79-683: The Orwell Bridge is a concrete box girder bridge just south of Ipswich in Suffolk , England . Opened to road traffic in 1982, the bridge carries the A14 road (formerly the A45 ) over the River Orwell . The main span is 190 metres which, at the time of its construction, was the longest pre-stressed concrete span in use in the UK. The two spans adjacent to the main span are 106m, known as anchor spans. Most of
158-876: A college in the town in 1528, which was for its brief duration one of the homes of the Ipswich School . He remains one of the town's most famed figures. During the 14th to 17th centuries Ipswich was a kontor for the Hanseatic League , the port being used for imports and exports to the Baltic . In the time of Queen Mary the Ipswich Martyrs were burnt at the stake on the Cornhill for their Protestant beliefs. A monument commemorating this event now stands in Christchurch Park . Ipswich
237-634: A municipal airport to the south-east of the town, which was opened in 1929 by the Ipswich Corporation . The airport was controversially closed in 1996. The site was redeveloped for housing as the Ravenswood estate. Ipswich has experienced a building boom in the early part of the 21st century. Construction has mainly concentrated around the former industrial dock which is now known as the Ipswich Waterfront . Regeneration to
316-656: A 15% stake in the group. The rights issue was concluded in late May 2020, with ASGC becoming Costain's biggest shareholder. In September 2024, ASGC sold its shareholding in Costain to institutional investors for £38m. In March 2023, Costain announced - after three consecutive years of pre-tax losses - that its results for 2022 showed a pre-tax profit of £34.2m on revenue up 25% at £1,421m (2021: £1,135m). Costain's activities are organised into two operating divisions: Natural Resources (water, nuclear process and oil & gas) and Infrastructure (highways, rail and power). Costain
395-483: A 711mm water main from the nearby Alton Water reservoir. The necessary inspections still cause major disruption to traffic every six years; during the inspection in the summer of 2005, the delays caused by lane closures and speed restrictions added between 30 and 60 minutes to journey times during the peak commuting periods. The bridge design took into consideration the impact on the Orwell Estuary , as well as
474-602: A cathedral, so the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich is based at Bury St Edmunds , the former county town of West Suffolk . Ipswich is the largest town in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds , and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia , after Peterborough and Norwich . It is 50 miles (80 km) northeast of London and in 2011 had a population of 144,957. The Ipswich built-up area
553-615: A condition of planning permission. The town has three museums: Ipswich Museum , the Ipswich Transport Museum and Christchurch Mansion. The New Wolsey Theatre is a 400-seat theatre situated on Civic Drive. Although the Wolsey Theatre was built in 1979, The New Wolsey Company took on the management and running of the Wolsey Theatre in 2000, opening its first production in February 2001. DanceEast, which has
632-413: A court ruling increasing Costain's liabilities on a Welsh road project caused the firm to cut its full year profit forecasts; its share price fell 19% in early trading. On 11 March 2020, Costain announced a £100m rights issue, aiming to strengthen its balance sheet after it suffered a £6.6m pre tax loss on revenues of £1.16 billion in 2019; the news sent Costain shares down 34%, with the plunge continuing
711-497: A developing and varied programme of events from visual arts, performing arts, literature, film and music, notably a free music day in Christchurch Park . The Ultrazang monthly live music night began in 2009. The Ipswich Jazz Festival is a jazz music and arts festival started in 2015 in partnership with the Ipswich Arts Festival and mixes established jazz talent, rising stars and regional players. Ipswich had
790-525: A dramatic low point in April 1995, the demise of Costain was incorrectly predicted by numerous British broadsheets . It was claimed that the company could not be expected to survive as an operating company by the end of the century. In 1995, Alan Lovell was appointed chief executive of Costain; the actions taken during his two year tenure, which included the sale of the company's property interests in London and
869-418: A former airfield), Rose Hill , Rushmere , Springvale , St Margarets , Stoke , Warren Heath , Westbourne , Whitehouse and Whitton . To the east of the town is Trinity Park near Bucklesham the home of the annual Suffolk Show , a typical county show . The 'Trinity' is the name given to the three animals native to the county of Suffolk, namely Red Poll cattle, the powerful Suffolk Punch horse and
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#1732786659056948-526: A merchant house which features tudor pargeting and the Ipswich window . The former East Suffolk County Hall is just east of the centre of Ipswich. It is listed as a building at risk by the Victorian Society . The Town Hall remains in use as an arts centre and events venue; it dates from 1866 (architects: Bellamy & Hardy of Lincoln). The 18th Century Grade II listed Old Post Office, which
1027-615: A move that was condemned as a "PR stunt" by the GMB union , and described by the Scottish Affairs Select Committee as "an act of bad faith". In December 2017, trade union Unite announced it had issued High Court proceedings against twelve major contractors, including Costain. In April 2019, Costain was suspended from the UK Government's Prompt Payment Code , for failing to pay suppliers on time. It
1106-436: A notable punk scene and influential grindcore band Extreme Noise Terror , formed in the town in 1985. It also features art and photography exhibitions, film screenings and workshops held in venues across the town. Ipswich is covered by BBC Look East and ITV News Anglia both broadcast from Norwich . The town has five local radio stations, BBC Radio Suffolk which broadcast from its studios on St Matthews Street in
1185-526: A population of 144,957. The Ipswich built-up area is the fourth-largest in the East of England and the 42nd-largest in England and Wales. It includes the towns and villages of Kesgrave , Woodbridge , Bramford and Martlesham Heath . Ipswich was first recorded during the medieval period as Gippeswic , the town has also been recorded as Gyppewicus and Yppswyche . It has been continuously inhabited since
1264-593: A soundscape of immense scale. Eastern Angles Theatre Company is based at the Sir John Mills Theatre in Ipswich, named after the famous actor who lived in Felixstowe as a child. In 2012 it celebrated its 30th anniversary. The group engages in rural tours and seasonal performances. The Ipswich Arts Festival , known as 'Ip-art' has been the town's annual summer arts festival since 2003 and seen
1343-516: A timber merchant. Other industries have been established to the south of the wet dock. The area was flooded in 2013 during a tidal surge. In February 2019 a flood gate , which protects the "New Cut", was unveiled. The flood barrier, similar in design to the Thames Barrier , cost £67m. The Ipswich Village Development , begun in 2002 around Russell Road, is home to Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council . Holywells Ward, Ipswich
1422-624: Is also involved in HS2 lots S1 and S2, working as part of joint venture, due to complete in 2031. Costain was revealed as a subscriber to the United Kingdom's Consulting Association , exposed in 2009 for operating an illegal construction industry blacklist . Subsequently, it was also one of the eight businesses that were involved in the launch in 2013 of the Construction Workers Compensation Scheme ,
1501-405: Is located at 15 Tavern Street. In the mid-19th century coprolite (fossilised animal dung) was discovered; the material was mined and then dissolved in acid , the resulting mixture forming the basis of Fisons fertiliser business. The Tolly Cobbold brewery, built in the 18th century and rebuilt in 1894–96, is one of the finest Victorian breweries in the UK. There was a Cobbold brewery in
1580-510: Is surrounded by two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) : the Suffolk Coast and Heaths and Dedham Vale . The town has a tourist sector, with 3.5 million people reported to have visited the town in 2016. In 2020, Ipswich was ranked as an emerging global tourist destination by TripAdvisor . Ipswich is one of England's oldest towns , and is claimed to be the oldest still continuing town to have been established and developed by
1659-519: Is the area around Holywells Park , a 67-acre (27-hectare) public park situated near the docks, and the subject of a painting by Thomas Gainsborough . Alexandra Park is the nearest park to the waterfront's northern quay, and situated on Back Hamlet, adjacent to University of Suffolk . Localities outside the town centre include Bixley Farm , Broke Hall , California , Castle Hill , Chantry , The Dales, Gainsborough , Greenwich, Maidenhall , Pinewood , Priory Heath , Racecourse , Ravenswood (built on
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#17327866590561738-405: Is the fourth-largest in the East of England and the 42nd-largest in England and Wales. It includes the towns and villages of Kesgrave , Woodbridge , Bramford and Martlesham Heath . The waterfront is now devoted primarily to leisure use and includes extensive recent development of residential apartment blocks and a university campus. Businesses operated from the dock include luxury boats and
1817-548: Is the signature installation in the Festival Installed at the historic town centre and waterfront in Ipswich, Clarion Call is a sonic intervention calls out to the setting sun in daily incantations, its voices reflecting contemporary Britain while exploring the local history of the World War I , using audio technology originally employed in war and emergencies, and the voices and songs of women and girls, to create
1896-514: The English , with continuous settlement since early Anglo-Saxon times. A large Roman fort , part of the coastal defences of Britain, stood at Walton near Felixstowe (13 miles (21 km), and the largest Roman villa in Suffolk (possibly an administrative complex) stood at Castle Hill (north-west Ipswich). The modern town took shape in Anglo-Saxon times (7th–8th centuries) around
1975-528: The Kingdom of Northumbria ). Gipeswic (also in other spellings such as Gippeswich ) arose as the equivalent to these, serving the Kingdom of East Anglia , its early imported wares dating to the time of King Rædwald , ruler of the East Angles (616–624). The famous ship-burial and treasure at Sutton Hoo nearby (9 miles; 14 km) is probably his grave. The Ipswich Museum houses replicas of
2054-622: The Port of Ipswich . As the coastal states of north-western Europe emerged from the collapse of the Roman Empire, essential North Sea trade and communication between eastern Britain and the continent (especially to Scandinavia , and through the Rhine ) passed through the former Roman ports of London (serving the kingdoms of Mercia , the East Saxons , Kent ) and York (Eoforwic) (serving
2133-576: The Saxon period, and is believed to be one of the oldest towns in the United Kingdom . The settlement was of great economic importance to the Kingdom of England throughout its history, particularly in trade, with the town's historical dock, Ipswich Waterfront , known as the largest and most important dock in the Kingdom. Ipswich is divided into various quarters , with the town centre and
2212-583: The early 1990s recession , which led to sell-offs and cutbacks, especially housebuilding, which reoriented Costain towards the construction sector. Despite the company's fiscal difficulties, it (as part of the TransManche Link consortium) completed construction of the Channel Tunnel , which was at the time the most expensive construction project ever proposed at a final cost amounted to £9 billion (equivalent to £22.6 billion in 2023). Into
2291-402: The 21st century, it has worked on numerous complex civil engineering and commercial construction projects and has been involved in various Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes. Costain's operations have occasionally been a subject of controversy. It used to be a subscriber to the United Kingdom's Consulting Association , which was an illegal construction industry blacklist ; legal action
2370-915: The Christchurch Mansion and Ancient House, Ipswich in the 21st century has some important cultural buildings including the New Wolsey Theatre and the Regent Theatre —the largest theatre venue in East Anglia where, in 1964, the Beatles performed when it was still known as the Gaumont. There is also the Corn Exchange in King Street which was completed in 1882. There are several medieval Ipswich churches but
2449-561: The English. They were unsuccessful. The town operated a mint under royal licence from King Edgar in the 970s, which continued through the Norman Conquest until the time of King John , in about 1215. The abbreviation Gipes appears on the coins. King John granted the town its first charter in 1200, laying the medieval foundations of its modern civil government. Thenceforth Ipswich strongly maintained its jurisdiction over
Orwell Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
2528-666: The Liberty of Ipswich, an administrative area extending over about 35 square kilometres centred on the town. In the next four centuries it made the most of its wealth. Five large religious houses, including two Augustinian Priories (St Peter and St Paul, and Holy Trinity, both mid-12th century ), and those of the Ipswich Greyfriars ( Franciscans , before 1298), Ipswich Whitefriars ( Carmelites founded 1278–79) and Ipswich Blackfriars ( Dominicans , before 1263), stood in medieval Ipswich. The last Carmelite Prior of Ipswich
2607-529: The Reformation the statue was taken away to London to be burned, though some claim that it survived and is preserved at Nettuno , Italy. Around 1380, Geoffrey Chaucer satirised the merchants of Ipswich in The Canterbury Tales . Thomas Wolsey , the future cardinal , was born in Ipswich in 1473 as the son of a wealthy landowner. One of Henry VIII 's closest political allies, he founded
2686-536: The Roman Mildenhall and Sutton Hoo treasures . A gallery devoted to the town's origins includes Anglo-Saxon weapons , jewellery and other artefacts. The seventh-century town was centred near the quay. Around 700 AD, Frisian potters from the Netherlands area settled in Ipswich and set up the first large-scale potteries in England since Roman times. Their wares were traded far across England, and
2765-643: The Walton Heath Land Company, and in 1923, the separate business of Richard Costain & Sons was formed. Several executive estates in the Croydon area were developed in the middle of the 1920s. In 1929, William died: the other two brothers remained in Liverpool and William’s son, Richard Rylandes Costain, was sent to run the London company. Under him, Richard Costain & Sons expanded its housing building large estates all around London,
2844-553: The acceptance of a £73m refinancing arrangement that gave the Malaysian building group Intria a 40 percent stake in the business, have been credited with having saved Costain. On two occasions in 1996, the company had its shares suspended . During 1999, Brewer Gold Mine, an American subsidiary of Costain, abandoned a gold mine in South Carolina , which had been closed, and ceased performing its remediation duties. In
2923-588: The area has made it a hub of culture in Ipswich, the area boasts fine dining restaurants, a boutique hotel, and the new regional university, the University of Suffolk . The new high rise buildings of the Regatta Quay development has topped the list of the tallest buildings in Ipswich . The mixed-use high rise building, The Mill , is currently the tallest building in Suffolk. Ipswich has made several unsuccessful bids for city status . The town does not have
3002-501: The background of a 2001 advert for the AA motoring recovery service. Ipswich Ipswich ( / ˈ ɪ p s w ɪ tʃ / ) is a port town and borough in Suffolk , England. It is the county town , and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds , and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia , after Peterborough and Norwich . It is 50 miles (80 km) northeast of London and in 2011 had
3081-546: The beginning of the 1970s. The substantially increased revenues that accrued to the oil producing states led to a construction boom in the Middle East during the 1970s. Costain was a major beneficiary, particularly in the Emirates , and within a decade profits increased from little more than £1m a year to £47m. In the 1960s, A. P. Costain became chairman, with Sir Robert Taylor as chief executive. During 1985, Costain
3160-595: The black-faced Suffolk sheep. Ipswich is home to many artists and has a number of galleries, the most prominent of which are at Christchurch Mansion , the Town Hall, Ancient House and the Artists' Gallery in Electric House. The visual arts are further supported with many sculptures at easily accessible sites. The Borough Council promotes the creation of new public works of art and has been known to make this
3239-463: The bridge and the approaches each side. During certain high winds conditions, rather than closing the bridge, the speed limit can be reduced from 60mph to 40mph. The Stour and Orwell Walk passes under the bridge. As of 2006 the bridge was used by 60,000 vehicles per day, about 83% of its capacity. In 2006 it was predicted that the bridge is expected to be running over capacity by 2015. By 2023, traffic levels had exceeded 67,500 vehicle per day. When
Orwell Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
3318-556: The bridge began in October 1979 and was completed 1 April 1982. It was opened on 17 December 1982 by David Howell, Baron Howell of Guildford , then the Secretary of State for Transport . Bridge bearing replacement works were carried out by Jackson Civil Engineering Ltd over the weekend of 11–14 February 2011, during a 52-hour closure of the north deck, carrying the eastbound A14. The new bridge bearings were designed and manufactured by
3397-416: The bridge is closed in both directions for more than a short period of time, normally as a safety precaution due to high winds, most of Ipswich's roads are brought to a near-standstill by diverted traffic. The bridge appears in the 1987 Cold War drama The Fourth Protocol , in which two RAF helicopters are shown flying under it, and at the end of the 2013 film The Numbers Station . The bridge appears in
3476-725: The company was on Heath Drive in Tadworth in Surrey, when Arthur Costain was the chairman. Throughout the Second World War , Costain undertook extensive military work, including the construction of Royal Ordnance Factories and airfields. One particular highlight of its wartime activities was serving as one of the contractors who built the Mulberry harbour units. Sir Richard Rylandes Costain CBE (20 November 1902 - 26 March 1966)
3555-407: The docks was especially devastated. Eighty civilians died by enemy action in the Ipswich county borough area during the latter war. The last bombs to fall on Ipswich landed on Seymour Road at 2 a.m. on 2 March 1945, killing nine people and destroying six houses. The Willis Building is a glass-clad building owned by Willis . Designed by Norman Foster , the building dates from 1974, when it
3634-606: The early years of the 21st century, Costain worked on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link , which included the modernisation of London St Pancras station to accept Eurostar trains, and on the Thameslink , and Crossrail projects in central London; on Crossrail, Costain's contracts included the Paddington and Bond Street stations (both with Skanska ), and the north east network upgrade. In 2010, Costain
3713-504: The end of the 1980s led to high gearing just as international markets were turning down; this circumstance was exacerbated by a disastrous explosion which killed ten people in 1989 at a Costain owned coal mine in the United States, for which the firm was fined $ 3.75m in February 1993. As a consequence of the early 1990s recession , the company incurred substantial losses that not only rapidly depleted its reserves but also compelled
3792-597: The engineering company, Freyssinet Ltd. In February 2014, a meeting of various agencies was held to review diversions when it is necessary for the A14 and Orwell Bridge to be closed. A permanent reduced speed limit of 60 mph was introduced in November 2015 for safety reasons. Due to high side-winds, the bridge is often closed during storms. To reduce closure time and the pressure it imposes on local roads, in 2021 Highways England installed electronic variable speed limits on
3871-490: The final design winning the approval of the Royal Fine Art Commission . The Department for Transport funded the project and, partly because of the bridge, paid for radars and cameras to be installed at the port's Orwell Navigation Service to monitor the river and the bridge. Pilings were sunk 40 metres into the river bottom; Pigott Foundations of Ormskirk drilled 1142 piles; the main contractor of
3950-550: The following day, dropping below £1 to 88p. The company was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown with major projects (amounting to a third of operating revenue) suspended. As a result, the board and senior leadership team agreed a 30% reduction in salaries and fees for up to three months, while also making other short term economies. Two months later, Dubai -based contractor ASGC Construction stated that it planned to invest £25m in Costain's £100m rights issue, giving it
4029-588: The grandest is St. Mary-le-Tower , rebuilt by the Victorians. Holy Trinity Church by the waterfront is one of the few churches in the country which was built during the reign of William IV and whilst the outside looks plain, the interior is quite spectacular. The world's oldest circle of church bells is housed in St Lawrence Church . The Ancient House in the Buttermarket is an example of
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#17327866590564108-489: The industry was unique to Ipswich for 200 years. With growing prosperity, in about 720 AD a large new part of the town was laid out in the Buttermarket area. Ipswich was becoming a place of national and international importance. Parts of the ancient road plan still survive in its modern streets. After the invasion of 869, Ipswich fell under Viking rule. The earth ramparts circling the town centre were probably raised by Vikings in Ipswich around 900 to prevent its recapture by
4187-493: The largest being a site for 7,500 homes in South Hornchurch , started in 1934. Perhaps the best known development of all was Dolphin Square , which was completed in 1937. During 1933, Richard Costain (the London-based business) was floated on the London Stock Exchange ; the Liverpool business was not part of the flotation. By then, Costain had completed over 4,000 houses in the London area, some at prices up to £4,000. Costain continued to expand its private housebuilding and it
4266-435: The local afternoon show prior to the rebrand). The younger audience was catered for with Suffolk-based Kiss 105-108 , until September 2023 when its 106.4 frequency flipped over to carrying Greatest Hits Radio Ipswich & Suffolk . Ipswich Community Radio was launched in 2007. The town's daily newspaper is the Ipswich Star a sister title to the county's daily newspaper the East Anglian Daily Times . In addition to
4345-463: The needs of the port of Ipswich . The location close to the southern edge of Ipswich was deemed convenient for the industrial areas of the West Bank Terminal and Ransomes Industrial Estate on the eastern end. The bridge was set at an angle to the river to get the best relationship to the surrounding terrain . The air draft of the central span was chosen to be as low as possible without adversely affecting port operations. Although some have said that
4424-633: The other spans are 59m. The total length is 1,287 metres from Wherstead to the site of the former Ipswich Airport . The width is 24 metres with an air draft of 43 metres; the bridge had to be at least 41 metres high. The approach roads were designed by CH Dobbie & Partners of Cardiff , later bought by Babtie, Shaw and Morton then Jacobs in 2004. The bridge is constructed of a pair of continuous concrete box girders with expansion joints that allow for expansion and contraction. The girders are hollow, allowing for easier inspection, as well as providing access for services, including telecom, power, and
4503-443: The outbreak of the First World War , it was building its presence in South Wales, where it built numerous houses for munitions workers. Following the First World War, Costain began to develop housing estates in Liverpool on its own account, primarily to offer continuity of employment to its workforce. With housing sites in Liverpool in short supply, Richard Costain sent his son William down to London to find new sites. He purchased
4582-480: The primary aim of advocating innovation and development of dance in the East of England is now resident in their new premises as part of the waterfront development. They are building new premises as part of the waterfront development. These are the first custom built dance facilities in the east of England at a cost of around £8 million. Spill Festival of Performance was launched in Ipswich in 2007 and alternates between London and Ipswich yearly. In 2018, Clarion Call
4661-400: The resulting hump affects visibility and road safety , there have not been enough incidents causing injury for the Highways Agency to identify it for greater detailed investigation and possible amendments. The consulting engineers were Sir William Halcrow and Partners. Frederick Gibberd Partners worked on the project to ensure the bridge was as sympathetic as possible to its surroundings, with
4740-452: The sale of several key assets along with various cutbacks, particularly in its underperforming housebuilding division, that left Costain as a predominantly construction-oriented business. More fiscal strain came in the form of a combined charge of £160m that was incurred by a pair of rights issues that arose in 1991 and 1993. Nevertheless, some sectors, such as coal mining, continued to provide reliable work for Costain at this time. During
4819-604: The substructure was Stevin Construction B.V., a Dutch company. The main span was constructed using a balanced cantilever technique, casting sections on alternating sides of the pier in a weekly cycle. Høsveis & Bofa of Hønefoss in Norway helped form the box girder (steelwork). The roller bearings were from Maurer AG of Germany. Mageba UK (Swiss) of Bicester supplied the bridge bearings and expansion joints . The pre-stressed concrete box girder sections had VSL tendons and GKN super-strand wire rope . The construction gantries were fabricated by Fairfield Mabey . It
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#17327866590564898-459: The town from 1746 until 2002 when Ridley's Breweries took Tolly Cobbold over. Felix Thornley Cobbold presented Christchurch Mansion to the town in 1896. Smaller breweries include St Jude's Brewery, situated in an 18th-century coach-house near the town centre. Ipswich was subject to bombing by German Zeppelins during World War I but the greatest damage by far occurred during the German bombing raids of World War II . The area in and around
4977-436: The town, the commercial station Heart East which was founded in 1975 as Radio Orwell covering the A14 corridor in Suffolk, and Ipswich 102 who took over the FM frequency in 2018, until 2020 when it rebranded as Greatest Hits Radio Ipswich & Suffolk . Then in September 2022, the station was rebranded again as Nation Radio Suffolk where it has one local show on weekday afternoons 1pm-4pm, hosted by Rob Chandler (who hosted
5056-514: The waterfront area The Mill is the tallest building in East Anglia , reaching 23 storeys. Costain Group Costain Group plc is a British construction and engineering company headquartered in Maidenhead , England. It was established by Richard Costain and Richard Kneen in 1865, initially operating as builders in and around Lancashire . During the early 20th century, Costain expanded geographically, its main activities comprising housebuilding and mining. A separate London-based company
5135-436: The waterfront drawing the most footfall. The town centre features the retail shopping district and the historic town square , known as the Cornhill . The waterfront, south of the town centre on a meander of the River Orwell, offers a picturesque setting with a marina , luxury yachts, high-rise apartment buildings, and a variety of restaurants and cafes. The waterfront is also home to the University of Suffolk campus. Ipswich
5214-415: Was a printing, bookseller centre, and an entrepôt for continental books in the 16th century. From 1611 to 1634 Ipswich was a major centre for emigration to New England . This was encouraged by the Town Lecturer, Samuel Ward . His brother Nathaniel Ward was first minister of Ipswich , Massachusetts, where a promontory was named 'Castle Hill' after the place of that name in north-west Ipswich, UK. Ipswich
5293-447: Was also one of the main ports of embarkation for puritans leaving other East Anglian towns and villages for the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 1630s and what has become known as the Great Migration . The painter Thomas Gainsborough lived and worked in Ipswich. In 1835, Charles Dickens stayed in Ipswich and used it as a setting for scenes in his novel The Pickwick Papers . The hotel where he resided first opened in 1518; it
5372-420: Was building around 1,000 houses per year. During this decade, it benefitted greatly from a construction boom in the Middle East ; profits increased from little more than £1m per year to £47m within a decade. During the 1980s, Costain invested its resources into coal mining, international housing and commercial property; however, both the housing and property markets, and thus the business, were heavily impacted by
5451-547: Was built in 1881, has been renovated and is now home to the Botanist bar. Modern buildings include Endeavour House (headquarters of Suffolk County Council and formerly home of the TXU Corporation ), Grafton House (home of Ipswich Borough Council ) and Ipswich Crown Court , all located on Russell Road in the area known as the Ipswich Village Development , which includes Portman Road stadium. The stadium has hosted England under-21, under-23, and international soccer matches, as well as rugby union and hockey matches. In
5530-416: Was chairman in the 1950s, the grandson of the founder. In the immediate post-war years, only small estate development was undertaken by the firm; it was not until the acquisition of Nottingham -based Rostance Group in 1962 that private housebuilding resumed on any scale. Further bolstered by the acquisition of the Blackpool firm R Fielding in 1969, Costain was building around 1,000 houses per year by
5609-510: Was described as "one of the largest speculative housebuilders and estate developers in this country before the war." Following the flotation, Costain moved into civil engineering. One such early undertaking in this area was on the Trans-Iranian Railway and then at Abadan, Iran for BP . Losses on the railway, on Beckton sewage works and the costs of Dolphin Square caused financial problems, and Costain had to look for alternative funds when Barclays withdrew its overdraft facilities. By 1939
5688-548: Was formed in 1923 by the Costain family and was floated on the London Stock Exchange ten years later. Shortly thereafter, Costain moved into civil engineering activities, such as its work on the Trans-Iranian Railway . During the Second World War , Costain helped build several Royal Ordnance Factories , airfields, and worked on the Mulberry harbour units. By the start of the 1970s, Costain
5767-533: Was known as the Willis Faber & Dumas building. It became the youngest grade I listed building in Britain in 1991, being at the time one of only two listed buildings to be less than thirty years old. In September 1993, Ipswich and Arras , Nord Pas-de-Calais, France, became twin towns, and a square in the new Buttermarket development was named Arras Square to mark the relationship. Ipswich formerly had
5846-601: Was named Contractor of the Decade by New Civil Engineer . While led by Andrew Wyllie , the company's CEO from September 2005 to May 2019, Costain invested in technology and consultancy staff, which in March 2018 comprised a third (1,300) of the company's then 4,000 employees. Alex Vaughan succeeded Wyllie as CEO. During June 2019, a gloomy trading update following several delayed and cancelled projects contributed to Costain's share value declining over 35%. In December 2019,
5925-481: Was part of the TransManche Link consortium that constructed the Channel Tunnel , which was at the time the most expensive construction project ever proposed, the final cost amounted to £9 billion (equivalent to £22.6 billion in 2023). During the 1980s, recognising that exceptional Middle East profits could not continue, Costain sought to redeploy its extensive cash balances into coal mining, international housing and commercial property. However, over expansion in
6004-466: Was part of the first section of the Ipswich Bypass; the contracts for the approach roads were given to Costain (£10.7m, eastern) and Cementation (£9.3m, western). For this section of the bypass, Robert McGregor & Sons , subcontracting to Cementation laid 6,900m of concrete in 48 days with a slipform paver; Costain laid 10,400m of concrete in 31 days with a concrete train. Construction of
6083-600: Was taken against the company in this matter during the 2010s. In 2019, Costain was suspended from the UK Government's Prompt Payment Code after failing to pay suppliers on time. The business was founded in 1865 when Richard Costain and his future brother-in-law, Richard Kneen, left the Isle of Man and moved to Liverpool as jobbing builders. Their partnership lasted until 1888, at which point Richard Kneen left and Richard Costain's three sons (Richard, William and John) joined him. Costain gradually expanded through Lancashire ; by
6162-541: Was the celebrated John Bale , author of the oldest English historical verse-drama ( Kynge Johan , c. 1538 ). There were also several hospitals, including the leper hospital of St Mary Magdalene, founded before 1199. During the Middle Ages the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Grace was a famous pilgrimage destination, and attracted many pilgrims including Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon . At
6241-528: Was then known as The Tavern and later became known as the Great White Horse Hotel . Dickens made the hotel famous in chapter XXII of The Pickwick Papers , vividly describing the hotel's meandering corridors and stairs. In 1824 Dr George Birkbeck , with support from several local businessmen, founded one of the first Mechanics' Institutes , which survives to this day as the independent Ipswich Institute reading room and library. The building
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