Felixstowe
Encyclopedia
Felixstowe is a seaside town
on the North Sea
coast of Suffolk
, England
. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe
, which is the largest container
port in the United Kingdom
and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK
. The town is situated across the estuary of the River Orwell
and the River Stour
from Harwich
in Essex
.
has stood on the site since long before the Norman conquest The early history of Felixstowe, including its Roman
, Anglo-Saxon
, Norman
and medieval defences, is told under the name of Walton
, because the name Felixstowe was given retrospectively, during the 13th century, to a place which had already been important for well over a thousand years
It continued as a linchpin
in England's defence, as proved when in 1667 Dutch soldiers landed near the Fludyers area and failed to capture Landguard Fort
. The town only became a major port in 1886. In addition to shipping, tourism increased, and a pier
was constructed in 1905 but is now unsafe. Indeed, during the late Victorian period (after circa 1880) it became a fashionable resort, a trend initiated by the opening of Felixstowe railway station
, the pier, (see above) and a visit by the German
imperial family. It remained so until the late 1930s. In 1953, at least 48 people died in the town in the North Sea flood
.
and Albany's Marines. The current fort was built in the 18th century, and modified in the 19th century with substantial additional 19th/20th century outside batteries. The fort hosts regular military re-enactments, including Darell's day with a Sealed Knot
celebration of the last invasion, art exhibitions and alternative theatre. Landguard Fort
is in the care of English Heritage
and managed by the Landguard Fort Trust.
s, military social and domestic history through two world war
s and into the new millennium
is managed by volunteers from the Felixstowe History and Museum Society. It is located in the old submarine mining establishment building at Landguard Point, between the Fort and Port.
to prevent it being used as an easy landing point for enemy troops. Unfortunately after the war the damage was never repaired and the pier never regained its original length. Felixstowe was also one of the few places bombed by the Italians
during the Blitz
. Benito Mussolini
's airforce proved to be no match for the Royal Air Force
, who shot down a fair number of Italian biplane
s over the English Channel
and around Felixstowe itself - one of the few pictures of a shot-down Italian plane over the UK being from here.
By the late 1990s the pier had been neglected so badly that it was deemed to be unsafe and closed to the public. Plans have been presented from time to time since the closure of the pier for its redevelopment along with large disused areas of the seafront near the former site of the Felixstowe Beach railway station
, but nothing has come of them.
, opened in 1898 in the well-preserved building which now houses a Co-Operative supermarket, locally known as "Solar". It also houses other shops, including a pub, 'Play 'n' Exchange' game and joke Shop, 'Adam and Eve' hairdressers and Felixstowe Music, which is run by Felixstowe Radio
, the local community radio station.
In its prime the railway station saw more than 20 services an hour, but now hosts only one, the service to Ipswich
. The station now has only one platform, which has been created from the far end of one of the original platforms.
Felixstowe Beach railway station
was demolished in 2004 despite a storm of protest from many local people keen on saving the 137 year-old historical building which the council had branded as 'unsafe'. The station was originally opened in 1877 and was used continuously until 1959, after which it was the site of a small printers for many years until its demolition.
From 1877 until 1951 there was also Felixstowe Pier railway station
sited inside the area of the modern day docks at a small pier popular with pleasure boats, and paddle steamer
link to London. A dock next to the pier was approved in 1879.
is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line
passenger service to Ipswich
the line itself branches before the station going on to the Port Of Felixstowe
.
operates between the View Point (near Landguard Fort) in Felixstowe and Halfpenny Pier, Harwich
throughout the summer. The Bawdsey Ferry
crosses the River Deben
from Felixstowe Ferry
.
, Suffolk Coastal
District Council, and Felixstowe Town Council. Suffolk Coastal District Council, the local authority, is based in Woodbridge
, although it has a part-time office in Felixstowe, which is open Mondays and Wednesdays. The local parish council, Felixstowe Town Council, is based in the town hall, on the seafront at Undercliff Road West.
Felixstowe is twinned with the German
towns Wesel
and Salzwedel
.
Felixstowe lies within the Suffolk Coastal
parliamentary constituency. The Member of Parliament
for Suffolk Coastal was John Gummer
from 1983 but he has stood down from this role to be replaced at the General Election on 6 May 2010 by Dr Therese Coffey.
Landguard Fort
is a scheduled ancient monument and visitor attraction with a nearby nature reserve
. At the opposite end of the town is Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club which is amongst the oldest in the UK, having been established in 1881. The Rt. Hon. Arthur Balfour
, Captain of the Golf Club in 1889, became Captain of the R&A
in 1894 and British Prime Minister
from 1902–1908.
Felixstowe has a recently refurbished sandy beach south from the pier, and a stoney beach north of the pier. A Victorian promenade runs along part of the beach, from the nature reserve
in the southwest to Cobbolds Point (Maybush Lane in east), with traditional beach hut
s along most of that length. An amusement arcade with snooker halls and food outlets occupy the southern end. The pier, now disused except for a cafe and amusement arcade, stands before a leisure centre, with swimming pool, owned by the local council, now managed by a contractor.
From Brackenberry fort to Felixstowe Ferry
there is a walkway and is the start of the 50 mile Suffolk Coast Path. The is no path between Cobbolds Point and Brackenberry fort as the coastal protection work now prevents pedestrian access along the beach. At low tide from Jaccob's Ladder it is possible to glimpse the seaweed-covered remains of a Roman fort, and could possible be the place of Dommoc
, in the water about 50 yards from the coast.
In the very centre of the town is South Beach Mansion now in private ownership. Originally built by the Eley family (famous for the Eley cartridges); town wits called it Eley Cathedral. It then passed to the Tollemache family and was at one time owned by the King of Portugal. It was also here that Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and his family came to stay in 1893 putting Felixstowe on the international social map. Since then this grand Italianate mansion has played host to Mrs Simpson (who is reputed to have invented the Club Sandwich whilst visiting here) and T. E. Lawrence
who stayed here for two years in the 1930s under the assumed names of Ross and Shaw. During the war it was an army headquarters before becoming the Felixstowe Town Hall. With Felixstowe's abdication of power to Woodbridge, the town hall was no longer needed and the property reverted to private ownership. The property has been extensively renovated and returned to its former glory in recent years.
Perhaps the most striking building on the front is Harvest House. Originally built as the Felix Hotel it then became Fisons
's headquarters. Now it is a home for the elderly. It is a condition of residence that on arrival new residents are at least 55 years old.
Felixstowe Hockey Club has three men's teams and one ladies' team. The men's 1st team play in eastern league division 1.
The town's only senior football team, Felixstowe & Walton United
, compete in the Eastern Counties League
Premier Division.
The town has a sports centre, the Brackenbury, in High Road East, and football, hockey and rugby pitches, together with four bowling greens and other sporting facilities. The sports centre, owned by the council, is managed by a contractor.
Felixstowe Golf Club is a links course to the northeast of the town centre.
The library was refurbished in 2006 at a cost of £1,500,000 and has since won national awards.
The Spa Pavilion Theatre is a 900-seat art deco
-style building on the promenade, owned by the district council and managed by a private contractor; Status Quo played there in the 1970s; Jimi Hendrix
, the Who
, Led Zeppelin
, Showaddywaddy
, Slade
and Mungo Jerry
all played at the old Pier Pavilion which was demolished and is now the leisure centre. There is also a Sunday market that is larger than that at nearby Ipswich
.
Felixstowe Radio
is the community radio station that has broadcasts on 107.5 FM to the local area and via the internet.
The main navigation channel is dredged to 14.5 metres below chart datum
, and a depth of up to 15 metres alongside the quay, Felixstowe boasts deep-water able to accommodate the world’s latest generation of deep-draughted ultra post-Panamax
vessels. There is a continuous quay of over 2.3 km, equipped with 25 ship-to shore gantry cranes.
It has congested road links to the Midlands
via the A14 and to London
via the A12 road. The single-track railway line to Ipswich
has recently been upgraded to allow larger containers, and many containers are now transported by rail.
The port is owned by Hutchison Whampoa
Ltd with additional land on the peninsula owned by Trinity College, Cambridge
.
The port has its own Police Authority
, which also currently has jurisdiction over the area local to the port (with permission from Suffolk Constabulary
's Chief Inspector). Alongside the Port Police, they also have their own joint ambulance & fire service. One of the port ambulances, call sign 'Alpha 1', can also come off port to attend 999 emergencies in Felixstowe.
St. John the Baptist is an ecclesiastical parish in Felixstowe.
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe
Port of Felixstowe
The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...
, which is the largest container
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
port in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK
Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
. The town is situated across the estuary of the River Orwell
River Orwell
The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England. Its source river, above the tidal limit at Stoke Bridge, is known as the River Gipping. It broadens into an estuary at Ipswich where the Ipswich dock has operated since the 7th century and then flows into the North Sea at Felixstowe...
and the River Stour
River Stour, Suffolk
The River Stour is a river in East Anglia, England. It is 76 km long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury and the Dedham Vale, and joins the...
from Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
History
A villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
has stood on the site since long before the Norman conquest The early history of Felixstowe, including its Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
, Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
and medieval defences, is told under the name of Walton
Walton, Suffolk
Walton is a small village in Suffolk, between the rivers Orwell and Deben. It is often confused as being part of Felixstowe, although it is a separate village and is mentioned in the Domesday Book...
, because the name Felixstowe was given retrospectively, during the 13th century, to a place which had already been important for well over a thousand years
It continued as a linchpin
Linchpin
A linchpin, also spelled linch pin, lynchpin, or lynch pin, is a fastener used to prevent a wheel or other rotating part from sliding off the axle it is riding on. The word is first attested in the 14th century and derives from Middle English elements meaning "axletree pin".Securing implements onto...
in England's defence, as proved when in 1667 Dutch soldiers landed near the Fludyers area and failed to capture Landguard Fort
Landguard Fort
Built just outside Felixstowe, Suffolk, at the mouth of the River Orwell, Landguard Fort was designed to guard the entrance to Harwich. The first fortifications from 1540 were a few earthworks and blockhouse, but it was James I of England who ordered the construction of a square fort with bulwarks...
. The town only became a major port in 1886. In addition to shipping, tourism increased, and a pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
was constructed in 1905 but is now unsafe. Indeed, during the late Victorian period (after circa 1880) it became a fashionable resort, a trend initiated by the opening of Felixstowe railway station
Felixstowe railway station
Felixstowe is a railway station serving the town of Felixstowe in Suffolk, England. The station is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line east of .It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1898...
, the pier, (see above) and a visit by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
imperial family. It remained so until the late 1930s. In 1953, at least 48 people died in the town in the North Sea flood
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
.
Landguard Fort
Landguard Fort stands on the site of the last opposed invasion of England in 1667 and the first land battle of The Duke of YorkDuke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
and Albany's Marines. The current fort was built in the 18th century, and modified in the 19th century with substantial additional 19th/20th century outside batteries. The fort hosts regular military re-enactments, including Darell's day with a Sealed Knot
Sealed Knot
The Sealed Knot was a secret Royalist association which plotted for the Restoration of the Monarchy during the English Interregnum.Its original founder members were:* John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse...
celebration of the last invasion, art exhibitions and alternative theatre. Landguard Fort
Landguard Fort
Built just outside Felixstowe, Suffolk, at the mouth of the River Orwell, Landguard Fort was designed to guard the entrance to Harwich. The first fortifications from 1540 were a few earthworks and blockhouse, but it was James I of England who ordered the construction of a square fort with bulwarks...
is in the care of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and managed by the Landguard Fort Trust.
Felixstowe Museum
A museum telling the story of Felixstowe, with a reference library, historic maps, photo archive and 14 rooms of artefacts from Roman finds, the Martello towerMartello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
s, military social and domestic history through two world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s and into the new millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
is managed by volunteers from the Felixstowe History and Museum Society. It is located in the old submarine mining establishment building at Landguard Point, between the Fort and Port.
Pier
During the Second World War the majority of the pier, at the time one of the longest in the country and complete with its own train, was purposely demolished by Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
to prevent it being used as an easy landing point for enemy troops. Unfortunately after the war the damage was never repaired and the pier never regained its original length. Felixstowe was also one of the few places bombed by the Italians
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
. Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's airforce proved to be no match for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, who shot down a fair number of Italian biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
s over the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and around Felixstowe itself - one of the few pictures of a shot-down Italian plane over the UK being from here.
By the late 1990s the pier had been neglected so badly that it was deemed to be unsafe and closed to the public. Plans have been presented from time to time since the closure of the pier for its redevelopment along with large disused areas of the seafront near the former site of the Felixstowe Beach railway station
Felixstowe Beach railway station
Felixstowe Beach is a disused station on the Felixstowe Branch Line built in 1877 and closed from 11 September 1967. The station served the seafront of Felixstowe.-The station described:...
, but nothing has come of them.
Railway stations
The sole remaining railway station, known as Felixstowe TownFelixstowe railway station
Felixstowe is a railway station serving the town of Felixstowe in Suffolk, England. The station is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line east of .It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1898...
, opened in 1898 in the well-preserved building which now houses a Co-Operative supermarket, locally known as "Solar". It also houses other shops, including a pub, 'Play 'n' Exchange' game and joke Shop, 'Adam and Eve' hairdressers and Felixstowe Music, which is run by Felixstowe Radio
Felixstowe Radio
Felixstowe Radio is a community radio station in Felixstowe, Suffolk . It began as an internet radio station in 2006, applied for a Community Radio License in late 2008 and was awarded a full license in February 2009.-Full Time licence:...
, the local community radio station.
In its prime the railway station saw more than 20 services an hour, but now hosts only one, the service to Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
. The station now has only one platform, which has been created from the far end of one of the original platforms.
Felixstowe Beach railway station
Felixstowe Beach railway station
Felixstowe Beach is a disused station on the Felixstowe Branch Line built in 1877 and closed from 11 September 1967. The station served the seafront of Felixstowe.-The station described:...
was demolished in 2004 despite a storm of protest from many local people keen on saving the 137 year-old historical building which the council had branded as 'unsafe'. The station was originally opened in 1877 and was used continuously until 1959, after which it was the site of a small printers for many years until its demolition.
From 1877 until 1951 there was also Felixstowe Pier railway station
Felixstowe Pier railway station
Felixstowe Pier was a railway station on the Felixstowe Branch Line built in 1877 the site of which is now within the boundary of the Port of Felixstowe. There were a number of sidings that served the docks that were situated to the north of the line as well as one that served the seaplane bases...
sited inside the area of the modern day docks at a small pier popular with pleasure boats, and paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
link to London. A dock next to the pier was approved in 1879.
Train
Felixstowe railway stationFelixstowe railway station
Felixstowe is a railway station serving the town of Felixstowe in Suffolk, England. The station is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line east of .It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1898...
is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line
Felixstowe Branch Line
The Felixstowe Branch Line is a railway line from Ipswich to Felixstowe in Suffolk. The line follows the East Suffolk Line from Ipswich to Westerfield, and then diverges to the south. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia...
passenger service to Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
the line itself branches before the station going on to the Port Of Felixstowe
Port of Felixstowe
The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...
.
Felixstowe Ferry
The Harwich Harbour FerryHarwich Harbour Ferry
The Harwich Harbour Ferry is a foot ferry that runs during the summer between Harwich International Port near Harwich to Landguard Fort near Felixstowe and also with Shotley...
operates between the View Point (near Landguard Fort) in Felixstowe and Halfpenny Pier, Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
throughout the summer. The Bawdsey Ferry
Local Ferries in Suffolk
The Ferries in Suffolk are local ferry services in southeastern England, United Kingdom which connects Suffolk with Essex to its south.-Bawdsey Ferry:...
crosses the River Deben
River Deben
The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising in Debenham -to be precise it has two main sources but the others are mostly fields runoff then , passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry...
from Felixstowe Ferry
Felixstowe Ferry
Felixstowe Ferry is a hamlet in Suffolk, England, approximately two miles northeast of Felixstowe at the mouth of the River Deben with a ferry to the Bawdsey peninsula.Local businesses include the Ferry Cafe and the Ferry Boat Inn. St...
.
Politics
Felixstowe is administered by Suffolk County CouncilSuffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 72 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions...
, Suffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Woodbridge. Other towns include Felixstowe.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Aldeburgh, along with Felixstowe,...
District Council, and Felixstowe Town Council. Suffolk Coastal District Council, the local authority, is based in Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
, although it has a part-time office in Felixstowe, which is open Mondays and Wednesdays. The local parish council, Felixstowe Town Council, is based in the town hall, on the seafront at Undercliff Road West.
Felixstowe is twinned with the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
towns Wesel
Wesel
Wesel is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.-Division of the town:Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark,Fusternberg, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.-History:...
and Salzwedel
Salzwedel
Salzwedel of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwedel is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:...
.
Felixstowe lies within the Suffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal (UK Parliament constituency)
Suffolk Coastal is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.This East Anglian constituency was created in 1983....
parliamentary constituency. The Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Suffolk Coastal was John Gummer
John Gummer
John Selwyn Gummer, Baron Deben, PC is a British Conservative Party politician, formerly Member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal, now a member of the House of Lords. He is Chairman of the environmental consultancy company Sancroft International and Chairman of Veolia Water...
from 1983 but he has stood down from this role to be replaced at the General Election on 6 May 2010 by Dr Therese Coffey.
Landmarks
Landguard Fort
Built just outside Felixstowe, Suffolk, at the mouth of the River Orwell, Landguard Fort was designed to guard the entrance to Harwich. The first fortifications from 1540 were a few earthworks and blockhouse, but it was James I of England who ordered the construction of a square fort with bulwarks...
is a scheduled ancient monument and visitor attraction with a nearby nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
. At the opposite end of the town is Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club which is amongst the oldest in the UK, having been established in 1881. The Rt. Hon. Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
, Captain of the Golf Club in 1889, became Captain of the R&A
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world . It is based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, and is regarded as the worldwide "Home of Golf"...
in 1894 and British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1902–1908.
Felixstowe has a recently refurbished sandy beach south from the pier, and a stoney beach north of the pier. A Victorian promenade runs along part of the beach, from the nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
in the southwest to Cobbolds Point (Maybush Lane in east), with traditional beach hut
Beach hut
A beach hut is a small, usually wooden and often brightly coloured, box above the high tide mark on popular bathing beaches. They are generally used as a shelter from the sun or wind, changing into and out of swimming costumes and for the safe storing of some personal belongings...
s along most of that length. An amusement arcade with snooker halls and food outlets occupy the southern end. The pier, now disused except for a cafe and amusement arcade, stands before a leisure centre, with swimming pool, owned by the local council, now managed by a contractor.
From Brackenberry fort to Felixstowe Ferry
Felixstowe Ferry
Felixstowe Ferry is a hamlet in Suffolk, England, approximately two miles northeast of Felixstowe at the mouth of the River Deben with a ferry to the Bawdsey peninsula.Local businesses include the Ferry Cafe and the Ferry Boat Inn. St...
there is a walkway and is the start of the 50 mile Suffolk Coast Path. The is no path between Cobbolds Point and Brackenberry fort as the coastal protection work now prevents pedestrian access along the beach. At low tide from Jaccob's Ladder it is possible to glimpse the seaweed-covered remains of a Roman fort, and could possible be the place of Dommoc
Dommoc
Dommoc, a place not certainly identified but probably within the modern county of Suffolk, was the original seat of the Anglo-Saxon bishops of the Kingdom of East Anglia. It was established by Sigeberht of East Anglia for Saint Felix in c. 629–31 It remained the bishopric of all East Anglia...
, in the water about 50 yards from the coast.
In the very centre of the town is South Beach Mansion now in private ownership. Originally built by the Eley family (famous for the Eley cartridges); town wits called it Eley Cathedral. It then passed to the Tollemache family and was at one time owned by the King of Portugal. It was also here that Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and his family came to stay in 1893 putting Felixstowe on the international social map. Since then this grand Italianate mansion has played host to Mrs Simpson (who is reputed to have invented the Club Sandwich whilst visiting here) and T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
who stayed here for two years in the 1930s under the assumed names of Ross and Shaw. During the war it was an army headquarters before becoming the Felixstowe Town Hall. With Felixstowe's abdication of power to Woodbridge, the town hall was no longer needed and the property reverted to private ownership. The property has been extensively renovated and returned to its former glory in recent years.
Perhaps the most striking building on the front is Harvest House. Originally built as the Felix Hotel it then became Fisons
Fisons
Fisons plc was a leading British pharmaceutical, scientific instrument and horticultural chemical manufacturer. The Company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but it was acquired by Rhone-Poulenc in 1995....
's headquarters. Now it is a home for the elderly. It is a condition of residence that on arrival new residents are at least 55 years old.
Sport
Felixstowe Rugby Football Union Club is the premier (and only) rugby club in Felixstowe. It was founded in 1930, and plays in the Eastern Counties Leagues. A.W. Brown, Chris Barbour, Steve Edwards, Steve Britchfield, Gareth Carr, Gavin "Boom Boom" Wright have played for the team.Felixstowe Hockey Club has three men's teams and one ladies' team. The men's 1st team play in eastern league division 1.
The town's only senior football team, Felixstowe & Walton United
Felixstowe & Walton United F.C.
Felixstowe and Walton United F.C. is an English football club based in Felixstowe, Suffolk. Formed in 2000 by a merger of Felixstowe Port & Town and Walton United, the club are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division and play at Dellwood Avenue.-Felixstowe Port &...
, compete in the Eastern Counties League
Eastern Counties Football League
The Eastern Counties Football League is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk, northern Essex and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is a feeder to the regional divisions of the Isthmian League and Southern...
Premier Division.
The town has a sports centre, the Brackenbury, in High Road East, and football, hockey and rugby pitches, together with four bowling greens and other sporting facilities. The sports centre, owned by the council, is managed by a contractor.
Felixstowe Golf Club is a links course to the northeast of the town centre.
Leisure facilities
The town has two main leisure facilities: the Brackenbury Sports Centre in Old Felixstowe and the Felixstowe Leisure Centre adjacent to the pier. There is a bowls club and a tennis club has hosted a large post-Wimbledon tournament. There is also a small community centre, run by the Old Felixstowe Community Association (OFCA), in Ferry Road.The library was refurbished in 2006 at a cost of £1,500,000 and has since won national awards.
The Spa Pavilion Theatre is a 900-seat art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
-style building on the promenade, owned by the district council and managed by a private contractor; Status Quo played there in the 1970s; Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, the Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Showaddywaddy
Showaddywaddy
Showaddywaddy are a 1970s pop group from Leicester, England. They specialised in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, and dressed as Teddy Boys.-History:...
, Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
and Mungo Jerry
Mungo Jerry
Mungo Jerry is an English rock group whose greatest success was in the early 1970s, though they have continued throughout the years with an ever-changing line-up, always fronted by Ray Dorset. They are remembered above all for their hit "In the Summertime". It remains their most successful and most...
all played at the old Pier Pavilion which was demolished and is now the leisure centre. There is also a Sunday market that is larger than that at nearby Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
.
Felixstowe Radio
Felixstowe Radio
Felixstowe Radio is a community radio station in Felixstowe, Suffolk . It began as an internet radio station in 2006, applied for a Community Radio License in late 2008 and was awarded a full license in February 2009.-Full Time licence:...
is the community radio station that has broadcasts on 107.5 FM to the local area and via the internet.
The Port of Felixstowe
Felixstowe is Britain's largest container port.The main navigation channel is dredged to 14.5 metres below chart datum
Chart datum
A chart datum is the level of water that charted depths displayed on a nautical chart are measured from. A chart datum is generally a tidal datum; that is, a datum derived from some phase of the tide...
, and a depth of up to 15 metres alongside the quay, Felixstowe boasts deep-water able to accommodate the world’s latest generation of deep-draughted ultra post-Panamax
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
vessels. There is a continuous quay of over 2.3 km, equipped with 25 ship-to shore gantry cranes.
It has congested road links to the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
via the A14 and to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
via the A12 road. The single-track railway line to Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
has recently been upgraded to allow larger containers, and many containers are now transported by rail.
The port is owned by Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
Ltd with additional land on the peninsula owned by Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
The port has its own Police Authority
Port of Felixstowe Police
Port of Felixstowe Police is a small specialised police force responsible for policing the Port of Felixstowe. Officers of this force are sworn in as special constables under section 79 of the Harbours, Docks, and Piers Clauses Act 1847. As a result, officers have the full powers of a constable on...
, which also currently has jurisdiction over the area local to the port (with permission from Suffolk Constabulary
Suffolk Constabulary
Suffolk Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Suffolk in East Anglia, England.Suffolk Constabulary is responsible for policing an area of , with a population of...
's Chief Inspector). Alongside the Port Police, they also have their own joint ambulance & fire service. One of the port ambulances, call sign 'Alpha 1', can also come off port to attend 999 emergencies in Felixstowe.
Parishes
St. Felix is the Catholic Parish in Felixstowe.St. John the Baptist is an ecclesiastical parish in Felixstowe.
Notable residents
People originating from or associated with Felixstowe include:- Jack AinsleyJack AinsleyJack William Ainsley is an English footballer who plays for Ipswich Town as a defender.-Early career:Born in Ipswich, Suffolk, His father George Ainsley and brother Stuart Ainsley also were at Ipswich as youngsters but never broke into the first team...
, footballer - Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, soldier, Allenby Park in St. Andrews Road is named after him
- Thomas CavendishThomas CavendishSir Thomas Cavendish was an English explorer and a privateer known as "The Navigator" because he was the first who deliberately tried to emulate Sir Francis Drake and raid the Spanish towns and ships in the Pacific and return by circumnavigating the globe...
, 'The Navigator', Elizabethan explorer, born in Trimley St Martin - Iain Hook, UNRWA officer, killed in the line of duty
- Megs JenkinsMegs JenkinsMuguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins was an English character actress who appeared in British films and television programmes.-Life and career:...
, actor - Chris AllenChris AllenChris Allen may refer to:*Chris Allen *Chris Allen , English footballer*Chris Allen , English former footballer*Chris Allen...
, Detroit Techno producer - Jeremy KempJeremy KempJeremy Kemp is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the miniseries The Winds of War, The Blue Max and Z-Cars....
, actor, Z-CarsZ-CarsZ-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by... - T. E. LawrenceT. E. LawrenceLieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
, 'Lawrence of Arabia', based at RAF Landguard under the name John Hume Ross - John MillsJohn MillsSir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
, actor - Nicholas PandolfiNicholas PandolfiNicholas Pandolfi, also known as Nick Pandolfi, is an English actor, voice artist & radio presenter, who has worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation and Global Radio . He was named BBC Local Radio "Presenter of the Year" at the 2004 Frank Gillard Awards and won the bronze in the category...
, broadcaster and actor - Wallis, The Duchess of WindsorWallis, The Duchess of WindsorWallis, Duchess of Windsor, previously Wallis Simpson, was an American socialite whose third husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and the Dominions, abdicated his throne to marry her.Wallis's father died shortly after her birth, and she and her...
, Mrs Simpson, spent time at Felixstowe waiting for Edward VIII's abdication - Barbara WardBarbara WardBarbara Mary Ward , in later life Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, was a British economist and writer interested in the problems of developing countries. She urged Western governments to share their prosperity with the rest of the world and in the 1960s turned her attention to environmental...
, economist and writer, pupil at Jesus & Mary Convent in Felixstowe - Geoffrey Barham, Former Headmaster, and renowned Baritone.
- Simon ClementsSimon ClementsSimon Mark Clements is a former English cricketer. Clements was a left-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. He was born in Felixstowe, Suffolk....
(1956-), cricketer