Wolsey 550
Still from the Tracing
the footprint film
'Cardinal Wolsey: possibly born 1473, died 1530
'Thomas Wolsey was the son of Robert Wolsey, an Ipswich
butcher, and
his wife Joan (née Daundy). Wolsey was born near the parish
church of
St Nicholas in the centre of Ipswich. Accounts vary, both as to the
year of Wolsey’s birthday and the location of the birthplace, the
latter probably being either an inn in the parish of St Mary Elm,
(possibly the Black Horse Inn?) or a butcher’s shop, possibly in St
Nicholas Church Lane.
'Later this year, and into next, Ipswich will be celebrating the life
and achievements of the great statesman. Over a period of 550 days
(March 2023 to September 2024), 550 years after his birth a wide
variety of events will take place. During his life Wolsey achieved
phenomenal social progress, from being a lowly Ipswich schoolboy to
holding one of the highest offices of State, the most powerful Minister
in Tudor England, a position second only to the King himself. The
proposed series of events will be an opportunity to acknowledge
Wolsey’s outstanding progress, promote the significance of the town
over the centuries, dispel the current negativity and encourage a sense
of pride.
'A committee led by Terry Hunt with the assistance of Katherine
Cockshaw have made an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for just
under a quarter of a million pounds. If successful this will enable
numerous events to take place, particularly in schools, but also in
community and public halls across Ipswich, spreading the knowledge of
Wolsey and his success from those humble beginnings to becoming Henry
VIII’s Chancellor.
'Over the past century events have included pageants, stage plays,
church services and exhibitions. The latest proposals could include,
depending on Lottery funding, creating a ‘Tudor Garden’ at the Stoke
Bridge entrance to the Waterfront, and an exhibition of his life, and
of Tudor Ipswich, possibly in St Peter’s Church. St Peter’s is the
church Wolsey sequestered as his college chapel. The parishioners, and
daily services, were moved to St Mary Key.
'Wolsey started a college in the town that historians believe could
have rivalled the colleges of Oxford if the cardinal had not fallen
from power. Scholars have pored over, and written volumes on Wolsey’s
role in Henry VIII's divorce and of his negotiations with the Pope in
the late 1520s – but his early life in Ipswich is not so well known and
the anniversary celebrations starting in March next year are aimed at
shining a light on his whole life.
'Terry Hunt said: "Wolsey’s story has so much importance, not just for
Ipswich but to the country as a whole and the world beyond. This
project will unearth his story which is about ambition, aspiration, the
importance of education and the ability of anyone to succeed if they
are given the right opportunities. An important aspect is that
Wolsey
was proud of his roots in Ipswich and this initiative can do a great
deal for restoring civic pride.” '
The Ipswich Society Newsletter
January, 2023. The successful 'Wolsey 550' project referred to above
went ahead as planned.
Cardboard Wolsey structure
Photograph
by John Norman
Building a cardboard model on the Cornhill simply cries out with a
number of pleas:-
1. Why wasn’t it built on the vacant land behind Wolsey’s Gate?
2. Why wasn’t it built of a somewhat more permanent material, to last
365 days rather than a simply the number of hours it did? It went up on
Saturday 21 October 2023 and was demolished at 4.00pm on the Sunday.
3. Why weren’t a greater number of the Ipswich public informed of its
construction? A more permanent version would have received much wider
publicity over a longer time span.
Perhaps my criticism is uncalled for. It was a great idea, a fantastic
construction (of considerable size – nearly 17 metres or 55 feet high).
The construction phase drew a large, ever-changing crowd throughout
Saturday, and an even bigger number gathered for the demolition
countdown on Sunday. The idea of building in cardboard at this scale
came from artist and project manager Olivier Grossetête. Born in Paris
in 1973, he lives in Marseille and works all around the world. He has
been building similar large models since 2014 and this was an excellent
addition to this year’s Spill Festival (supported by Wolsey 550,
Ipswich Borough Council and Ipswich Central).
The team, recruited from the public, spent all week in the Town Hall
building cardboard boxes: either ‘bricks’, about 1 x 2 metres, or
frites (chips), long square-ended boxes. Some of these were then
adapted to become arches, decorative lintels, even a coat of arms. The
roof was built first, elevated by a team of helpers (passers-by) whilst
the next level of corner pieces was slid underneath. Needless to say by
the time they reached what were to become layers 3, 2, and 1 lifting
proved somewhat difficult, it was late in the day and recruits were
thin on the ground.
However, by the end of Saturday it was up, free-standing and
magnificent, drawing gasps of admiration from those who came to see it.
Let’s invite Olivier back to build another next year – any idea what?
The Ipswich
Society Newsletter
January, 2024. Both articles above by the late
John Norman.
The Big Huzzah!
Image
courtesy Mervyn Russen
Above: Ipswich school children
being led through St Nicholas Street, past Curson Lodge, by Tudor music
groups: The Cambridge and Colchester Waits, fronted by professional
Renaissance musician, Emma Mordue.
‘Wolsey’s Big Huzzah!’ on July 4 2024 was the culmination of
collaborative work between Ipswich Central’s Thomas Wolsey 550 project,
the Suffolk Music Hub and five Ipswich primary schools: Broke Hall,
Ranelagh Road, Ravenswood, St Marks and Rosehill. As each group of
children joined the procession, they sang their song. The destination
was the Cornhill where a performance was followed by all the children
joining in singing all four Tudor songs. Luminaries looked on from the
Town Hall balcony (see above). Hundreds of spectators lined the route
and gathered to watch Sidegate Primary School’s finale performance with
Gecko Theatre on the Cornhill. Four Tudor songs were sung by the school
children, they were: Tomorrow the Fox,
Hey Ho Nobody Home, Tallis Canon and Great Tom’s Cast.
Kath Cockshaw, Thomas Wolsey 550 project director said: ‘Today has been
absolutely brilliant. What a way to engage children and their families
in our town’s Tudor heritage and celebrate all that’s been achieved
during the Wolsey 550 schools programme.’
Below: Thomas Wolsey (played
by Wolsey biographer Phil Roberts), King Henry VIII and Ipswich Mayor,
Councillor Elango Elavalacan, marvel at the crowds in front of the town
hall from high on the balcony.
Image
courtesy Mervyn Russen
Wolsey 550 Phase 1 – and Phase 2
The Wolsey 550 team announced that their education
programme had won further funding from the Ipswich Policy Development
Panel Investment Fund to continue to deliver services until the end of
March 2025.
On Sunday 13 October 2024, the annual Ipswich Borough
Civic Service in St Mary Le Tower Church was combined with a
celebration of the completion of Phase 1 of Wolsey 550 after 18
months of events, activities, community engagement, and work with
Ipswich schools and other groups. At the reception in the Town Hall's
Council Chamber, Terry Hunt, the Chair of Wolsey 550 emphasised that
bit about 'Phase 1'. Plans were drawn up for a further –
and larger – National Lottery bid for funding. This would enable
refurbishment of the Stoke Bridge area
and 'viewing platform'
overlooking St Peters Dock and, indeed, the whole Waterfront. There
would also be funding for an Out Town Heritagetheatre project at Red
Rose Chain theatre company. Also lighting and sound equipment for music
gigs and other projects. The
unique history of Ipswich would be celebrated with the natural port
location of the future town adopted by the Anglo-Saxon settlers and its
rise (and occasional falls) in economic power over the centuries. There
is much more to say about this next phase of Wolsey 550 as it develops.
Related pages
Wolsey's College
Wolsey Pageant 1930
Wolsey 450
Wolsey statue
Christchurch Park & Mansion (under The Wolsey Art Gallery/Wolsey Garden)
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