As the oldest continuously occupied town in Britain Ipswich has a long history reflected in its nationally important buildings.
These are recognised by conservation body Historic England when it “lists” a building because of its architectural or historic interest.
Ipswich has an amazing 650 listed buildings of which 11 are Grade 1 listed, the highest category.
These include Christchurch Mansion, the Willis Building – the youngest building to gain the designation when it was listed – parts of Isaacs on the Waterfront, St Mary at Stoke and St Margaret’s churches as well as the Unitarian Meeting House.
The other 639 buildings are Grade 2 listed and are found in every part of the town. Many of them are houses, but there is a huge variety, and we all probably pass at least one every day without realising its significance.
They include buildings we would expect to see – like the other ancient churches in the town centre, Ipswich Museum, the Ancient House in Buttermarket, and the Old Custom House on the Waterfront as well as Broomhill Lido.
But there are less obvious treasures. A number of pubs are listed such as the Nelson, the Golden Hind, the Suffolk Punch and the Margaret Catchpole along with modern churches like Castle Hill United Reformed Church, built in 1957 on Dryden Road in Whitton, and All Hallows Church, built in 1938 on Landseer Road.
Public buildings like The Regent, the old Suffolk Records Office building on Gatacre Road (now home to the Sir John Mills Theatre and Eastern Angles) and the Ipswich Central Library in Northgate Street as well as “new” schools like Sprites, Rushmere Hall and Halifax primaries are listed.
There are some quirky entries: a “former public air raid shelter and gas decontamination centre” at Westbourne Library; milestones on London Road and Woodbridge Road; the lych-gate at Cranfield Court on Valley Road; and the ice-house in Christchurch Park.
But as important as Britain’s historic buildings are, some are not as well looked after as they should be which is why Historic England also maintains a “Buildings At Risk” list too.
Every local authority in the country has buildings at risk. Norwich has around 10, and East Suffolk around 40. At the beginning of 2022, there were 5 Buildings at Risk in Ipswich.
One of those buildings, 4 College Street, came into Council’s ownership when we purchased the Paul’s Silo site. It is a 16th century merchant’s house and was in a terrible state of dereliction when we bought it. We have invested in a fantastic renovation of the building, and it is now ready for occupation. This is the first building in Suffolk to be taken off the At Risk register in the past ten years and I’m pleased people had a chance to look round it during the recent Heritage Open Days weekend.
The four other buildings on the list are not so easy to deal with as they are privately owned but there are some positive signs for some of them.
The Tolly Cobbold Brewery was closed in 2002 ending over 250 years of brewing on the site. It has had a succession of owners since then and has been subject to vandalism and fire, but has now been bought by local businessman Mac Khan, who is passionate about restoring the three listed buildings on the site as part of a wider redevelopment project.
St Michael’s church on Upper Orwell Street – also badly damaged in a fire in 2011 – has recently been bought from its previous owner by a local church who are intent on bringing it back to life.
County Hall is an important Ipswich building – an imposing, striking sight on St Helen’s Street. Built in 1836 as our town court and jail, it famously granted Wallis Simpson her divorce so she could go on to marry Edward VII and was later Suffolk County Council headquarters before being sold to a private developer.
The final building is 1-5 College Street, the building next to Wolsey’s Gate which has just had its scaffolding removed.
The Council’s conservation team maintains a constant pressure on the owners of these buildings, encouraging, cajoling and where necessary taking enforcement action, to try and get them to bring these buildings back to a decent condition and ensure they do not deteriorate further.
It is also important to continuously maintain the listed buildings the Council owns, so that they aren’t in danger of being placed on the At Risk register.
We have refurbished the old Post Office on the Cornhill to enable the Botanist restaurant to take occupation. We are in the process of giving St Stephens church a new lease of life as a medium sized music venue. And Ipswich Museum is currently closed for the biggest investment in its 140-year history.
By investing in and maintaining these much-loved historic buildings we can ensure that they will continue to be enjoyed and appreciated for generations to come.