As part of our popular spotlight series, we look at Ipswich, the oldest Anglo-Saxon town in England and the setting for Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers.
History
This lovely town in Suffolk stands on the River Orwell and has a claim to fame as the oldest Anglo-Saxon town in England. It began life in the 600’s as the port of ‘Gippeswic’ (which is an old English form of Ipswich), a small trading settlement which began after the collapse of the Roman Empire. The origins of the name ‘Gippeswic’ comes from the name of the river Gipping and the Anglo-Saxon word wic which means a ‘dwelling-place’.
Ipswich had grown by 1086 from a few dwellers to a population of about 2,000 and just over one hundred years later in 1200, Ipswich was granted its first Charter by King John. This Charter gave rights to the people and laid the foundations for a civil government. Ipswich began to export cloth and wool across Europe via the port, seeing the town grow and flourish.
By 1800, the population of Ipswich had grown to around 11,000 with the port enjoying a boom as the industries of shipbuilding, leather, malting and brewing continued to expand.
Charles Dickens stayed in Ipswich in 1835 and set his novel, The Pickwick Papers in the town.
By the turn of the 20th Century, the population of Ipswich had grown to around 66,000 and saw the building of the Orwell Bridge, Ipswich Transport Museum and The Willis Building. The latter was designed and built by Sir Norman Foster and became the first Grade 1 Listed building in the United Kingdom.
Transport Links
Just a 10 – 15-minute walk from the town centre, Ipswich Rail Station on Burrell Road is served by the train operator Greater Anglia. Services run from the station to the capital on the InterCity main line, pulling into London Liverpool Street station in a journey of around an hour and a half. You can visit the beautiful seaside town of Felixstowe in under half an hour or the historic city of Cambridge in around an hour and 20 minutes. Norwich, Colchester, and Bury St Edmunds are also within reach of the town by short train journeys. There is also a small, unstaffed station – ‘Derby Road’ – which has connections to Felixstowe.
Ipswich is well served by buses that run regularly between the town centre and the train station and to the surrounding villages. The main operators are Ipswich Buses (mainly town services) or First Eastern Counties Buses Ltd (mainly country services). The latter also offer a Park and Ride service to the town centre.
For those seeking connections for flights, National Express run a coach service from Ipswich to Stansted and Heathrow.
London can be reached via the A12 – a journey of around 84 miles – also, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and the M25 for connections to motorways to the North and South. Cambridge, Felixstowe, and the Midlands can be reached via the A14 and the A140 links Ipswich with Norwich.
Things To Do
Rich in history and with its proximity to the coast, Ipswich has so much to offer those living in and travelling to the area. Days at the beach and adventures on the sea are readily available to enjoy or why not try some of these?
Featured on the BBC as a TV series, Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park is home to over 80 different species of animals. Open 7 days a week, this working farm and wildlife park has something for everyone. Be fascinated by the wide variety of animals, ranging from farm animals such as sheep and goats to more exotic creatures, such as camels, primates, and zebras. Take a walk through the nature trail, woodland walk or explore the beautiful gardens. Children will love the play areas! Enjoy a bite to eat in the Barn Restaurant amongst other food outlets. For anyone looking to do a spot of shopping, there are some great concessions on site too!
For rainy days or family time, why not pay a visit to the Ipswich Museum? Found on the High Street, the museum houses many collections such as important Roman archaeology find from Colchester to world-class art. The museum holds an amazing number of objects – over 200,000! There are documents, artefacts and specimens from Natural Science collections which span millions of years to a fascinating wide range of Social History objects. Children will love meeting animals from around the world in the Victorian Natural History Gallery section – beware of the lions! The Geology Gallery will see you travelling back 70 million years and going around the world to see the fascinating artefacts or try The Ipswich Story – a journey through the area from the Stone Age.
If you fancy a stroll, look no further than a walk along the Ipswich Waterfront and soak in the rich maritime history of the area past, present, and future.
Eating and Drinking
If you are looking for freshly prepared home-comfort style cookery with favourites on the menu, such as slow cooked belly pork or delicious fish and chips, look no further than The Grill at Twenty5. This popular family run restaurant sources only the freshest local ingredients to cook food without compromise.
If you are craving some seafood, why not give The Ocean Fish Platter on Upper Brook Street a try? Delicious sharing platters, seafood pasta or their famous fish and chips are just some of the dishes on offer. With outstanding reviews on TripAdvisor, we’d advise booking as early as possible!
For those who love nothing better than an ale then a trip to the Arcade Tavern will see you right. With over 120 beers on stock at any time, you will be well looked after.
Shopping
One of the great things about Ipswich is that it still boasts a fantastic High Street Shopping experience where you will find everything from Marks and Spencer to the Body Shop to Pandora. It’s perfect for shopaholics!
If you like smaller, boutique style shops rather than the main high street names, then Ipswich has you covered too. A trip to the Saints area will lead you to places such as HUG lifestyle, a store specialising in sustainable womenswear and homewares or for the stylish gentlemen there is the Italian Shirt Shop which will be able to deck you out in authentic Italian fashion.
Property
The average price for a property in Ipswich is around £234,000 ranging from an average of £161,000 for a one bed property to £310,00 for a 3 bed property and around £773,000 for a 5 bedroomed property.
For the rental market, prices in Ipswich currently stand at around £887 per calendar month for a one-bedroom property, £943pcm for a 2-bedroom property up to £1,120 for a 3 bed place and £2,400 for a 5 bedroom rental.
If our spotlight on Ipswich has made you curious about a possible move to the area, please see our current listings for Ipswich. If you would like to speak with one of our Ipswich property experts click here to find contact details for our Ipswich office where our professional and dedicated team will be happy to help.
