The Willis Towers Watson building in Ipswich

This landmark building was designed by Lord Norman Foster, the same world-renowned architect behind the UK headquarters of Willis Towers Watson, a 28 storey skyscraper situated at 51 Lime Street, London. In 1991 it building became the first modern design to receive Grade 1 listing. 

Willis Towers Watson is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 45,000 employees in more than 140 countries.

Friar Street, Ipswich is one of the Group`s largest and most established location with over 1,400 employees. 

The Friar Street building in all its glory. The building is divided into three floors, each approximately 67,000 square feet with a rooftop restaurant and coffee shop.

If you want some good reflection images then this is the building. 

More reflections

The glass wall contains 890 panels plus a further 190 around the rooftop restaurant. Each pane of glass is approximately 3m by 2m and none of the glass panes open as the building is air conditioned throughout.

A bright colour scheme of yellow and green is used because of the depth of the space and is reflected in the aluminium ceiling strips which, if put end to end, would reach nearly 100 miles. To encourage teamwork and transparency, the entire building is open plan. There are various partially enclosed work stations dotted about for those who need some time on their own to work, but mainly you can work anywhere you want, just unplug your laptop and plug in at another station! There is a display showing workstation vacant so you move when the mood takes you.

You can see the three floors from this point as you stand facing the escalators.

The rooftop is lawned to provide insulation and a change from the working environment. I found it a bit strange initially to walk about on a lawn, surrounded by hedges, and look down over the rooftops of Ipswich.!

I visited the Willis Building on the Heritage weekend when numerous interesting buildings were open to the public. Ones that you normally have no access to. 

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Rye - the ancient Cinque port

Our short break finished in Rye. When it was an important sea port, (the sea entrance now having silted up over the centuries) Rye was affiliated with nearby Hastings which had a status of a Cinque port. We were looking for a couple of the things on this trip, firstly was Mermaid Street, because of it being an `old world` cobbled street. We were not disappointed. Obviously named after the Mermaid pub, it was an amazing street to stroll down.

A couple of photos of Mermaid Street.

In an alleyway leading to the rear of the pub, I took this image and also ....

.... saw this on the building at the rear. I wonder what it was saying! The Mermaid Inn is a Grade II listed historical inn. One of the best-known inns in southeast England, it was established in the 12th century and has a long, turbulent history. The current building dates from 1420 and has 16th-century additions in the Tudor style, but cellars built in 1156 survive. The inn has a strong connection with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers, who used it in the 1730s and 1740s as one of their strongholds: Rye was a thriving port during this period. 

St Anthony, Rye.This late medieval house was once the residence of a wealthy merchant. The building features a continuously jettied front elevation and has been restored in recent times. 

This beautiful building was toward the bottom of Mermaid Street. So many it was difficult to know where to point the camera. 

Rye Castle Museum (Ypres Tower) with gun platform. 

Rye Castle is almost as old as Rye itself, and has remained remarkably unchanged since it was built. The castle was begun in the mid 13th century when Henry III ordered a fortified tower to be erected. The new castle was known as Baddings Tower. 

In 1377 the town was badly damaged in a raid by the French. The invaders burned most of the town, but the castle was one of the very few buildings to survive. It was later used as a court hall until a dedicated courthouse was built. 

In 1430 the Corporation of Rye sold the castle to Jean d'Ypres, a cloth merchant. As the name suggests, Jean was a native of Ypres, in France, but he owned several other properties in Rye. He sold the castle in 1452, just 22 years after he bought it, but his name continues to be linked to the castle to this day. 

The castle passed through the hands of several private owners until the Corporation of Rye bought it back in the late 15th century. By 1495 it was being used as a gaol and court hall. 

The next major change did not occur until 1837 when the Women's Tower was built adjoining the Ypres Tower. The Women's Tower housed four cells for holding female prisoners. Between the Women's Tower and the Ypres Tower was a prisoner's exercise yard, which has now been converted into a recreation of a medieval garden. 

In 1891 a police station and cells were built so the castle was no longer used to incarcerate prisoners. The tower basement was then used as the town mortuary. 

Parish Church of St Mary 

The history that has passed through or near these churches - this one being no different. This is what feeds my interest so much! For almost 900 years the Parish Church of Rye, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, has dominated the hill on which the old town stands. It has stood through good times and bad. In 1377 when the town was looted and set on fire by French invaders the church was extensively damaged. The roof fell in and the bells were carried off to France. They were recovered the next year when men from Rye and Winchelsea sailed to Normandy and took them back! In 1742 a murder took place in the churchyard when Allen Grebell was killed by John Breeds who mistook him for the Mayor. John Breeds was hung and his remains placed in an iron cage on Gibbets Marsh. Later this was moved to the church and later still to the Town Hall where it is to this day. The grave of Allen Grebell can be seen in the Clare Chapel. 

The font which dates from 1845. It is a copy of the historically important font at St Peter’s Church, Newenden 

A clipping from a 1930’s Newspaper regarding St Mary's Church clock. It gives an idea of this unique clock, and why so many people over the years look and photograph it. I believe the two gilded cherub are called the Quarter Boys, to indicate that the clock only chimes the quarter hour, and were added with its current face in 1760. 

"The construction of the clock was begun in 1515 and finished in 1560. Apart from its great age, this clock is one of the most remarkable ever constructed. It took 45 years to build and cost, in all, the grand sum of £2.10s. It’s inventor, described simply in the parish records as “A Man of Winchelsea,” was paid the magnificent price of 6s. 8d. “for making and fitting the clock, in full settlement of his bargain…” 

It is the only clock in England, and possibly in the world, with its pendulum swinging through the roof into the body of the church. Its machinery, which weighs several tons, occupies the whole of a large room. Its eight main cogwheels are each one and a half times the size of a large cartwheel. 

A cottage in nearby Mermaid Street, takes its name from the Cherubs. 

The "Landgate" (the only surviving one of four original fortified entrances to Rye) dates from 1329 in the early years of the reign of King Edward III. This monarch had made several grants to the town to aid in its fortification - it is still the only vehicular route into the medieval centre of Rye and is suitable only for light vehicles. It is described on the plaque attached to the building as having a chamber over the arch and two towers, although once there were gates, a portcullis and a drawbridge. 

Seen on Rye Harbour nature reserve 

In the late Anglo-Saxon era, the threat of Norse invasion was constant. For a time England had a Danish king in the person of Cnut (Canute) but after his death the Anglo-Saxon Edward the Confessor did his best to keep the Norse threat at bay. 

The key to the security of the realm as Edward saw it was to control the English Channel. To this end he granted the ports of Sandwich, Dover, and New Romney, all in Kent, the right to keep all legal fees assigned in court cases. This was quite a profitable concession for the towns involved, and made them far more prosperous than most towns of similar size elsewhere in the country.In exchange, the towns agreed to provide ships and sailors for defense when required by the crown. To the original three ports were later added Hastings in Sussex, and Hythe, in Kent. 

These five coastal towns made up the Five Ports (in Norman French the "Cinque Ports"). In the 13th century Rye and Winchelsea joined nearby Hastings and in the next century gained legal status as "Antient Towns", affiliated with the Cinque Ports.The need for defense was so great that a large number of other towns became allied to the major ports. Thus, inland Tenterden became an ally of Rye, and Pevensey an ally of Hastings. This 'coastal confederation' reached a total of 42 towns at its medieval peak.The ports took full advantage of their special legal status to spread their economic reach far beyond their local areas. Thus Rye battled fiercely with Yarmouth in Norfolk for control of the herring fishery on the Norfolk Broads.The fortunes of the Cinque Ports varied. Dover, with its excellent coastal harbour, prospered. Others fared less well. The sea receded over the medieval period, and rivers silted up, leaving Winchelsea and Tenterden totally isolated from the coast. Rye transformed from a coastal port into a river one, with subsequent loss of trade. 

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Hastings Old Town

For some time we have said `Lets go to Hastings`, but never managed to go. So, four nights in an apartment at the Old Town end of Hastings was eagerly anticipated. With a chance to visit Battle thrown in. The journey down was reasonable in as much as traffic was light and the weather good. However, Hastings on a friday was jam packed with traffic and people. We began to wonder if we had arrived during some huge festive event. But no, the end of the holidays and a last fling appeared to be the reason.

We found our apartment which was over a Fishing tackle shop, and next to what was an ancient Courthouse (Below). You can just glimpse out apartment on the right of this image. Unfortunately, the place was large, but very dated and dirty. Needless to say we ate out at every opportunity! The whole area seemed to be one large eating area of every type of cuisine possible!

The Old Court House, The Bourne, Hastings 

East Hill Lift 

Built some ten years later than its sister on the West Hill, the East Hill Lift was designed by P.H. Palmer (Borough Engineer) and carries passengers up the cliff to the picturesque glens. The lift was built in 1901-02 and was first opened in April 1902. 

The East Hill Lift is the steepest funicular railway in the country with an angle of 38 degrees (1 in 2.8 gradient). 

Now for the technical bit! - A funicular is one of the modes of transportation which uses a cable traction for movement on steep inclined slopes. 

A funicular railway employs a pair of passenger vehicles which are pulled on a slope by the same cable which loops over a pulley wheel at the upper end of a track. The vehicles are permanently attached to the ends of the cable and counterbalance each other. They move synchronously: while one vehicle is ascending, the other one is descending the track. These particularities distinguish funiculars from other types of cable railways. For example, a funicular is distinguished from an inclined elevator by the presence of two vehicles which counterbalance each other. 

The power for the system was originally supplied by a water balance device with each car having a 600 gallon water tank underneath that was filled with water at the top and emptied at the bottom.The original Victorian cars are still in use today but were converted to an electric motor system in 1974. But today, it's broken! What a shame, as I would love to have tried it out. 

Hasting is a busy fishing port, as evident when you stroll the beach at the Rock-A-Nore end of the town. What a strange name you may think. Its a name officially adopted in 1859 and deriving from a former building "lyinge to the Mayne Rock against the north" 

Net Huts 

The prominent net huts on the beach in Hastings Old Town are made of clinker weather boarding and stand an average of 25 feet high. Style of the structures is possibly early 17th Century and the unique wooden buildings were originally used as workshops and storage for nets, sails and ropes. 

In 1934 the Borough Council restricted the area allowed for each net hut to eight square feet because of the limited space between the cliffs and the sea. To overcome this problem the fishermen built their equipment stores upwards to maximise the allowed space and constructed three stories, one above the other. 

About 45 of these unique structures can still be seen today and they are considered one of Hastings most famous and internationally known landmarks. Many more were originally built but have been destroyed by strong seas during the past 150 years. The council also demolished some during the 1950's to clear the beach area for development. 

With the advent of nylon nets there was less need for workshops and the buildings main use became storage. The remaining net huts are still used for this purpose today and are regularly maintained to withstand the elements. 

The 6ft (1.8m) tall winkle sculpture

In the year 1900 a small band of enthusiasts came together with the main idea of helping others less fortunate than themselves. During the many years they created this unique organisation which has been of such inestimable value to the town and makes all who have come into the club proud to be members.

The Winkle Club is an internationally famous charitable organisation formed by Hastings fishermen to help the less fortunate families of Hastings Old Town. The club’s headquarters, located at East Hastings Sea Angling Association The Stade, Rock-A-Nore Road, Hastings Old Town TN34 3FJ apart from some specially selected local residents, 

Winkle Club members have included a few very illustrious personalities such as Lord Montgomery, Sir Winston Churchill, the Duke of Windsor and many others.

Each Winkle Club Member (or ‘Winkler’) carries a winkle shell which they must produce when challenged to ‘Winkle Up’. Failure to do so results in a fine which goes towards local charities.

Pulpit Gate 

Pulpit Gate in All Saints' Street is part of Hastings Old Town. There used to be a shop here at the bottom of the road which was a hairdressers and general store until it was decided to remove the premises in the early 1930’s in the Old Town redevelopment scheme, and replace it with a replica building know as ‘Pulpit Gate’. This building was built from old ships timbers imported from places such as Newhaven, Rye and Hastings, also other places that built ships too. People are under the impression that this building dates from the 17th century, (well the timbers might!) but was built around 1956/7. It looks the part and fooled me!

St Clements Church, Hastings Old Town 

While I didn't visit this one, which was not far from our accommodation it apparently has a chequered history. The site in the north east part of the Old Town was acquired in 1286 after an earlier church had been destroyed by the sea. The replacement was destroyed in the French raid of 1377 and nothing of it remains. So the current one (number 3) was built in the early C15. 

The coastline along the Sussex coast is in a constant state of erosion. With the constant erosion and cliff falls, it is a battle to decide where to spend money protecting the coast. It is sobering to realise that Hastings Castle was at one point much further back from the sea, parts of its ruins have crumbled down the beautiful but unstable cliffs. 

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The town of Battle, East Sussex

Many moons ago I was to learn that the famous battle did not take place in Hastings after all!. I am not sure at what age I came to this knowledge, but I remember thinking "Why call it the Battle of Hastings if it was fought some miles away?" The landing by the Duke of Normandy did not even take place there, but at Pevensey Bay! Ah well!

The location at Battle has been contested in recent years, but the arguments for alternative sites are extremely flimsy, whereas the evidence for the traditional site remains overwhelmingly strong. 

Anyway, ` a must visit` was to the real site, at the town of Battle.

The town sign as we entered the main street.

The town Of Battle

At the top end of the town of Battle, stands the ruins of Battle Abbey. This image was taken of the High Street, with my back to the Abbey gates. Battle stands on a hill, with the abbey being built at the top. Remember, the Battle was fought in 1066 AD with Harold encamped on top of the hill looking down on the approaching Normans - a sensible battle tactic.

The Almonry 

The Council owns the Almonry site which includes, as well as the Town Council offices, the Town Museum and a public garden. 

We are told that a house has most likely been on the site of what is now known as The Almonry since 1090 when the town was first laid out. The first rental, dated about 1107, is in the Battle Abbey Chronicle, an account of the Battle and the founding of the Abbey which was written by the monks and is now housed in the British Library. 

It never was an Almonry but the Almoner did own land behind the present Market site and Western Avenue. The house was known from the early Middle Ages as KNIGHT's taken from an important family which owned land in the Leuga - the one league radius round Battle which the Conqueror gave to his new Abbey. 

Records show that the property was part of the Abbey Estate and had a number of tenants until it reverted to the Abbey in 1800. It was sold in about 1930 and remained in private ownership until the early 1980's when it was acquired by the County Council. 

The present building is a good example of the type of oak framed timber house built after the years of decline following the black death and was originally a five bay hall house built in the C15. It has since been partially rebuilt, added to and some parts even demolished over the centuries. Most of these changes, including the addition of chimneys, took place in the C16 and C17. An unusual feature of the building is an internal courtyard which also has a well. 

St Mary the Virgin 

A large church, originally C12, with an early C13 nave. The chancel is a little later. The south aisle was remodelled in the C14 and the north aisle in the C15, when the present tower and chapels were added. There are wall paintings of c1300, fine monuments and brasses. 

Commemorates the Battle of Hastings and is by M C F Bell, 1984 

Painted stones seen in the churchyard. Photographed and replaced. 

The Abbey Gatehouse 

Still dominating the town, as it was intended to, is the great gatehouse of 1338 and its adjacent precinct wall. The crenellations, arrow slits and wall-walk make the gatehouse look very defensive. The abbot of Battle had important responsibilities for the defence of the Sussex coast, especially during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453). However, the gatehouse defence features would have been of little practical use and the building would not have been able to sustain a serious assault. Rather than being defensive, it is much more likely that the gatehouse had ceremonial and administrative functions. The monks would also have allegorised the building as the portal of the Heavenly Jerusalem. 

The high south end of the east range of the abbey buildings reflects how difficult it was to provide a level floor for the dormitory on the first floor, because of the steep slope of the hillside on which King William insisted the abbey should be built 

`Who` and `why` was it built? The Norman invasion and conquest of England had an explicit religious dimension. Norman authors stress that Harold was a perjurer – according to them, he had broken an oath, sworn on sacred relics in 1064, to support William’s claim to succeed Edward the Confessor, and usurped the English throne. Because of this, William gained church support for his invasion of England. Even Pope Alexander II gave the enterprise his sanction, enabling William to invade under a papal banner, promising to depose the sacrilegious Harold and reform the English church. 

Yet despite this religious support, William and his supporters had imperilled the everlasting safety of their souls because of the violence of the conquest. Even by medieval standards the Battle of Hastings, and the subsequent suppression of English resistance, were exceptionally bloody. Founding an abbey was a way for William to atone for such terrible sins. Other victors had done so before him: Count Fulk Nerra of Anjou founded Loches Abbey after his victory over the Bretons at the Battle of Conquereuil in 992, and King Cnut established a memorial church on the site of the Battle of Assandun in 1016, where he had defeated Edmund II (Ironside) to take the English throne. 

Several of William’s henchmen also founded monasteries. Fear of eternal damnation was undoubtedly behind the decision of Roger of Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, to establish a Benedictine monastery in the town, and he also founded the Cluniac priory at Wenlock, Shropshire, in about 1080. William de Warenne, who fought at the Battle of Hastings, sought security in the afterlife by founding a priory near his castle at Castle Acre in Norfolk. Eudo, the Conqueror’s steward, founded Colchester Abbey in 1096. 

Eight times a day the monks of Battle assembled in their church to sing the Divine Office. At each of these services, and at daily High Mass, the community would have remembered the Conqueror and all those who died at the battle – Norman and Saxon alike – in their prayers. Indeed, the abbey’s Chronicle states that the monastery was to be ‘a place of sanctuary and help for all, paying back for the blood shed there by an unending chain of good work.’ 

One of the remarkable vaulted ground-floor rooms below the dormitory in the east range, which gives an impression of the quality of all the buildings at Battle Abbey before they were ruined. This was probably the monks' common room 

On the eastern side is the west range of the cloister, later adapted as a substantial residence by successive abbots, ensuring its survival as a country house after 1538. It is now a school. 

Senlac hill or ridge, site of the famous battle. 

Memorial statue in Battle 

A metal structure described as a 1066 memorial statue erected on a roundabout at the northern end of the town of Battle. Created by Kent-based sculptor Guy Portelli, it was officially unveiled on 11 November 2016, Armistice Day. It depicts a mounted Norman being attacked by an Anglo-Saxon on foot reflecting the start of the Battle of Hastings which took place some 700 metres to the south on 14th October 1066. 

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Hastings and St Leonards - a seafront view

Not far from where we were staying, the spectacular ruins of Hastings castle can be seen. From the seafront it looms over the town, perched on top of the surrounding cliffs. What a sight it must have been in its heyday!

The ruins we see today are the remains of a stone fortress (built after William of Normandy's coronation) which was practically impregnable from three sides. Less than half of the original structure remains. 

Hastings Castle was originally a wooden tower built on top of a man made mound or motte, which was surrounded by an outer courtyard or bailey. The bailey was enclosed by a wooden palisade. The Norman motte and bailey castle would become a common fixture across England following the conquest. After the victory at the Battle of Hastings, William was crowned on Christmas Day 1066, and had issued orders that Hastings Castle was to be rebuilt in stone. 

William left the castle in the charge of one of his top commanders Humphrey de Tilleul. Around 1069, he gave the castle and the town of Hastings to Robert, Count of Eu, who founded the Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Castle within the castle walls. The remains of this church are the best-preserved part of the ruins.

The view toward the sea front taken from the castle site. 

The Landing by Leigh Dyer. Norman longboat prow sculpture on Hastings beach.

The former Palace Court Hotel - a Grade 2 listed building, and one of the most prominent and distinctive buildings on the Hastings waterfront.

In 2010 fire destroyed huge parts of Hastings pier. The fire engulfed the ballroom at the end of the pier and ripped through large parts of the rest of the structure 

Opened in 1872, the Grade-II listed building had a concert hall that hosted some of the biggest names in music, including Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones. 

In its heyday, the pier was nearly 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) long and had a landing stage where tourists could take a paddle-steamer to nearby resorts or even cross the English Channel to the French port of Boulogne. 

Some views on the `shortened` pier of 2019 and a view looking eastward toward the Old Town end. 

This time looking toward St Leonards direction, westward. 

Lastly, some small business on the pier. 

Originally named the St Leonards Hotel, the Royal Victoria was built in 1828 by renowned architect James Burton as part of his grander vision to create a new seaside resort - St Leonards. The hotel received the Royal Charter from Queen Victoria, who visited on numerous occasions, and later again from King George V. As the focal point of St Leonards, it became a favourite rendezvous of the Royal Family and establishment. 

Queen Victoria’s signature can be seen in the distinguished visitors book as “Victoria Crown Princess of Prussia and Princess of Great Britain & Ireland”, and appears in later entries as “Victoria” and “H.M. Queen Victoria”. Other members of the Royal Family in the book include: King George V, Prince Albert, Princess Louise, King Edward VII and Edward Prince of Wales whose signature represents one of the last of Royal visitors before the war. 

A closer view of the ornate frontage. 

Not far from the Royal Victoria Hotel is this monument to the lady herself, Queen Victoria. This stands at the front of Warrior Square, St Leonards. It was unveiled in December 1902 to commemorate the old Queens death. Created by Francis John Williamson, Victoria’s own private sculptor, it is now a grade II listed statue. Rumour has it that during World War 2 a ME109 tried to machine gun a woman and her baby as they strolled along the seafront. The pilot missed them but hit the statue. A bullet hole can still be seen clearly today, apparently. Whether the story is true, we’ll probably never know. 

The building of Warrior Square was completed in 1864 according to the Hastings Chronicle. There doesn’t seem to be much more information about it that I can find. Warrior Square is an expanse of gardens surrounded on three sides by mostly grand Victorian buildings. There has been some considerable reconstruction done in recent years. Fortunately the architects of the new buildings have at least tried to honour the original designs. 

"This interactive artwork was unveiled by Cllr Peter Chowney on 23rd September 2012 on the promenade at Goats Ledge in St. Leonards in Hastings. It is constructed from reclaimed greenheart groyne timbers from nearby Pevensey Bay and is intended to become a destination for people to leave a padlock as a lasting and very personal souvenir of their time in Hastings. The artwork has grown since then, and will continue to grow as thousands more are attached to the sculpture's mooring rings by local people and visitors. Inspired by the global Love Locks phenomenon, the decorated padlocks will represent love tokens, mementoes and simple reminders of time spent in this creatively blossoming seaside town with its sunshine, southerly breezes and constantly changing seas and skies." A rather novel idea I thought. 

The statue of ‘Edith Swanneck finding the body of King Harold on the battlefield of Hastings’ by the sculptor C.A.W. Wilkie was moved from the Hastings Museum to its current location of West Marina Gardens in 1953. We hunted around for a while but a passer by eventually pointed us in the right direction. 

There are many stories surrounding the death of King Harold at the battle, but to be honest, very little is known of the facts. This sculpture makes a great image, but did it happen? Who knows. 

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