In our series of mini-blogs giving you some interesting facts about Ipswich in the lead up to the Ipswich Maritime Festival, this blog dips into the history of just a few of the famous buildings around the town.
Following on from the Saxon times, Ipswich’s position as a key port was now established and ensured that the town continued to grow and develop. Around the late 11th/early 12th century, and away from the harbour, a wooden castle was built. There is little that is known about the castle, or why it was destroyed a short time later. Following on from the building of the castle two priories were established, the Holy Trinity, and St Peter and St Paul, which were habited by three orders of Friars – the Franciscans (or otherwise known as Grey Friars), Dominicans (Black Friars) and Carmelites (White Friars), each named because of the colour of their robes.
It was Henry VIII who eventually ordered the closure of the priories and friaries in Ipswich. However, the grounds of Blackfriars remains today, and you can visit the site between Lower Orwell Street and Foundation Street. The following link shows a map of medieval Ipswich - scroll down to T1 to T4 to find the exact location of the Trinities and the Friaries. http://users.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/ipswmap1.html
Other notable historic buildings that exist around the town include Christchurch Mansion, built by Edmund Withypoll in the mid 15th century, on the site of the Holy Trinity. Over the following three centuries Christchurch Mansion was occupied by the Withypolls, followed by the Devereux and then the Fonnerau families. If you are interested in finding out more about the lives of these families and the impact they made on the Mansion, then you may be interested in attending a short lunchtime lecture planned for 12th September – click here to find out more.
Around the same time, the Ancient House was built, and was said to be owned by the knight, Sir Richard of Martlesham. The building was then occupied for some time by a number of different merchants, before the Sparrowe family acquired it around 1600, and the Ancient House remained in the hands of the Sparrowe family for the next 300 years. The Sparrowes were grocers, and as well as making a number of changes to the building, including the highly structured pargeting, their presence in this area of the town contributed to development of the bustling trade that took place on the streets we now commonly refer to as the Buttermarket.
Ipswich remains a town steeped in history - if you are interested to find out more about Christchurch Mansion then pop in. The mansion is normally open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. You could also book in for a free guided tour which usually runs Tuesdays to Sunday at 11am. Please check website for details as times may vary - http://www.cimuseums.org.uk/venues/christchurch-mansion.html
Alternatively you may wish to book in a for a guided tour of Ipswich. Discover more about Victorian Law and Order, Medieval Ipswich, and the development of the docks. Click to download a copy of the booklet: Ipswich Tourist Guides - Guided Walks
And of course, how could we write a blog about significant buildings in Ipswich without the inclusion of the Old Custom House. The photo at the top of this blog shows the scene at Ipswich Waterfront in 1845 when the Old Custom House was opened. It is an interesting fact that despite its long history on importing and exporting goods at Ipswich, the Custom House was not built until 1845. We love this leaflet produced by Ipswich Maritime Trust, which I’ve had in a box in the attic for years, which we share with you: The Old Custom House.
If you’re inspired to learn more about Ipswich, its maritime history, or about the town itself and the people who lived here, then there is a wealth of information available at the Ipswich Records Office in Gatacre Road. Why not pop along and see what you could discover?
By Natalie Chaplin
Blogs and reviews posted on Ipswich Town and Waterfront are generated by the people who make up the community of Ipswich. If you are passionate about Ipswich and have a great story to share about our town then please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
Natalie Chaplin
