A special day of activities has been arranged for Sunday 12th August as part of the commemoration of Ipswich’s connections with Jamestown, Virginia, USA.
The day will coincide with the visit of Discovery, a replica of one of the sailing ships that carried local people to settle in Jamestown in 1607. Discovery will be berthed outside the Old Custom House from 6th – 13th August and will be open to the public.
The New World Day will be a unique experience. Tourist Information Centre Manager David Stainer explained: “We hope to bring to life a little bit of what those local people, 400 years ago, would have experienced as they prepared to start a new life in America. The day will begin with a tour of Christchurch Mansion - a house of the period. This will be followed by a guided walk from the Mansion to the Waterfront. Central Ipswich’s street pattern has changed little since the 1600s and there are buildings surviving today that would have been familiar to the local settlers. On the Waterfront there will be a tour of Discovery, a life-size, seaworthy, replica of the smallest of the three Jamestown ships. After lunch the group will board the Orwell Lady for a cruise on the Orwell.
The day, which will be fully accompanied by a tour guide, Margaret Hancock, will also include a voucher towards lunch at either of the Waterfront cafés Colours or Coffee Link.
Tickets for the day, which must be booked in advance, are available from Ipswich Borough Council’s Tourist Information Centre, St Stephen’s Church. Full details of the day and of all the local Jamestown 400th anniversary events are available from the Tourist Information Centre in a commemorative booklet. Please telephone 01473 258070 or email tourist@ipswich.gov.uk