Ipswich is the County Town of Suffolk, England, and is situated near the east coast. With a population of over 100,000 Ipswich is small for a County Town. But it is a delightful town full of things to see and do. No trip to Suffolk would be complete without visiting the ancient town of Ipswich.
Christchurch Mansion
Are you interested in the Tudor period? If so, you will enjoy visiting Christchurch Mansion. It is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm from 8th April onwards. It is closed on Good Friday, 24th, 26th, 31st December and 1st January. So if you will be travelling during these dates you will not be able to visit Christchurch Mansion. Admission into the mansion is free, but some exhibits or special talks may incur a small fee. The address is: Christchurch Mansion, Soane Street, Ipswich IP4 2BE and the local telephone number is (01473) 433554. The e-mail address is [email protected].
With over 500 years of history at your fingertips, you can explore this beautiful mansion at your leisure. Even though this is primarily a Tudor mansion, it displays different styles throughout the ages. As you wander through the rooms, you will see period rooms that will help you to see the changes in style between the 16th and 19th centuries. As well as sampling the Tudor, Georgian and Victorian periods, you can also see locally produced British pottery and porcelain from the coastal town of Lowestoft.
If art is more to your taste, then you will enjoy the Wolsey Art Gallery. It contains a collection of oil paintings, water colours and other works of art that was produced by Suffolk artists from the 1600’s down to today. Some of the famous Suffolk artists’ work on display includes art work by John Constable and the talented Thomas Gainsborough.
The Buttermarket Shopping Centre
The Buttermarket Shopping Centre is a great place to go shopping on a trip to Ipswich. The address is: St Stephen’s Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 1DT (01473) 281580.
The shopping centre has a good selection of shops such as Boots (a pharmacy), Hannah Jewellery, Jonathan James (a shoe shop), Julian James (a health food shop), New Look (men’s and women’s fashions) and many other shops where you can browse.
After a day of shopping, you will want to find a nice place to dine. You will not go hungry, as the shopping centre has the Promenade Food Court ready to take your order. It seats 300 people. You can grab a burger on the run or choose a gourmet sandwich to satisfy your hunger or choose from any number of other delicious items on the menu. If you would rather try something a little different you may want to try the Café Giardino, which serves traditional British food as well as Italian cuisine.
Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum is located at High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH. The local telephone number is (01473) 433550. A trip to Ipswich Museum will take you on an exciting journey of discovery from Roman Suffolk down to the present day. The Suffolk Wildlife Gallery will teach you how the area has changed and you will also see birds that are native to Britain. Suffolk is a county rich with fossils and minerals. These are on display at the Ipswich Museum.
Young children can also benefit from a visit to Ipswich Museum by learning about the animals native to the area, such as foxes, hares and rabbits. For more exotic displays, they can visit the Egyptian gallery and look at the mummies on display.
There is a lot more to see and do in Ipswich. It is a modest sized town and most attractions can be easily reached from the train station, central bus station or by car. It is a pedestrian friendly town, so you can walk around the town with ease.
Source:
http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/Services/Museums+and+Mansion/Christchurch+Mansion/Christchurch+Mansion.htm
http://www.ukattraction.com/a_print/print_entries_frames.php?&e;=7312WHT&a;=0
http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/Services/Museums+and+Mansion/Ipswich+Museum/Ipswich+Museum.htm
