In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Ipswich like this:
Ipswich, parl. and mun. bor., seaport, and co. town, Suffolk, 12 miles from the sea, 24 miles SE. of Bury St Edmunds, and 68 miles NE. of London, 8192 ac., pop. 50,546; 3 Banks, 5 newspapers. Market-day, Tuesday. Ipswich is a quaint and ancient town, its name being a corruption of the old English Gypeswic or Gippeswic, meaning a city on the Gipping. ...
It is on the left bank of that river, which here enters the estuary of the Orwell. The town has extensive docks, supported by a large shipping traffic. (For shipping statistics, see Appendix.) Shipbuilding is carried on to some extent, but the principal trade is in corn, agricultural implements, and artificial manures. Nearly all the public buildings are of modern date, but in the old town there are some curious specimens of ancient domestic architecture notably Sparrowes' House (1567), Archdeacon's Place (1471), and Wolsey's Gateway (1528). The bor. returns 2 members to Parliament.
Ipswich through time
Click here for graphs and data of how Ipswich has changed over two centuries. For statistics for historical units named after Ipswich go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Ipswich in Suffolk | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/704
Date accessed: 18th April 2024
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