Wolsey 450 commemorative brochure (1980)

Ipswich Historic Lettering: Wolsey 450 coverMany thanks to John Field for the loan of this publication. A PDF download is available (link at the bottom of this page).

This publication is dated 1980 to coincide with the 450th anniversary of Cardinal Wolsey's death in Leicester. It was published, and the cover (illustration sadly uncredited) printed, by The East Anglian Magazine Ltd, 6 Great Colman Street, Ipswich (Tel 54291). The text was printed by Alderman Printing & Bookbinding Co. Ltd, Portman Road, Ipswich IP1 2BN. Postcodes were fully introduced in the UK by 1974; interestingly
The East Anglian Magazine didn't use theirs six years later. Between 1867 and 1966 the The East Anglian Daily Times/Evening Star newspaper offices occupied a fine, turretted building in Carr Street, on the corner with the now disappeared Little Colman Street (shown on a postcard view of Carr Street on our Symonds page). This building disappeared with the construction of the ill-fated Carr Precinct in 1966 and the company moved to Lower Brook Street (now in Princes Street under Archant's ownership). By 1980 The East Anglian Magazine, an offshoot of the EADT, maintained offices behind the site of the original building, a shop unit now occupied by a hairdresser (which has an advert on page 11).

Wolsey 450 is a small time capsule with advertisements in the style of the time, many of them for companies and shops which no longer exist.

Ipswich Borough Councl's Department of Recreation & Amenities, under Randall Bevan, has a full page advert for The Corn Exchange Entertainments, Conference & Arts Centre. The conversion of the Corn Exchange from its original purpose, then an indoor provisions market into a leisure-orientated function was carried out in 1972 by local architects Johns Slater Haward. Also advertised: 'You can earn good interest by investing in
BOROUGH OF IPSWICH BONDS – repayable in full at end of agreed period' – a method of raising public funding which might be considered in the 21st century, when local councils are so strapped for cash...

Page 6 has an advertisement Explore old Ipswich for the Town Trail (some signs for which can still be seen) and directing visitors to the Tourist Information Centre in the lower section of the Town Hall, with its entrance on the upper part of Princes Street. Ipswich lost its TIC, then housed in the Church of St Stephen – converted for this purpose as part of the building of the Buttermarket Shopping Centre in the early 1990s – during the Coronvirus pandemic of 2020.


Page 9 shows an advert for '257 Radio Orwell… The station with the nicest listeners'. At that time this commercial local station was run from Electric House. Page 12: 'Grimwades: a name generations have grown up with. And now as we move into the 80's we shall continue to maintain our high reputation for quality, value, and service. The friendly store for all the family.' Many will remeber with fondness the clothiers on the north-western corner of the Cornhill/Westgate Street.

The Wolsey 450 organising committee list contains names which many will remember. The list of events includes 'Exhibition depicting Wolsey and His Times, and the History of the Post as initiated by Wolsey'. Open daily in the Robert Cross Hall of the Corn Exchange.' Another echo of the past – the Robert Cross Hall (named after the Chief Executive of the Borough at the time of local government reorganisation in 1974 following the passing of The Local Government Act 1972) was converted into a small supermarket in 2011, which closed during the pandemic of 2020.

Articles in Wolsey 450:-
Wolsey, the unloved Cardinal by J.J. Malling (page 3 to 13),
The Cardinal's college by William Serjeant (page 19 to 23).
Ipswich Historic Lettering: Wolsey 450 procession
Wolsey's procession by Stanley Smith (page 25 to 27) [the map of the 1528 procession is shown above],
Royal Mail by Gladys Wilton (page 29 to 30).


Download the Wolsey 450 PDF

Related pages
Wolsey's College
Wolsey Pageant 1930
Wolsey550
Wolsey statue
Christchurch Park & Mansion (under The Wolsey Art Gallery/Wolsey Garden)


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