Ipswich: A dying market town? Tuesday 17th December 2024 - Part 1

I had an unexpected free day on the 17th, so I decided it was the day to visit Ipswich to see for myself what the Ipswich based stall holder had told me about. Given it was a normal working day, perhaps it was not so surprising there were not that many people out and about shopping. However, it was also the week before Christmas, and it felt somehow dead, like a ghost town. Maybe it is just me, but I found the sense of lifelessness quite disconcerting, especially in contrast with Cambridge. Like Cambridge, it is a county town (Suffolk) and it has a university (albeit much less famous and prestigious). It is an historic market town as well and its football team is much more successful, but it reminded me more of my hometown in Sussex which is none of these things. It feels like it's dying too.

"Nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town..."
Simon & Garfunkel - My Little Town (Audio)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Ro3eGuznI

Perhaps if I'd been there three days earlier...
"On Saturday 14 December, 12pm to 6pm, Ipswich Central will host A Very Suffolk Christmas celebrating the town’s rich culture, heritage, and community spirit.
Taking place on the Cornhill, this vibrant event will showcase Ipswich as the beating heart of Suffolk, inviting both locals and visitors to enjoy a day filled with festive cheer, delicious food, unique crafts, fun activities, and live entertainment – all in support of local mental health charity Suffolk Mind.
The event aims to highlight everything that makes Ipswich and Suffolk such a wonderful place to live and explore while raising vital funds for a cause close to home."
https://ipswichcentral.com/news-and-events/celebrate-a-very-suffolk-christmas-in-ipswich-town-centre

Just a rich fantasy life regarding changes made to the town?
"Enlivening the town centre.
Since the redevelopment of the Cornhill square in 2018, Ipswich Central works closely with Ipswich Borough Council to see local art and community groups, businesses and other events use this space in the town centre."
https://ipswichcentral.com/our-projects/cornhill

"The Thomas Wolsey 550 project, managed by a partnership of Ipswich Central, Ipswich Borough Council, and Suffolk Archives, has received a grant of £249,975 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the project’s first ‘public engagement’ phase, it was announced today."
https://ipswichcentral.com/news-and-events/wolsey-550-project-receives-250k-heritage-lottery-funding

https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/

"Large number of police spotted down Carr Street in Ipswich
It later emerged that the police presence was due to the discovery of a cannabis farm."
https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/24809125.large-number-police-spotted-carr-street-ipswich/

https://www.ipswich.co.uk/articles/two-charged-after-four-storey-cannabis-factory-found-on-ipswich-high-street

https://www.ipswich.co.uk/good-news

"Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey (born c. 1475, Ipswich, Suffolk, Eng.—died Nov. 29, 1530, Leicester, Leicestershire) was a cardinal and statesman who dominated the government of England’s King Henry VIII from 1515 to 1529."
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Cardinal-Wolsey