August 2026: the completion of Ipswich Borough Council's four-phase greening project, which began in February 2026 and covers key locations including Princes Street, Queen Street, St. Nicholas Street, and Wolsey Square. The project, by Brooks and Wood Ltd., aims to enhance the route between the town centre and waterfront, while supporting biodiversity and improving the public realm. Irregularly-shaped flower beds are self-watering and have feature trees to give the project height. The benches are the work of designer and furniture maker Tim Germain. Quite a few feature incised vertical lettering in the back-boards: capitals resembling Times New Roman in a smart serif face.
Princes Street
2026 imagesAbove: the view from Cornill with the Town Hall on the right. Note the Ipswich Society's Blue Plaque on its corner celebrating Mary Whitmore MBE, Ipswich's first woman Mayor in 1946.
Queen Street
Queen Street has a couple of bedding and seating schemes with the above attractive circular seat around a beautiful tree. Repaving in dark and light colours throughout is an integral part of the project. The named bench (above) is further south.
St Peters Street
Above left: the view from the end of Silent Street shows the replica Victorian pillar box in the foreground. Here the incorporation of existing trees and the Wolsey statue is creative and successful. The named bench (above right) is somewhat controversial. This area at the confluence of Silent Street, Cutler Street, St Nicholas Street and St Peters Street has become known over recent years as Curson Plain. It is named after Lord Curson whose mansion stood a little further down on the left, Curson Lodge (behind the photographer) was the lodging used for servants of visitors to Curson's House (see our page on Wolsey's College for more information). The Sailors Rest is in the background. 'Wolsey Square' seems to have come out of nowhere with no consultation, particularly of local residents. It's hardly a 'square' and one feels that the Wolsey name has been crow-barred in. Admittedly, the uncertain birth-place of our town's most famous son could have been in the long-disappeared St Nicholas Lane nearby, but Curson Plain is a better historical fit.
The greening of the route from Cornhill to the Wet Dock was intended to involve the narrowing of St Peters Street and making it one-way (south to north) with a vehicle access from the Cromwell Square car park allowing traffic an exit into Franciscan Way, However, it doesn't look as if it will be carried out. More flower beds and seating (with lettering) could heve been introduced down St Peters Street. Overall, this biodiversity project is an excellent addition to Ipswich in 2026, providing places for people to sit and chat, perhaps enjoy a drink or an ice-cream, and look at the well cared-for flowering plants and trees.
©2004 Copyright throughout the Ipswich Historic Lettering site: Borin Van Loon
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