Ipswich
Encyclopedia
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
. Nearby towns are Felixstowe
, Needham Market
and Stowmarket
in Suffolk and Harwich
and Colchester
in Essex
.
The town of Ipswich 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.
The modern name is derived from the medieval name 'Gippeswick', probably taken from the River Gipping
which is the non-tidal section of the River Orwell. As of 2007, the borough of Ipswich is estimated to have a population of approximately 128,000 inhabitants.
, the area around Ipswich formed an important route inland to rural towns and settlements via the rivers Orwell
and Gipping
. A large Roman fort, part of the coast defences of Britain, stood at Walton
near Felixstowe
(13 miles, 21 km), and the largest Roman villa
in Suffolk (possibly an administrative complex) stood at Castle Hill (north-west Ipswich).
Ipswich is one of England's oldest towns
, and took shape in Anglo-Saxon
times (in the 7th–8th centuries) around Ipswich dock
. As the coastal states of north-western Europe emerged from the collapse of the Roman Empire, essential North Sea
trade and communication between eastern Britain and the continent (especially to Scandinavia
, and through the Rhine) passed through the formerly Roman ports of London (serving the Kingdoms of Mercia, the East Saxons
and of Kent
) and of York
(Eoforwic) (serving the Kingdom of Northumbria).
Gipeswic (also Gippelwich ) arose as the equivalent to these serving the Kingdom of East Anglia, its early imported wares dating to the time of King Rædwald, supreme ruler of the English (616–624). The famous ship-burial and treasure at Sutton Hoo
nearby (9 miles, 14.5 km) is probably his grave. The Ipswich Museum
houses replica
s of the Roman Mildenhall Treasure
and the Sutton Hoo treasure. A gallery devoted to the town's origins includes Anglo-Saxon
weapon
s, jewellery
and other artefacts.
The 7th 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 in the 970s, which continued through the Norman Conquest until the time of King John
, in about 1215. The abbreviation 'Gipes' appears on the coins.
King John granted the town its first charter
in 1200, laying the medieval foundations of its modern civil government. 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 (St Peter and St Paul, and Holy Trinity, both mid-12th century), and those of the Greyfriars (Franciscans, before 1298), Ipswich Whitefriars
(Carmelites
founded 1278–79) and Blackfriars (Dominicans
, before 1263), stood in medieval Ipswich. The last Carmelite Prior of Ipswich was the celebrated John Bale
, author of the oldest English historical verse-drama (Kynge Johan, c.1538). There were also several hospitals, including the leper hospital of St Mary Magdalene, founded before 1199. During the Middle Ages the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Grace
was a famous pilgrimage
destination, and attracted many pilgrims including Henry VIII
and Katherine of Aragon. At the Reformation the statue was taken away to London to be burned, though some claim that it survived and is preserved at Nettuno
, Italy.
Around 1380, Geoffrey Chaucer
satirised the merchants of Ipswich in the Canterbury Tales. Thomas Wolsey, the future cardinal
, was born in Ipswich about 1475 as the son of a wealthy landowner. One of Henry VIII
's closest political allies, he founded a college
in the town in 1528, which was for its brief duration one of the homes of the Ipswich School
. He remains one of the town's most famed figures.
Ipswich was a kontor
for the Hanseatic League
with its port used for import and export to the Baltic
.
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
, where a promontory was named 'Castle Hill' after the place of that name in north-west Ipswich, UK. Ipswich was also one of the main ports of embarkation for puritans leaving other East Anglia
n towns and villages for the Massachusetts Bay Colony
during the 1630s and what has become known as the Great Migration
.
The painter 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 1824, Dr George Birkbeck, with support from several local businessmen, founded one of the first Mechanics' Institutes
which survives to this day as the independent Ipswich Institute Reading Room and Library. The elegant 15 Tavern Street building has been the site of the Library since 1836.
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
(fossilized animal dung) was discovered, the material was mined and then dissolved in acid
, the resulting mixture forming the basis of Fisons
fertilizer business.
Ipswich was subject to bombing by German Zeppelins during the First World War but the greatest damage by far occurred during the German bombing raids of World War II
. The area in and around the docks were especially devastated. The last bombs to fall on Ipswich landed on Seymour Street in March 1945.
programme in recent years, principally centred around the waterfront. Though this has turned a former industrial
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 civic 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. Felix Thornley Cobbold presented Christchurch Mansion
to the town in 1896. Smaller breweries include St Jude's Brewery situated in an 18th century coach-house near the town centre.
The town centre contains the glass-clad building owned by Willis
, 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 and at the time one of only two buildings to be listed and be under 30 years of age.
In September 1993 Ipswich and Arras
, Nord Pas-de-Calais, France, became twin towns, and a square in the new Buttermarket development was named Arras Square to mark the relationship.
On 13 March 2007 Ipswich was awarded the cleanest town award.
Ipswich remains a 'town' despite a few attempts at winning 'city' status. 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
.
s area (also 'the waterfront') is now devoted primarily to leisure use and includes extensive recent development of residential apartment blocks and the new University Campus. Fairline Boats
and Spirit Yachts operate from the dock as does a timber merchant. Other industrial uses dominate to the south of the wet dock. Recently Waterfront Action was formed to help create a friendly, thriving and vibrant community for the Ipswich Waterfront with the initiative being led by Waterfront Churches.
Holywells is the area around Holywells Park
, a 67 acre (27 ha) public park, situated near the docks, that was painted by Thomas Gainsborough
. Alexandra Park is the nearest park to the Northern Quay of the Ipswich Waterfont and situated on Back Hamlet next to the Northern block of UCS
Chantry
is the name of a housing estate and park to the South-West of Ipswich.
Other districts outside the town centre include Bixley Farm, Broke Hall
, California, Castle Hill
, The Dales, Gainsborough, Greenwich
, Kesgrave
(which is actually a separate town situated in Suffolk Coastal
District), Maidenhall
, Pinebrook, Priory Heath, Racecourse, Ravenswood
(built on the former air field), 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
.
Ipswich is home to many artists, with galleries at Christchurch Mansion
, the Town Hall, a gallery in 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.
The town houses Ipswich Museum
and the Ipswich Transport Museum
.
Performing arts are well represented with Ipswich being home to many cultural hubs.
The New Wolsey Theatre
is a 400 seat theatre situated on Civic Drive. Although the Wolsey Theatre was built in 1979, The New Wolsey Theatre Co. took on the management and running of the Wolsey Theatre in 2000, opening its first production in February 2001. Celebrating its 10th birthday in 2011 the New Wolsey Theatre offers a diverse range of quality productions for mixed ages and tastes. If you are hard of hearing, Deaf or deafened, use BSL or are blind, then the theatre can still be accessed via captioning, BSL interpreted performances and audio description. This theatre is also the producer of the incredibly popular Rock 'n' Roll pantomimes at Christmas.
The New Wolsey is also host to the annual Pulse Fringe Festival that takes place in May/June each year, bringing new and emerging work at various stages of development, from both national and international companies, to different venues in the town.
DanceEast, which has the primary aim of advocating innovation and development of dance in the East of England is now resident in their new premises as part of the waterfront development . They are building new premises as part of the waterfront development. These are the first custom built dance facilities in the East of England at a cost of around £8million..
The Eastern Angles (www.easternangles.co.uk) theatre group are based at the Sir John Mills
Theatre in Ipswich, named after the famous actor who lived in Felixstowe as a child. In 2012 it celebrates its 30th anniversary. As well as its rural touring Eastern Angles are well known for their riotious alternative Christmas Shows (Mansfield Park & Ride, The Haunted Commode and Round the Twist for example) and larger scale site specific work.
Since 1991, there has been an annual arts festival
called Ip-Art http://www.ip-art.com/ 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.
Key Arts http://www.keyarts.org is an artists run space using the redundant
St Mary at the Quay Church
on the waterfront. They hold a comprehensive programme of events and residencies during the year and have been running since 2006.
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 full time commercial station specific for Ipswich. The younger audience is catered for with Suffolk based Kiss 105-108
. On 15 August 2007, 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
.
and the Regent Theatre
– the largest theatre venue in East Anglia
where, in the 1960s, The Beatles
performed when it was still known as the Gaumont.
There are several medieval Ipswich churches but the grandest is the Victorian St Mary le Tower
. [Holy Trinity Church] by Ipswich Waterfront is one of the few churches in the country which was built during the reign of William IV and whilst the outside looks plain, the interior is quite spectacular.
The world's oldest circle of church bells is housed in St Lawrence Church
.
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 by The Broomhill Pool Trust.
The tallest building in Ipswich, "The Mill", was topped out in November 2008.
functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning and Suffolk County Council
provides the County Council
services such as transport, education and social services.
Between 1979 and September 2004, Ipswich Borough Council was under Labour
control. The town was then governed by a Conservative
-Liberal Democrat
coalition until May 2011 when it reverted back to Labour
.
The town is covered by two parliamentary constituencies: Ipswich
, which covers about 75% and is represented by Conservative MP Ben Gummer, and Central Suffolk & North Ipswich, which covers the remaining 25% and is represented by Conservative MP Daniel Poulter
.
In April 2006 the borough
council initiated public discussions about the idea of turning the borough into a unitary authority (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
united to campaign for unitary authority status for the four towns, hoping to use the window of opportunity presented by the October 2006 Local Government White Paper. In March 2007, it was announced that Ipswich was one of sixteen shortlisted councils and on the 25 July 2007, 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', on which she invited Ipswich to undertake further work before a final decision is taken. Early in December plans were thrown into doubt as the Government announced that it had 'delayed' the unitary bids for Ipswich and Exeter. In July 2008 the Boundary Committee
announced their preferred option was for a unitary authority covering Ipswich and the south-eastern corner of Suffolk (including Felixstowe).
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 world's 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 hotel industry has been given a boost with the opening of the brand new Ramada Encore Hotel on Ranelagh Road near Ipswich Town football club.
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. Part of the old airfield is now the site of Suffolk Constabulary's Headquarters.
Ipswich is one of the Haven ports
and is still a working port, handling several million tonnes of cargo
each year. Prior to decommissioning, HMS Grafton
was a regular visitor to the port and has special links with the town and the county of Suffolk. HMS Orwell
, named after the river, is also closely linked with the town. With the rise in popularity of the town around the Neptune Marina and the Ipswich dock
a number of ship and boatbuilders have become established, in particular Fairline Yachts are a significant employer.
from London to Norwich
, the East Suffolk Line
to Lowestoft
and the Felixstowe Branch Line
with two railway stations (Ipswich
and Derby Road
). It is an hour from Stansted airport, 40 minutes from Harwich International Port
and is also on Sustrans's
National Cycle Route 5 and National Cycle Route 51. The Port of Felixstowe
is a major container port 12 miles to the east.
Ipswich engine shed
opened in 1846 and closed in 1968, although Ipswich is still a signing-on point for loco crews and a stabling point.
Bus services in Ipswich are operated by Ipswich Buses
, First Eastern Counties and several smaller companies.
Ipswich formerly had a municipal airport
to the South-east of the town, which was opened in 1929 by the Ipswich Corporation
. The airport was controversially closed in 1996 by Ipswich Borough Council, amid significant public opposition to the decision. The site was redeveloped for housing as the Ravens Wood estate.
Ipswich's sole professional football club are Ipswich Town
, who were established in 1878 and currently play in the second-tier Football League Championship
at the 30,300-capacity Portman Road
. They have a strong rivalry with Norwich City
, and have been the previous clubs of the two most successful England
managers, Alf Ramsey
(who is buried in the Old Cemetery in the town) and Bobby Robson
. They won the League Championship in 1961–62 during Ramsey's reign, as well as the 1978 FA Cup and the 1981 UEFA Cup under Robson. The club are also undefeated at home in all European competitions having drawn 6 and won the other 25. Ipswich is also home to several non-League
clubs, including Ipswich Wanderers
and Whitton United
in the Eastern Counties League
, and Achilles
, Crane Sports
and Ransomes Sports
amongst several others in the Suffolk & Ipswich League
.
The Speedway
team, the Ipswich Witches
, have ridden at Foxhall Stadium
on the outskirts of Ipswich since 1951. The Witches have won the top tier league title four times, the knock-out cup five times and the second tier knock-out cup twice. The stadium is also used regularly for Hot Rod and Stock car racing
.
Ipswich Gymnastics Centre is one of only three fully Olympic
accredited gymnastics
facilities in the United Kingdom
The resident club has also been home to international gymnasts.
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 (a third side Orwell RUFC, formerly Ransomes RFC having folded some time in the 1980s). The amateur rugby league
side, Ipswich Rhinos
, plays in the Rugby League Conference
.
The Ipswich Cardinals (American football) is a successful American Football team, playing in the South-East Conference of BAFACL 1 – the second tier of the BAFA Community Leagues
.
Ipswich is home to team Ipswich Swimming. Formed in 1884 as Ipswich Swimming Club, it is based at the town's Crown Pools, and also uses the Fore Street swimming pool. The most successful club member is World Championship gold medal
list Karen Pickering
.
Ipswich had a racecourse
which ran a mix of flat and National Hunt races from 1710 to 1911.
, Copleston High School
and an academy, Ipswich Academy. Ipswich is also home to several independent schools including Royal Hospital School
, Ipswich School
(both are co-educational and members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
), Ipswich High School
(girls-only) and St Joseph's College
(Catholic, co-educational).
is a further education
college located in Ipswich, serving students from the town and wider area. Suffolk One
is a Sixth Form College
located in Ipswich, which serves students from the same area.
Ipswich is the location of University Campus Suffolk
, Suffolk
's first university
. Established in 2007, it is a collaboration by the University of Essex
in Colchester
, the University of East Anglia
in Norwich
, various further education colleges and the local government. The nearest established full-fledged university is the University of Essex
, which is approximately 18 miles away.
The absolute minimum is -16.1c(3.0f), set in January 1963, although frosts have been recorded in all months except July, August and September. In an average year, 55.33 nights will report an air frost.
As with much of East Anglia, rainfall is low, averaging 569.3mm in a typical year, with 103.8 days of the year reporting over 1mm of rain. All averages refer to the period 1971-2000.
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 prostitutes
; their bodies were found in December 2006. Suffolk Constabulary
formally linked the murders in their investigation.
Steven Gerald James Wright, who had previously worked at the Port of Felixstowe, was arrested at his house in Ipswich on 19 December. On 21 December, 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 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. At that hearing he pleaded not guilty to all five murders. His trial began in Ipswich on 14 January 2008. The jury returned a guilty verdict on 21 February, and the next day, Wright was sentenced to life imprisonment
by Mr Justice Gross, who recommended that he should never be released from prison
, on the basis that the murders resulted from a "substantial degree of pre-meditation and planning".
The three-episode TV program titled 'Five Daughters' was based on the serial murders of the five prostitutes that happened in Ipswich in 2006.
and the cartoonist "Giles"
worked here, Horatio, Lord Nelson became Steward of Ipswich, and Margaret Catchpole
began her adventurous career here. Alf Ramsey
and Sir Bobby Robson were both successful managers of Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich is also home to the current world's heaviest man, Paul Mason – weighing in at 70 st (980 lb; 444.5 kg). Academy Award-nominated English actor Ralph Fiennes
was born in an Ipswich hospital while his parents were living near Southwold
but did not live in the town.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
. It is the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
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...
. Ipswich is located on 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...
. Nearby towns are Felixstowe
Felixstowe
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...
, Needham Market
Needham Market
Needham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 1665. To prevent the spread of the disease, the town was chained at either end, which succeeded in its task but at the cost of...
and Stowmarket
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
in Suffolk and 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...
and Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
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...
.
The town of Ipswich overspills the borough boundaries significantly, with only 85% of the town's population living within the borough at the time of the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, when it was the third-largest settlement in the United Kingdom's East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
region, and the 38th largest urban area in England.
The modern name is derived from the medieval name 'Gippeswick', probably taken from the River Gipping
River Gipping
The River Gipping is the source river for the River Orwell in the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, England, which gave its name to the former Gipping Rural District and the village of Gipping....
which is the non-tidal section of the River Orwell. As of 2007, the borough of Ipswich is estimated to have a population of approximately 128,000 inhabitants.
History
Under the Roman empireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, the area around Ipswich formed an important route inland to rural towns and settlements via the rivers 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 Gipping
River Gipping
The River Gipping is the source river for the River Orwell in the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, England, which gave its name to the former Gipping Rural District and the village of Gipping....
. A large Roman fort, part of the coast defences of Britain, stood at 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...
near Felixstowe
Felixstowe
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...
(13 miles, 21 km), and the largest Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
in Suffolk (possibly an administrative complex) stood at Castle Hill (north-west Ipswich).
Ipswich is one of England's oldest towns
Oldest town in Britain
The Oldest town in Britain is a title claimed by a number of settlements in Great Britain.-Thatcham:Thatcham in Berkshire is often claimed as the oldest town in Britain, since its occupation can be traced back to a mesolithic hunting camp, which was discovered there beside a Post-glacial rebound...
, and took shape in Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times (in the 7th–8th centuries) around Ipswich dock
Ipswich dock
The Ipswich Dock, is the area of land around the dock in the town of Ipswich at a bend of the River Orwell which has been used for trade since at least the 8th Century. A wet dock was constructed in 1842 which was 'the biggest enclosed dock in the kingdom' at the time...
. As the coastal states of north-western Europe emerged from the collapse of the Roman Empire, essential 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...
trade and communication between eastern Britain and the continent (especially to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, and through the Rhine) passed through the formerly Roman ports of London (serving the Kingdoms of Mercia, the East Saxons
Kingdom of Essex
The Kingdom of Essex or Kingdom of the East Saxons was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was founded in the 6th century and covered the territory later occupied by the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Kent. Kings of Essex were...
and of Kent
Kingdom of Kent
The Kingdom of Kent was a Jutish colony and later independent kingdom in what is now south east England. It was founded at an unknown date in the 5th century by Jutes, members of a Germanic people from continental Europe, some of whom settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans...
) and of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
(Eoforwic) (serving the Kingdom of Northumbria).
Gipeswic (also Gippelwich ) arose as the equivalent to these serving the Kingdom of East Anglia, its early imported wares dating to the time of King Rædwald, supreme ruler of the English (616–624). The famous ship-burial and treasure at Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo, near to Woodbridge, in the English county of Suffolk, is the site of two 6th and early 7th century cemeteries. One contained an undisturbed ship burial including a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artefacts of outstanding art-historical and archaeological significance, now held in the British...
nearby (9 miles, 14.5 km) is probably his grave. The Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum is a registered museum of culture, history and natural heritage located on High Street in Ipswich, the County Town of the English county of Suffolk...
houses replica
Replica
A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...
s of the Roman Mildenhall Treasure
Mildenhall Treasure
The West Row Treasure is a major hoard of highly decorated Roman silver tableware from the fourth-century AD, found at West Row, near Mildenhall in the English county of Suffolk...
and the Sutton Hoo treasure. A gallery devoted to the town's origins includes Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s, jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
and other artefacts.
The 7th century town, called 'Gippeswick' was centred near the quay. Towards 700 AD, Frisian potters from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
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
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
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
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
under royal licence from King Edgar in the 970s, which continued through the Norman Conquest until the time of King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, in about 1215. The abbreviation 'Gipes' appears on the coins.
King John granted the town its first charter
Municipal charter
A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....
in 1200, laying the medieval foundations of its modern civil government. In the next four centuries it made the most of its wealth, trading Suffolk cloth with the Continent
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Five large religious houses, including two Augustinian Priories (St Peter and St Paul, and Holy Trinity, both mid-12th century), and those of the Greyfriars (Franciscans, before 1298), Ipswich Whitefriars
Ipswich Whitefriars
Ipswich Whitefriars is the name usually given to the Carmelite Priory, a Catholic religious house, which formerly stood near the centre of the medieval town of Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk, UK...
(Carmelites
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
founded 1278–79) and Blackfriars (Dominicans
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, before 1263), stood in medieval Ipswich. The last Carmelite Prior of Ipswich was the celebrated John Bale
John Bale
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
, author of the oldest English historical verse-drama (Kynge Johan, c.1538). There were also several hospitals, including the leper hospital of St Mary Magdalene, founded before 1199. During the Middle Ages the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Grace
Our Lady of Ipswich
Our Lady of Ipswich was a popular English Marian shrine before the English Reformation. Only the shrine at Walsingham attracted more visitors.-Location:The shrine was just outside the walls of Ipswich, Suffolk, England...
was a famous pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
destination, and attracted many pilgrims including Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and Katherine of Aragon. At the Reformation the statue was taken away to London to be burned, though some claim that it survived and is preserved at Nettuno
Nettuno
Nettuno is a town and comune of the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy, 60 kilometers south of Rome. It is named in honour of the Roman god Neptune...
, Italy.
Around 1380, Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
satirised the merchants of Ipswich in the Canterbury Tales. Thomas Wolsey, the future cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
, was born in Ipswich about 1475 as the son of a wealthy landowner. One of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's closest political allies, he founded a college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in the town in 1528, which was for its brief duration one of the homes of the Ipswich School
Ipswich School
Ipswich School is a co-educational public school for girls and boys aged 3 to 18. Situated in Suffolk, England in the town of Ipswich, it was founded in its current form as The King's School, Ipswich by Thomas Wolsey in 1528....
. He remains one of the town's most famed figures.
Ipswich was a kontor
Kontor
A kontor was a foreign trading post of the Hanseatic League. The word kontor means office in Norwegian and other Scandinavian languages....
for the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
with its port used for import and export to the Baltic
Baltic region
The terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
.
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
the Ipswich Martyrs
Ipswich Martyrs
The Ipswich Martyrs were nine people burnt at the stake for their Protestant beliefs around 1538-1558. The executions were mainly carried out in the centre of Ipswich, Suffolk on The Cornhill, the square in front of Ipswich Town Hall. At that time the remains of the medieval church of St Mildred...
were burnt at the stake on the Cornhill for their Protestant beliefs. A monument commemorating this event now stands in Christchurch Park
Christchurch Park
Christchurch Park is a area of rolling lawns, wooded areas, and delicately created arboreta in central Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It contains Christchurch Mansion which holds a public museum and art gallery. The park opened as the town's first public park in 1895.-History:From the 12th century the...
. From 1611 to 1634 Ipswich was a major centre for emigration to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. This was encouraged by the Town Lecturer, Samuel Ward
Samuel Ward (minister)
Samuel Ward was an English Puritan minister of Ipswich.-Life:He was born in Suffolk, son of John Ward, minister of Haverhill, by his wife Susan. Nathaniel Ward was his younger brother. Another brother, John, was rector of St. Clement's, Ipswich. Samuel was admitted a scholar of St...
. His brother Nathaniel Ward
Nathaniel Ward
Nathaniel Ward was a Puritan clergyman and pamphleteer in England and Massachusetts. He wrote the first constitution in North America in 1641....
was first minister of Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
, where a promontory was named 'Castle Hill' after the place of that name in north-west Ipswich, UK. Ipswich was also one of the main ports of embarkation for puritans leaving other East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
n towns and villages for the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
during the 1630s and what has become known as the Great Migration
Great Migration (Puritan)
The Puritan migration to New England was marked in its effects in the two decades from 1620 to 1640, after which it declined sharply for a while. The term Great Migration usually refers to the migration in this period of English settlers, primarily Puritans to Massachusetts and the warm islands of...
.
The painter Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
lived and worked in Ipswich. In 1835, Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
stayed in Ipswich and used it as a setting for scenes in his novel The Pickwick Papers
The Pickwick Papers
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is the first novel by Charles Dickens. After the publication, the widow of the illustrator Robert Seymour claimed that the idea for the novel was originally her husband's; however, in his preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens strenuously denied any...
. 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 1824, Dr George Birkbeck, with support from several local businessmen, founded one of the first Mechanics' Institutes
Mechanics' Institutes
Historically, Mechanics' Institutes were educational establishments formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men...
which survives to this day as the independent Ipswich Institute Reading Room and Library. The elegant 15 Tavern Street building has been the site of the Library since 1836.
In 1797 Lord and Lady Nelson moved to Ipswich, and in 1800 Lord Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
was appointed High Steward of Ipswich.
In the mid-19th century Coprolite
Coprolite
A coprolite is fossilized animal dung. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour rather than morphology. The name is derived from the Greek words κοπρος / kopros meaning 'dung' and λιθος / lithos meaning 'stone'. They...
(fossilized animal dung) was discovered, the material was mined and then dissolved in acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
, the resulting mixture forming the basis of 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....
fertilizer business.
Ipswich was subject to bombing by German Zeppelins during the First World War but the greatest damage by far occurred during the German bombing raids of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The area in and around the docks were especially devastated. The last bombs to fall on Ipswich landed on Seymour Street in March 1945.
Modern Ipswich
Ipswich has undergone an extensive rebuilding and a gentrificationGentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
programme in recent years, principally centred around the waterfront. Though this has turned a former industrial
Deindustrialization
Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially heavy industry or manufacturing industry. It is an opposite of industrialization.- Multiple interpretations :There are multiple...
dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
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 civic group
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
, The Ipswich Society. Much of this development is residential and is marketed at high net-worth individuals in the DINKY
DINKY (acronym)
DINKY is an acronym and can stand for any of the following:* Dual income, no kids.* Dual income, no kids yet.* Dual income, no kids yuppie....
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
Satellite town
A satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to smaller metropolitan areas which are located somewhat near to, but are mostly independent of, larger metropolitan areas.-Characteristics:...
of 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...
.
The Tolly Cobbold
Tolly Cobbold
Tolly Cobbold is a former brewing company, with strong roots in Suffolk, England.The original Cobbold brewery was founded in Harwich, Essex in 1723. The name Tolly Cobbold is an amalgamation of the two family run brewers the Tollemache Brewery owned by the Tollemache family and Cobbold Brewery...
brewery, built in the 19th century and rebuilt 1894–1896, is one of the finest Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
breweries
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in the United Kingdom. There was a Cobbold brewery in the town from 1746 until 2002 when Ridley's Breweries took Tolly Cobbold over. Felix Thornley Cobbold presented Christchurch Mansion
Christchurch Mansion
Christchurch Mansion is a substantial Tudor brick mansion house within Christchurch Park on the edge of the town centre of Ipswich, Suffolk, England...
to the town in 1896. Smaller breweries include St Jude's Brewery situated in an 18th century coach-house near the town centre.
The town centre contains the glass-clad building owned by Willis
Willis Group Holdings
Willis Group Holdings is a global insurance broker headquartered in the Willis Building, London, United Kingdom. It has more than 400 offices in 120 countries, and approximately 17,000 employees...
, properly called the Willis Building
Willis Building (Ipswich)
The Willis building in Ipswich, England is one of the earliest buildings designed by Norman Foster after establishing Foster Associates. Constructed between 1970 and 1975 for the insurance firm now known as Willis Group Holdings, it is now seen as a landmark in the development of the 'high tech'...
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
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....
, the building dates from 1974. It became the youngest Grade I listed building in Britain in 1991 and at the time one of only two buildings to be listed and be under 30 years of age.
In September 1993 Ipswich and Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
, Nord Pas-de-Calais, France, became twin towns, and a square in the new Buttermarket development was named Arras Square to mark the relationship.
On 13 March 2007 Ipswich was awarded the cleanest town award.
Ipswich remains a 'town' despite a few attempts at winning 'city' status. 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
West Suffolk
West Suffolk was an administrative county of England created in 1889 from part of the county of Suffolk. It survived until 1974 when it was rejoined with East Suffolk. Its county town was Bury St Edmunds....
.
Districts
The Ipswich dockIpswich dock
The Ipswich Dock, is the area of land around the dock in the town of Ipswich at a bend of the River Orwell which has been used for trade since at least the 8th Century. A wet dock was constructed in 1842 which was 'the biggest enclosed dock in the kingdom' at the time...
s area (also 'the waterfront') is now devoted primarily to leisure use and includes extensive recent development of residential apartment blocks and the new University Campus. Fairline Boats
Fairline Boats
Fairline Boats Ltd are an English motor yacht builder, currently owned Better Capital and the RBS. Started in 1963 by Jack Newington, the company presently builds motor yachts in both its original Oundle base as well as Corby, Northamptonshire-History:...
and Spirit Yachts operate from the dock as does a timber merchant. Other industrial uses dominate to the south of the wet dock. Recently Waterfront Action was formed to help create a friendly, thriving and vibrant community for the Ipswich Waterfront with the initiative being led by Waterfront Churches.
Holywells is the area around Holywells Park
Holywells Park, Ipswich
Holywells Park is a public park in Ipswich, England situated between Nacton Road and Cliff Lane, near to Ipswich dock. Previously private land, it was opened to the public in 1936.The park contains a Grade II listed orangery, built in the late 19th century...
, a 67 acre (27 ha) public park, situated near the docks, that was painted by Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
. Alexandra Park is the nearest park to the Northern Quay of the Ipswich Waterfont and situated on Back Hamlet next to the Northern block of UCS
Chantry
Chantry, Suffolk
Chantry is a large residential area within the large town of Ipswich, in the Ipswich Borough in the English county of Suffolk.- History :Chantry estate was built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the estate was named after the Chantry....
is the name of a housing estate and park to the South-West of Ipswich.
Other districts outside the town centre include Bixley Farm, Broke Hall
Broke Hall
Broke Hall is a stately home in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. overlooking the River Orwell opposite Pin Mill. The gardens were landscaped by Humphry Repton in 1794.It was the birth place of Admiral Philip Bowes Vere Broke and is currently a primary school....
, California, Castle Hill
Castle Hill, Suffolk
Castle Hill is a suburb of the large town of Ipswich, in the Ipswich District, in the English county of Suffolk.-References:*Philip's Street Atlas Suffolk...
, The Dales, Gainsborough, Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, Kesgrave
Kesgrave
Kesgrave is a small town in the English county of Suffolk on the northern edge of Ipswich.-Early history:The town was recorded as Gressgrava in the Domesday Book, by the late 15th century its name had become Kesgrave...
(which is actually a separate town situated in 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), Maidenhall
Maidenhall
Maidenhall is a suburb of the large town of Ipswich, in the Ipswich District, in the English county of Suffolk.-References:Philip's Street Atlas Suffolk...
, Pinebrook, Priory Heath, Racecourse, Ravenswood
Ravenswood, Ipswich
Ravenswood is a district within Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. It is sited on the old Ipswich Airport to the south-east of the town.The area is one experiencing rapid growth in housing numbers from private housing developers...
(built on the former air field), Rose Hill, Rushmere, Springvale
Springvale
Springvale may refer to:In Australia:* Springvale, New South Wales, a suburb of Wagga Wagga* Springvale, Victoria, a suburb of MelbourneIn Canada:* Springvale, Haldimand County, Ontario* Springvale, Lambton County, OntarioIn England:...
, St Margarets
St Margarets
-United Kingdom:*St Margarets, London*Stanstead St Margarets, Hertfordshire*St Margarets, Herefordshire*St Margaret-at-Cliffe, Kent*St Margaret's Hope, Orkney Islands-See also:*Saint Margaret *St. Margaret's Church...
, Stoke
Stoke, Suffolk
Not to be confused with Stoke-by-Nayland or Stoke Ash or Stoke-by-Clare also in SuffolkStoke is a suburb of Ipswich and a civil parish, in the Ipswich District, in the English county of Suffolk.- Amenities :...
, Warren Heath
Warren Heath
Warren Heath is an area of Ipswich, near the A1156 road, in the Ipswich District, in the English county of Suffolk. Warren Heath has a superstore.- References :*Philip's Street Atlas Suffolk...
, Westbourne, Whitehouse
Whitehouse, Ipswich
-History:Much of the ex-council owned estate was built in the 1950s. Recent development included derelict fields adjacent to 'the rec' in the late 1980s and early 2000s. Early 2000 saw the Allotments divided up and redeveloped as recreational land...
and Whitton.
To the east of the town is Trinity Park near Bucklesham
Bucklesham
Bucklesham is a village and civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal district of Suffolk, England, a few miles east of Ipswich.The village pub is The Shannon, named after Admiral Brooke's ship....
the home of the annual Suffolk Show one of the County shows in United Kingdom
County shows in United Kingdom
County Shows are summer outdoor agricultural shows held in various parts of the United Kingdom. There are competitions, with prizes awarded by judges, allowing farmers and breeders to show off their cattle or crops. There are many trade stands which offer the latest farming machinery, feeds,...
. The 'Trinity' is the name given to the three animals native to the county of Suffolk, namely Red Poll
Red Poll
The Red Poll is a dual purpose breed of cattle developed in England in the latter half of the 19th century.-Description and uses:The cattle are red, preferably deep red with white only on the tail switch and udder. They are naturally polled...
cattle, the powerful Suffolk Punch
Suffolk Punch
The Suffolk Punch, also historically known as the Suffolk Horse or Suffolk Sorrel, is an English breed of draught horse. The breed takes the first part of its name from the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, and the name "Punch" from its solid appearance and strength...
horse and the black faced Suffolk Sheep
Suffolk (sheep)
Suffolk are a black-faced, open-faced breed of domestic sheep raised primarily for meat.-Ewes:They are mainly raised for wool and meat production especially when crossed with the progeny of a mountain ewe. For example, a purebred upland ewe such as a Welsh Mountain ewe might be bred with a breeding...
.
Culture
Christchurch Mansion
Christchurch Mansion is a substantial Tudor brick mansion house within Christchurch Park on the edge of the town centre of Ipswich, Suffolk, England...
, the Town Hall, a gallery in 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.
The town houses Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum is a registered museum of culture, history and natural heritage located on High Street in Ipswich, the County Town of the English county of Suffolk...
and the Ipswich Transport Museum
Ipswich Transport Museum
The Ipswich Transport Museum is a museum in Ipswich, Suffolk, England devoted principally to the history of road vehicles as represented by those used or built in its local area....
.
Performing arts are well represented with Ipswich being home to many cultural hubs.
The New Wolsey Theatre
New Wolsey Theatre
A 400-seat theatre in the heart of Ipswich, Suffolk's county town, The was established in 2000, building on the foundations of the regional repertory company that had opened the theatre in the late 1970s....
is a 400 seat theatre situated on Civic Drive. Although the Wolsey Theatre was built in 1979, The New Wolsey Theatre Co. took on the management and running of the Wolsey Theatre in 2000, opening its first production in February 2001. Celebrating its 10th birthday in 2011 the New Wolsey Theatre offers a diverse range of quality productions for mixed ages and tastes. If you are hard of hearing, Deaf or deafened, use BSL or are blind, then the theatre can still be accessed via captioning, BSL interpreted performances and audio description. This theatre is also the producer of the incredibly popular Rock 'n' Roll pantomimes at Christmas.
The New Wolsey is also host to the annual Pulse Fringe Festival that takes place in May/June each year, bringing new and emerging work at various stages of development, from both national and international companies, to different venues in the town.
DanceEast, which has the primary aim of advocating innovation and development of dance in the East of England is now resident in their new premises as part of the waterfront development . They are building new premises as part of the waterfront development. These are the first custom built dance facilities in the East of England at a cost of around £8million..
The Eastern Angles (www.easternangles.co.uk) theatre group are based at the Sir John Mills
John Mills
Sir 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:...
Theatre in Ipswich, named after the famous actor who lived in Felixstowe as a child. In 2012 it celebrates its 30th anniversary. As well as its rural touring Eastern Angles are well known for their riotious alternative Christmas Shows (Mansfield Park & Ride, The Haunted Commode and Round the Twist for example) and larger scale site specific work.
Since 1991, there has been an annual arts festival
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that focuses on the visual arts in all its forms, but which may also focus on or include other arts.Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions and are not to be confused with the commercial art fair. Artists participate in the most important of such festival...
called Ip-Art http://www.ip-art.com/ which brings together many events across art disciplines and different venues, notably a free music day in Christchurch Park
Christchurch Park
Christchurch Park is a area of rolling lawns, wooded areas, and delicately created arboreta in central Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It contains Christchurch Mansion which holds a public museum and art gallery. The park opened as the town's first public park in 1895.-History:From the 12th century the...
, which in 2006 had over 50 different acts performing over 7 stages.
Key Arts http://www.keyarts.org is an artists run space using the redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
St Mary at the Quay Church
St Mary at the Quay Church, Ipswich
St Mary at the Quay Church, Ipswich, is a redundant Anglican church in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It originally served the thriving industry around the docks...
on the waterfront. They hold a comprehensive programme of events and residencies during the year and have been running since 2006.
Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
remains the regional centre for TV broadcasting, but both BBC East
BBC East
BBC East is the BBC English Region serving Norfolk, Suffolk, north Essex, Cambridgeshire, northern and central Hertfordshire, most of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of Buckinghamshire.-Television:...
and Anglia TV have presenters and offices in Ipswich. The town has three local radio stations, BBC Radio Suffolk
BBC Radio Suffolk
BBC Radio Suffolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Suffolk, commencing broadcasts on 12 April 1990. Its studios are at Broadcasting House in St Matthews Street, Ipswich on 95.5 , 95.9 , 103.9 and 104.6 FM...
covering the entire county, where the East Anglian Accent can be heard on its many phone-ins, the commercial SGR-FM
SGR-FM
Heart Ipswich was a radio station that evolved from Suffolk Group Radio, which was the parent company for two Independent Local Radio stations serving the county of Suffolk in England. The older of the radio stations was Radio Orwell, which began transmissions in Ipswich on 28 October 1975 on 257m...
which was founded in 1975 as Radio Orwell covering the A14 corridor in Suffolk and Town 102
Town 102
Town 102 is a radio station serving Ipswich, owned by Tindle Radio plc.The station's slogan is "Just Great Songs for Ipswich", although the playlist is identical to sister station Dream 100. It features competitions and also provides local news and information for the Ipswich area. Current...
which was founded in 2006 and is the first full time commercial station specific for Ipswich. The younger audience is catered for with Suffolk based Kiss 105-108
Kiss 105-108
Kiss 105-108 is the East of England's regional radio station broadcast from Reflection House, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, broadcasting dance music and R'n'B across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and North Essex....
. On 15 August 2007, 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)
Evening Star (Ipswich)
The Evening Star is a daily evening local newspaper based in Ipswich.The newspaper started publication on 17 February 1885 and was known as The Star of the East until 1893....
which is the sister title to the county's daily morning newspaper the East Anglian Daily Times
East Anglian Daily Times
The East Anglian Daily Times is a British local newspaper for Suffolk and Essex, based in Ipswich.It started publication on 13 October 1874, incorporating the Ipswich Express, which had been published since 13 August 1839...
.
Buildings
In addition to the Christchurch Mansion and Ancient House, Ipswich in the 21st century has some important cultural buildings including the New Wolsey TheatreNew Wolsey Theatre
A 400-seat theatre in the heart of Ipswich, Suffolk's county town, The was established in 2000, building on the foundations of the regional repertory company that had opened the theatre in the late 1970s....
and the Regent Theatre
Regent Theatre (Ipswich)
The Regent Theatre is a theatre, in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The theatre holds just over 1,700 people, making it East Anglia's largest theatre....
– the largest theatre venue in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
where, in the 1960s, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
performed when it was still known as the Gaumont.
There are several medieval Ipswich churches but the grandest is the Victorian St Mary le Tower
St Mary le Tower
St Mary le Tower is the civic church of Ipswich. It was in the church yard of St Mary that the town charter of Ipswich was written in 1200....
. [Holy Trinity Church] by Ipswich Waterfront is one of the few churches in the country which was built during the reign of William IV and whilst the outside looks plain, the interior is quite spectacular.
The world's oldest circle of church bells is housed in St Lawrence Church
St Lawrence Church, Ipswich
St Lawrence Church is a grade 2* listed church in Ipswich, Suffolk, that is now used as a community centre. The 15th-century church has the oldest set of church bells in the world.-History:...
.
Modern buildings include the new 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...
County Hall in the area known as Ipswich Village close to Ipswich Town's Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
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
Broomhill Pool, Ipswich
Broomhill Pool is a Grade II listed lido on Sherrington Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.-Status:Broomhill Pool opened on April 30th 1938 and closed in the autumn of 2002...
, 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 by The Broomhill Pool Trust.
The tallest building in Ipswich, "The Mill", was topped out in November 2008.
Politics
Ipswich is governed locally by a two-tier Council System. Ipswich Borough Council fulfils district councilNon-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning and Suffolk County Council
Suffolk 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...
provides the County Council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
services such as transport, education and social services.
Between 1979 and September 2004, Ipswich Borough Council was under Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
control. The town was then governed by a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
-Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
coalition until May 2011 when it reverted back to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
The town is covered by two parliamentary constituencies: Ipswich
Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency)
Ipswich is a borough 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.- Boundaries :...
, which covers about 75% and is represented by Conservative MP Ben Gummer, and Central Suffolk & North Ipswich, which covers the remaining 25% and is represented by Conservative MP Daniel Poulter
Daniel Poulter
Daniel Leonard James Poulter is a British Conservative Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich....
.
In April 2006 the borough
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
council initiated public discussions about the idea of turning the borough into a unitary authority (Ipswich had constituted a county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
from 1889 to 1974, independent of the administrative county of East Suffolk
East Suffolk
East Suffolk, along with West Suffolk, was created in 1888 as an administrative county of England. The administrative county was based on the eastern quarter sessions division of Suffolk...
, and this status was not restored by the Banham/Cooksey Commission
Local Government Commission for England (1992)
The Local Government Commission for England was the body responsible for reviewing the structure of local government in England from 1992 to 2002. It was established under the Local Government Act 1992, replacing the Local Government Boundary Commission for England...
in the 1990s). Ipswich, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
united to campaign for unitary authority status for the four towns, hoping to use the window of opportunity presented by the October 2006 Local Government White Paper. In March 2007, it was announced that Ipswich was one of sixteen shortlisted councils and on the 25 July 2007, 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', on which she invited Ipswich to undertake further work before a final decision is taken. Early in December plans were thrown into doubt as the Government announced that it had 'delayed' the unitary bids for Ipswich and Exeter. In July 2008 the Boundary Committee
Boundary Committee for England
The Boundary Committee for England was a statutory committee of the Electoral Commission, an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. The Committee’s aim was to conduct thorough, consultative and robust reviews of local government areas in England, and for its recommendations to be...
announced their preferred option was for a unitary authority covering Ipswich and the south-eastern corner of Suffolk (including Felixstowe).
Industry
Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies
Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries was a major British agricultural machinery maker producing a wide range of products including traction engines, ploughs, lawn mowers, combine harvesters and other tilling equipment. They also manufactured aeroplanes during the First World War...
, one of the most famous agricultural manufacturers, located in the town. It is notable that the world's first commercial motorised lawnmower was built by Ransomes in 1902. There was a sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
factory at Ipswich for many years; it was closed in 2001 as part of a rationalisation by British Sugar. The hotel industry has been given a boost with the opening of the brand new Ramada Encore Hotel on Ranelagh Road near Ipswich Town football club.
The British Telecom Research Laboratories were located to the east of the town in 1975 at Martlesham Heath
Martlesham Heath
Martlesham Heath village is situated 6 miles east of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield...
. They are now a science park
Science park
A research park, science park, or science and technology park is an area with a collection of buildings dedicated to scientific research on a business footing. There are many approximate synonyms for "science park", including research park, technology park, technopolis and biomedical park...
called Adastral Park
Adastral Park
Adastral Park is a science campus based at Martlesham Heath near Ipswich in the English county of Suffolk.When the site opened it was known as the Post Office Research Station, but it was subsequently renamed BT Research Laboratories or BT Labs and later Adastral Park to reflect an expansion in the...
. The area was originally RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force airfield in England. The field is located 1½ miles SW of Woodbridge, Suffolk.- RFC/RAF prewar use:Martlesham Heath was first used as a Royal Flying Corps airfield during World War I...
– a WW2 airfield. Part of the old airfield is now the site of Suffolk Constabulary's Headquarters.
Ipswich is one of the Haven ports
Haven ports
The Haven Ports are a group of five ports on the East Coast of England, these are Port of Felixstowe, Port of Ipswich, Harwich International, Harwich Navyard and Mistley...
and is still a working port, handling several million tonnes of cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
each year. Prior to decommissioning, HMS Grafton
HMS Grafton (F80)
HMS Grafton was a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. It was the ninth vessel to bear the name, and is named after the Duke of Grafton....
was a regular visitor to the port and has special links with the town and the county of Suffolk. HMS Orwell
HMS Orwell
Four ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Orwell, after the River Orwell in Suffolk, England was a Britomart-class wooden screw gunboat launched in 1866 and sold in 1890. was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer launched in 1899, purchased in 1901 and sold in 1920. was an O-class destroyer...
, named after the river, is also closely linked with the town. With the rise in popularity of the town around the Neptune Marina and the Ipswich dock
Ipswich dock
The Ipswich Dock, is the area of land around the dock in the town of Ipswich at a bend of the River Orwell which has been used for trade since at least the 8th Century. A wet dock was constructed in 1842 which was 'the biggest enclosed dock in the kingdom' at the time...
a number of ship and boatbuilders have become established, in particular Fairline Yachts are a significant employer.
Transport
Ipswich sits close to the A14 and the A12 roads; it is also on the Great Eastern Main LineGreat Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...
from London to Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, the East Suffolk Line
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
to Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
and 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...
with two railway stations (Ipswich
Ipswich railway station
Ipswich railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line 68¾ miles east of London Liverpool Street towards Norwich...
and Derby Road
Derby Road (Ipswich) railway station
Derby Road is a railway station serving the Rose Hill area of Ipswich in Suffolk. The station is situated on the Ipswich-Felixstowe line. In the eighties there were rail served coal and scrapyards here, but these have now closed...
). It is an hour from Stansted airport, 40 minutes from Harwich International Port
Harwich International Port
Harwich International Port is a North Sea seaport in Essex, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Stour one mile upstream from the town of Harwich, opposite Port of Felixstowe...
and is also on Sustrans's
Sustrans
Sustrans is a British charity to promote sustainable transport. The charity is currently working on a number of practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport, to give people the choice of "travelling in ways that benefit their health and the environment"...
National Cycle Route 5 and National Cycle Route 51. 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...
is a major container port 12 miles to the east.
Ipswich engine shed
Ipswich engine shed
Ipswich engine shed was an engine shed located in Ipswich in Suffolk in the UK on the Great Eastern Main Line located just south of Stoke tunnel and the current Ipswich railway station. Locomotives accessed the site from Halifax Junction which was also the junction for the Griffin Wharf branch of...
opened in 1846 and closed in 1968, although Ipswich is still a signing-on point for loco crews and a stabling point.
Bus services in Ipswich are operated by Ipswich Buses
Ipswich Buses
Ipswich Buses Ltd is a bus company that operates in Ipswich, Suffolk, UK and has been doing so for over 100 years. Its depot is situated in Constantine Road, near Ipswich Town's football ground...
, First Eastern Counties and several smaller companies.
Ipswich formerly had a municipal airport
Ipswich Airport
Ipswich Airport is a former airfield on the outskirts of Ipswich, Suffolk England.-History:The site of Ravens Wood was purchased by the Ipswich Corporation in 1929 with the intention of creating a municipal airport for Ipswich, with construction starting in the following year. The airport was...
to the South-east of the town, which was opened in 1929 by the Ipswich Corporation
Ipswich Corporation
The Ipswich Corporation was a municipal corporation that owned property and government to town. The corporation kept highly details accounts of their operation, a great deal of which survives to this day...
. The airport was controversially closed in 1996 by Ipswich Borough Council, amid significant public opposition to the decision. The site was redeveloped for housing as the Ravens Wood estate.
Sport
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, who were established in 1878 and currently play in the second-tier Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
at the 30,300-capacity Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
. They have a strong rivalry with Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, and have been the previous clubs of the two most successful England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
managers, Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
(who is buried in the Old Cemetery in the town) and Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
. They won the League Championship in 1961–62 during Ramsey's reign, as well as the 1978 FA Cup and the 1981 UEFA Cup under Robson. The club are also undefeated at home in all European competitions having drawn 6 and won the other 25. Ipswich is also home to several non-League
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
clubs, including Ipswich Wanderers
Ipswich Wanderers F.C.
Ipswich Wanderers F.C. is an English football club based in Ipswich. They are currently members of Eastern Counties League Division One and play at Humber Doucy Lane in Rushmere. -History:...
and Whitton United
Whitton United F.C.
Whitton United F.C. is an English football club based in the Whitton area of Ipswich, Suffolk. The club are currently members of Eastern Counties League Division One and play at the King George V Playing Fields....
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...
, and Achilles
Achilles F.C.
Achilles Football Club is an English football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The club are currently members of the Suffolk & Ipswich League Senior Division and play at Pauls Social Club.The club is affiliated to the Suffolk County FA.-History:...
, Crane Sports
Crane Sports F.C.
Crane Sports Football Club is an English football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The club are currently members of the Suffolk & Ipswich League Senior Division and play at the Greshams Sports Ground.The club is affiliated to the Suffolk County FA.-History:...
and Ransomes Sports
Ransomes Sports F.C.
Ransomes Sports Football Club is an English football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The club are currently members of the Suffolk & Ipswich League Senior Division and play at the Ransomes and Reavell Sports Club Ground....
amongst several others in the Suffolk & Ipswich League
Suffolk and Ipswich Football League
The Suffolk and Ipswich Football League is a football competition based in Suffolk, England. The league has a total of nine divisions; the Senior Division, divisions 1–6 and two reserve divisions. The Senior Division is at step 7 of the National League System.The Senior Division champions may...
.
The Speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
team, the Ipswich Witches
Ipswich Witches
The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm....
, have ridden at Foxhall Stadium
Foxhall Stadium
Foxhall Stadium is a Stock car racing stadium located in Foxhall near Ipswich. The Stadium is also used by the Ipswich Witches Speedway team, which race on most Thursday nights from March to October starting at 7.30pm. The stadium also hosts carboot sales on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from...
on the outskirts of Ipswich since 1951. The Witches have won the top tier league title four times, the knock-out cup five times and the second tier knock-out cup twice. The stadium is also used regularly for Hot Rod and Stock car racing
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
.
Ipswich Gymnastics Centre is one of only three fully Olympic
London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is a limited company, owned by the Government of the United Kingdom, that will oversee the planning and development of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the successful London 2012 Olympic bid, LOCOG was...
accredited gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
facilities 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...
The resident club has also been home to international gymnasts.
The town has representation in both codes of Rugby. It has two amateur Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
teams, Ipswich RUFC who play in London 3 North East League, and Ipswich YM RUFC (a third side Orwell RUFC, formerly Ransomes RFC having folded some time in the 1980s). The amateur rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
side, Ipswich Rhinos
Ipswich Rhinos
The Eastern Rhinos Rugby League Football Club is a British rugby league club based at Ipswich RUFC in Colchester, in the county of Essex. Their first team plays in the South Premier Division of the Rugby League Conference...
, plays in the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
.
The Ipswich Cardinals (American football) is a successful American Football team, playing in the South-East Conference of BAFACL 1 – the second tier of the BAFA Community Leagues
BAFA Community Leagues
The BAFA National Leagues are the primary American football competition in England, Scotland and Wales. They were formed by the British American Football Association in 2010 to coordinate contact football and flag football across all age ranges...
.
Ipswich is home to team Ipswich Swimming. Formed in 1884 as Ipswich Swimming Club, it is based at the town's Crown Pools, and also uses the Fore Street swimming pool. The most successful club member is World Championship gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
list Karen Pickering
Karen Pickering
Karen Pickering is a former freestyle swimmer from Great Britain, who made her international senior debut in 1986. She was first selected to represent her country at the European Junior Championships...
.
Ipswich had a racecourse
Ipswich Racecourse
The Ipswich Racecourse is an area of Ipswich that was formerly a racecourse.-The early years:The course was on Nacton Heath just East of Ipswich, although now a suburb, and was 1 mile and 7 furlongs in circumference...
which ran a mix of flat and National Hunt races from 1710 to 1911.
Schools
There are a number of comprehensive schools such as Chantry High SchoolChantry High School (Suffolk)
Chantry High School and Sixth Form Centre is a comprehensive school in Chantry, Ipswich, Suffolk, England.-History:In September 1962, the newly constructed comprehensive Chantry Secondary Modern opened to serve the recently established council estate of Chantry in southwest Ipswich...
, Copleston High School
Copleston High School
Copleston High School is a secondary school for ages 11–18 in Ipswich, England. It is a community comprehensive and has had Specialist Sports College status since 2001. It caters for around 1,800 students, as well as between 340-370 students in the sixth form which is shared with Holywells High...
and an academy, Ipswich Academy. Ipswich is also home to several independent schools including Royal Hospital School
Royal Hospital School
The Royal Hospital School, , is a British co-educational independent boarding school with naval traditions. It admits pupils from age 11 to 18 through Common Entrance or the school's own exam...
, Ipswich School
Ipswich School
Ipswich School is a co-educational public school for girls and boys aged 3 to 18. Situated in Suffolk, England in the town of Ipswich, it was founded in its current form as The King's School, Ipswich by Thomas Wolsey in 1528....
(both are co-educational and members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
), Ipswich High School
Ipswich High School
Ipswich High School is a girls' independent school located at Woolverstone, near the town of Ipswich, England. It was founded in 1872 and is one of the schools of the Girls' Day School Trust.-History:...
(girls-only) and St Joseph's College
St Joseph's College, Ipswich
St Joseph's College is a co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils between the ages of 2½ and 18, in Ipswich, England....
(Catholic, co-educational).
Further and higher education
Suffolk New CollegeSuffolk New College
Suffolk New College is a further education college in Ipswich, Suffolk. It has recently constructed a new building costing £70 million.- Overview :...
is a further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
college located in Ipswich, serving students from the town and wider area. Suffolk One
Suffolk One
Suffolk One is a sixth form college located on Scrivener Drive in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Opened in 2010, and a member of the South West Ipswich and South Suffolk Partnership, it provides further education in the South Suffolk Area....
is a Sixth Form College
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
located in Ipswich, which serves students from the same area.
Ipswich is the location of University Campus Suffolk
University Campus Suffolk
University Campus Suffolk ' is an educational institution located in the county of Suffolk, United Kingdom that welcomed its first students in September 2007. Until then Suffolk was one of only three counties in England which did not have a University campus...
, 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...
's first university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. Established in 2007, it is a collaboration by the University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, various further education colleges and the local government. The nearest established full-fledged university is the University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
, which is approximately 18 miles away.
Climate
Ipswich experiences a maritime climate, like the rest of the British Isles, with a narrow range of temperatures, low sunshine totals, and rainfall spread evenly throughout the year. The nearest weather station for which data is available is East Bergholt, about 7 miles east south east of the Town centre and at a similar elevation, and similar river valley/estuary situation. The average July maximum of 22.9c(73.2f) is the highest outside of the London area, illustrating the relative warmth of the area during the summer part of the year.The record maximum is 35.2c(95.4f), set during August 2003. Typically 19.9 days of the year will record a maximum temperature of 25.1c (77.2f) or above, and the warmest day of the year should reach 30.0c(86.0f), on average.The absolute minimum is -16.1c(3.0f), set in January 1963, although frosts have been recorded in all months except July, August and September. In an average year, 55.33 nights will report an air frost.
As with much of East Anglia, rainfall is low, averaging 569.3mm in a typical year, with 103.8 days of the year reporting over 1mm of rain. All averages refer to the period 1971-2000.
Ipswich 2006 serial murders
A serial killerSerial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
or spree killer
Spree killer
A spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...
responsible for the murders of five women in Ipswich gained notoriety in late 2006, as the Ipswich Murderer. The five women were identified as prostitutes
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
; their bodies were found in December 2006. 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...
formally linked the murders in their investigation.
Steven Gerald James Wright, who had previously worked at the Port of Felixstowe, was arrested at his house in Ipswich on 19 December. On 21 December, 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 Magistrates' Court
Magistrates' Court
A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
on 22 December 2006 and was remanded in custody until 2 January 2007 to appear in Ipswich Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
where he was remanded in custody for a second court appearance, held on 1 May 2007. At that hearing he pleaded not guilty to all five murders. His trial began in Ipswich on 14 January 2008. The jury returned a guilty verdict on 21 February, and the next day, Wright was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
by Mr Justice Gross, who recommended that he should never be released from prison
Whole life tariff
This is a list of prisoners who have received a whole life tariff through some mechanism in jurisdictions of the United Kingdom.Eight of these prisoners have since died in prison, while three of them have had their sentences reduced on appeal, meaning that there are currently at least 48 prisoners...
, on the basis that the murders resulted from a "substantial degree of pre-meditation and planning".
The three-episode TV program titled 'Five Daughters' was based on the serial murders of the five prostitutes that happened in Ipswich in 2006.
Famous residents
Probably the most famous person born in the town is the Tudor Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. The artist Thomas GainsboroughThomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
and the cartoonist "Giles"
Carl Giles
Ronald "Carl" Giles , often referred to simply as Giles, was a cartoonist most famous for his work for the British newspaper the Daily Express....
worked here, Horatio, Lord Nelson became Steward of Ipswich, and Margaret Catchpole
Margaret Catchpole
Margaret Catchpole , a British adventuress, chronicler and criminal, born in Suffolk she worked as a servant in various houses before being convicted of stealing a horse and later escaping from Ipswich Gaol. Following her capture she was transported to Australia...
began her adventurous career here. Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
and Sir Bobby Robson were both successful managers of Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
- Professional darts player Mervyn King (born 1966) was born in Ipswich, as was the 1983 World Champion Keith DellerKeith DellerKeith Deller is an English darts player, who won the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship in 1983. He was the first qualifier ever to win the championship and remains one of the youngest champions in history...
(born 1959). - It is also purported that Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
, author of The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at...
was born here. - Vocalist Dani FilthDani FilthDani Filth is the lyricist, vocalist and founding member of the metal band Cradle of Filth.-Personal life:...
of renowned extreme metal band Cradle of FilthCradle of FilthCradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
. - Punk rock band The AdictsThe AdictsThe Adicts are an English punk band from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. One of the more popular punk rock bands in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts at that time. Their song "Viva La Revolution" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground. It was also featured in a commercial...
Ipswich is also home to the current world's heaviest man, Paul Mason – weighing in at 70 st (980 lb; 444.5 kg). Academy Award-nominated English actor Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
was born in an Ipswich hospital while his parents were living near Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
but did not live in the town.
Popular culture
- In the original version of Monty Python's famous Dead Parrot sketch Michael Palin's character claims that Ipswich is the palindrome of Bolton.
- Ipswich is mentioned in a children's television show watched by the character Stewie GriffinStewie GriffinStewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
in Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. - Ipswich was the base of operations for Russian "illegal" agent Valeri Petrofsky in the Frederick Forsyth novel, The Fourth ProtocolThe Fourth ProtocolThe Fourth Protocol is a novel written by Frederick Forsyth and published in August 1984.-Explanation of the novel's title:The title refers to the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which contained four secret protocols. The fourth, of the protocols, was meant to prohibit the non-conventional...
(and the later film based on the novelThe Fourth Protocol (film)The Fourth Protocol is a 1987 Cold War spy film starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan, based on the novel The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth.- Plot :The plot centres on a secret 1968 East-West agreement to halt nuclear proliferation...
). - Michael Palin's 1987 comedy about provincial English seaside holidays in the 1950s was entitled East of Ipswich.
- In 2006 The Jarvis CockerJarvis CockerJarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
Record contained the track From Auschwitz to Ipswich written and performed by Jarvis. - In Stardust, starring Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller and Robert De Niro, Ipswich is mentioned at the beginning of the movie when Sienna Miller as Victoria says of her fiancé, "I can't exactly say no, after he's gone all the way to Ipswich!".
- In the Doctor Who episode "The End of the World" after the Doctor tells her to stay where she is Rose Tyler says "where am I gonna go, Ipswich?"
- In the Pilot episode of Queer as FolkQueer as Folk (UK TV series)Queer as Folk is a 1999 British television series that chronicles the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village around Canal Street. Both Queer as Folk and Queer as Folk 2 were written by Russell T Davies...
, after Nathan asks Stuart if he could meet him later that night, Stuart answers "God knows where I'll be tonight, you know, I could be anywhere. I could be in Ipswich!" - Matthew Freeman from Anthony Horowitz's novels The Power of Five is sent to Ipswich after the death of his parents
- In Tim MinchinTim MinchinTimothy David "Tim" Minchin is a British-Australian comedian, actor, and musician.Tim Minchin is best known for his musical comedy, which has featured in six CDs, three DVDs and a number of live comedy shows which he has performed internationally. He has also appeared on television in Australia,...
's song Some People Have It Worse Than I - "I could be an Ipswich prostitute", referring to the 2006 spree killings.