Ipswich was first recorded during the medieval period asGippeswic, the town has also been recorded asGyppewicus andYppswyche.[5] It has been continuously inhabited since theSaxon period,[5] and is believed to be one of theoldest towns in theUnited Kingdom.[6] The settlement was of great economic importance to theKingdom of England throughout its history, particularly in trade,[7] with the town's historical dock,Ipswich Waterfront, known as the largest and most important dock in the Kingdom.[7][8]
Ipswich is divided into variousquarters, with the town centre and the waterfront drawing the most footfall. The town centre features the retail shopping district and the historictown square, known as theCornhill. The waterfront, south of the town centre on a meander of the River Orwell, offers a picturesque setting with amarina, luxury yachts, high-rise apartment buildings, and a variety of restaurants and cafes. The waterfront is also home to theUniversity of Suffolk campus.
Ipswich is one of England'soldest towns,[11][6] and is claimed to be the oldest still continuing town to have been established and developed by theEnglish,[6] with continuous settlement since earlyAnglo-Saxon times.
A largeRoman fort, part of the coastal defences of Britain, stood atWalton nearFelixstowe (13 miles (21 km),[12] and the largestRoman villa in Suffolk (possibly an administrative complex) stood at Castle Hill (north-west Ipswich).[13]
The modern town took shape in Anglo-Saxon times (7th–8th centuries) around thePort of Ipswich. As the coastal states of north-western Europe emerged from the collapse of theRoman Empire, essentialNorth Sea trade and communication between eastern Britain and the continent (especially toScandinavia, and through theRhine) passed through the former Roman ports ofLondon (serving the kingdoms ofMercia, theEast Saxons,Kent) andYork (Eoforwic) (serving theKingdom of Northumbria).
The seventh-century town was centred near the quay. Around 700 AD,Frisian potters from theNetherlands 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.[20][21] 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.[22] Parts of the ancient road plan still survive in its modern streets.
After the invasion of 869, Ipswich fell underViking rule. The earth ramparts circling the town centre were probably raised by Vikings in Ipswich around 900 to prevent its recapture by the English.[23][24] They were unsuccessful. The town operated amint under royal licence from KingEdgar in the 970s, which continued through theNorman Conquest until the time ofKing John, in about 1215.[25] The abbreviationGipes appears on the coins.
King John granted the town its firstcharter in 1200, laying the medieval foundations of its modern civil government.[26][27] Thenceforth Ipswich strongly maintained its jurisdiction over the Liberty of Ipswich, an administrative area extending over about 35 square kilometres centred on the town.[28]
In the next four centuries it made the most of its wealth. Five large religious houses, including twoAugustinian Priories (St Peter and St Paul, and Holy Trinity, both mid-12th century[29][30]), and those of theIpswich Greyfriars (Franciscans, before 1298),Ipswich Whitefriars (Carmelites founded 1278–79) andIpswich Blackfriars (Dominicans, before 1263), stood in medieval Ipswich. The last Carmelite Prior of Ipswich was the celebratedJohn Bale, author of the oldest English historical verse-drama (Kynge Johan,c. 1538).[31] There were also several hospitals, including the leper hospital of St Mary Magdalene, founded before 1199.
Around 1380,Geoffrey Chaucer satirised the merchants of Ipswich inThe Canterbury Tales.Thomas Wolsey, the futurecardinal, was born in Ipswich in 1473 as the son of a wealthy landowner. One ofHenry VIII's closest political allies, he founded acollege in the town in 1528, which was for its brief duration one of the homes of theIpswich School.[35] He remains one of the town's most famed figures.
Early map of Ipswich from Hodskinson's 1783 Map of Suffolk
During the 14th to 17th centuries Ipswich was akontor for theHanseatic League, the port being used for imports and exports to theBaltic.
In the time ofQueen Mary theIpswich Martyrs were burnt at the stake on the Cornhill for theirProtestant beliefs. A monument commemorating this event now stands inChristchurch Park. Ipswich was a printing,bookseller centre, and an entrepôt for continental books in the 16th century.[36] From 1611 to 1634 Ipswich was a major centre for emigration toNew England. This was encouraged by the Town Lecturer,Samuel Ward. His brotherNathaniel Ward was first minister ofIpswich, 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 otherEast Anglian towns and villages for theMassachusetts Bay Colony during the 1630s and what has become known as theGreat Migration.[37]
The painterThomas Gainsborough lived and worked in Ipswich. In 1835,Charles Dickens stayed in Ipswich and used it as a setting for scenes in his novelThe Pickwick Papers. The hotel where he resided first opened in 1518; it was then known as The Tavern and later became known as theGreat White Horse Hotel. Dickens made the hotel famous in chapter XXII ofThe Pickwick Papers, vividly describing the hotel's meandering corridors and stairs.[38]
Acirca 1810 painting of outdoor bowling near Ransome & Son Foundry, an early embodiment of Ipswich's longtime agricultural equipment makerRansomes, Sims & Jefferies
In 1824 DrGeorge Birkbeck, with support from several local businessmen, founded one of the firstMechanics' Institutes, which survives to this day as the independent Ipswich Institute reading room and library.[39] The building is located at 15 Tavern Street.
In the mid-19th centurycoprolite (fossilised animal dung) was discovered; the material was mined and then dissolved inacid, the resulting mixture forming the basis ofFisons fertiliser business.[40]
Ipswich was subject to bombing by GermanZeppelins duringWorld War I but the greatest damage by far occurred during the German bombing raids ofWorld War II. The area in and around the docks was especially devastated. Eighty civilians died by enemy action in the Ipswich county borough area during the latter war.[42] The last bombs to fall on Ipswich landed on Seymour Road at 2a.m. on 2 March 1945, killing nine people and destroying six houses.[43]
TheWillis Building is a glass-clad building owned byWillis. Designed byNorman Foster, the building dates from 1974, when it was known as the Willis Faber & Dumas building. It became the youngest grade Ilisted building in Britain in 1991, being at the time one of only two listed buildings to be less than thirty years old.[44]
In September 1993, Ipswich andArras, Nord Pas-de-Calais, France, became twin towns, and a square in the new Buttermarket development was named Arras Square to mark the relationship.[45]
Ipswich formerly had amunicipal airport to the south-east of the town, which was opened in 1929 by theIpswich Corporation. The airport was controversially closed in 1996. The site was redeveloped for housing as the Ravenswood estate.[46]
Ipswich has experienced a building boom in the early part of the 21st century. Construction has mainly concentrated around theformer industrial dock which is now known as theIpswich Waterfront. Regeneration to the area has made it a hub of culture in Ipswich, the area boasts fine dining restaurants, a boutique hotel, and the new regional university, theUniversity of Suffolk. The new high rise buildings of the Regatta Quay development has topped the list of thetallest buildings in Ipswich. The mixed-use high rise building,The Mill, is currently the tallest building in Suffolk.
Christchurch Park is a large 82-acre park in the centre of the town.
The waterfront is now devoted primarily to leisure use and includes extensive recent development of residential apartment blocks and a university campus. Businesses operated from the dock include luxury boats and a timber merchant. Other industries have been established to the south of the wet dock. The area was flooded in 2013 during a tidal surge. In February 2019 aflood gate, which protects the "New Cut", was unveiled. The flood barrier, similar in design to theThames Barrier, cost £67m.[52] TheIpswich Village Development, begun in 2002 around Russell Road, is home toSuffolk County Council andIpswich Borough Council.
Ipswich is home to many artists and has a number of galleries, the most prominent of which are atChristchurch Mansion, the Town Hall,Ancient House and the Artists' Gallery in Electric House. The visual arts are further supported with many sculptures at easily accessible sites. The Borough Council promotes the creation of new public works of art and has been known to make this a condition of planning permission.[53] The town has three museums:Ipswich Museum, theIpswich Transport Museum and Christchurch Mansion.
For a town of its size, Ipswich has an impressive arts community, home to outstanding local, regional, and internationally renowned organisations.
TheNew Wolsey Theatre is a 400-seat theatre situated on Civic Drive. Although the Wolsey Theatre was built in 1979, The New Wolsey Company took on the management and running of the Wolsey Theatre in 2000, opening its first production in February 2001.
Established in 1983 as Suffolk Dance,DanceEast celebrated its 40th birthday in 2023. Today, they are one of the UK’s leading dance organisations.
Brighten The Corners is a not for profit organisation set up by the team at Out Loud Music CIC. Brighten the Corners operates three full-time venues, is the name of the annual town centre festival and promotes gigs by independent and emerging artists/musicians.
Spill Festival of Performance was launched in Ipswich in 2007 and creates events for the people of Ipswich, East Anglia, and further afield, and work with artists to develop their practice. They bring internationally significant and ground-breaking artists’ work to Ipswich and the UK. They also run year-round events and activities in the SPILL Think Tank venue, next door to Ipswich Museum.
Eastern Angles Theatre Company is based at its community hub the Eastern Angles Centre. In 2022 it celebrated its 40th anniversary. The group engages in rural tours and seasonal performances.
Gecko Theatre an award-winning and internationally acclaimed physical theatre company, led by Artistic Director Amit Lahav.
Red Rose Chain a not for profit theatre company based at The Avenue Theatre, delivering a vibrant professional and community programme.
The Regent Theatre is a theatre and concert venue located at St Helen's Street. It isEast Anglia's largest theatre. It has also been known as the Gaumont Theatre. It was designated as a Grade IIlisted building in 2000.
All play a key role in shaping the town’s cultural landscape.
The town has five local radio stations,BBC Radio Suffolk which broadcast from its studios on St Matthews Street in the town, the commercial stationHeart East which was founded in 1975 as Radio Orwell covering the A14 corridor in Suffolk, andIpswich 102 who took over the FM frequency in 2018, until 2020 when it rebranded asGreatest Hits Radio Ipswich & Suffolk. Then in September 2022, the station was rebranded again asNation Radio Suffolk where it has one local show on weekday afternoons 1pm-4pm, hosted by Rob Chandler (who hosted the local afternoon show prior to the rebrand). The younger audience was catered for with Suffolk-basedKiss 105-108, until September 2023 when its 106.4 frequency flipped over to carryingGreatest Hits Radio Ipswich & Suffolk.Ipswich Community Radio was launched in 2007.
In addition to the Christchurch Mansion and Ancient House, Ipswich in the 21st century has some important cultural buildings including theNew Wolsey Theatre and theRegent Theatre—the largest theatre venue in East Anglia where, in 1964,the Beatles performed when it was still known as the Gaumont.[54] There is also theCorn Exchange in King Street which was completed in 1882.[55]
There are several medieval Ipswich churches but the grandest isIpswich Minster (previously known as St. Mary-le-Tower),[56] rebuilt by the Victorians. Holy Trinity Church by the 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 inSt Lawrence Church, which is maintained by theIpswich Historic Churches Trust.[57]
Another notable example of Tudor architecture in Ipswich isWolsey's Gate, the sole remnant of acollege founded in the town by Cardinal Wolsey.[58]
Wolsey's Gate, the sole remnant of a grand college in Ipswich
The formerEast Suffolk County Hall is just east of the centre of Ipswich. It is listed as a building at risk by theVictorian Society.[59] The Town Hall remains in use as an arts centre and events venue; it dates from 1866 (architects: Bellamy & Hardy of Lincoln). The 18th Century Grade II listed Old Post Office,[60] which was built in 1881, has been renovated and is now home to the Botanist bar.
On the north-west side of Ipswich liesBroomhill 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. On the southern side of Ipswich is historic Belstead Lodge, now theBelstead Brook Hotel.
Ipswich is governed locally by a two-tier council system. Ipswich Borough Council fulfils district council functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning andSuffolk County Council provides thecounty council services such as transport, education and social services.
In April 2006 the borough council initiated public discussions about the idea of turning the borough into aunitary authority;[68] 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 theBanham/Cooksey Commission in the 1990s. Ipswich, Norwich,Exeter andOxford united to campaign for unitary authority status for the four towns. In March 2007, it was announced that Ipswich was one of 16 shortlisted councils.[69] In December 2007 plans were put into doubt as the government announced that it had "delayed" the unitary bids for Ipswich and Exeter.[70] In July 2008 theBoundary Committee announced its preferred option was for a unitary authority covering Ipswich and the south eastern corner of Suffolk, including Felixstowe.[71]
Being the county town of agricultural Suffolk, industry around Ipswich has had a strong farming bias withRansomes, Sims & Jefferies, one of the most famous agricultural manufacturers, located in the town. The world's first commercialmotorised lawnmower was built by Ransomes in 1902.Ransomes & Rapier was a major British manufacturer of railway equipment and later cranes, from 1869 to 1987. There was asugar beet factory at Ipswich for many years; it was closed in 2001 as part of a rationalisation byBritish Sugar. This agricultural link is preserved in theIpswich Town F.C.'s nickname "The Tractor Boys". Phillips & Piper Ltd on Old Foundry Road employed many women who sewed equestrian and hunt jackets for Harrods, Pytchley, and other labels for 130 years, finally closing down in June 1982.[72]
A key employment sector is insurance, both wholesale and retail sectors. Some of the major players with a key presence in Ipswich includeAxa,Churchill,Legal & General,LV andWillis Towers Watson. Access to a skilled and experienced workforce has also led to the establishment of ancillary businesses serving these companies, including call centres dealing with sales and claims.
Ipswich is one of theHaven ports and is still a working port, handling several million tonnes ofcargo each year. Prior to decommissioning,HMSGrafton was a regular visitor to the port and has special links with the town and the county of Suffolk.HMSOrwell, named after the river, is also closely linked with Ipswich.
Bus services in Ipswich are operated byIpswich Buses,First Eastern Counties,Beestons and several smaller companies. Town services operate mainly from Tower Ramparts bus station and regional services from the Ipswich Old Cattle Market bus station. Ipswich Airport closed in 1996.
Ipswich's sole professionalassociation football club isIpswich Town, which was established in 1878 and play at the 30,300-capacityPortman Road stadium. The club returned to theEFL Championship for the 2025–26 season after a single season in thePremier League. Elected to theFootball League in 1938,[81][82] they have a strongrivalry withNorwich City, and were the previous club of the two most successfulEngland managers;Alf Ramsey, who was buried in the Old Cemetery in the town on his death in 1999, andBobby Robson. Ipswich won the First Division title in1961–62 in their first season as a top division club during Ramsey's reign, as well as the1978 FA Cup and the1981 UEFA Cup under Robson. The club are also undefeated at home in all European competitions, having won 25 and drawn six of 31 matches.[83]
Thespeedway team, theIpswich Witches, have ridden atFoxhall Stadium on the outskirts of Ipswich since 1951[84] and have won the top-tier league title four times, the knock-out cup five times and the second-tier knock-out cup twice.[85] The stadium is also used regularly forHot Rod,Stock Car andBanger racing events, hosting major events throughout the year on the stadium's outer tarmac oval.
Ipswich has a rich history of public swimming. During the 1830s, there were at least three designated swimming places – one was near St Cement's, the second was next toSt Mary-At-The Quay and the third not far fromStoke Bridge. These were all closed in the late 1830s during the building of the wet dock.[88] A designated enclosed area of theRiver Orwell, calledStoke Bathing Place, was created to cater for the swimmers. It was damaged in the floods of 1953 but maps show the swimming place still in situ as late as 1973. Ipswich Swimming,[89] formed in 1884 as Ipswich Swimming Club, used the Stoke Swimming Place.[90]Fore Street Swimming Pool opened in 1894. The pool is still in use and is the second oldest swimming pool in is in the UK.[91]Pipers Vale Pool opened in 1937 after replacing theWest End Bathing Place, which had closed in 1936 due to fears that it was polluting theRiver Orwell.[92]Broom Hill pool opened, in 1986, which was prompted to serve the western side of the town.[93] It closed in 2002 but is about to be restored with the plan of opening again in 2025/26.St Matthew's Baths was opened in 1924 and closed in 1984 whenCrown Pools opened, which is still in use.[94][95] The Ipswich Swimming Club, is based there although they use theFore Street swimming pool, too. The most successful Ipswich Swimming Club member isWorld Championshipgold medallistKaren Pickering. There are plans for a new "low carbon aquatics centre" with the intention of opening next toIpswich Town Football Club in 2027.[96]
Ipswich had aracecourse which ran a mix of flat and National Hunt races.
Ipswich is the location of theUniversity of Suffolk,Suffolk's first Higher Education Institution (HEI), established in 2007. It was originally University Campus Suffolk, a collaborative venture involving theUniversity of Essex inColchester, theUniversity of East Anglia inNorwich, various further education colleges and Suffolk County Council. However, the university was granted its own degree awarding powers in November 2015, and in May 2016 it was awarded university status. The university was renamed to the University of Suffolk in August 2016, prior to its former name University Campus Suffolk.[97][98]
Ipswich experiences anoceanic climate, like the rest of the British Isles, with a narrow range of temperature and rainfall spread evenly throughout the year. One of the two nearest for which data is available is East Bergholt, about 7 miles (11 km) south west of the town centre and at a similar elevation, and similar river valley/estuary situation. The average July maximum of 23.2 °C (73.8 °F)[99] is the third-highest for a major settlement in the country, behind London and Colchester, illustrating the relative warmth of the area during the summer part of the year. The record maximum is 35.2 °C (95.4 °F),[100] set during August 2003. Typically, 24.9 days of the year will record a maximum temperature of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above, and the warmest day of the year should reach 30.0 °C (86.0 °F),[101] on average.
The absolute minimum is −16.1 °C (3.0 °F),[102] 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. The lowest temperature to be recorded in recent years was −14.5 °C (5.9 °F) during December 2010.[103]
As with much of East Anglia, rainfall is low, averaging 569.3mm[104] in a typical year, with 103.8 days of the year[105] reporting over 1mm of rain. All averages refer to the period 1971–2000.
The weather station atLevington is even closer than East Bergholt at 5.8 miles (9.4 km) from the town centre further down the river estuary on the way toFelixstowe. It has a slightly more marine climate than East Bergholt, with slightly lower highs and milder lows throughout the year in the 1981–2010 average period. It is slightly less prone to frosts, averaging 35.5 such occurrences in a calendar year.[106] Sunshine levels at 1,707.7 hours per annum are relatively high for the British Isles, but not abnormal for southern parts of England.
Wattisham is 26 kilometres (16 miles) from Ipswich, but has a higher altitude of 282 feet (86 m). As a result, high temperatures there are a little lower than East Bergholt and Levington, but lows are similar. In average year, there are around 43 nights of frost recorded at Wattisham (as well as two days of frost), and one day when the temperature exceeds 30 °C (86 °F).
Climate data for East Bergholt, elevation 7 m, 1971–2000, extremes 1960–
InSerena Valentino's Villains novelPoor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch,Ursula appears in Ipswich and proceeds to turn the citizens of the town into twisted sea creatures, reminiscent of the horror tales of authorHP Lovecraft. She is stopped upon the arrival ofKing Triton.
In theDead Parrot sketch byMonty Python's Flying Circus, the customer is sent toBolton for a replacement but was falsely told he was in Ipswich: "C: This is Bolton, is it? O: (with a fake moustache) No, it's Ipswich."
In the 1934Dennis Wheatley novelBlack August the main characters, after a series of adventures, are held prisoners in Ipswich where a local Communist government has been set up; they are sentenced to death as enemies of the State, but are freed when the revolution is overthrown.
^abcK. Wade, 'Gipeswic – East Anglia's first economic capital, 600–1066', in N. Salmon and R. Malster (eds),Ipswich From The First To The Third Millennium (Ipswich, 2001), 1–6.
^Fairclough J. and Plunkett S. J. 'Drawings of Walton Castle and other Monuments in Walton and Felixstowe',Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History 39 Part 4, 419–459. See also Fairclough J.Boudica to Raedwald: East Anglia's Relations with Rome (Malthouse Press, Ipswich 2010), 174–77.
^The so-called 'Whitton' villa, see Fairclough J.Boudica to Raedwald (cited above), 134–145.
^Bowen, Emanuel "An Accurate Map of the County of Suffolk Divided into its Hundreds c. 1760"
^Hodges, R.Dark Age Economics: The Origins of Town and Trade AD 600–1000 (London 1982)
^Plunkett S.Suffolk in Anglo-Saxon Times (Tempus, Stroud 2005), 76–78, 129–133, 148–52, 156–58, 200–202
^Gardner, Rhodri "Ipswich, Cranfield's Mill", in "Archaeology in Suffolk 2005",Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History 41 Part 2, 2006, p.251
^Verhulst A. E.The Rise of Cities in North-Western Europe (Cambridge University Press 1999), pp. 27–30
^Malster R.A History of Ipswich (Phillimore, Chichester 2000), pp. 5–13.
^K. Wade, "Gipeswic – East Anglia's First Economic Capital 600–1066", in Salmon N. P. and Malster R. (Eds),Ipswich From the First to the Third Millennium (Papers from an Ipswich Society Symposium), (Ipswich Society, Ipswich 2001), 1–6, at pp. 3–4.
^Plunkett S. J.Suffolk in Anglo-Saxon Times (Tempus, Stroud 2005), 130–133, 201.
^Malster R.A History of Ipswich (Phillimore, Chichester 2000), 13.
^North J. J.English Hammered Coinage (Spink and Son, London 1980),Volume I: Early Anglo-Saxon to Henry III, "Mint Towns" (p 194), Ipswich, Suffolk: Edgar to John. Example figure:Aethelred II first hand type, Plate X no. 23, Cat. 766 & p. 120.
^Martin, Geoffrey "The Medieval and Early Modern Borough" in Salmon N. P. and Malster R. (eds),Ipswich From the First to the Third Millennium (Papers from an Ipswich Society Symposium), (Ipswich Society, Ipswich 2001), 7–17.
^Text of charter (translated into English) and image of 1200 Town Seal, seeWodderspoon, J.,Memorials of the Ancient Town of Ipswich (Pawsey (Ipswich): Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans (London) 1850), 'Ancient Incorporation of the Town', pp 75–130, at pp 75–85.
^Briggs, Keith "The bounds of the Liberty of Ipswich",Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History 44, 19–38 (2017)
^Blatchly J. M.A Famous Antient Seed-Plot of Learning (Ipswich School 2003), 27–41.
^King, John N. (1982)The English Reformation Literature: the Tudor Origins of the Protestant Tradition Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 100f.ISBN9780691065021.
^Thompson, Roger, Mobility & Migration, East Anglian Founders of New England, 1629–1640, Amherst: Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 1994
^Richard Atkins; David Ellesmere; Elizabeth Harsant (1 April 2006)."The case for a unitary Ipswich"(PDF). Ipswich Borough Council. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 31 October 2008. Retrieved24 April 2013.
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