Our unit in Ipswich Town Centre is a very interesting building and one of the most historic in the town. Below our office and warehouse are the The Stoke Hall tunnels
The official listing describes the tunnels: “Vaulted wine cellars. Later C18, with some C19 and C20 modifications. red brick, with some flared headers, in English, Flemish mixed bonds. On 3 levels all underground, the upper level projecting further south towards the garden boundary of Landsdale Cottage and Belstead Road, the lower level extending further north towards Burrell Road, and formerly the river. Circa 180 feet in length. The lowest level comprises a single range of vaults, the middle level of both parallel and single ranges, the upper level a shorter parallel range. Part partitions between bays, those to lowest level with semicircular headed brick archways. Shallow brick vaulted roofs. Later brick side shelving at intervals. The second level was rendered during World War II for use as an air raid shelter. Brick floors, except to lowest level which descends to natural rock and sand. Brick spiral stair unites middle and lower levels. Blocked lower level circular hole in floor. Access to vaults now through superstructure. Evidence of further openings obscured by render. Said to have a capacity of 157, 500 gallons of wine. It is possible that these vaults were those built for Thomas Cartwright, winemerchant builder of Stoke Hall, now demolished, in 1747. The above ground warehouses, formerly stables etc to Stoke Hall, are not of special architectural or historic interest.”
The tunnels can be accesses via a stair inside our warehouse originally a conveyor for wine to be taken to the cellars It the roof if the stairs can be seen to the right of the red doorway in the picture above. There is also an external staircase to the left of the large red door.
During the war the cellars were the main air raid shelters for Ipswich docks. It was the only shelter in Ipswich to hold over 500 people.
Wine cellars
A chamber cement-rendered during World War II and now painted white, opens onto a furhter room. Who knows about this wrought iron cell door at the end? Was it original? It covers the entrance to what has been called ‘The Champagne Store’, which contains connected ceramic pipes which would have made a rather effective method of storing the bottles on their sides.
The tunnels as World War II air-raid shelter
Looking at the tunnel photograph, to the right of the doorway can be seen a notice dating back to the wartime (a remarkable survival) , or perhaps more correctly, the impression of a notice left on the rendered wall.
Medical Attendance
at Public Air Raid Shelters.
[In an] emergency the following doctors have agreed
[to respond] to requests for assistance from Public
[Air] Raid Shelters in the vicinity of their house.
Dr. HERMIONE BOURTON[?],
Fairway, Bucklesham, Road.
Phone No. 7295.
Dr. LOUISE HYDER (Mrs.),
343, Colchester Road.
Phone No. 7177.
Dr. R.J. REA,
236A Felixstowe Road.
Phone No. 2469.
Dr. C.S. STADDON,
174, Norwich Road.
Phone No. 78807.
Dr. E. [W?] STADDON,
South Bank, Spring Road.
Phone No. 78807.
Dr. A.R. WALTERS,
40 Berners Street.
Phone No. 3259.
Dr. L.M. HAMP,
7 Dalton Road.
Phone No. 2469
This is some fantastic WW11 lettering in the mid levels.
Former Ipswich Museum curator, David Jones’ fine book Ipswich in the Second World War tells us more:-
“The largest public shelters were the pre-existing cellars in Stoke Hall Road, the only shelter [in Ipswich] to hold more than 500 people. The records suggest a shelter de luxe. Like other public shelters, it had illuminated signs which were switched on in line with the blackout and off at 10.30 or during an alert. It was heated by a Cara stove. It had its own stirrup-pump, two buckets and fire extinguishers. In addition to a first aid box, [part] was set aside for a casualty holding section provided with extra lights. The emergency exit was purposely widened to take stretchers. A small canteen was set up at which tea and biscuits could be bought. (There were others at Smiths Suitall, Smyth Brothers, Central Cinema, Smiths Albion House, Co-op Furnishing Department and the Lads Club cellars.) As the intensity of raids diminished so, too, did the numbers using the shelters regularly. The Emergency Committee found, on 3 April 1944, ’21 familes, 46 persons use the shelter habitually. Nine had no domestic shelters, two Andersons with bunks, six Andersons no bunks and four Morrisons. The shelter families allowed to continue to use Stoke Hall but felt that the Morrisons would be reallocated if needed.’
By 1 March 1945 only 14 people were still using the shelter so part of it could be closed.”
I would love to find someone who rememers the shelter during the war to get a first hand experience of what it was like.
The Hall
Stoke Hall was a large mansion house built by the wine merchant Thomas Cartwright in 1744/45. Cartwright also excavated beneath Stoke hill a vast series of wine cellars. In 1892 the Hall was up for sale following the death of the owner Robert James Ransome of Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, engineers, whose works were quite close. The auctioneers described it as a “Fine Old Mansion” boasting three reception rooms, billiard room, six principal bedrooms on the first floor, seven more bedrooms on the second floor, with kitchens, offices, greenhouse, stabling, pleasure and kitchen gardens, all standing in 1 acre three roods of land and adjacent to the church of St Mary-at-Stoke. Written in the margin of the auctioneer’s notices of 1892 are details of (what appear to be) subsequent owners including Dr Elliston, Miss Battersly of Cauldwell Hall, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners who sold it to the Ipswich Freehold Land Society in July 1914. During its time in the ownership of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners it was under consideration for use as the residence of the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, being next to the church and with the Hall having its own entrance to the churchyard.
The house in its decayed state was pulled down by Arthur Barker Crossley of 99 Foxhall Road Ipswich in1915 at a cost of £50, but the cellars remained. Stoke Hall Road was created with a row of houses which still remain there today.
The stables of the Hall were not demolished and continued to be used – latterly by a local removals company then a motor repair shop until we at Suffolk Marquees took the unit 6 years ago.
