Town

IPSWICH is famous for being the home of E.I.C.C. (don't forget to visit us if your visit coincides with a club night) as well as the county town of Suffolk. Unfortunately the town planners had a good go at Ipswich in the 1960's but there are still corners worth seeking out. In the town centre "THE ANCIENT HOUSE" - currently a Lakeland Plastics shop - has very fine pargeting (decorative plasterwork) but if you don't own a tilt and shift lens you may be restricted to detail shots due to the close proximity of other buildings. Of the Ipswich churches perhaps the finest is St MARGARET'S (located close to Christchurch Mansion) and this will keep the ecclesiastical enthusiast satisfied for a little while. Ipswich has a number of parks, which should not be overlooked in spring and autumn. Of these perhaps the nicest is CHRISTCHURCH which houses a Tudor mansion with its fine art collection. The view across the lawn leading up to the mansion is particularly attractive in early spring as the bulbs are in full flower. If your taste is a more modern then check out the WILLIS BUILDING with its exterior of reflective glass.

IPSWICH DOCKS is currently undergoing substantial improvements with a major regeneration scheme underway, so depending upon your visit scaffolding may be a feature of some buildings. Despite this the dock area is well worth your time with barges often making an appearance. The combination of newer buildings juxtaposed with those from a previous age offer an interesting contrast and if the light is against you why not try closing in on architectural details. The photographer using black and white film here may well feel rewarded. I suggest starting at The Old Custom House and taking it from there - I personally like the shapes in the modern Contship building.

Whilst not quite in Ipswich itself it would be remiss not to include the ORWELL BRIDGE. The bridge carries the A14 dual carriageway to and from Felixstowe and crosses the River Orwell (safety note - it is possible to walk over the bridge but this is not recommended due to the high winds & volume of heavy traffic, with regular accidents. You have been warned). There are interesting curve shots of the bridge to be found from the road to Shotley and having exhausted this continue to PIN MILL which has a picturesque waterside pub (The Butt & Oyster, featured in Lovejoy) with the rotting hulks of various vessels to be investigated.

County

Before we go any further I might as well get the subject of Constable country out of the way. The south of the county has associations with the artist (in fact to some people this is all they know about Suffolk) and it is still possible to obtain a flavour of the views painted by him. Constable's birth village, EAST BERGHOLT, has a number of fine houses but is probably most famous for its church bell cage situated at ground level. Moving on will bring you to FLATFORD - if you haven't been before then it is permissible to photograph Willy Lott's cottage & Flatford Mill in a picture postcard style. All local photographers are prohibited from this type of shot. As you have come this far you may as well tiptoe across the border into Essex and visit DEDHAM. The main challenge here is trying to exclude cars from any shots of the attractive high street but a short walk to the river is worthwhile with the hire boats proving attractive subject matter. Moving further along the River Stour are the villages of , both are archetypal Suffolk wool villages well worth a visit. Nayland has charming colour washed cottages in narrow streets whilst Stoke-by-Nayland has an imposing church surrounded by some fine timbered houses.

The most famous of the wool locations is probably LAVENHAM. This town has a wealth of timbered buildings (in fact approximately 300 buildings are officially listed), one of the nicest is the Guildhall (currently in the care of The National Trust). As you can imagine Lavenham is also a tourist trap - this is not to say don't visit, merely that an early start will pay dividends and a medium telephoto zoom will prove useful if you want to home in on the period features. As befits a wealthy wool town there is also a very impressive church to explore. If you are travelling by car then the following villages are worth a detour: KERSEY with its water splash ford and ducks (although the challenge is to exclude any parked cars from wider views). CHELSWORTH with a range of picture postcard cottages (if your visit coincides with the open gardens weekend so much the better) is most attractive. There is also the picture postcard shot of the church and almshouses in CAVENDISH to take, just look for the tripod marks on the village green to guide you for the "correct" view!

Moving back towards the coast WOODBRIDGE is situated approximately 9 miles from Ipswich on the River Deben. The town is worth exploring in its own right with many fine buildings with photogenic details such as canopied doorways, especially around the Market Hill. I suggest you just wander at leisure as the mood takes you and see what images you end up with. At some time you will be drawn to the quayside area and the tide mill makes an attractive shot in dramatic lighting. The town also boasts a tower mill and a little outside is the site of Sutton Hoo, with its famous treasure ship.

A few miles outside Woodbridge is SNAPE, home to famous maltings now converted into a concert venue, craft shops tea rooms etc. The buildings offer pictorial opportunities in themselves, whilst attractive views can be had from road bridge over the river, as there is usually an old vessel or two moored up. If you take the footpath alongside the river opportunities are to be had looking back towards the maltings. Oh and don't forget the modern sculpture next to the concert hall.

This is merely an appetiser of what is available for the keen photographer in Suffolk and in part 2 (subject to popular demand) I will be featuring the Suffolk coast.