Ipswich
Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk, was founded as a small trading settlement during the Saxon period, early in the 7 th century. Its location on the estuary of the River Orwell offered it the opportunity of trading with continental Europe, most particularly Germany, its major export being wool. Parts of modern-day Ipswich, especially in the town centre, date back to the town's 7 th century origins. The name ‘Ipswich' derives from the old Saxon Gippa's wic - wic meaning ‘port'.
During the early centuries of the town's development its location in the east of England was a mixed blessing - while prospering through trade with Europe it was also vulnerable to attack by marauding Danes. Danish Vikings did occupy Ipswich for a number of years between AD869-917, before it was recaptured by an Anglo-Saxon army.
By the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 the town's population was about 2000, making it a medium-sized settlement for the period. Toward the end of the 11 th century its defences were strengthened by the construction of a wooden castle; this stronghold was demolished in 1176 for unknown reasons. In 1200 Ipswich was granted a charter by King John, a document giving the townspeople certain rights and enabling the town to hold its own courts and try cases independently. The 13 th century witnessed the growth of a flourishing shipbuilding industry and the foundation of a number of priories in the settlement. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries 1536-9 these priories were closed by order of Henry VIII, as they were in all other parts of the kingdom.
Throughout the 16 th and 17 th centuries shipbuilding and foreign/local trade enabled Ipswich to retain its prosperity. In 1555 the Ipswich Martyrs were burnt at the stake for their Protestant beliefs; but on a more positive note the town gained its first newspaper in 1720 and its first theatre in 1736. The 19 th century saw Ipswich become a major manufacturing centre for farm machinery, railway parts, brick and cement making, as well as brewing and malting. Grain milling was also important and in 1812 a corn exchange was built where grain was bought and sold. As these traditional industries declined in the 20 th century they were replaced by new service industries, among which was tourism a distinct asset to Ipswich as an important regional centre.
Ipswich offers the visitor more than 660 listed buildings and 12 medieval churches. This large number of historic structures covers all periods of English architecture and several sections of central Ipswich have been designated as Conservation Areas.
Pykenham's Gatehouse, in Northgate Street, was built in 1471 and is rightly famous for its Tudor brick frontage. This gatehouse is all that remains of the former Archdeacon's Palace. Wolsey's Gateway is the only surviving remnant of the college proposed by Cardinal Wolsey; he intended his college to rival that of Oxford and Cambridge. Born in Ipswich about 1475, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, son of a local butcher, founded his ill-fated college in the town in 1528. The Isaac Lord Buildings is an important complex of medieval timber-framed buildings, which comprise the original merchant's house together with associated warehouses, all of which are located in Fore Street where it runs down toward the quayside of the Wet Dock.
Amongst the many historic buildings in Ipswich Christchurch Mansion, located in Christchurch Park, takes pride of place. A superbly beautiful Tudor Mansion, it was built in 1548 on the site of a former Augustinian priory by Edmund Withipell, and set in over 65 acres of attractive parkland. It is furnished as an English Country house with excellent collections of furniture and ceramics. Christchurch is perhaps best known for having one of the most important collections of works by John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough, both of whom lived and worked in Ipswich. In addition, there is an extensive collection of oil paintings, water colours, drawings and sculpture by Suffolk artistes from the 17 th century to the present day. The local council obtained the Mansion and its grounds in 1892; the house was turned into a museum in 1896 and its grounds became a public park.
Another Tudor house, Ancient House, was built in Butter Market in 1567. An unusual and large timber-framed medieval building, it is famous for its beautifully elaborate plasterwork or ‘pargetting', a Suffolk speciality. The Unitarian Meeting House in Friars Street dates from 1699 and was the first timber-framed nonconformist chapel in the country - it still remains in use for worship.
The Old Customs House in Common Quay is an excellent example of Victorian classical architecture, set on an imposing site fronting the massive 26-acre Wet Dock. The latter was opened in 1842 and was the largest construction of its kind in Britain. The port was well populated in Victorian times, with numerous churches, chapels, public houses and shops serving seafarers and dockside residents alike. This distinctive area of Ipswich, shaped by the port, is a reminder of the town's maritime heritage.
The Ipswich Museum, a Victorian structure, houses a wide range of displays including a Natural History Gallery, reflecting the Museum's 19 th century origins; Bird Gallery, housing the noted Ogilvie collection of British Birds; Suffolk Geology and an Ethnography Gallery. The Suffolk Archaeology Gallery includes a reconstruction of a Roman Villa and replicas of the Mildenhall Treasure and, most famously, the treasury from the Royal Anglo-Saxon burial site at Sutton Hoo, including boat, weapons and jewellery.
The Tolly Cobbold Brewery has become a major attraction; a quite splendid Victorian brewery rebuilt in 1896. The guided tours provide a valuable insight into how beer is made - with good water, malt, hops and yeast. Some of the equipment is quite ancient, especially the boiling copper dating back to 1723, which is still in use. The Ipswich Transport Museum contains a collection of more than 75 vehicles all of which have been built or operated in Ipswich and district.
Among newer buildings the internationally acclaimed Willis Corroon insurance office is outstanding. Designed by Sir Norman Foster, this building in Friars Street is now an officially protected historic structure. It is recognised as one of the most important buildings of the last 25-years; this is reinforced by the rare award of ‘listed building' status to such a ‘young' building.