(Redirected from Ipswich, Suffolk, England)
Timber framed buildings in St Nicholas Street
'Ipswich' (
pronounced ) is a
non-metropolitan district in
East Anglia,
England on the
estuary of the
River Orwell. The town of the same name overspills the borough boundaries significantly, with only 85% of the town's population living within the borough at the time of the
2001 Census, when it was the third-largest settlement in the
United Kingdom's
East of England region, and the 38th largest urban area in
England.
[1]
As of 2006, the borough is estimated to have a population of approximately 120,000 inhabitants.
History
The
Eemian interglacial is known as the 'Ipswichian' period in geology and occurred about 120,000 years ago.
Under the
Roman empire, the area around Ipswich formed an important route inland to rural towns and settlements via the
Orwell and
Gipping. A large
Roman fort, part of the coast defences of Britain, stood at
Felixstowe, and the largest
villa in Suffolk stood at Castle Hill (north-west Ipswich).
Ipswich is one of England's
oldest towns[2],
[3], and took shape in
Anglo-Saxon times as the main centre between
York and
London for
North Sea trade to
Scandinavia and the
Rhine. It served the
Kingdom of East Anglia, and began developing in the time of
King Rædwald, supreme ruler of the English (616-624). The famous ship-burial and treasure at
Sutton Hoo nearby is probably his grave.
The
Ipswich Museum houses
replicas of the Roman
Mildenhall Treasure and the
Sutton Hoo treasure. A gallery devoted to the town's origins includes
Saxon weapons,
jewellery and other artefacts.
The seventh-century town, called 'Gippeswick', was centred near the quay. Towards 700 AD, Frisian potters from the
Netherlands area settled in Ipswich and set up the first large-scale potteries in England since Roman times. Their wares were traded far across England, and the industry was unique to Ipswich for 200 years.
With growing prosperity, in about 720 AD a large new part of the town was laid out in the Buttermarket area. Ipswich was becoming a place of national and international importance. Parts of the ancient road plan still survive in its modern streets.
After the invasion of 869 Ipswich fell under
Viking rule. The earth ramparts circling the town centre were probably raised by Vikings in Ipswich around 900 to prevent its recapture by the English. They were unsuccessful.
The town operated a
Mint under royal licence from
King Edgar of England in the 970s, which continued through the
Norman Conquest until the time of
King John, in about 1215. The name 'Gipeswic' appears on the coins.
King John granted the town its first
charter in
1200, and in the next four centuries it made the most of its wealth, trading Suffolk
cloth with
the Continent. Five large religious houses, including two Augustinian Priories, and those of the Greyfriars, Whitefriars and Blackfriars, stood in mediaeval Ipswich.
During the Middle Ages the
Marian Shrine of
Our Lady of Grace was a famous
pilgrimage destination, and attracted a number of royal pilgrims. At the Reformation the statue was taken away to be burned, although it is now believed to have survived and still to exist in
Nettuno, Italy.
Around
1380,
Geoffrey Chaucer satirised the merchants of Ipswich in the
Canterbury Tales.
Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, the son of a wealthy landowner, was born in Ipswich about
1475. One of
Henry VIII's closest political allies, he founded a
college in the town in
1528, which is now known as
Ipswich School. He remains one of the town's most famed figures.
In the time of Queen Mary the
Ipswich Martyrs were burnt at the stake on the Cornhill for their
Protestant beliefs. A monument commemorating this event now stands in
Christchurch Park.
From
1611 to
1634 Ipswich was a major centre for emigration to
New England. This was encouraged by the Town Lecturer,
Samuel Ward. His brother
Nathaniel Ward was first minister of
Ipswich, Massachusetts.
The painters
John Constable and
Thomas Gainsborough lived and worked in Ipswich. In
1835,
Charles Dickens stayed in Ipswich and used it as a setting for scenes in his novel ''
The Pickwick Papers''. The hotel where he resided first opened in 1518; it was then known as The Tavern and is now known as the Great White Horse Hotel. Dickens made the hotel famous in chapter XXI of ''The Pickwick Papers'', vividly describing the hotel's meandering corridors and stairs.
In 1797 Lord and Lady Nelson moved to Ipswich, and in 1800
Lord Nelson was appointed High Steward of Ipswich.
In the mid 19th Century
Coprolite was discovered, the material was mined and then dissolved in
acid, the resulting mixture forming the basis of
Fisons fertilizer business
[4].
Eric Arthur Blair better known as
George Orwell often travelled to
London from his parents' home in
Southwold via
Ipswich and took the name Orwell when he became an author.
Modern Ipswich
Ipswich has undergone an extensive
gentrification programme in recent years, principally centred around the waterfront. Though this has turned a derelict dock area into an emerging residential and commercial centre, it is being completed at the expense of much of the town's industrial and maritime heritage and in spite of efforts made by a local group,
The Ipswich Society. Much of this development is residential and is marketed at high net-worth individuals in the
DINKY demographic. As such, some have considered it incompatible with Ipswich's existing
socio-economic mix. It could therefore be considered to be aimed at encouraging
economic migration to the town, particularly as a commutable
satellite town of
London.
The
Tolly Cobbold brewery, built in the 19th century and rebuilt 1894–1896, is one of the finest
Victorian breweries in the
United Kingdom. There was a Cobbold brewery in the town from
1746 until
2002 when
Ridley's Breweries took Tolly Cobbold over.
[5] Felix Thornley Cobbold presented
Christchurch Mansion to the town in
1896.
The town centre contains the glass-clad building owned by
Willis Limited, properly called the
Willis Building but still often called the "Willis-Faber building" by locals, as the company Willis Corroon themselves used to be called Willis Faber. Designed by
Norman Foster, the building dates from
1974. It became the youngest Grade I
listed building in Britain in
1991.
Ipswich is set to be the main hub for
University Campus Suffolk, which will give
Suffolk its first
university, though it is is essentially a collaborative project between Suffolk College and two other regional universities. It is hoped that within a decade, a University of Suffolk in its own right will become established out of UCS.
On
13 March 2007 Ipswich was awarded the cleanest town award.
[7]
Ipswich remains a 'town' despite a few attempts at winning 'city' status
[8]. It does not have a cathedral, so the
Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich is based at
Bury St Edmunds the former headquarters of
West Suffolk.
Districts
The Docks is the area around the old commercial docks that are now devoted essentially to leisure use. The area includes extensive recent development of residential apartment blocks and includes the campus of the new University College.
Holywells is the area around
Holywells Park, a 67 acre (27 ha) public park, situated near the docks, that was painted by
Thomas Gainsborough.
Chantry is the name of a housing estate and park to the South-West of Ipswich. Its schools include Chantry High School and the Chantry Infant and Junior Schools which have merged, and been renamed 'The Oaks'.
Other districts outside the town centre include Bixley Farm, Broke Hall, California, Castle Hill, The Dales, Gainsborough, Greenwich, Kesgrave, Maidenhall, Pinebrook, Priory Heath, Racecourse, Ravenswood, Rose Hill, Rushmere, Springvale, St Margarets, Stoke, Warren Heath, Westbourne, Whitehouse and Whitton.
To the east of the town is
Trinity Park near
Bucklesham the home of the annual
Suffolk Show one of the
County shows in United Kingdom. The 'Trinity' is the name given to the three animals native to the county of Suffolk, namely
Red Poll cattle, the powerful
Suffolk Punch horse and the black faced
Suffolk Sheep.
Culture
Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters in Ipswich, was one of
Norman Foster's earliest commissions.
Like many other similar towns, Ipswich is home to many artists, with galleries at
Christchurch Mansion, the Town Hall, a gallery in the
Ancient House and the
Artists Gallery in Electric House being the more prominent. The visual arts are further supported with many sites of sculpture with easy accessibility. The Borough Council promotes creation of new public works of art and has been known to make this a condition of planning permission
[9].
The town houses
Ipswich Museum and the
Ipswich Transport Museum.
Performing arts are well represented with Ipswich being home to
DanceEast which has the primary aim of advocating innovation and development of dance in the East of England
[10]. They are building new premises as part of the waterfront development. These will be the first custom built dance facilities in the East of England at a cost of around £8million.
The 'Eastern Angles' theatre group are based at the Sir
John Mills Theatre in Ipsiwch, named after the famous actor who lived in Felixstowe as a child.
Since
1991, there has been an annual
arts festival called ''Ip-Art''
[1] which brings together many events across art disciplines and different venues, notably a free music day in
Christchurch Park, which in
2006 had over 50 different acts performing over 7 stages.
Norwich remains the regional centre for TV broadcasting, but both
BBC East and
Anglia TV have presenters and offices in Ipswich. The town has three local radio stations,
BBC Radio Suffolk covering the entire county, where the
East Anglian Accent can be heard on its many phone-ins, the commercial
SGR-FM which was founded in 1975 as Radio Orwell covering the A14 corridor in Suffolk and
Town 102 which was founded in
2006 and is the first station specific for Ipswich. The younger audience is catered for with Suffolk based
Kiss 105-108. On
15 August,
Ipswich Community Radio launched full-time after successfully gaining a licence in early
2006.
The town's daily evening newspaper is the
Evening Star (Ipswich) which is the sister title to the county's daily morning newspaper the
East Anglian Daily Times.
Buildings
In addition to Christchurch Mansion and the Ancient House, Ipswich in the 21st Century has some important cultural buildings including the
New Wolsey Theatre and the
Regent Theatre - the largest theatre venue in
East Anglia where in the 1960's
The Beatles performed under its former name the
Gaumont.
There are several medieval
[11] Ipswich churches but the grandest is the Victorian
St Mary le Tower.
Modern buildings include the new
Suffolk County Hall in the area known as
Ipswich Village close to Ipswich Town's
Portman Road stadium. The stadium has hosted England under 21, under 23 and full international matches in addition to an England hockey game.
On the north-west side of Ipswich lies Broomhill Pool, a Grade II listed Olympic-sized lido which opened in 1938 and closed in 2002, since which time a campaign to see it restored and re-opened has been run.
Politics
Ipswich Borough Council offices, on Russell Road
Ipswich is governed locally by a two-tier Council System. Ipswich Borough Council fulfils District Council functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning and Suffolk County Council provides services such as education and social services.
Between 1979 and September 2004 Ipswich Borough Council was under Labour control but the town is now governed by a coalition of Conservative and Liberal Democrat Councillors with Labour in opposition.
The County Council was controlled by a Labour/Liberal Democrat administration between May 1993 and May 2005 but has since reverted to Conservative control, although 10 out of the 13 County Councillors representing Ipswich are Labour and only 1 is a Conservative.
In April 2006 the local
borough council initiated public discussions about the idea of turning the borough into a
unitary authority.
[12] Ipswich had constituted a
county borough from 1889 to 1974, independent of the administrative county of
East Suffolk, and this status was not restored by the
Banham/Cooksey Commission in the 1990s.
Ipswich,
Norwich,
Exeter and
Oxford have united to campaign for unitary authority status for the four towns. Ipswich hopes to use the window of opportunity presented by the October 2006
Local Government White Paper to regain unitary status. In March 2007, it was announced that Ipswich was one of sixteen councils successful for its bid, although consultation needed to take place before a final decision can be made in July 2007
[13]. On the
2007-07-25, the Secretary of state announced that she was minded to implement the unitary proposal for Ipswich, but that there were 'a number of risks relating to the financial case set out in the proposal'
[14], and invited Ipswich to undertake further work before a final decision is taken.
[15].
The town is covered by two parliamentary constituencies –
Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency), which covers about 75% and is represented by Labour MP
Chris Mole, and
Central Suffolk & North Ipswich, which covers the remaining 25% and is represented by Conservative MP
Michael Lord. In the 2005 General Election, an Independent Candidate (Sally Wainman)stood on the issue of saving Broomhill Pool in Ipswich, still an ongoing issue.
Industry
4 Fairline Yachts outside Fairline's Ipswich testing facility
Industry around Ipswich has had a strong agricultural bias with
Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd, one of the most famous agricultural manufacturers, located in the town. It is notable that the worlds first commercial
motorised lawnmower was built by Ransomes in 1902. There was a
sugar beet factory at Ipswich for many years; it was closed in 2001 as part of a rationalisation by
British Sugar.
The
British Telecom Research Laboratories were located to the east of the town in 1975 at
Martlesham Heath. They are now a
science park called
Adastral Park. The area was originally
RAF Martlesham Heath - a WW2 airfield from where
Douglas Bader fought.
With the rise in popularity of the town around the
Neptune Marina and the
Wet Dock a number of ship and boatbuilders have become established, in particular
Fairline are a significant employer.
Transport infrastructure
Railway viaduct over Spring Road, Ipswich
Ipswich is linked to
London (84 miles) and the
M25 by the
A12 which continues to the north-east to reach the coast at
Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth. The old
milestone in Ipswich shows London as 69 miles and Gt Yarmouth 54 miles north.
It is linked to
Cambridge (57 miles) and the
Midlands by the
A14 which continues south-east over the
Orwell Bridge to the port of
Felixstowe. The route north to
Norwich is via the single carriageway
A140. The A140 forms part of the old
Roman road originally known as
Pye Road[16] which linked
Colchester with
Caistor St. Edmund near Norwich. These trunk routes bypass the town itself, which is directly served by the
A1156 which links to the A14 and by the
A1214 which links to the A12.
The
A137 enters the town from the south via
Stoke Bridge, Ipswich over the
River Gipping.
The town benefits by both having a ring road and a by-pass to the south, and thus suburban areas can be near the centre of town yet still be largely free from traffic.
Ipswich railway station is located on the
Great Eastern Main Line from
London Liverpool Street to
Norwich. It is also the junction of railway lines to
Felixstowe and
Lowestoft. The station is served by
'one'. There is another railway station serving the Rose Hill area, called
Derby Road which is on the line to Felixstowe.
The Ipswich
trolleybus system opened on
2 September 1923 and closed on
23 August 1963.
[17] Town bus services are operated by
Ipswich Buses. Ipswich is the last place in the area to have an independent bus company which has the unusual practice of naming its buses.
Ipswich one of the
Haven ports and is still a flourishing , handling several million tonnes of
cargo each year. Prior to decommissioning,
HMS Grafton was a regular visitor to the port which as special links with the town and the county of Suffolk.
HMS Orwell, named after the river, is also closely linked with the town.
The town used to feature a small grass-runway airport (
ICAO code: EGSE). Officially opened on
26 June 1930 by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. There were regular flights in the early days by
Channel Airways to
Jersey and later
Suckling Airways to
the Netherlands. On
31 December 1996 Ipswich Airport was delicensed and ceased to be registered by the
Civil Aviation Authority.
[18]. The former airport has been re-developed into the new residential district of
Ravenswood. However, the front of the control building was saved. It was designed by Heining and Chitty in 1938 and
Grade 2 listed. The rest of the building was taken down after it was deemed unsafe to reuse.
The nearest international flights are from
Stansted airport or
Norwich International Airport, both approximately 47 miles away. Other airports within a 2 hour drive are
Gatwick some 100 miles via the A12, M25 and M23;
Luton airport is a similar distance via the A14, A11 and A505.
Sport
Ipswich's sole professional
football team are
Ipswich Town Football Club, who were established in 1878 and play at the 30,300 capacity
Portman Road Stadium. They have a strong rivalry with
Norwich City F.C.. Ipswich Town was home to two successful England managers, Sir
Alf Ramsey (who is buried in the Old Cemetery in the town) and Sir
Bobby Robson. They won the League Championship in 1962 during Ramsey's reign and an
FA Cup in 1978 and the
UEFA Cup in 1981 under Robson. They currently play in English football's second-tier league, the Football Championship.
Ipswich also has a very successful
Speedway team, the
Ipswich Witches, who have ridden at their
Foxhall Stadium home, on the outskirts of Ipswich, for over 50 years. Despite being one of the most successful teams in British Speedway history, crowds have dwindled to around 1,500 people per race meeting. The stadium is also regularly used for
Stock car racing.
Ipswich is also home to minor-lower league football team,
Ipswich Wanderers and many others in the
Suffolk and Ipswich Football League.
The town has representation in both codes of Rugby. It has two amateur
Rugby Union teams, Ipswich RUFC who play in London 3 North East League, and Ipswich YM RUFC. It also has an amateur
rugby league side,
Ipswich Rhinos, who play in the
Rugby League Conference.
Ipswich had a
racecourse which ran a mix of flat and National Hunt races from
1710 to
1911.
For her services to swimming
Karen Pickering was awarded an MBE in the 1994 New Years Honours List
Ipswich murders
Main articles: 2006 Ipswich murder investigation
A
serial killer or
spree killer responsible for the murders of five women in Ipswich gained notoriety in late 2006, as the
Ipswich Murderer. The five women were identified as
sex workers; their bodies were found in December 2006.
[19] Suffolk Constabulary formally linked the murders in their investigation.
Steven Gerald James Wright, who works at the Port of Felixstowe, was arrested at his house in Ipswich on
December 19.
[20] On December 21st, Wright was formally charged with the murders of Gemma Adams, 25, Anneli Alderton, 24, Tania Nicol, 19, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29. He appeared in Ipswich's
Magistrates' Court on 22 December 2006 and was remanded in custody until 2 January 2007 to appear in Ipswich
Crown Court where he was remanded in custody for a second court appearance, held on
1 May 2007[21]. At that hearing he pleaded not guilty to all five murders. His trial is due to be held in Ipswich starting 14 January 2008
[22].
Famous residents
:''See also ''
★
Margaret Catchpole — adventuress and chronicler
★
John Constable — Landscape Artist
★
Thomas Gainsborough — Artist
★
Giles — Cartoonist
★ Lord
Horatio Nelson — Steward of Ipswich
★ Sir
Alf Ramsey — England 1966 World Cup winning manager
★ Sir
Bobby Robson — Ipswich's FA Cup and UEFA Cup winning manager
★
Thomas Cardinal Wolsey — Tudor Cardinal
Popular culture
A popular song in
1915 was "Which Switch Is The Switch, Miss, For Ipswich?" by David, Barnett & Darewski.
Modern figures with Ipswich connections include the musician
Nik Kershaw, the children's TV presenter
Brian Cant, the
punk rock band
The Adicts,
heavy metal band
Cradle of Filth,
cartoonist Carl Giles, musician
Charlie Simpson from
Busted and
Formula One owner
Bernie Ecclestone (actually born in St Peters South Elmham near
Bungay).
In 2006 ''
The Jarvis Cocker Record'' contained the track ''From Auschwitz to Ipswich'' written and performed by Jarvis.
External links
Ipswich information
★
Alternative live music in Ipswich
★
Longest established town — Poppyland Publishing
★
First Anglo-Saxon Town — History Files
★
Gypiswic in Doomsday book — British History
★
Ipswich Waterfront and Marina — Ipswich Tourism Office
★
Chantry Park - Sue Ryder
★
1915 song, mp3 download - Gutenburg
★
Ransomes bombed ww2 - Bernard Elmy
★
Sir John Mills Theatre - Eastern Angles
★
New Wolsey Theatre - Website
Ipswich institutions
★
Ipswich Borough Council
★
Ipswich Town Football Club
★
Evening Star (Local Newspaper)
★
The Ipswich Society
★
The Green 'Un - Ipswich's Football Paper
★
Ipswich Wanderers FC
History
★
Ipswich Museum
★
Clifford Road Air Raid Shelter Museum, Ipswich
★
Medieval town plan of Ipswich Town
★
Ipswich Transport Museum
★
A Few Views of Ipswich and Pin Mill in Old Postcards
Projects and initiatives
★
ipswich.angle — Community project to promote leisure activities and community spirit in the town
★
Ipswich Life — Growing site for leisure and activities
★
Orwell Centre — Orwell Church Centre on the Waterfront close to University Campus Suffolk
★
Town Pastors Ipswich — Christian initiative to care for people out on the streets from 10pm to 4am
★
Out & About Get involved and support disabled children in Ipswich through volunteering or fundraising
★
Ipswich Arts Festival — Annual festival of dance, music and art
★
IP1 Magazine — project to promote journalism and creative production skills in the town
★
Key Arts — An artist-run space for Ipswich
★
Ipswich Community Radio — Local radio group dating back to the 1980s
★
IP-City — Ipswich Borough Council
References
1. List of English cities by population from Census 2001 figures
2. History of Medieval Ipswich
3. History of Medieval Ipswich
4. Fisons at the root of modern agriculture
5. Tolly Cobbold Heritage
6. Borin Van Loon: Ipswich Historic Lettering
7. Ipswich wins Clean Britain Award 2007
8. Ipswich town competes for city status
9. Grant of Planning Permission
10. About DanceEast
11. The churches of Ipswich
12.
Richard Atkins, David Ellesmere, Elizabeth Harsant. ''The case for a unitary Ipswich'', (Ipswich: Ipswich Borough Council, April 2006)
13. Town council unitary bid success
14. Decision letters for the unitary proposals, DCLG
15. Borough is awarded unitary status
16. Ancient Landscape in South Norfolk Dr J W M Peterson
17. UK Trolleybus Systems - Ipswich
18. Ipswich Airport, Ipswich Transport Museum
19. Third prostitute 'was strangled'
20. Second man held in murders probe
21. Man remanded over Suffolk murders
22. Driver denies five murders
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
