Southwold and Dunwich

Southwold is a lovely coastal town I have visited before but never fully explored. So when a family holiday was proposed, I looked forward to finding out some details and obviouly some photos.

Southwold was mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) as a fishing port. It received its town charter from Henry VII in 1489. The grant of the charter is still marked by the annual Trinity Fair, when it is read out by the Town Clerk. As a town its fortune was directly linked to the neighbouring town of Dunwich, which we also visited during our weeks stay in Southwold.

Gun Hill Green - one of the many `greens` around Southwold.

Nearby Dunwich had, by the thirteenth century, become one of the greatest east coast ports in England and one of the ten largest towns in the country. Its wealth was derived from trade, shipbuilding and the town’s large fishing fleet, due to the large harbour, the “Kings Fleet”, which was sheltered behind a shingle spit extending south from Southwold. However, the east coast was struck by three major storms in 1286 – 87, which extended the spit to block the harbour mouth. This spelled the beginning of the end for Dunwich and the beginning of the rise of Southwold. In 1328, another huge storm struck the Suffolk coast causing the coastal shingle bed to shift. It washed away a significant part of Dunwich town, causing great loss of life and blocking off its harbour completely. Further storms followed in 1347 and 1362. Helped by Southwold and neighbouring Walberswick residents, the Blyth and Dunwich rivers were diverted through a new cut across the shingle spit, north of Dunwich. In parallel to Dunwich’s decline, Southwold began a steady rise in status and in its economy, aided further by a Royal Charter in in 1490 granting them the right to provide safe haven for the King’s ships.

Another major event for Southwold occured on 25th April 1659 when a huge fire devastated the town. It`s economic fortunes fell in 1659 when a fire destroyed most of the town in the space of four hours. The Town Hall and the town records it contained, the market place, prison, shops, granaries and warehouses all went. Three hundred families were made homeless. Many people remained destitute for years, despite charitable donations from all over the country. The town’s famous greens are evidence of early town planning designed to prevent the spread of fire in the future, Gun Hill Green above being an example.

A walk to the south side of Southwold past the beach huts and glorious Foxgloves and arriving at the old harbour area looking across to Walberswick (below)

The ferry point.

On the walk back we saw beautiful stormy skies as above, and of course, more beach huts!

Designed by John Bennett, the award-winning building is owned and run by the Southwold Film Society, a charitable Trust committed to the educational value of film. The primary aim is to recapture the experience of cinema-going in the mid twentieth century, acknowledging that the activity is not just about seeing a film but recognising also that the personnel, environment and programming have an equally important part to play in terms of a “good night out”.  So you will find a commissionaire outside, usherettes, a front of house manager in a DJ, and a “Tiny Wurlitzer” organ rising up mysteriously during the interval.  The National Anthem is played at the end. Brilliant!

Construction of Southwold Lighthouse began in 1887 under the supervision of Sir James Douglass, Engineer in Chief to Trinity House. The lighthouse replaced three local lighthouses which were under threat from severe coastal erosion at Orfordness to the south. While the masonry tower was built a temporary light was shown from a wooden structure which was first lit on 19 February 1889.

The present lighthouse came into operation on 3 September 1890. The light was originally provided by an Argand burner, this was replaced by a Matthews incandescent oil burner in 1906. A Hood 100mm petroleum vapour burner was installed in 1923 and remained until the station was electrified and demanned in 1938. The character and range of Southwold lighthouse were changed in December 2012 with the main light being increased from 17 to 24 Nautical Miles in advance of the decommissioning of Orfordness Lighthouse.

The Southwold Sailors’ Reading Room was built in 1864 as a refuge for fishermen and mariners when not engaged at sea, as an endeavour to keep them out of the pubs and encourage them in Christian ideals.

Displays of a seafaring nature line the walls and fill glass cabinets. Pictures and portraits of local fishermen and seascapes, model ships and maritime paraphernalia offer a fascinating history of Southwold’s connections with the sea.

So next, a walk in Dunwich, which is a fascinating place I always think. I guess its history (above) is the trigger for that feeling.

We walked through Greyfrirs Wood ….

…… past the beautiful Foxgloves ….

 ….. through the ruins of Greyfriars abbey ….

…. Until we came to a solitary grave stone. As it tuns out, the huge collapses of the Dunwich coast and town have left just this last grave stone from the Church. No doubt, coastal erosion will continue in the coming decades and even this, and the ruins will disappear under the sea.

We then walked across the heathlands and finished with a deserved coffee and cake in the coastguarde cottage tearooms.

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Sizewell - Beauty and the Beast

When I think of Sizewell on the Suffolk coast, my mind immediately jumps to Nuclear power stations, and conjours up all sorts of negative thoughts surroundng them.

There is another side to Sizewell and these are a few images to illustrate the beauty all around.

The beach is like a lot of the surrounding area - shingle. Not easy to walk a great distance on. There are a lot of boats on the beach and I picked just this one out with the two offshore platforms in the background. 

The platforms (now defunct) were there to service the intake and discharge tunnels used to run sea water through the cooling system. The cold water inlet was the farthest platform and the hot water outlet was the nearest platform.

Taken on a previous visit when the sea was not so calm.

I named this image `layers` as it appears to be in layers of colours.

One of the dominant colours was yellow - yellow gorse everywhere, and the perfume was gorgeous.

I had to include  `the Beast` - Sizewll B. The new C reactor is underway but there is a long way to go before it comes online. 

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The three Marys - local churches

Raydon - St Mary

This is a church, local to where I live, that I had not explored at all in the past. One of the reasons I decided to start here today was that a local man had just finished carving a font cover and I wanted to have a look. However, starting on the exterior, it becomes obvious that it has no tower which I soon discovered had collapsed in the 17th century, possibly during the great storm of September 1658, when a couple of other Suffolk steeples came down. It has been replaced by a little bell turret, but apart from this the church is all of an early 13th century piece.

Side (south) view of the church with the small bell turrett on the left (west) end with the pyramid roof. I read that the 2 foot 6 inch thick walls of the church are constructed of flint and rubble, with plaster rendering. Caen stone is used for windows, buttresses and doorways.

As you approach the east end of the church while walking the footpath toward it, you will see a large 19th century window flanked by two fine buttresses terminating in richly traceried octagonal shafts, with pinnacled and crocketted finials. These were restored in 1983 by the sculptor Bert Gale. 

South side wooden porch

The Victorian pews in the nave are made of oak, replacing the Georgian hardwood box pews in the restoration of 1883. Part of the old box pews were used to panel in the bottom of the Victorian pews.

So to the font cover crafted by a local man who has a great reputation for his working skills and has worked on places like Windsor Castle after the fire of November 1992.

In December 2023 `A Suffolk church has unveiled a painting of King Charles III’s new coat of arms, believed to be one of the first in the country to do so. The mural was revealed in a special service by Judge John Devaux at St Mary’s Church in Raydon` - according to the local news.

So, not too altered by the Victorians, as many churches are. Then onto - 

Snape Church of St John the Baptist

Like many medieval churches in Suffolk, St John the Baptist is remote from the village it serves. Or, it would be more accurate to say that the village is remote from the church, since the church stands on the main road from the A12 to Aldeburgh, and the village is off this road, a mile or so to the south. The position of the church probably reflects the fact that it is high, firm ground, while the village is in the marshes. 

There have been many internal as well as external alterations and restorations  over the years; not so many by the Victorians as was the common practice. The most recent of significance have been the rebuilding of the East Wall in 1920, (above) and the installation of a new organ together with improvements to the balcony and vestry at the millennium (below).

The new organ, and in front of it, the magnificent 15C font.

The treasure of the Church, despite some mutilation in the past, is undoubtedly the font, made c.1500 and once gilded. 

In his "Buildings of England: Suffolk", Nikolaus Pevsner describes "on the base a quatrefoil frieze, and inscription referring to Richard Mey and his family as donors; on the foot of the stem, small beasts crawling; against the stem, four signs of the Evangelists set diagonally, and kings and bishops placed frontally; against the bowl seven figures all holding one long scroll and in the eighth field the Trinity with the two donors". 

The font remains one of the most beautiful in the county.

Visitors are also attracted by the East window, designed and made in 1920 by Mary Lowndes.

"Mary Lowndes (1857–1929) was ... an influential leader in the Arts & Crafts movement, not only for her stained glass work and successful studio-workshop, but also for opening doors for other women stained glass artists. She was an active participant in the suffragette movement, acting as Chair of the Artists' Suffrage League, and creating poster art to assist the movement." — Wikipedia

A general view of the simple uncluttered church, looking East.

I think this was a representation of John the Baptist, but the details of who carved abd when, I do not know. All in all, an interesting church which I have passed many times but now visited!

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The Harvest Mural

The 'Harvest' mural, situated at the back of the derelict Co-op department store on Carr Street in Ipswich, is one of only four surviving large-scale English Co-op murals created in the 50s and 60s. I originally photographed this mural in 2011

This piece, created by Hungarian artists, Gyula Bajó and Endre Hevezi, between 1963 and 1964, comprises thousands of colourful square mosaic tiles, depicting the Greek mythology characters of Demeter, goddess of the harvest and the messenger Hermes.

Planning permission was allowed in October 2021 to demolish the former store at 48 to 68 Carr Street to make way for a new primary school, nursery, along with a rooftop multi-use games area. However, the Grade II-listed mural on the rear of the building in Ipswich has impacted the delivery of the school.

The rare mural was given Grade II listed status last year, meaning that while the demolition could still go ahead, the mural would be preserved

In August, planning permission was granted to allow testing at the listed artwork, and when it was carried out asbestos was found within the fixing of the mural. So, work to be done removing the asbestos, before work can begin.

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Busking Showcase - Ipswich

Those hoping to follow in the footsteps of Ed Sheeran may be in luck as Ipswich Council hopes to encourage busking in Ipswich. They have developed a new guide to highlight the town as a destination for street musicians. This news came just ahead of a busking showcase event on March 23 which gave performers a chance to show off their talents. This was the event that I photographed a small fraction of, and some of my images are listed below. Great fun and I would think that it was a very successful day.

Eko the Sea Giant, a giant 13-feet puppet, performing as part of Autin Dance Theatre’s sensational outdoor show Out of the Deep Blue on the Cornhill.

Through puppeteering, dance and movement, Out of the Deep Blue explores the themes of the climate emergency and transports audiences to a different world. Although I watched for some time, I missed the point I am afraid! I should have picked up a leaflet I suppose. They did have a big audiance all the time we were in Ipswich.

Burgess Music is run by husband and wife team Tim and Zoe based on the Shotley Peninsula in Suffolk, who are musicians and educators. Burgess Music aims to support the learning of music in a fun and relaxed way alongside being able to offer engaging and personalised performances. This young lady on the left I guess was a daughter, handing out leaflets and dancing to mum and dad.

Swervy World musicians have been collectively honing their skills as a traditional jazz band since 1996. Originally the band was created from individual street performers who used street music as a way to earn a living while travelling from town to town.

Meeting each other at annual street fairs 'Winchester Hat Fair' and 'Stroud Folk Festival', this loose and often raggle taggle collective of street musicians would get together increasingly more regularly to share knowledge of new (old) tunes and take an occasional booking while using the street as a great place to hone skills and try out new arrangements. The band 'Swervy World' slowly morphed itself over the years into the set line up you see today. Some original crusty members of the early era are still with the band.

Suffolk Soul Singers - (Part of the Group) - "Suffolk Soul Singers is a dynamic community choir, now in its 13th year, led by vocalist and musician, Andi Hopgood.

We are a unique group of singers - not part of a local or national franchise - with a membership of around 35 women & men of varying ages. Together, we enjoy learning and performing soul & gospel classics, along with other, contemporary songs that are given a soulful twist.

Our performances range from simple busking gigs to major concerts in venues like The New Wolsey Theatre, The Apex & St. Peter's by the Waterfront. You can find out about our current planned performances by looking on our Gigs page.

Suffolk Soul Singers is a registered charity and profits from our performances are used to support outreach activities within the local area & further afield in Suffolk. If you know of a community group that might benefit from the well-being that singing together can bring,

Suffolk Soul Singers is a dynamic community choir, now in its 13th year, led by vocalist and musician, Andi Hopgood."

Two single artists whose names I couldn`t locate.

BareFootSoul - "A World-Class Vocalist, Acoustic Guitarist & Showman BearFootSoul is Matt White, a singer-songwriter and performer with 25+ years live music performance and entertainment industry experience, specialising in solo appearances for weddings and parties. Whether playing unplugged and organic or live looping over layered pro backing tracks - Matt unabashedly bares his BearFootSoul with a One man, One guitar show, giving One hell of a performance to remember! Your favourite classic tracks are shared in a riveting, captivating and engagingly spellbinding solo act. The BearFootSoul show is scaleable from campfire to large scale venues and events."

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Private Aaron McClure

The story of AARON MCCLURE came to my attention when a newspaper article mentioning the mural that had been created in his memory. It was commissioned by the school in Ipswich, which he attended, and is on the wall in the front of the school. A brief history, as part of his funeral, is below the picture.

On the wall of the school where Aaron attended - Westbourne Academy in Ipswich

`Private Aaron McClure, who died on 23 August 2007 in a so-called “friendly fire” incident that also killed two other UK soldiers, was serving in Afghanistan with 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.

Despite his young age – he was 19 at the time of his death - Private McClure was a veteran of more than forty conflict operations.

The two other soldiers who died were Private John Thrumble and Private Robert Foster

Colleagues described Private McClure as a highly capable, motivated soldier with great ambition and potential, but his talent was hidden by a modest, unassuming personality and a quiet confidence in his abilities.

He was regarded by colleagues as “incredibly focused” on his career and as tough mentally as he was physically.

Private Aaron James McClure, affectionately known as ‘Troy’, was from Ipswich. He joined the Army in March 2006 and completed rifleman training at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick.

In October 2006, Private McClure joined the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, participating in exercises in the UK and Kenya.

He was deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan the following March to serve as a rifleman in 7 Platoon B (Suffolk) Company. It was his first operational tour and he was involved in many close-range engagements with the Taliban.

On 23 August 2007, PrivateMcClure’s platoon was on patrol near Kajaki, northern Helmand Province, when they came under attack by Taliban forces. Air support was requested from two American F15 aircraft and it appears that a bomb dropped by one of the planes hit the compound where Private McClure and his colleagues were located.`

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