Christchurch Manision

Christchurch Mansion was originally the site of an Augustinian Priory of the Holy Trinity founded in 1177. The area of the Upper Arboretum is possibly the site of the Ipswich Castle which was besieged by King Stephen in 1153 and demolished in 1176, although documentary evidence points to other possible sites.

The monastery was in possession of 643 acres of farmland, fishponds and further parishes around Ipswich.  A series of ponds, fed by streams, provided fish for the monks. And the park springs were the source of town streams and the medieval water system.

Under Henry VIII’s laws to seize estates the priory was razed to the ground in February 1536.

In 1545, Paul Withypoll, a London Merchant purchased the land and his son Paul, built the original mansion on the ruins of the priory between 1548-1550, where he lived. The motto carved on the front of the building  translates as ‘always behave with frugality and don’t be a spendthrift’ or more exacting 'You observe frugality in order that you may not run into dissipation'.

In 1567 Edmund Withypoll created the pond ‘the wilderness pond’   Elizabeth 1 visited in 1579.

In 1647, Edmund Withypolls’s granddaughter Elizabeth, the sole heir, married Leicester Devereux, the 6th Viscount of Hereford and the Mansion passed into the Devereux family.  Leicester was one of a support group who invited Charles II back to the throne after the Civil War.  Charles II visited in 1662 and played bowls in Christchurch Park.

In 1734 Claude Fonnereau, a London Merchant descended from the persecuted Huguenots, purchased the Mansion (then 114 acres of land, today only 82 acres)  and with his son Thomas, made alterations  in the 18th century building a new west wing on the north east corner, a state bedroom with the Fonnereau coat of arms upstairs and drawing room downstairs.

Prince Albert visited in 1851.

In 1892, on hearing that there were plans to demolish the Mansion, Felix Cobbold, of Brewery fame, purchased the mansion and its grounds from the Fonnereau family, on condition that the Ipswich Corporation purchased the rest of the property and the house be preserved. In 1895 he donated it to the people of Ipswich, and transferred it to the town.

The house is furnished in various styles from Tudor to Victorian, and contains many early paintings, including Gainsborough and Constable.

A Tudor merchant house under threat of demolition was moved from Major’s Corner to the north of Christchurch Mansion in 1924. 

It is a Grade I listed building.  There are 14 other grade listed structures in the park, including lodges gates, shelters, the Martyr’s Memorial and the Ice House.

One of the most unique possessions is that of the painted closet lady Anne Drury known as the Hawstead panels, the imagery was derived from the emblematic books, conveying principles of mental and spiritual well being.

Pictures on the walls have been seen turning themselves one report states that whilst walking through the corridors of the Mansion out of the corner of her eye a visitor caught sight of movement on the wall.  As she turned her head, she saw one of the pictures turn itself round.

Another visitor, with her daughter was looking at one of the display rooms.  She describes feeling a cold shiver as a Victorian woman glided by them passing straight through the glass doors into the room

A much older report states that the mansion is haunted by a maid and two young children they have been seen and heard laughing, giggling and dancing through the corridors and kitchen area.

Tales of McGintys

Footsteps have been heard and doors have slammed shut on their own even though no one could be seen.

A ghostly man has been seen sitting in the corner of the bar drinking Guinness. The same man is in an old picture hanging next to the bar. 

Strange noises have been heard coming from the cellar. Local legend says that a series of tunnels used to run beneath Ipswich town. They have since been filled in and bricked up. It is believed that the cellar had an entrance to these tunnels. What looks like a bricked up tunnel entrance can still be seen today.

A ghostly monk has been seen walking through the fireplace. It is thought that the fireplace area may have originally connected to the room upstairs and the cellar. One local tale says that a monk tried to help somebody come through the tunnels from the Monastery. He was caught and drowned in the well. The well can be seen today in the lower bar.

Ipswich Stories

Little People
The little people promised a house owner that if he kept his house clean, they would bring him special gifts.  But he bragged about this to his friends.  The fairies who are so shy and selective about who they show themselves to, were never seen again.

The Old Monk
Before the Buttermarket was built, Cowells stood on the site, which once long ago had been the site of a monastery.  Many people have reported seeing an old monk wandering through the building.  On two separate occasions, a woman who saw the unearthly figure fainted with fear.  Another man, a worker on the nightshift at Cowells, saw something so terrifying, that he fled from the building.  Footsteps have been heard echoing through rooms and corridors there.  On investigation, no one could find the phantom intruder.

Woolpack Fred
Locals in the Woolpack hostelry have seen a ’ghostly shade’ walking through the pub. They called him woolpack Fred.  He was thought to be ‘Admiral Grog’ who drank there in the days of the tall ships, when the inn was a haunt for smugglers.  Stolen goods from the thriving docks and custom house were spirited away in the underground tunnels that ran from the docks to the Woolpack.

The White Lady
Several Witnesses have reported seeing a ‘shadowy white figure’ passing through the upper floors of Gippeswyk Hall.  One observer spoke of a strange unearthly mist arising from the chimney.  Checking the building, there were no fires alight on that day.
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Alfred
In the Rep, a public house formerly the Repertory Theatre, one of the old actors, Alfred, has been seen, still treading the boards.

The forlorn figure  
A forlorn figure walks around the Ipswich Film Theatre. Several staff and film goers at this building have reported a shadowy forlorn looking figure walking around the rear corridors near the protection booths. When confronted, he disappears.

UFO’s Over the Orwell
On several occasions spinning UFO lights have been spotted over the Orwell Bridge and along the A12 towards Felixstowe, and Nacton Road. One witness reported that as she was driving across the bridge she saw two dull spinning lights in the sky in front of her car, as she continued on her journey the lights appeared to follow her before disappearing. Several other witnesses have reported seeing similar lights around the Nacton Road area at about roughly the same time.

The Orwell river mermaid
It has been reported that a beautiful ghostly mermaid sits on the Orwell river bank singing unearthly eerie songs of the sea. The story is that one day a mermaid heard a local fisherman singing and fell in love with his voice, she followed him to land and from then on would wait for him each morning, one day he did not appear and she heard other fisherman saying that he had moved away. She died of a broken heart and now waits along the river bank hoping that one day he will return.

Roman Soldiers
Two children playing on a stretch of parkland along the Dales spotted a Roman solider standing by a tree watching them. He vanished. During an excavation they uncovered a Roman cemetery at Dales Road which may have been used by the inhabitants of the Castle Hill Roman Villa. They found 6 decapitated bodies with heads placed between their legs and 3 deep ritual shafts which imply this may have been the site of a Celtic shrine.

Very Black Cat
A very large, black cat has been seen on several occasions around Ipswich town, at Felix rd, Foxhall rd, and Stone Lodge Lane near the small wood. Witnesses described the creature as much larger than a normal cat, almost as big as a panther. Another incident happened near the pet cemetery at Tuddenham when a group of people crossing the road were shocked to see a creature as large as a tiger with a jet black coat appear out of nowhere and then suddenly disappear.

The Sisters
Staff working at St Stephens Church now the Tourist Information Centre have reported seeing two elderly sisters wandering the building. It is said that they once both used to play the organ in the church up until it closed. They are thought to have died shortly after their beloved church finally closed its doors for worship, and cannot bear to leave.

Mother Lakeland
Mother Lacland, a wise woman, or witch, who once lived in Ipswich, has been blamed by the staff of Lakelands for moving displays in the shop.  They describe her as a playful spirit.  The building also houses a 15th century chapel which remained undiscovered for many years, but is now open to the public.

Ghostly Woman
At the Great White Horse Hotel, a ghostly figure has been seen walking though the walls.  She is said to be the spirit of a woman who was burnt to death in a fire on the site.