Felixstowe is a
seaside townA seaside resort is a resort located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- History of the seaside resort :...
on the
North SeaThe North Sea is a marginal, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean. It is more than long and wide, with an area of around...
coast of
SuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The town gives its name to the nearby
Port of FelixstoweThe Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...
, which is the largest
containerContainerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using standard intermodal containers that are standardised by the International Organization for Standardization...
port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK. The town is situated across the estuary of the
River OrwellThe River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England. Its source river, above the tidal limit, is known as the River Gipping. It broadens into an estuary at Ipswich and flows into the North Sea at Felixstowe after joining with the River Stour at Shotley...
and River Stour from
HarwichHarwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district...
in
EssexEssex is a county in the East of England region of the United Kingdom. The county town of Essex is Chelmsford.-History:In pre-Roman Britain the territories of Suffolk and Essex were home to the Trinovantes tribe, which had grown wealthy through intensive trade with the Roman Empire, contemporary...
.
History
A
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
has stood on the site since long before the Norman conquest The early history of Felixstowe, including its Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Medieval defences, is told under the name of
WaltonWalton is a small town in Suffolk, between the rivers Orwell and Deben.It was once the village of which Felixstowe was a fishing hamlet, but as Felixstowe experienced a growth far greater than Walton's, Walton became just a western suburb of Felixstowe...
, because the name Felixstowe was given retrospectively, during the 13th century, to a place which had already been important for well over a thousand years
It continued as a
linchpinA linchpin, also spelled linch pin, lynchpin, or lynch pin, is a fastener used to prevent a wheel or other rotating part from sliding off the axle it is riding on...
in England's defence, as proved when in 1667 Dutch soldiers landed and failed to capture Landguard Fort. The town only became a major port in 1886. In addition to shipping, tourism increased, and a
pierA pier is a raised walkway over water, supported by widely spread piles or pillars. The lighter structure of a pier allows tides and currents to flow almost unhindered, whereas the more solid foundations of a quay or the closely-spaced piles of a wharf can act as breakwaters, and are consequently...
was constructed in 1905 but is now unsafe. Indeed, during the late Victorian period (after circa 1880) it became a fashionable resort, a trend initiated by the opening of
Felixstowe railway stationFelixstowe railway station is a railway station serving the town of Felixstowe in Suffolk, England. The station is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line 25 km east of Ipswich.The station is served by National Express East Anglia...
, the pier, (see above) and a visit by the then German imperial family. It remained so until the late 1930s. In 1953, 38 died in the town in the
North Sea floodThe North Sea flood of 1953 and the associated storm combined to create a major natural disaster which affected the coastlines of the Netherlands and England on the night of 31 January – 1 February 1953...
.
Landguard Fort
The site of the last opposed invasion of England in 1667 and the first land battle of The Duke of York and Albany's Marines. The current fort was built in the 18th century, and modified in the 19th century with substantial additional 19th/20th-century outside batteries. The fort hosts regular military re-enactments, including Darell's day with a Sealed Knot celebration of the last invasion, art exhibitions and alternative theatre.
Landguard FortBuilt just outside Felixstowe, Suffolk at the mouth of the River Orwell, Landguard Fort was designed to guard the entrance to Harwich. The first fortifications from 1540 were a few earthworks and blockhouse, but it was James I of England who ordered the construction of a square fort with bulwarks...
is in the care of English Heritage and managed by the Landguard Fort Trust. It is open to the public 10 til 5 every day, April to the end of October.
Felixstowe Museum
A museum telling the story of Felixstowe, with a reference library, historic maps, photo archive and 14 rooms of artefacts from Roman finds, the Martello Towers, military social and domestic history through two world wars and into the new Millennium is managed by volunteers from the Felixstowe History and Museum Society. It is located in the old submarine mining establishment building at Landguard Point, between the Fort and Port and is open on Sundays, Bank Holidays and Wednesdays during the summer.
Pier
During the Second World War the majority of the pier, at the time one of the longest in the country and complete with its own train, was purposely demolished by Royal Engineers to prevent it being used as an easy landing point for enemy troops. Unfortunately after the war the damage was never repaired and the pier never regained its original length. Felixstowe was also one of the few places bombed by the Italians during the Blitz. Mussolini's airforce proved to be no match for the RAF, who shot down a fair number of Italian biplanes over the channel and around Felixstowe itself - one of the few pictures of a shot-down Italian plane over the UK being from here.
By the late 1990s the pier had been neglected so badly that it was deemed to be unsafe and closed to the public. Ambitious plans have been presented from time to time since the closure of the pier for its redevelopment along with large disused areas of the seafront near the former site of the Felixstowe Beach railway station, but nothing has come of them.
Railway stations
The sole remaining station, known as Felixstowe Town, opened in 1898 in the well-preserved building which now houses a Co-Operative supermarket, locally known as "Solar". It also houses certain mini stores, including a Pub, 'Play n Exchange' Game and Joke Shop and 'Adam and Eve' hairdressers. In its prime the station saw more than 20 services an hour, but now hosts only one, the service to Ipswich. This runs approximately hourly, Arriving at approximately 53 minutes past the hour and departing at 56 minutes past the hour Monday-Friday from 06:50 and 23:50. The station has only one platform, which has been created from the far end of one of the original platforms.
Felixstowe Beach railway stationFelixstowe Beach is a disused station on the Felixstowe Branch Line built in 1877. The station served the seafront of Felixstowe.-History:The station building was demolished by the Strategic Rail Authority in April 2004 against the wishes of the local residents and council...
was demolished in 2004 despite a storm of protest from many local people keen on saving the 137 year-old historical building which the council had branded as 'unsafe'. The station was originally opened in 1877 and was used continuously until 1959, after which it was the site of a small printers for many years until its demolition.
Felixstowe also had a third station, Felixstowe Pier, which was sited inside the area of the modern day docks at a small pier popular with pleasure boats. This station was the first to close in 1951.
Train
Felixstowe railway stationFelixstowe railway station is a railway station serving the town of Felixstowe in Suffolk, England. The station is the terminus of the Felixstowe Branch Line 25 km east of Ipswich.The station is served by National Express East Anglia...
is the terminus of the
Felixstowe Branch LineThe Felixstowe Branch Line is a railway line from Ipswich to Felixstowe in Suffolk. The line follows the East Suffolk Line from Ipswich to Westerfield, and then diverges to the south. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia...
service to
IpswichIpswich is a non-metropolitan district and the county town of Suffolk, England on the estuary of the River Orwell. Nearby towns are Felixstowe in Suffolk and Harwich and Colchester in Essex...
.
Felixstowe Ferry
The Felixstowe Ford Ferry . service operates between The View Point (near Landguard Fort) in Felixsotwe and Halfpenny Pier, Harwich throughout the summer. Another ferry crosses the
River DebenThe River Deben is a medium length river in Suffolk rising in Debenham, passing through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry...
from Felixstowe Fordy usually from May to October, with weekend crossings in the winter.
Politics
Felixstowe is administered by
Suffolk County CouncilSuffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England, providing a range of services under the control of elected county councillors that include education, planning, transport and streets, social services and public safety....
,
Suffolk CoastalSuffolk Coastal is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Woodbridge. Other towns include Felixstowe.The district was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Aldeburgh, along with Felixstowe,...
District Council, and Felixstowe Town Council. Suffolk Coastal District Council, the local authority, is based in
WoodbridgeWoodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480 although this seems larger due to the number of surrounding villages. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the...
, although it has a part-time office in Felixstowe, which is open Mondays and Wednesdays. The local parish council, Felixstowe Town Council, is based in the Town Hall, on the seafront at Undercliff Road West.
Felixstowe is twinned with the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
towns
WeselWesel is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.-Division of the town:Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.-History:...
and
SalzwedelSalzwedel Salzwedel Salzwedel of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwedel is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:Salzwedel...
.
Landmarks
Landguard FortBuilt just outside Felixstowe, Suffolk at the mouth of the River Orwell, Landguard Fort was designed to guard the entrance to Harwich. The first fortifications from 1540 were a few earthworks and blockhouse, but it was James I of England who ordered the construction of a square fort with bulwarks...
is a scheduled ancient monument and major visitor attraction with a proud history and a nearby
nature reserveA nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
. At the opposite end of the town is Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club which is amongst the oldest in the UK, having been established in 1881. The Rt. Hon.
Arthur BalfourArthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
, Captain of the Golf Club in 1889, became Captain of the
R&AThe Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world . It is based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, regarded as the worldwide "Home of Golf"...
in 1894 and British Prime Minister from 1902–1908.
Felixstowe has a pebbly beach, which has rapidly eroded in recent years, extending from the port at
Landguard FortBuilt just outside Felixstowe, Suffolk at the mouth of the River Orwell, Landguard Fort was designed to guard the entrance to Harwich. The first fortifications from 1540 were a few earthworks and blockhouse, but it was James I of England who ordered the construction of a square fort with bulwarks...
to Felixstowe Fordy, an old fishing hamlet on the River Deben. A promenade runs along part of the beach, from the nature reserve in the south-west to Cobbolds Point (Maybush Lane in east), with traditional beach huts along most of that length. An amusement arcade with snooker halls and food outlets dominate the southern end. The pier, now disused except for a cafe and amusement arcade, stands before a leisure centre, with swimming pool, owned by the local council, now managed by a contractor.
From Cobbolds Point to Felixstowe Ferry there is a walkway and path, although it is necessary to walk inland and to rejoin the coastal path at Jacobs Ladder, where the path then runs before beach huts and the golf course. At Cobbolds Point the coastal protection work now prevents pedestrian access along the beach. At tom tide from this walkway it is possible to glimpse the seaweed-covered remains of a Roman ford in the water about 50 m from the coast.
Sport
Felixstowe Rugby Football Union Club is the premier rugby club in Felixstowe, Founded in 1930 with plenty of history. Currently playing in the Eastern Counties Leagues, it has many supporters and great teams. See http://www.felixstowerugby.co.uk/ for more details. It boasts great players past and present such as AW Brown, Chris Barbour, Steve Edwards, Steve Britchfield, Gareth Carr and many more.
The town's only senior football team,
Felixstowe & Walton UnitedFelixstowe & Walton United F.C. is a football club based in Felixstowe, Suffolk, England. They were formed in 2000 from the merger of Felixstowe Port & Town and Walton United.-History:...
, compete in the
Eastern Counties LeagueThe Eastern Counties Football League is an English football league at Levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It contains teams from Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and is a feeder to the regional divisions of either the Isthmian League or the Southern League, depending...
Premier Division.
The town has a sports centre, The Brackenbury, in High Road East, and fordball, hockey and rugby pitches, together with two bowling greens and other sporting facilities. The sports centre, owned by the council, is managed by a contractor.
Felixstowe Golf club is a links course to the north-east of the town centre.
Leisure facilities
The town has two main leisure facilities: The Brackenbury Sports centre in Old Felixstowe and the Felixstowe leisure centre adjacent to the pier. There is a bowls club and a tennis club that hosts a large post Wimbledon tournament. Most local associations have no meeting places, except for a small community centre in Old Felixstowe (Fordy Road), and they generally rely upon church halls.
The library was refurbished in 2006 at a cost of £1,500,000 and has since won national awards..
The Spa Pavilion theatre is a 900-seat
art decoArt Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film...
-style building on the promenade, owned by the district council and managed by a private contractor;
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
,
the WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for energetic live performances including the pioneering spectacle of instrument destruction...
,
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands, helping to pioneer the genre...
and
ShowaddywaddyShowaddywaddy are a 1970s pop group from Leicester, England. They specialised in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s, and dressed as Teddy Boys.-History:...
all played there. There is also a Sunday market that is larger than that at nearby
IpswichIpswich is a non-metropolitan district and the county town of Suffolk, England on the estuary of the River Orwell. Nearby towns are Felixstowe in Suffolk and Harwich and Colchester in Essex...
.
Felixstowe Radio is a community interest company that has been granted an FM broadcast licence for the town.
The Port of Felixstowe
Felixstowe is Britain's Largest Container port.
The main navigation channel is dredged to 14.5 metres below
Chart DatumThe chart datum is the level of water that charted depths displayed on nautical charts are measured from. The chart datum is generally a tidal datum; that is, a datum derived from some phase of the tide...
, and a depth of up to 15 metres alongside the quay, Felixstowe boasts deep-water able to accommodate the world’s latest generation of deep-draughted
ultra post-Panamax"Panamax ships" are the largest ships that can pass through Panama Canal. The size is limited by the dimensions of the lock chambers and the depth of the water in the canal...
vessels. There is a continuous quay of over 2.3 km, equipped with 25 ship-to shore gantry cranes.
It has congested road links to the Midlands via the A14 and to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
via the A12 road. The single-track railway line to
IpswichIpswich is a non-metropolitan district and the county town of Suffolk, England on the estuary of the River Orwell. Nearby towns are Felixstowe in Suffolk and Harwich and Colchester in Essex...
has recently been upgraded to allow larger containers, and many containers are now transported by rail.
The port is owned by
Hutchison WhampoaHutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in its three...
Ltd but much of the land on which it sits is owned by
Trinity College, CambridgeTrinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 160 Fellows ....
.
The port has its own
Police AuthorityPort of Felixstowe Police is a small specialised police force responsible for policing the Port of Felixstowe.Officers of this force are sworn in as special constables under section 79 of the Harbours, Docks, and Piers Clauses Act 1847...
, which also currently has jurisdiction over the area local to the Port (with permission from Suffolk Constabulary's Chief Inspector). Alongside the Port Police, they also have their own joint Ambulance & Fire Service. One of the Port Ambulances, call sign 'Alpha 1', can also come off Port to attend 999 Emergencies in Felixstowe.
Notable residents
Famous people originating from or associated with Felixstowe include:
- Actor Sir John Mills
Sir John Mills, CBE was an English actor, who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
- Actress Megs Jenkins
Megs Jenkins , was an English character actress who appeared in British films and television programmes.-Career:Born Muguette Mary Jenkins in Birkenhead, she originally trained to be a ballet dancer...
- Actor Jeremy Kemp
Jeremy Kemp is an English actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as PC Bob Steele in the BBC television police series Z Cars....
Z Cars BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
- Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor was an American socialite who married, as her third husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom.Wallis's father died shortly after her birth, and she and her widowed mother were partly supported by...
- Mrs Simpson, who spent time at Felixstowe waiting for Edward VIII's abdication.
- Broadcaster & Actor Nicholas Pandolfi
Nicholas Pandolfi, also known as Nick Pandolfi, is a radio and television broadcaster who has worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation and Global Radio...
- Economist & writer Barbara Ward
Barbara Mary Ward , in later life Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, was a British economist and writer interested in the problems of developing countries. She urged Western governments to share their prosperity with the rest of the world and in the 1960s turned her attention to environmental...
- Barbara Ward was a pupil of the Jesus & Mary Convent in Felixstowe
- Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB GCMG GCVO (April 23, 1861 - May 14, 1936) was a British soldier most famous for his role during World War I, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.
- Iain Hook, UNRWA officer, killed in the line of duty.
- T E Lawrence, 1888-1935 - 'Lawrence of Arabia' - based at RAF Landguard under the name John Hume Ross.
- Thomas Cavendish, 1560-1592 - 'The Navigator' - Elizabethan explorer (born Trimley St Martin)
External links