St Margaret’s Plain, Ipswich 1974

The architectural heritage of Ipswich, Suffolk, is captured in this authentic 1970s colour photograph from 1974. The archival image focuses on the striking timber-framed buildings at the junction of St Margaret’s Plain and Northgate Street. The corner property, a traditional newsagent and tobacconist, features intricate wood carvings and period advertising for Woodbine cigarettes and Walls ice cream. Adjacent to it is a row of well-preserved Tudor-style buildings with multiple gables and jettied upper floors. In the foreground, the quiet 1970s street scene includes a woman in a vibrant red coat crossing the road, while contemporary black traffic signals and a concrete bus shelter provide modern context to the historic setting. To the left, mature green trees and a brick boundary wall suggest the entrance to a park or grand estate. This factual record documents the intersection of medieval urban design and 1970s daily life in one of England’s oldest continuously inhabited towns.