Oldest English Town Sign

Ipswich: Let’s celebrate our unrivalled history

by Paul Geater Friday, March 22, 2013
3:22 PM

OUR county town has a unique role in the history of England – yet its role in the formation and development of our country is all too often overlooked.

Sign of the times?

ONE way that Ipswich could emphasise its role in the English story is by telling road users its unique story on their approach to the town.

We are calling for signs proclaiming Ipswich as the oldest English town to be placed at all 14 roads into the borough.

At present a mixture of descriptions – from “University Town” to “You are now entering a designated open space” welcome road users.

Responsibility for the signs will be transferred from the borough to the county council next month, but both authorities back the proposal.

Borough council leader David Ellesmere said: “I would back this wholeheartedly – the heritage of the town is very important and it is vital that people know about it. I shall certainly talk to the county to see what can be done.”

Bryony Rudkin is responsible for culture and heritage on the borough’s executive. She said:

“The history of the town is very important to it today and looking ahead to the future.

“We are trying to improve historic areas of the town like the Saints (St Peters Street and St Nicholas Street) and Fore Street, and signs like this would emphasise what the town has to offer to visitors.”

Guy McGregor is responsible for transport on the county council cabinet and said he felt it was vital to promote the county town.

On putting up signs he said: “It is certainly something that we would be happy to look at – the town’s past is very important when it looks at selling itself in the future.”

He said the county was already helping the town develop with the Travel Ipswich programme – but accepted that more could be done to shout about its heritage.

And Ipswich MP Ben Gummer also backed the move.

“The entrances to the town need to be improved, and signs like this would really give a lift to people coming into Ipswich,” he said.

The first settlement of Gipeswic is believed to have been built around the year 700 – and within 100 years it was a flourishing town.

That makes it the oldest English town (founded by the Anglo-Saxons rather than the Romans) and the oldest continuously occupied town in the country.

It is a town that has a continuous thread through history – from its foundation by subjects of King Raedwald to its development before and after the Norman invasion, and its receiving a Royal Charter from King John in the year 1200.

Since then the town has had strong associations with some of the greatest names in English history – from Geoffrey Chaucer through to Cardinal Wolsey, and to great painters like Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable.

The town inspired some of Charles Dickens’s early writing, and it is also the ancestral home of Charlie Chaplin – his grandparents were from Ipswich before the family moved to London during the middle of the 19th century.

However the town has failed to capitalise on this great heritage.

The absence of a cathedral or castle in the town has led to it being overlooked – but there are important historic buildings, and the street layout of the town centre remains that set up by the Anglo Saxon settlers back in the Dark Ages.

Today we are calling on the town to recognise its wonderful heritage, and to use this as a springboard to a revival in the future.

There is no reason why the town should not be as much of a heritage destination as Salisbury or Chester – Ipswich is at the very heart of the history of England.

The streets the young Thomas Wolsey knew are still here in the town centre. Some of the buildings he knew in St Nicholas Street are still standing.

And yet the town fails to capitalise on this history.

Town MP Ben Gummer, who is an expert in Medieval history, said it was vital that the town capitalised on its past.

“People like to visit centres that have real heritage behind them, they visit the shops and the cafes and the restaurants – and Ipswich really needs to make the most of that.

“Look at the Waterfront where there has been a real merger of the old and the modern to create a wonderfully attractive area.”

And he called for the historic street pattern to be recreated in any redevelopment of the Cox Lane/Tacket Street area.

“What people like is the human scale of historic towns and there is a real opportunity for Ipswich here,” he said.

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7 comments

What a rather pompous attitude you display, Mike. You also make assumptions about my name showing your blinkered attitude - probably as a result of being a pedant who spends too long with his nose in a book. I was born in Ipswich and have lived here all my life so that rather knocks down your theory of my being a Celt. I am fully aware of the origin of the name England - the land of the Angles - it doesn't take much working out. I am from an era when such things were taught in schools. I don't expect an apology from you for getting it totally wrong about me. I could have used the name Ken Dodd as my Ipswich Star user name. Would you then assume I am a Liverpudlian and accuse me of interfering with Ipswich matters? I chose Kernow because I have many happy memories of annual holidays in Cornwall with my wife who is sadly no longer alive. I am proud of Ipswich, the place of my birth, despite its imperfections. I am also prefer to think of myself as English rather than British. I hope this puts the record straight.

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Ken Kernow

Monday, March 25, 2013
@Ken Kernow (your last name rather tells of your agenda). Ipswich is the oldest English town because it was founded by the Anglo-Saxons - i.e. the first English people. You seem to have a rather poor grasp of English history if you don't even know that basic fact. England is named after them, along with the majority of English place-names being of Old-English origin - the language they brought with them, along with the fact that they referred to themselves as 'Englisc'. As your name suggests, you're just another 'Celtic' fantasist who tries to disassociate the early English from their own history. As for Colchester, the 'chester' part of it is derived from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) word referring to a Roman fort. The Romans weren't English, nor were the ancient Britons. The first English people were the Anglo-Saxons - a term that's a relatively modern one used to describe the several Germanic tribes that came after the Romans left. They called themselves Englisc (English), which they then gave to this country in the form of the word 'Englalond' (land of the Angle), along with the English language, etc. They were English, I am English - and Ipswich IS the oldest English town! Jesus wept, no wonder the English are confused about their own identity when such a poor grasp of English history and our origins are embodied in ignorance such as yours.

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Mike

Sunday, March 24, 2013
NOTHING WRONG WITH IPSWICH ,IT IS SOME OF THE IDIOTS WHO LIVE THERE. EVEN SOUTHWOLD AND ALDEBURGH HAVE VANDALS ETC.

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TERENCE MANNING

Saturday, March 23, 2013
Yes people like to visit ancient towns but they expect to see something of that history while there in the form of ruins, monuments or museum exhibits all of which are sadly lacking in ipswich. And if a visitors first view of ipswich is the "wonderfully attractive" waterfront area with its derelict buildings and half completed building sites they will be very disappointed! A few signs will not improve the town or encourage visitors, some decent shops and small independent retailers instead of phone shops or pound shops might but the high costs of rent in the town centre makes sure that will never happen.

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MZH

Saturday, March 23, 2013
The signs should display "Welcome To Ipswich. England's Oldest Anglo Saxon Town" and not Oldest English Town which could upset those in Colchester who are proud of their Oldest Recorded English Town title. I don't see the point in upsetting our near neighbours so if we word it properly it should avoid any misunderstanding.

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Ken Kernow

Saturday, March 23, 2013
Perhaps a "Then and Now" exhibition would be welcome. Then: a historic thriving medieval market town with culture and trading links. Now: full of dodgy scum, muggings, knife crime, boy racers and no go areas.

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Newsmaster Excalibur

Friday, March 22, 2013
April 1st is around the corner, two faced the star is to print such an article when it has not bothered to report on the failings of the council planning over the years. Ipswich is a Joke a sad joke very sad but that`s what it is, every jumps on the band wagon by the way which Ipswich school did Mr Gummer go to, which street corner did he stand on as a youngster cant place him. What would he know before he was an MP he could not care so why know, Sorry I forgot Votes. Read what real people have been saying on this site over the years and you will see what is wrong with Ipswich.

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a west

Friday, March 22, 2013

Ipswich: Let’s celebrate our unrivalled history

Sign of the times?

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