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Panorama of Portman Road, Ipswich Town Football Club
Ed Sheeran performing at Ipswich Arts Festival 2010, Photo by Jen O'Neill
A circa 1810 painting of outdoor ten pin bowling on the grounds of Ransome & Son Iron Foundry, Ipswich, England (now in United Kingdom)
Modern reproduction of painting: Pluckhahn, Bruce (December 1988). "Bowling Games People Play". Bowlers Journal. Chicago, Illinois: National Bowlers Journal Inc. p. 121.
Pluckhahn's 1988 image caption states: "It was always suspected that tenpins was not a game of U.S. origin. But until the Hall curator stumbled across this 1810 painting in Ipswich, England, he'd nothing tangible to go on. But count the pins yourself. Ten!"
Pluckhahn's 1988 article text recites: "...a painting that hangs in the board room of the Ransome factory in Ipswich, England. Painted around 1810, it shows some village dandies playing a game in which there are, count 'em, 10 pins. I know, because I not only counted them when I visited the factory a few years ago, but I obtained a copy of the print for hanging in the Tenpin Alley of the bowling museum." (apparently referring to the International Bowling Museum in the U.S.)
Re date of the painting: The painting has a sign saying "Ransome & Son" (singular). Grace's guide verifies Ransome & Son (singular) was in existence from 1808 to 1818, at which time "Son" became "Sons" (plural). These dates confirm the time period of the painting as being between those years—which includes the circa 1810 figure that Pluckhahn writes.
Uploader applied a modest amount of sharpening in Photoshop to overcome the slight softness/blurriness in the image that was in the magazine's version.
Uploader could not find an online source for this painting itself.
Photo by Ian Hunneybell
Destinations
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Ipswich

England, United Kingdom · Europe

About Ipswich

Ipswich is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Bramford, 14km from Flatford Mill.

Ipswich is in England, United Kingdom, with about 180,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Bramford, about 4 km away.

Ipswich ( ) is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, located on the River Orwell. 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 65 miles (105 km) northeast of London. In

Read more 2021, Ipswich had a population of 139,600, while the Ipswich built-up area had a population of 151,562 in that same year, making it 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 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 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 is adjacent to the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape AONB and is close to Dedham Vale AONB. 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.

Read more on Wikipedia

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is there to see near Ipswich?

Within an hour or so of Ipswich: Flatford Mill (14 km), Lavenham (25 km), Snetterton Circuit (47 km).

Are there any good drives near Ipswich?

The nearest famous roads are Crystal Palace Circuit.

Where is Ipswich?

Ipswich is in England, United Kingdom, about 4 km from Bramford.

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Quick Information

Population
178,835
Continent
Europe
Country
United Kingdom
Region
England
Timezone
Europe/London
Coordinates
52.0592, 1.1555

Emergency & Services

Essential numbers in United Kingdom

Police
999
Ambulance
999
Fire
999
Non-emergency police
101
Driving side
left

112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.

Full driving guide for United Kingdom

Tags

EuropeUnited KingdomEnglandCity

Worth the detour from Ipswich

3 notable places within an hour's drive.

landmark

Flatford Mill

The mill and surrounding Dedham Vale that inspired John Constable's most famous paintings including The Hay Wain, largely unchanged since the 1820s.

14 km · about 25 min drive

landmark

Lavenham

Exquisitely preserved medieval wool town with over 300 listed buildings, including crooked timber-framed houses and a magnificent church.

25 km · about 30 min drive

racetrack

Snetterton Circuit

A fast and flowing former RAF airfield circuit in Norfolk, popular for British Superbike and BTCC events.

47 km · about 55 min drive

Driving roads near Ipswich

  • 73 kmThe Backs, CambridgeThe famous riverside meadows behind the Cambridge colleges, offering iconic views of King's College Chapel, the Bridge of Sighs and punts on the Cam.

Driving in United Kingdom

Drives on
the left
Petrol
~€1.73/litre
Motorway tolls
None

When to drive here

April to October

Nearby Destinations

Other places to explore near Ipswich.

Bramford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

4 km awayPop. 1,899

Grundisburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

9 km awayPop. 1,375

Woodbridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

12 km awayPop. 11,200

Shotley Gate

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

14 km awayPop. 1,511

Harwich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

16 km awayPop. 20,723

Felixstowe

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

17 km awayPop. 24,521

Stowmarket

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

18 km awayPop. 21,028

Rendlesham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

19 km awayPop. 3,013

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Data sources:GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)•Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)•Mapbox•Photography: George Lawrence