#1 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
City Centre Ipswich
Suffolk
~0.17 miles from Ipswich city center
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#2 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Mistley Towers
Essex
~8.45 miles from Ipswich city center
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Mistley Towers are the twin towers of the now demolished Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Mistley in Essex. The original Georgian parish church on the site had been built in classical style early in the 18th century following the death of Richard Rigby Esquire. Later in that century there was a grandiose plan by his son, the wealthy politician Richard Rigby, to transform Mistley Thorn into a spa town. Rigby wished to see a church from the windows of his mansion and a suitably grand church was required for the affluent visitors expected to patronise the new spa. Thus in 1776, the great architect Robert Adam was commissioned to enhance the church. His design was in the neoclassical style, with a tower at both the east and the west ends of the church. These are now all that remain of the once magnificent structure.
The square symmetrical towers are in the neoclassical style, resembling tall pavilions rather than towers, with each facade pedimented and the whole surmounted by a cupola decorated with blind windows interspersed by Ionic columns. At ground floor level two unfluted ionic columns at each corner support a decorative cornice. The columns are decorative only, and appear to serve no structural purpose. The design of the towers creates the impression that the building was once more of a miniature cathedral than a parish church. However, the main body of the church was small and occupied the (now empty) site between the two towers. It was a single story structure with a simple hipped roof and an entrance portico at its centre. This part of Adam's church was demolished in 1870, when the new parish church in New Road was built. The remaining towers are Grade I listed.
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#3 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
City Centre Harwich
Harwich
~9.52 miles from Ipswich city center
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#4 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Old Harwich Lighthouse
Harwich
~9.64 miles from Ipswich city center
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#5 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Beacon Hill Fort
Harwich
~9.76 miles from Ipswich city center
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Beacon Hill Fort is located on a natural south-east facing promontory on the south side of the Orwell Haven comprising the estuaries of both the River Orwell and the River Stour. The first attempts to fortify the estuary can be traced back to Roman times while in 885 King Alfred brought his fleet from Kent to the Haven where he defeated the Danish navy at 'Bloody Point' near Shotley. After 1320 Harwich was attacked on seven occasions in 50 years, mainly by the French and the Dutch.
During the reign of Henry VIII the town was chosen as the site of a new naval base. Two new forts were proposed, one at Beacon Hill, to the south of the estuary and one at Languard Point to the north. Neither of these forts was constructed at this time; instead three small blockhouses were built, one of which was at Beacon Hill because of its strategic location being a good vantage point out to sea and inland. Ten years later however, the blockhouse at Beacon Hill had been abandoned and the guns removed.
After the death of Henry VIII the guns from the blockhouse at Landguard Point were reinstalled at Harwich and the town itself was further fortified. With the threat of war with Spain a second blockhouse at Beacon Hill was proposed together with further strengthening of the fortifications around the town but these new fortifications quickly fell into decay and by 1625, Harwich was considered to be defenceless.
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#6 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
City Centre Felixstowe
Felixstowe
~10.56 miles from Ipswich city center
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#7 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
University of Essex
Colchester
~15.24 miles from Ipswich city center
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#8 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Colchester Castle Park
Colchester
~15.43 miles from Ipswich city center
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In fine weather during the summer the Castle Park offers an ideal picnic spot.
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#9 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Hollytrees Museum
Colchester
~15.78 miles from Ipswich city center
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Three centuries of fascinating toys, costume and decorative arts displayed in an attractive Georgian town house from 1718. Parkland children's play area, shop, sensory garden. Free entry.
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#10 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Colchester Natural History Museum
Colchester
~15.83 miles from Ipswich city center
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Housed in the unique setting of the former All Saints Church in 1957, the Museum focuses on the rich natural heritage of north-east Essex. Travel from the open through the salt marshes and beaches to the more familiar urban environments of the park. Discover what rocks lie beneath your feet with a look at local geology.
You can even find out what lurks in your garden! There are hands-on-displays, live animals plus a chuchyard nature reserve and a well stocked shop. So if you've always wondered about the wildlife in Colchester and that includes you! - why not pop in? It's free!
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#11 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Colchester Castle Museum
Colchester
~15.84 miles from Ipswich city center
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A 2000 year adventure
through some of the
most important events
in British history
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#12 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Tymperleys Clock Museum
Colchester
~16.02 miles from Ipswich city center
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#13 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Milton Keynes Central
Sudbury
~16.28 miles from Ipswich city center
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THIS MAY REFER TO EITHER:
Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a civil parish in its own right.
The district is approximately 2.5 km long by 1 km wide and occupies some of the highest land in Milton Keynes. It contains (behind the Central Library) the site of Secklow Hundred moot hill, the meeting site of the Anglo-Saxon settlers in the area. It contains the central retail, business, law enforcement and governmental districts and Milton Keynes Central railway station.
(Campbell Park, stretching from Marlborough Street down to the Grand Union Canal, is sometimes included in mental maps of the centre, though in fact it is part of a separate civil parish).
OR:
Milton Keynes Central is a large railway station that serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by Virgin Trains inter-city services and by London Midland local services. Also, Southern provide services to East Croydon via West London.
This station is one of the five stations serving Milton Keynes. The others are Wolverton (north Milton Keynes), Bletchley (south Milton Keynes), Fenny Stratford (also south Milton Keynes) and Bow Brickhill (south-east Milton Keynes). In addition, Woburn Sands railway station is just outside the Milton Keynes boundary and serves the south-east of the Borough. Milton Keynes Central is by far the busiest and most important of these, as well as being the largest in terms of platforms in use, having overtaken Bletchley when platforms 2A and 6 became operational.
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#14 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
City Centre Colchester
Colchester
~16.51 miles from Ipswich city center
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#15 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
City Centre Clacton on Sea
Clacton On Sea
~18.64 miles from Ipswich city center
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#16 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Colchester Zoo
Colchester
~19.16 miles from Ipswich city center
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Colchester Zoo is a zoo in Essex, England. The zoo had 547,495 visitors in 2003 and 464,684 in 2004. It features big cat and primate collections.
Colchester Zoo is supported by a charitable organisation called Action for the Wild. The charity is dedicated to assisting conservation projects worldwide through the provision of both financial and technical assistance.
"To provide a first class experience for all its visitors and at the same time further understanding and respect for animals. Colchester Zoo undertakes breeding programmes for endangered species and funds in situ projects in the wild."
—Colchester Zoo's mission statement
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#17 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
East Anglian Railway Museum
Essex
~19.23 miles from Ipswich city center
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The East Anglian Railway Museum is located at Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station in Essex, which is situated on the former Great Eastern Railway branch line from Marks Tey to Sudbury. Services on the Sudbury Branch Line are operated by National Express East Anglia.
The Museum has a wide collection of locomotives and rolling stock, some of which are fully restored while others are undergoing repair and restoration. The Restoration Shed was built in 1983–4, prior to which most work had to take place in the Goods Shed or in the open. On event days, steam train rides are operated over a short demonstration track.
The Museum also plays host to two popular annual events: the Cider Festival held each June, and the Beer Festival held each September. During the festivals, additional late-evening trains on the Sudbury Branch Line allow festival-goers to return home by train.
The 90s Britpop band Blur began their comeback here on 13 June 2009, where they first launched their careers in 1988. They played to around 150 people in a goods shed. This was their first show for nine years. They used a vintage carriage as a dressing room and played surrounded by station memorabilia.
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#18 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
St. Osyth Beach
Essex
~20.31 miles from Ipswich city center
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#19 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Abberton Reservoir
Essex
~21.08 miles from Ipswich city center
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Abberton Reservoir is an artificial body of water located close Essex in the east of England
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#20 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
City Centre Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
~22.80 miles from Ipswich city center
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#21 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
Hedingham Castle
Suffolk
~24.07 miles from Ipswich city center
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Hedingham Castle in Essex, England, is a Norman motte and bailey castle with a stone keep. It may occupy a site of an earlier castle believed to have been built in the later eleventh or early twelfth century by Aubrey de Vere I, a Norman baron. Hedingham was one of the largest manors among those acquired by Aubrey I by circa 1080 and it became the head of the Vere barony by the later twelfth century.
In 1133 Aubrey de Vere II, son and heir of the first Aubrey, was created master chamberlain of England by Henry I. In 1141 his son, Aubrey de Vere III, was granted the earldom of Oxford by Empress Matilda. By that time he had been Count of Guines for several years by right of his wife's claim to that continental territory. Aubrey II or Aubrey III are candidates for initiating the construction of a major stone building at Hedingham, possibly to reflect the enhanced status of the family. Earl Aubrey was forced to surrender his castles to King Stephen in 1143, as was his brother-in-law Geoffrey de Mandeville, first earl of Essex. He recovered the castles by the later 1140s.
A large ditch was cut through a natural spur into the Colne Valley in order to form a ringwork and inner bailey, whilst an outer bailey extended south, further into the valley and into what is now the modern village of Castle Hedingham. The stone keep survives in a very good state of preservation to this day and is open to the public. The keep stands approximately 35 m high and commands the countryside around it from its elevated position atop the ringwork. It is constructed from flint rubble bound with lime mortar, but, very unusually for an Essex castle, is faced with ashlar stone, which had to be transported from Barnack in Northamptonshire.
The keep has four floors, including a fine hall known as the Great Hall or Banqueting Hall with a central archway extending two stories and a fireplace. The top floor may have been added around the 15th century, replacing an impressive pyramid-shaped roof in order to provide extra accommodation. This is a recent theory, however, and many have noted the similar plan of Hedingham Castle and Rochester Castle, which was built in the 1130s and has four floors.
The castle was besieged twice, in 1216 and 1217, during the dispute between King John, the rebel barons, and the French prince. (In both cases the sieges were short and successful for those besieging the castle). Two of the original four corner turrets are missing, but it seems more likely that their demise was a result of an attempt to demolish the building for materials than through military action.
The keep is the only mediaeval element of the castle to have survived, the hall, drawbridge and outbuildings all having been replaced during the Tudor period by structures which—with the exception of a fine late 15th century brick bridge—have now also been lost. A country mansion was built by the Ashurst family during the early 18th century, and this survives.
The castle was held by the de Vere family until the late 16th century. Among the more famous earls are Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford; Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford; John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford; and Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.
The castle and estate are now owned by the Lindsay family, who are descendants of the de Veres.
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#22 of 22 Things To Do in Ipswich
St. Peter on the Wall
Essex
~24.53 miles from Ipswich city center
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