Bridge Ward News » Rectory Road

Canvassing in Rectory Road and Croft Street

James Spencer — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:45:57 +0000

There will be photos shortly but we did Croft Street, the new developments around Bruff Road and my old stomping ground of Rectory Road. Therese Coffey, the candidate for Suffolk Coastal came down to help and brought a number of canvassers with her. Thank you Therese. We also had a team out in Heatherhayes to say hello to the Lib Dems and another team phone canvassing (although not in Bridge).

It was great to see a number of posters being taken and even a leaflet deliverer being found.

The best response was from a Labour voter. “Are you voting for Gordon Brown?” “Not Gordon Brown! Labour!”

So until I get the photos, here’s one to boost our chances in Ipswich:

It's Ben Gummer or this man will nick the rest of your pension

Was there a rectory on Rectory Road?

James Spencer — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:20:54 +0000

Bob Blastock who, as well as being active in a bewildering variety of other local groups, is one of the leading lights in the Over Stoke History group, has told me that the rectory that Rectory Road was named after is actually where the Bridge Ward Social club is now, and that Rectory road was actually built on the grounds of the old rectory. He also pointed out, and this is far better known, that the station that Station Street was named after was actually on Croft Street where the EUR (Eastern Union Railway) pub kept the memory of the station until entertainment licences, smoking bans and the other nannying dictates of our modern state shut it down like so many other pubs.

Does anyone know of any other road names in the ward with an odd history?

Rectory Road to Belstead Avenue

James Spencer — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:08:28 +0000

Well at last I’ve moved from Rectory Road to Belstead Avenue, I’m still in the ward though. I’ve made a lot of friends in Rectory Road and I will miss them (in fact as I was moving out I seemed to see most of them) but I’ve already made a few friends in Belstead Avenue and as I now own a place it somehow feels a bit more permanent and that I’ve got a bit more of a stake in the place.

No doubt with the madcap parking schemes being designed by the absentee Labour councillors we will soon have plenty of Rectory Road residents coming to Belstead Avenue as there will only enough parking places for half of Rectory Road when the double yellow lines come in.

Anti-social behaviour: Why ID cards will be a disaster

James Spencer — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:10:29 +0000

The problem with the database state is that it criminalises ordinary and harmless people while the louts go free. Whether it’s policewomen not allowed to look after each other’s children or headmasters being sacked for out of date fishing licences the criminalising of the harmless seems to be the abiding failure of law enforcement today. The ID card will of course take this further.

Anti-social behaviour is a real and very nasty stain on people’s lives. Even down to firebugs burning grass on Wherstead Road or raucous all night parties on Rectory Road, this is when the streets start to get out of control. No ID card will sort that out if all the kids get is a kiss, cuddle and caution. Crime and anti-social behaviour is caused by a small minority of people, and the system should be focussing on that minority, not the vast majority who may overfill their dustbin after Christmas.

Luckily there is a group in Ipswich that wants to do something about ID cards. They should be in the town centre next week.

Heritage Open Days in Ipswich

James Spencer — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:52:46 +0000

The Ipswich Society is organising some local building openings on Saturday. The timetable is here:

http://www.ipswichsociety.org.uk/events/

The only one I can see in Bridge is Saint Mary’s at Stoke church, which is two minutes away from me in Rectory Road.

Some nearby attractions that are open are:

The Willis Building
The Old Custom House
Unitarian Meeting House
St Mary At The Quay
St Peter’s Church
The Mansion, Wherstead

I definately want to see the Old Custom House.

The details of the opening times are in the following PDF leaflet:

http://www.ipswichsociety.org.uk/events/HeritageDay2009.pdf

Ipswich power cut

James Spencer — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:19:54 +0000

The electricity cut that caught those of us in Rectory Road (as well as Wherstead Road, Station Street and who knows where else) did not come on in our house until 1.30 pm because they had somehow managed to trip our power switch and we had to call out an electrician. Luckily we did not open the fridge or freezer or we could have been throwing away almost a weeks worth of food.

These cuts have been very frequent in the last six months, even if not as long lasting.

Nethaniah Home for the Aged

James Spencer — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:47:37 +0000

Another Photograph of Bridge, this one is particularly dear to me as it is around the corner from where I live.

Simon Knott (who does the excellent Suffolk Churches website) has also transcribed the plaques.

There is one correction, later on Simon says that he thinks that the pentecostalist church next door used to be St. Peter’s parish rooms, but I was told by Father Leeder at St. Pancras that this was actually an outstation of St. Pancras’s when St Pancras covered most of Bridge Ward. It may have been both at different times.

Rectory Road and Seymour Road on the box

James Spencer — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:33:46 +0000

As a Rectory Road resident I’ve always heard about the day that Del and Rodney Trotter where down my street. So I thought I’d do some detective work.

The episode of Only Fools and Horses that got to Ipswich was a Christmas special known as The Frog’s Legacy when Rodney is conned by Del into becoming a chief mourner. Instead of Peckham the BBC filmed on the corner of Rectory and Seymour roads, setting up market stalls on Seymour Road with the funeral courtege coming from Belstead Road (you can see Stoke Hall Road at the beginning of the clip if you look carefully enough).

You will also see some unfamilliar one way signs on the corner of Rectory Road and Phillip Road, luckily the Ipswich one way system does not reach here usually.

My house can be seen if you look carefully enough (I had to go through the clip about three times) and look for the bicycle.

http://www.ofah.net/images/frogs2.jpg

Although in my opinion not the best episode of Only Fools and Horses- apart from the wise choice of location – it’s still funny.

The funeral scene starts 7 minutes into this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tuknqqMyrA

And it continues into this part (which actually starts in Seymour Road) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vumW3-Fy74k

If you want to see the whole episode it’s in six parts here:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=682827B6C8532ED4&search_query=the+frog%27s+legacy

Keep up the flood barrier

James Spencer — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:17:26 +0000

For the first time in years we actually had some (albeit minor) flooding in our house although my wife was at home and had the presence of mind to get some newspapers to soak it up so no damage was done. It seems that it was a problem with the drains which soon sorted itself out, but it does show that the idea floated by Phillip Smart, one of our non-resident Labour councillors that the existing flood barrier should be lowered to be “more pleasing” to the eye is madness.