BLUE PLAQUES

AND OTHER PLAQUES IN IPSWICH

The Ipswich Society has installed a number of blue plaques in the town - our version of the English Heritage Blue Plaques seen originally in London. What started at the turn of the century continues to be an important and relevant tribute to some of the most distinguished people who were born in the town or subsequently lived here.

The original idea for the plaques came from New Zealand in the late nineties. Bernard Brown, a lifelong friend of Neil Salmon, who was then editor of the newsletter, wondered why VS Pritchett, the author Sir Victor Pritchett CH was not celebrated in the town of his birth. Having emigrated to Auckland sometime before, Bernard, now professor of Law at Auckland University reminded Neil that Pritchett had been born in Ipswich in 1900. Neil immediately went about looking for ways in which the commemoration of such an esteemed writer could be made in the town.

One member of the Ipswich Society, the late Brian Jepson had already begun the process of commemorating one person of note, with the placing of a blue plaque to Dutch artist Cor Visser on his own house in Fore Street: he provided a template for the Society's blue plaques.

Neil realised that this was an ideal way to remember Pritchett and he wondered, if a plaque could be erected, whether there might be an opportunity for other worthies of the town to be similarly recognised. Neil remembered that Jean Ingelow had been a writer of the 19th century and had been part of his School certificate studies with her poem A high tide on the coast of Lincolnshire. Dr John Blatchly, the historian, reminded Neil of Nathaniel Bacon and John Glyde. Robert Ransome, Thomas Gainsborough and William King made up the illustrious first tranche. These were erected during the course of the next year the first seven coincided with the new millennium.

front cover of a publication of ipsiwch's blue plaques showing a woman in mayoral robes

Our hope is that the plaques will make the streetscape and our history more interesting. Most of our plaques are in and around the town centre. We have others which are a greater distance away from the centre. However, those focused on the town centre are where most passers-by might see them; they form a "trail" which could easily reveal to visitors some secrets or gems of the town.

Visit the Ipswich Society Image Archive Website and find all our plaques:

Or click on individual names on the list below for a direct link to their images and details in our Image Archive. There are further plaques around the town, erected by other organisations. You can download the latest Blue Plaques leaflet or have a look in our Archive for the early versions of the leaflet.

Other plaques in Ipswich