Cabman’s Shelter, Christchurch Park

Have you ever seen this curious little building in Christchurch Park and wondered what it was?

It began life in 1892 and originally stood on Cornhill outside the Town Hall for use by Cabmen and Hackney carriage drivers.

This photograph from the Woolf Album in the Ipswich Society’s Image Archive depicts a busy and vibrant town centre, great numbers of people with horses and carriages milling around the Cornhill. The image itself can be dated between 1892 and 1895, as the shelter was only there for this brief period before being moved to Christchurch Park.

In an unfrequented, forgotten corner of the park, it was victim to decay and vandalism. It was given some protection from further damage after a fire in 1995, until finally, in 2006, it was restored and moved close to the Westerfield Road entrance of the park.
Now it is well-loved. Various new carvings/replacement of sections were required because it had deteriorated and was derelict. It was re-built but brilliantly so, with expert carving – a valuable structure that could so easily have been lost.
The renovation was presented with an Award of Distinction at the Ipswich Society’s Annual awards in 2007 for its sensitive rework.

It is now well respected in its new location near the Westerfield Road entrance where there is little shelter from the elements, but it is overseen by passers-by and the nearby houses so that the possibility of misuse and vandalism has been lessened.

Who wrote this about Ipswich?

Sam Sherman

Sam is a Co-Founder of Ipswich.love. Passionate about Ipswich, Sam looks to see how we might jointly reverse some of the recent negativity and bring some deserved positivity back to our beloved Town.