Car Hire Ipswich - Mini guide to Ipswich

Ipswich is East Anglia’s regional focus for business, shopping, sport and entertainment, but is also perfectly located on the edge of Constable Country providing you with access to the many sites made famous in the painter’s works.

The town centre is very much a mixture of old and new with many architectural styles reflecting its 800-year development as an important trading town. The centrally-located Tavern Street is perhaps the most interesting shopping street within Ipswich, as not only is it fully pedestrianised, but the streets are lined with a patchwork of buildings from different eras. As the town’s main open shopping street, you can then walk toward Westgate Street, passing the impressive Victorian Town Hall, a highlight of the wide piazza which separates the two streets.

Back through Taverner Street you will find The Walk and Dial Lane, two fine examples of Ipswich’s old narrow shopping streets which today contain many interesting arts, crafts and antique shops. Places to eat and drink line the streets of Ipswich, but walk toward the eastern end of town along Carr Street and you will find some more upmarket restaurants and bistros.

Ipswich is a few miles north of the valley of the River Stour, home of the famous Flatford Mill immortalised in John Constable’s painting, The Hay Wain. Adjacent to the mill is Bridge Cottage which houses an informative display about Constable’s works. A short drive west of Ipswich is Lavenham, described as the most perfect medieval town in England. The early sixteenth century Guildhall dominates the market place and now contains a local history exhibition, and the parish church, with one of the tallest towers in East Anglia, looks over Lavenham from an adjoining hill.

London Stansted Airport is only 50 miles from Ipswich, while the A12 connects the town with the M25 motorway, making access to both Heathrow and Gatwick airports a convenient possibility. Trains also depart hourly from London Liverpool Street station.