The Ipswich Historic Churches Trust is a charitable trust set up to preserve redundant mediaeval churches of historical and architectural value in Ipswich in the county of Suffolk, England.
Churches
Established in 1979, the trust currently maintains five churches, which are used for a variety of purposes:
- St Lawrence Church, housing the oldest ring of bells (now a restaurant)
- St Clement's Church, formerly a mariners' church (now home to Ipswich Arts Centre)
- St Peter's Church, housing a Tournai font (now a heritage centre and music venue)
- St Nicholas' Church, where Cardinal Wolsey worshipped as a child (for many years a conference centre for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich)
- St Stephen's Church, Ipswich, the town's smallest mediaeval church (currently vacant, but for many years a tourist information centre)
The local historian and former headmaster of Ipswich School, John Blatchly, was chairman of the trust from 1994 until his death in 2015 and led much of the conservation and repair work.
References
- ^ Ipswich Historic Churches Trust website. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ Ipswich Society, Newsletter (issue 174), January 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- Daily Telegraph, "'World's oldest' church bells returned home", 2 September 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- East Anglian Daily Times, "St Clement's Church ready for new life as an arts centre", 16 May 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- East Anglian Daily Times, "Church puts Ipswich's St Nicholas Centre up for sale", 7 October 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- Ipswich Historic Churches Trust, Tribute to Dr. Blatchly. Retrieved 12 December 2024.