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82-626: The Rendlesham Forest incident was a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights near Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk , England, in December 1980, which became linked with UFO landings. The events occurred just outside RAF Woodbridge , which was used at the time by the United States Air Force (USAF). USAF personnel, including deputy base commander Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt , claimed to see things they described as
164-876: 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
246-634: 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
328-616: A British UFO researcher, reported a claim that the incident was a set-up by the SAS as a revenge plot on the USAF. According to this story, in August 1980, the SAS parachuted into RAF Woodbridge to test the security at the nuclear site. The USAF had recently upgraded their radar and detected the black parachutes of the SAS men as they descended to the base. The SAS troops were interrogated and beaten up, with
410-605: A UFO. The occurrence is the most famous of alleged UFO events to have happened in the United Kingdom, and is among the best-known reported UFO events worldwide. It has been compared to the Roswell UFO incident in the United States and is sometimes called "Britain's Roswell". The UK Ministry of Defence has stated that the event posed no threat to national security, and therefore, it was never investigated as
492-602: 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
574-615: 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
656-439: A copy of what became known as the "Halt Tape" was released to UFO researchers by Colonel Sam Morgan, who had by then succeeded Ted Conrad as Halt's superior. This tape chronicles Halt's investigation in the forest in real time, including taking radiation readings, the sighting of the flashing light between trees, and the starlike objects that hovered and twinkled. The tape has been transcribed by researcher Ian Ridpath , who includes
738-497: 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
820-418: 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
902-399: A link to an audio download and also a step-by-step analysis of the entire contents of the tape. In 1997, Scottish researcher James Easton obtained the original witness statements made by those involved in the first night's sightings. One of the witnesses, Ed Cabansag, said in his statement: "We figured the lights were coming from past the forest since nothing was visible when we passed through
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#1732790186860984-526: 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
1066-402: A nearby farm went into a frenzy". One of the servicemen, Sergeant Jim Penniston, later claimed to have encountered a "craft of unknown origin" while in the forest, although there was no publicised mention of this at the time and there is no corroboration from other witnesses. Shortly after 04:00 local police were called to the scene but reported that the only lights they could see were those from
1148-436: 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
1230-413: A piece of natural debris seen burning up as a fireball (meteor) over southern England at that time. Servicemen initially thought it was a downed aircraft. According to Halt's memo, upon entering the forest to investigate, they witnessed a glowing object that was metallic in appearance with coloured lights. As they attempted to approach the object, it appeared to move through the trees, and "the animals on
1312-589: A security matter. Skeptics have explained the sightings as a misinterpretation of a series of nocturnal lights: a fireball , the Orfordness Lighthouse , and bright stars. Around 03:00 on 26 December 1980 (reported as 27 December by Halt in his memo to the UK Ministry of Defence ) a security patrol near the east gate of RAF Woodbridge saw lights apparently descending into nearby Rendlesham Forest. These lights have been attributed by astronomers to
1394-593: 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
1476-444: A substantial MoD file on the subject led to claims of a cover-up; some interpreted this as part of a larger pattern of information suppression concerning the true nature of unidentified flying objects , by both the United States and British governments. However, when the file was released in 2001 it turned out to consist mostly of internal correspondence and responses to inquiries from the public. The lack of any in-depth investigation in
1558-516: 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
1640-480: 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 the English , with continuous settlement since early Anglo-Saxon times. A large Roman fort , part of
1722-461: 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 a population of 144,957. The Ipswich built-up area is the fourth-largest in the East of England and
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#17327901868601804-619: Is in the Suffolk Coastal district. It is part of the Sandlings Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest . A large area of the forest was cleared for the construction of RAF Woodbridge in 1943. 52°5′2″N 1°25′58″E / 52.08389°N 1.43278°E / 52.08389; 1.43278 This England location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ipswich Ipswich ( / ˈ ɪ p s w ɪ tʃ / )
1886-453: 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
1968-520: Is owned by the Forestry Commission and consists of about 5.8 square miles (15 km) of coniferous plantations, interspersed with broadleaved belts, heathland and wetland areas. It is located in the county of Suffolk , about 8 miles (13 km) east of the town of Ipswich . The incident occurred in the vicinity of two former military bases: RAF Bentwaters , which is just to the north of the forest, and RAF Woodbridge which extends into
2050-519: 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
2132-460: 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
2214-548: 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
2296-430: Is visible further to the east in the same line of sight. Later, according to Halt's memo, three star-like lights were seen in the sky, two to the north and one to the south, about 10 degrees above the horizon. Halt said that the brightest of these hovered for two to three hours and seemed to beam down a stream of light from time to time. Astronomers have explained these star-like lights as bright stars. Rendlesham Forest
2378-665: 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 is surrounded by two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) : the Suffolk Coast and Heaths and Dedham Vale . The town has
2460-495: The "Halt memo", this was made publicly available in the United States under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act in 1983. The memorandum was dated "13 Jan 1981" under the title "Unexplained Lights". The two-week delay between the incident and the report might account for errors in the dates and times given. The memo was not classified in any way. David Clarke , a consultant to the National Archives, has investigated
2542-541: 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 the Saxon period, and is believed to be one of the oldest towns in the United Kingdom . The settlement
Rendlesham Forest incident - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-915: 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
2706-556: The Orford Ness lighthouse, some miles away on the coast. After daybreak on the morning of 26 December, servicemen returned to a small clearing near the eastern edge of the forest and found three small impressions on the ground in a triangular pattern, as well as burn marks and broken branches on nearby trees. At 10:30 the local police were called out again, this time to see the impressions, which they thought could have been made by an animal. Georgina Bruni , in her book You Can't Tell
2788-627: The People , published a photograph of the supposed landing site taken on the morning after the first sighting. The deputy base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt, visited the site with several servicemen in the early hours of 28 December 1980 (reported as 29 December by Halt). They took radiation readings in the triangle of depressions and in the surrounding area using an AN/PDR-27, a standard U.S. military radiation survey meter. Although they recorded 0.07 milliroentgens per hour, in other regions they detected 0.03 to 0.04 milliroentgens per hour, around
2870-529: 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
2952-418: The airmen saw something apparently descending into the forest, coincided with the appearance of a bright fireball over southern England, and such fireballs are a common source of UFO reports. The supposed landing marks were identified by police and foresters as rabbit diggings. No evidence has emerged to confirm that anything actually came down in the forest. According to the witness statements from 26 December,
3034-535: 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 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
3116-530: 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
3198-402: The background level. Furthermore, they detected a similar small 'burst' over half a mile away from the landing site. Halt recorded the events on a micro-cassette recorder (see § The Halt Tape ). It was during this investigation that a flashing red light was seen across the field to the east, almost in line with a farmhouse, as the witnesses had seen on the first night. The Orford Ness lighthouse
3280-524: The background of this memo and the reaction to it at the MoD. His interviews with the personnel involved confirmed the cursory nature of the investigation made by the MoD, and failed to find any evidence for any other reports on the incident made by the USAF or UK apart from the Halt memo. Halt has since gone on record as saying he believes that he witnessed an extraterrestrial event that was then covered up. In 1984,
3362-595: 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
Rendlesham Forest incident - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-537: 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
3526-653: 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 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
3608-580: 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 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
3690-407: 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
3772-422: The event to be extraterrestrial and it had been covered up by both the UK and US. Contradictions between this affidavit and the facts as recorded at the time in Halt's memo and tape recording have been pointed out by skeptics. In 2010, base commander Colonel Ted Conrad provided a statement about the incident to Clarke. Conrad stated that "We saw nothing that resembled Lieutenant Colonel Halt's descriptions either in
3854-557: The flashing light seen from the forest lay in the same direction as the Orfordness Lighthouse. When the eyewitnesses attempted to approach the light they realised it was further off than they thought. One of the witnesses, Ed Cabansag, described it as “a beacon light off in the distance” while another, John Burroughs, said it was “a lighthouse” (see Statements from eyewitnesses on 26 December ). Timings on Halt's tape recording during his sighting on 28 December indicate that
3936-477: The flashing light seen off to the coast by the airmen, is along the same line of sight about 5 miles (8.0 km) further east of the forest's edge. At that time it was one of the brightest lighthouses in the UK. The first piece of primary evidence to be made available to the public was a memorandum written by the deputy base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt, to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Known as
4018-459: The forest by driving around in a police vehicle whose lights he had modified. However, there is no evidence that this prank took place on the nights in question. Other explanations for the incident have included a downed Soviet spy satellite, but no evidence has been produced to support this. The most widely accepted explanation is that the sightings were due to a combination of three main factors. The initial sighting at 03.00 on 26 December, when
4100-425: The forest from the west and is bounded by the forest on its northern and eastern edges. At the time, both were being used by the United States Air Force and were under the command of wing commander Colonel Gordon E. Williams . The base commander was Colonel Ted Conrad, and his deputy was Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt. The main events of the incident, including the supposed landing or landings, took place in
4182-508: The forest, which starts at the east end of the base runway or about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to the east of the East Gate of RAF Woodbridge, from where security guards first noticed mysterious lights appearing to descend into the forest. The forest extends east about one mile (1.6 km) beyond East Gate, ending at a farmer's field at Capel Green, where additional events allegedly took place. Orfordness Lighthouse , which sceptics identify as
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#17327901868604264-680: The forest. Always remember: Separate pieces of poor evidence don't aggregate together into a single piece of good evidence. In 2005, the Forestry Commission used Lottery proceeds to create a trail in Rendlesham Forest because of public interest and nicknamed it the UFO Trail . In 2014, the Forestry Service commissioned an artist to create a work which has been installed at the end of the trail. The artist states
4346-588: 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
4428-493: The incident was caused by extraterrestrial visitors. Whilst suggesting that a UAP, an unidentified aerial phenomenon of unknown origin, might have caused parts of the case, she noted: "Whilst some puzzles remain, we can probably say that no unearthly craft were seen in Rendlesham Forest. We can also argue with confidence that the main focus of the events was a series of misperceptions of everyday things encountered in less than everyday circumstances." In December 2018, David Clarke ,
4510-418: The indentations in the ground to animals. The Suffolk Constabulary file on the case was released in 2005 under the UK's Freedom of Information Act and can be accessed on their website. It includes a letter dated 28 July 1999 written by Inspector Mike Topliss who notes that one of the police constables who attended the scene on the first night returned to the site in daylight in case he had missed something. "There
4592-436: The light he saw, which lay in the same direction as the light seen two nights earlier, flashed every five seconds, which was the flash rate of the Orfordness Lighthouse. The star-like objects that Halt reported hovering low to the north and south are thought by some sceptics to have been misinterpretations of bright stars distorted by atmospheric and optical effects, another common source of UFO reports. The brightest of them, to
4674-569: 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
4756-427: The men who have expanded their stories over the years. When you examine each piece of evidence separately on its own merit, you avoid the trap of pattern matching and finding correlations where none exist. The meteors had nothing to do with the lighthouse or the rabbit diggings, but when you hear all three stories told together, it's easy to conclude (as did the airmen) that the light overhead became an alien spacecraft in
4838-467: 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 was
4920-533: The piece is modelled on sketches that purportedly represent some versions of the UFO claimed to have been seen at Rendlesham. In 2010, Jenny Randles, who first reported the case in the London Evening Standard in 1981 and co-authored with the local researchers who uncovered the events, the first book on the case in 1984, Sky Crash: A Cosmic Conspiracy , emphasised her previously expressed doubts that
5002-531: 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
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#17327901868605084-488: The publicly released documents is consistent with the MoD's earlier statement that they never took the case seriously. Included in the released files is an explanation given by defence minister Lord Trefgarne as to why the MoD did not investigate further. One proposed theory is that the incident was a hoax. The BBC reported that a former U.S. security policeman, Kevin Conde, claimed responsibility for creating strange lights in
5166-570: 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 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
5248-509: The sky or on the ground" and that "We had people in position to validate Halt's narrative, but none of them could." In an interview, Conrad criticised Halt for the claims in his affidavit, saying "he should be ashamed and embarrassed by his allegation that his country and Britain both conspired to deceive their citizens over this issue. He knows better." Conrad also disputed the testimony of Sergeant Jim Penniston, who claimed to have touched an alien spacecraft; he said that he interviewed Penniston at
5330-407: The south, matched the position of Sirius , the brightest star in the night sky. In his 6 January 2009 Skeptoid podcast episode titled "The Rendlesham Forest UFO," scientific sceptic author Brian Dunning evaluated the original eye-witness reports and audio recordings, as well as the resulting media reporting of this incident. After a lengthy analysis Dunning concluded: Col. Halt's thoroughness
5412-409: The story was itself a hoax. Rendlesham Forest Rendlesham Forest / ˈ r ɛ n d ə l ʃ əm / is a 1,500-hectare (3,700-acre) mixed woodland in Suffolk owned by Forestry England with recreation facilities for walkers, cyclists and campers. The forest is in the parishes of Bromeswell in the west, Eyke , Capel St Andrew to the south, and Butley, Suffolk to the east. It
5494-546: The time and he had not mentioned any such occurrence. Conrad also suggested that the entire incident might have been a hoax. Two officers from the Suffolk Constabulary were called to the scene on the night of the initial sighting and again the following morning but found nothing unusual. On the night of the initial incident they reported that the only lights visible were from the Orford lighthouse. They attributed
5576-476: 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 the Liberty of Ipswich, an administrative area extending over about 35 square kilometres centred on the town. In the next four centuries it made
5658-411: 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 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
5740-459: 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
5822-436: 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
5904-418: The ultimate insult that they were called "unidentified aliens". To enact their revenge, the SAS "gave" the USAF their own version of an alien event; "....as December approached, lights and coloured flares were rigged in the woods. Black helium balloons were also coupled to remote-controlled kites to carry suspended materials into the sky, activated by radio-controls." However, Clarke's investigation concluded that
5986-421: The woody forest. We would see a glowing near the beacon light, but as we got closer we found it to be a lit-up farmhouse. We got to a vantage point where we could determine that what we were chasing was only a beacon light off in the distance." Another participant, John Burroughs, also stated: "We could see a beacon going around so we went towards it. We followed it for about two miles [3 km] before we could [see] it
6068-478: 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
6150-587: 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
6232-747: 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
6314-475: Was coming from a lighthouse." Burroughs reported a noise "like a woman was screaming" and also that "you could hear the farm animals making a lot of noises." Halt heard the same noises two nights later. Such noise could have been made by Muntjac deer in the forest, which are known for their loud, shrill bark when alarmed. In June 2010, retired Colonel Charles Halt signed a notarised affidavit, in which he again summarised what had happened, then stated he believed
6396-556: Was commendable, but even he can be mistaken. Without exception, everything he reported on his audiotape and in his written memo has a perfectly rational and unremarkable explanation... All that remains is the tale that the men were debriefed and ordered never to mention the event, and warned that "bullets are cheap". Well, as we've seen on television, the men all talk quite freely about it, and even Col. Halt says that to this day nobody has ever debriefed him. So this appears to be just another dramatic invention for television, perhaps from one of
6478-533: 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
6560-463: Was nothing to be seen and he remains unconvinced that the occurrence was genuine," wrote Topliss. "The immediate area was swept by powerful light beams from a landing beacon at RAF Bentwaters and the Orfordness lighthouse. I know from personal experience that at night, in certain weather and cloud conditions, these beams were very pronounced and certainly caused strange visual effects." Evidence of
6642-489: 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 the waterfront drawing the most footfall. The town centre features the retail shopping district and the historic town square , known as
6724-528: 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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