A morning in Ipswich
My visit today was to photo some of the series of art works originally called Ipswich Artathon, adding to the ones already captured. I will have to post them all in one Blog in the near future I think.
There are three of the series in this Blog: The African Garden, the Giles statue of Grandma and the Spiral Vortex. It is worth looking at the Ipswich Council list of the whole series as it`s a great way to see Ipswich.
The first three images were in fact taken along the Waterfront, a great favourite of mine! I love the mixture of colours on the walls and on the derelict building.
Cranfield Mill is a 23 story, mixed-use development located on the waterfront with access from College Street in Ipswich, England. The Mill was the first phase of the Cranfields Mill development at Albion Quay on the waterfront at a cost of £42 million and was designed by John Lyall Architects and was proposed to be the 'landmark' building of Ipswich.
Last remnant of a school founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1528
In the 12th century an Augustinian priory was established on the north bank of the River Orwell. The canons of the Priory of SS Peter and Paul used the church of St Peter, which had been founded as early as the late Saxon period at the north end of a ford across the river.
The priory occupied a large area of land, but it was land that eventually attracted the eye of Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey was interested in education, and evolved a grand scheme to establish a network of a dozen schools around the country to prepare students for his new foundation of Cardinal College in Oxford (now Christ Church College).
One of the 12 'feeder' schools was to be established in his home town of Ipswich. It was meant to rival older schools like Eaton or Winchester School, and provide a wide pool of talented students to attend Cardinal College.
Wolsey was used to getting his own way. He forced the priory to close and seized the land. He got permission from the king to establish a school, and construction began near St Peter's church in 1528. Students were taken on, and professors were hired. The new school head was William Golding, lured away from Eton. St Peter's church was rebuilt to serve as the school chapel and the congregation forced to use St Nicholas or St Mary at the Quay churches in neighbouring parishes.
Wolsey's Gate was built to serve as a ceremonial gateway for visitors arriving by river. In Tudor times the River Orwell was much wider than it is now, and the gateway and neighbouring churchyard must have stood near the water's edge. The 'Water Gate' as Wolsey would have known it, led directly to the river.
Unfortunately for Wolsey - and his school - its foundation coincided with Wolsey's fall from power over his failure to secure papal approval for Henry to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Wolsey was removed from office, then arrested for treason, but died before he could be put on trial. Construction of the school ground to a halt.
In 1532 all the remaining building materials, including timber, lead, and stone, was transported to London where it was used to extend Wolsey's former home of York House, which later became Whitehall Palace.
Headmaster Golding stayed on in Ipswich; his salary was even paid by the crown, on the instigation of Thomas Cromwell, Wolsey's former protege. The grammar school moved premises to Foundation Street, and formed the basis of what would later become Ipswich School. The school was endowed with money from the dissolution of local monasteries, and its charter was renewed by Henry VIII and again by his daughter Elizabeth I. The Foundation Street site is now occupied by a car park.
The gateway stands in an area of the town that has been undeveloped and run down for a long time, and it is an ongoing concern over how the Borough Council can make the most of the gateway's historic value and encourage visitors. As it is now the best vantage point to view the gateway is from across College Road, which can be dangerously busy and difficult to cross at some times of day.
Local residents occasionally raise the question of moving the gate to make it more easily accessible and to prevent vandalism. They have a point about the latter question, for in 2012 vandals spray-painted the rear of the gateway with graffiti, which had to be very carefully removed from the porous Tudor bricks. It seems very unlikely that the gateway will ever be moved; it is a scheduled ancient monument and getting approval from all the concerned bureaucracies would be extremely unlikely, not to mention the chance of damage to the gateway from attempting to move it
The gateway consists of two short sections of brick wall supporting a pair of turrets, joined by a horizontal lintel, decorated with brickwork in the style of blind arcades. Under the lintel and flanked by niches is a very worn coat of arms in white stone. The coat of arms has suffered greatly from the passage of time, and no doubt from the automobile fumes that constantly bombard it.
Under the coat of arms is a broad Tudor arch and a doorway with multiple layers of moulding. The effect is pure Tudor theatre, though very restrained by Wolsey's standards. One wonders what the main gates of the school would have looked like if this was a simple water gate?
Originally called the Ipswich Board School (1872), the building was rebuilt in 1914 for 432 boys and took in pupils from Foundation Street School. It was then called Ipswich School of Commerce and Social Studies. It stands in Argyle Street. Another reminder of the history of Ipswich.
This artwork is part of the African Garden in Alexandra Park. The garden aims to enhance the natural biodiversity of Alexandra Park and celebrate its value as part of community life. The planting and materials have been chosen to reflect the range of African landscapes. The sculpture (above) by Antonia Hockton aims to convey the essence of our community of cultures. I will have to return when the winter has passed to capture it`s true beauty.
Silent Street in Ipswich has these wonderful windows and doors. I believe the street has a claim to fame as the birthplace of Cardinal Wolsey, although other parts of the town claim similar!
SPIRAL VORTEX 1992 This sculpture was commissioned especially for the library building. It is just inside the Old Foundry Road entrance to the library and can also be viewed from upstairs in the reference library giving an alternative viewpoint and a closer look. Its theme is knowledge.The discs are made of glass of different colours and are based on sections of the Dewey decimal classification used by libraries. They all have different images and symbols on them and hang in a spiral form. It is easily missed as you enter the library, look up! Unfortunately, time has had an effect and the whole thing needs a good clean. However, it was one of the Ipswich art objects I had not captured.
Reflections in the Willis Building (Ipswich) glass building.
Of all Giles figures Grandma was perhaps his most famous character; she was unveiled as a statue in Ipswich Town Centre in 1993 as a mark of respect for the long and distinguished career Giles had enjoyed working in the town. The Statue’s placement (in the now ‘Giles Circus’) is deliberate so that Grandma can keep a watch on Giles’ former office on the second floor where he created the majority of his work across the road from her situation.
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