Panel 8: 20th Century

Historical Content:

The hanging reads from left to right in time. At the top of the left-hand side is the window of the Central Library in Northgate Street, designed by Munro Cautley in 1924, and below this is the Pretty's lingerie factory, symbolic of the many clothing and other factories in the town early in the century. Below this is the Victorian warehouse on the dock front belonging to Paul's which is still operational. The old docks have had wide-ranging changes: from being a bustling, active manual area to a mechanised complex they are now becoming a leisure centre. The building next to Paul's is the former Contship building and to the right an old Victorian warehouse. The original Cobbold's Maltings next to this is now a pub. The old dock is now mainly devoted to pleasure craft, hence the sailing boat and cruiser on the river. Above Paul's building on the left is the 1920s tower of St Thomas's Church in Bramford Lane and next to it on the right is the late Victorian tower of All Saints Church, both built in the outer rim of the spreading town. The Art Deco period is represented by Broomhill Swimming Batha and the building at the bottom of St Margaret's Plain, now Kwik Fit (to the right of the churches in the hanging). Below to the right is the entrance to the Buttermarket complex near the site of the old Provision Market. On the extreme right is Suffolk College, originally the Civic College, built in the 1960s. To the left at the top is the arch entrance to Lloyds Avenue, linking Tower Ramparts to Cornhill. In the centre is the 'Ship' sculpture by Bernard Reynolds, distinguished artist and lecturer at the Ipswich School of Art, now in Civic Drive close to the Wolsey Theatre, featured on the right. At the top to the left is the award-winning black glass building designed by Norman Foster for Willis Faber and Dumas, now Willis Corroon, built after Civic Drive was cleared in the 1960s. Below is the Ipswich Town Football Club built on the old town marshes, formerly a grazing area belonging to the Ipswich Portmen. The Cenotaph, a memorial to those who fell in the First World War, stands in Christchurch Park. The top left corner has the symbol of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary which came to Ipswich 150 years ago to assist in the education of orphans. The top right corner has a decoration from the Corporation Plate designed by Gerald Benney in 1963 and presented by Mr Goodwin whose family ran Stoke Windmill (see the Georgian panel). The cross represents Stoke Windmill and the three prongs symbolise the three main industries connected with Ipswich: the port, agriculture, and engineering. The River Orwell flows to the sea under the new Orwell Bridge, built in 1982, with HMS Grafton, adopted by Ipswich, sailing along it. Notice the water gets cleaner towards the right, reflecting efforts made to clear the river of pollution. The Spitfire flying above the river was one of many based in the area during the Second World War. On the left of the river is the old Power Station, now demolished, and beside it a drag crane, another example of the important heavy industry in the town. The large container ship symbolises the new era of trade in the West Bank terminal area with the port cranes to the right.