Ipswich schoolchildren bring the town’s history to life with new digital heritage trail

Ipswich’s Blue Plaques have been telling the stories of remarkable local people for years. Now, thanks to the imagination and hard work of local schoolchildren, those stories have quite literally come to life.

A new interactive heritage experience called Ipswich Trail Makers has launched across the town, inviting residents and visitors to discover the people who helped shape Ipswich through a series of digital characters created by pupils from eight local schools.

Led by Wolsey 550 in partnership with The Ipswich Society, the project combines local history with digital technology, giving a new generation the opportunity to explore, research and retell the stories behind some of Ipswich’s most important Blue Plaques.

Over the summer term, pupils took part in workshops exploring the lives of figures already recognised through the Ipswich Society’s Blue Plaque scheme. Each school chose a story that resonated with them, from fossil hunter and philanthropist Elizabeth Cobbold to scientist George Clowes, whose work contributed to the development of mass producing insulin. The children then used creative digital tools to transform their chosen historical figure into an interactive character working with Urban Tech Creative.

The result is an eight-stop trail stretching across Ipswich, with locations including Christchurch Park, Holywells Park, Museum Street, Fore Street, Ipswich Railway Station and more. At each stop, visitors can scan a QR code to unlock a character, hear them speak, learn about their life and collect all eight along the way.

The trail launched as part of this year’s Heritage Open Days programme, coordinated by The Ipswich Society. All Heritage Open day events are listed here: Heritage Open Days Events in Ipswich

A new Blue Plaque inspired by young historians

The launch event, led by Hannah Hannah Houghton of Wolsey 550, hosted by ABP and held at the historic Old Custom House on Common Quay, also celebrated another remarkable achievement.  While all eight Trail Makers characters are based on people already recognised with Blue Plaques, pupils from Broke Hall Primary School challenged to propose someone whose contribution to Ipswich had never been formally recognised and make the case for their inclusion as a new Blue Plaque for the Town.

Edward Caley, the young engineer who took responsibility for the construction of Ipswich’s Wet Dock, one of the most significant developments in the town’s history.

Working with The Ipswich Society’s Blue Plaque coordinator, local historians and archivists at the Manx Museum (where Caley was born), the pupils built a compelling case for Caley’s contribution. Their nomination was successful, culminating in the surprise unveiling of a brand-new Blue Plaque during the launch event.  In doing so, the Broke Hall pupils became the youngest people ever to successfully nominate someone for a Blue Plaque in Ipswich.

“It’s changed the way I view the town”

The project has clearly left a lasting impression on the children involved.  Anna from St Helen’s Primary School said: “I loved seeing our character talk. It’s so cool.”

Reuben, one of the Broke Hall pupils who helped research and nominate Edward Caley, reflected on what the experience meant to him:  “It’s changed the way I view the town. I mean, I can say when I walk past the plaque, to my family, I did that!”

His fellow pupil Oliver highlighted one of the lessons they learned through the research process:  “One of the challenges we faced was learning that you’ve really got to do your research. Even official documents aren’t always accurate.”
The pupils’ research on Caley will now be submitted to the Manx Museum archive, ensuring their work contributes to the historical record as well.

Explore the trail

Ipswich Trail Makers is a collaboration between Wolsey 550, The Ipswich Society, Sizewell Creative and Packaged Living, with digital technology developed by Urban Tech Creative and support from a number of local partners. The newly unveiled Edward Caley Blue Plaque can be seen at The Old Custom House, while the full eight-stop trail can be explored across the town.

For more information and to start collecting characters, visit www.trailmakers.co.uk.

Photographs: Samantha Sherman

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.