Wanderlust and Words

I’ve been heading east for the last couple of weeks. From Torquay on the south Channel coast, I moved to Lapworth and Birmingham in Britain’s industrial heartland. I then headed further east to Ipswich on the southeast coast (leaving tomorrow to head all the way back west to Appledore in North Devon). the former post office Ipswich is the oldest town in England dating back to Anglo-Saxon days when it was called Gippeswic. It’s a modern city nowadays with a thriving pedestrian town centre, but there are still some lovely old buildings. The Ancient House dating from the 15th century has some extremely detailed pargeting (ornamental plastering). A sculpture commemorating Carl Giles, the cartoonist, adds a comic touch to the town centre. There are also some modern buildings, including one designed by Norman Foster in 1974, which resembles a grand piano with a garden on top. With a river emptying into the North Sea, Ipswich was an important shipping port fo...

I took a 24-minute train ride to the seaside today (the British complain about their train service, but, oh, how I envy them!). I am currently staying in Ipswich, which is very near the east coast but not on it, so I decided to spend a few hours visiting Felixstowe . Felixstowe was a popular tourist destination in the late 19th century as Victorians travelled here to partake in the healing thermal waters. There is some lovely Victorian architecture to remind us of the town’s former grandeur, although the train station has been turned into a mall and reduced to one short platform. The architecture also indicates the nordic influence. It's easy for North Americans to forget the importance of North Sea Baltic trading. The seafront gardens were initially developed in the early 1900s and it’s easy to picture Victorian ladies and gentlemen strolling through the gardens, stopping to greet their acquaintances, or take in the view. There is a long promenade a...