The town of Ipswich began as an Anglo-Saxon trading port, serving the Kingdom of East Anglia. The Middle Ages saw continued commercial prosperity, with the establishment of five large religious houses and the consolidation of its street pattern, still discernible today. It was an important centre for the Hanseatic League, trading with the Baltic, and in the 17th and 18th centuries a port of emigration for the colonies of North America. In the 19th century it expanded its port facilities, changing the course of the River Orwell to do so, and it also developed large breweries and foundries to make agricultural machinery.  In the late 20th century it became the home of an iconic Norman Foster building.

The Historical Map of Ipswich shows, on a multi-period map, how Ipswich developed and includes its vanished buildings and earthworks, and sites of interest as well as those that remain. A comprehensive gazetteer on the map’s reverse, complete with many illustrations, explains how Ipswich developed and introduces its buildings and sites of interest.

Authors:

Keith Wade is an experienced archaeologist, with extensive knowledge of Ipswich’s past, and draws on the inputs from a team of Ipswich historians.