffee and biscuits are provided afterwards. All are welcome.
Wednesday October 19: David Ellesmere, in his last year as Leader of Ipswich Borough Council,
will talk about his ‘Vision for Ipswich’, what has been achieved over the last eleven years and the
proposals he has for the future.
Wednesday December 21: Prof. Susan Oliver of the University of Essex on John Constable.
Wednesday January 18, 2023: speaker and topic to be confirmed.
Wednesday November 23 at 7.30pm: The Ipswich Society Annual Awards Evening will be held
at the Hold in Fore Street.
Thursday 27 October 2022 at 6.30pm: IBPT talk on sustainability by Dr Alison Pooley & Dr
Hannah Steventon of UoS; also launch of the IBPT ‘Caring For Your Vintage House’ project.
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.
Tim Leggett’s photographs of the Cornhill on Saturday 4 June 2022. Celebrations of the Queen Elizabeth II’s
Platinum Jubilee are seen with many tables spread with Union flag tablecloths, the television broadcast of The
Trooping of the Colour on the giant screen in front of Grimwade’s, masses of bunting and the crowd enjoying food
and drink in the hot sunshine. Ipswich Borough Council also organised a firework display in Christchurch Park, the
lighting of a beacon on the lawn at the Mansion, a parade, concerts among other events, hanging baskets, lampost
banners, flags on the Town Hall and Grafton House and the creation of a ‘Timeline of the Queen’ art work.