Ipswich

The County Town of Suffolk

 

 

 

These swans lived a life of plenty in Ipswich, fed by workers from the quayside mill
(right) but shortly after this picture was taken in 2005 the mill closed,  and most of
the  birds migrated to Mistley on the River Stour in Essex, where they are fed daily
by a volunteer group.     The mill site is now being developed as luxury apartments.

 
God and Mammon


 In Praise of God and Mammon

Ipswich has a long history and a wealth of architectural styles from many periods.  Many of  its  buildings have 'Listed' status for their architectural
merit or historic importance.

 

meetinghouse2.jpg The Unitarian Meeting House in Friars Street, Ipswich, may not appear to have much in common with the modern glass-walled headquarters of an international insurance company on the adjacent plot, but they are both Grade I Listed Buildings, built 275 years apart. 

The Meeting House (left), dating from 1700, is also seen (right) reflected in architect Sir Norman Foster's award winning building for the Willis Company, which caused consternation locally when it was opened in 1975 and fiercely loyal Ipswich Town football supporters ('The Blues')discovered that the interior decor is in canary yellow and green - the colours of their arch rivals, Norwich City!  		willis2.jpg

 willis3.jpg

The Willis building - an award-winning late-20th century landmark.                            © 2007 Arthur Loosley  

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GOD AND MAMMON - 2 


Continuing the theme of commerce versus religion, here is the 16th century St Stephen’s Church, Ipswich, seen from the 20th Century Buttermarket shopping centre.St Stephen and Buttermarket © 2007 Arthur Loosley

St Stephen's was one of the town’s twelve churches, built on the profits of the wool trade which flourished in the late  14th century until its decline in early 17th. It became redundant in 1975 and suffered two decades of vandalism before being restored for use as the Tourist Information Centre. 

Four other redundant churches are currently either standing empty or are being refurbished, in the custody of the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust and there is real hope that they will survive to be put to use serving a variety of cultural purposes.

The very high concentration of churches in Ipswich - 12 parishes in a radius of less than a mile - funded by the wool traders has been cynically described as rich men’s efforts to buy a place in heaven.  If those wealthy merchants succeeded in their aim, I wonder what they are thinking as they look down upon the architecture funded by today's commerce.

© 2007 Arthur Loosley

 

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