Monday 7 May 2012

Stairlifts Ipswich – Suffolk Stairlifts



Click here to find new and reconditioned
 stairlifts in Ipswich

Castle Comfort Stairlifts offers top brand stairlifts, keen prices and fast installs for all those seeking stairliftsoffers top brand stairlifts, keen prices and fast installs for all those seeking stairlifts in Ipswich. And all work comes with our no-quibble guarantees and famous customer service satisfaction.
Give us a call today on 01473 209069  


If however, you are looking for fascinating facts about the area then feel free to read on.

Stairlifts Ipswich – Stairlifts Suffolk

About 650 of Ipswich’s retired population already own stairlifts to help them access the higher floors of their homes.  Castle Comfort Stair Lifts have been supplying and installing stairlifts in the area for around 15 years and are happy to help anyone who is currently looking for one or just advice about stairlifts.

We are the agent for all UK stairlift manufacturers which means we offer completely unbiased recommendations and stairlift comparisons.


Take a look at our straight stairlifts, curved stairlifts and reconditioned ones as well our stairlift prices then give our local office a call on   01473 209069 for more information or advice.


How Ipswich got its name
Ipswich’s name comes from the medieval name Gippeswick probably taken from the non-tidal part of the River Orwell – Ipswich is at the estuary of the Orwell.  Geographically Ipswich is situated in the south east of Suffolk some 43 miles from Norwich and less than 20 miles from Colchester in Essex.

Ipswich’s famous connections in history
Probably Ipswich’s most famous son is Thomas Wolsey who was born here in 1475; later he was to become Cardinal and a close confidant of Henry VIII.  About a century before Wolsey’s birth the city merchants made an appearance in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.  Later the painter Thomas Gainsborough lived in the town and completed much of his work here whilst Charles Dickens stayed in Ipswich and used the town as the backdrop for scenes in The Pickwick Papers.  Dickens stayed at an old inn known as The Tavern – later known as The Great White Horse Hotel – and described his physical surrounding as part of the same novel referring to the inn’s winding corridors and stairs.

Source:Wikimedia Commons

Today the building has a much less well known clientele as it houses Starbucks and Cotswold Outdoor; that is unless any budding author is sitting drinking coffee whilst putting down their masterpiece like Dickens and J K Rowling did!  Can we mention them in the same breath?  They both earned a good living from writing.

Historic Ipswich
Under the Romans Ipswich was on the route into mainland England.  A Roman Fort was built about 12 miles away near Felixstowe at the mouth of the estuary to protect the coast and the remains of a large Roman Villa has been found at Castle Hill just north of the town.

Ipswich is reputedly one of England’s oldest towns dating back to Anglo-Saxon times when the town, Gippeswick grew up around the dock area.  The port was an important trading point with Europe; early imported ‘treasures’ date back to England’s supreme ruler in the 7th century King Redwold.  It is his treasure that was found in nearby Sutton Hoo; replicas of the find – weapons, jewellery and artefacts - are now housed at the Ipswich Museum alongside those of another Suffolk treasure, the Roman Mildenhall treasure (Roman silver tableware).  The originals of both finds can be seen in the British Museum.

In the 7th and 8th century many Dutch potters settled in the area bringing the set up of large scale potteries to England.  This pottery was traded across Europe and remained unique to Ipswich for around 200 years.

By the 13th century King John had granted Ipswich with a Royal charter and the town’s prosperity grew as it traded Suffolk cloth with Europe.  As the town grew with a number of religious houses – Franciscans, Dominican, Carmelites, Augustinians, so Ipswich became a place of pilgrimage.

Two of its most famous pilgrims must be Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife.  Did you know that Henry VIII or at least his household is said to be the original inventor of the stairlift?  They used a block and tackle system to move his obese body up and down stairs when he became plagued by illness and injury.

Stairlifts make movement up and down the stairs much easier and safer than that now as they are usually electronically or battery operated.

By the 17th century Ipswich was one of the main set-off ports for emigration to New England.  Ipswich, Massachusetts was named after Ipswich UK by two local brothers, one of whom became the first Minister in the new town.

Ipswich also became one of the main departing ports for Puritans heading to the New World.

The most modern Grade I listed Building
At one time the Willis Faber Dumas Headquarters held the title of the most modern building in the UK to hold a Grade I listing.  The building which is clad in smoked glass and exemplifies modern building techniques was an early design of Norman Foster (1975).

Source:Wikimedia Commons

Right next door stands Ipswich’s oldest surviving Grade I building the Unitarian Meeting House which was completed in 1700.

Ipswich Town FC
We can’t fail to mention Ipswich’s professional football club; not only does it have a strong rivalry with Norwich City but it has also been home to two of England’s finest managers: Sir Alf Ramsey who is now buried in the town’s Old Cemetery and Sir Bobby Robson.

Of course they have also seen their fair share of good players too including: Mick Mills, John Wark, Frans Thijssen, Terry Butcher, Marcus Stewart and Luke Hyam.


Famous connections
Ipswich has its share of citizens who have gone on to great things.

·         Legend suggests that Geoffrey Chaucer was born in Ipswich

·         Lord Nelson was made Steward of Ipswich

·         The actor Ralph Fiennes was born in Ipswich and has gone on to have a successful career in the theatre and films.  Ralph is a 3rd third cousin of the explorer Ranulph Fiennes and an 8th cousin of the Prince of Wales

·         The cartoonist Giles lived here

·         The journalist Suzanne Moore was born here

·         Theatre and film actress Jane Lapotaire also comes from Ipswich

·         Trevor Nunn, film, theatre and Television director also hails from the town; Nunn has hundreds of credits to his name

·         British author V S Pritchett was born here

·         Elena Baltacha originally from the Ukraine lives in Ipswich and represents Great Britain at tennis; her father played football for Ipswich Town FC

·         Karen Pickering, a former Olympic freestyle swimmer is sports ambassador for Ipswich

If you’d like to know more about the stairlifts that Castle Comfort Stair Lifts supply, or how long they take to install or about financing your purchase either with a grant or via a 0% finance package or anything else, please give us a call on   01473 209069 .


2 comments:

  1. A gentleman is featured on our new Suffolk blog who sadly does not need a stairlift as he is now deceased. Sir Alf Ramsey. I was only 11 in 1965, and I'll never forget - when he came on the TV and said something that most people laughed at - "England will win the world cup in 1966!"

    RIP

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alf Ramsey........a true legend of the game! What England could do if they had him now!!

    ReplyDelete

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