Ipswich Engineering Society

Posted on January 29, 2025 by David Redhead

Get involved with The Ipswich Engineering Society!

To most people around the UK, Ipswich would be best known for its agricultural background in terms of industry. It may come a surprise to some that Ipswich was a major engineering hub, employing in excess of 12,000. In the 1960’s the engineering department of Ipswich Civic College (Now Suffolk New College) had over 2000 students in apprenticeships or in engineering training.

Robert Ransome set up his first company in Ipswich in 1789 that later become Ransome, Sims and Jefferies and by the late 1800’s other companies such as E R and F Turner, Bull Motors, Cocksedge & Co, Ransome and Rapier and Reavells had become established in the town.

In 1899, Edmond Bruce-Ball was employed as Works Director of Reavells and he sent a note around to his peers in the other companies to suggest a forum that would “enable engineers to meet and interchange ideas regarding improvements and developments in the field of engineering”.
A meeting was convened with senior members of the above 5 companies and it was agreed to form the Ipswich Engineering Society. After a number of meetings to set up a constitution, the first meeting proper was held on December 18th 1899 in the Grimwade Memorial Hall in Fore Hamlet. The first President was Mr Leonard Turner.

Thinking about these times, there were huge developments taking place in the industry. The internal combustion engine, the developments of the motor car and aircraft were all discussed along with major modern production techniques and the like. The meetings must have been eye opening for some!

Moving into the early 20th century, a number of other major companies moved into the area including Manganese Bronze, Crane Ltd, Suffolk Iron Foundry in Stowmarket and British Steel Piling Co at The Society has been honoured in the past by the fact that Sir Kingsley Reavell and Mr E Bruce-Ball, both founder members, attained the exalted position as President of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, the leading and oldest Institution of its like in the world.

Today, the Society membership mostly consists of those who worked in the industry plus others with a general interest in Engineering. We have regular evening meetings at the Golden Hind in Nacton Road, generally monthly, where talks take place on a number of subjects. We also arrange to visit various companies, museums and other areas of interest.

For example in the last couple of years we have had talks on a variety of subjects including Trinity House, Sizewell C, ballistics, submarines, working horses and cyber crime and have visited the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation museum, Bentwaters cold war museum, Sutton Hoo boat, Wattisham Heritage Museum and others.


The annual subscription is £15, which covers all the local meetings. There is sometimes an extra charge for the visits. Our current President is Malcolm van den Bergh and to join or learn more you may like to contact our secretary David Redhead on 07831 441148 or [email protected]

Who wrote this about Ipswich?

David Redhead

David Redhead is secretary of the Ipswich Engineering Society

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