Arts and crafts in Suffolk
Suffolk (including Babergh, Forest Heath, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, St Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal and Waveney) is in the East of England of England. It has a population of around 730,000 and covers approximately 380,000 hectares. Here is a list of nearby or neighbouring counties: Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk.
Suffolk is mostly flat, with few hills and the counties ancient open heaths and coast, with its beautiful beaches and picturesque towns, are Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The county town of Suffolk is Ipswich, where you can visit Christchurch Mansion, a Tudor house which contains period furnishings, a contemporary art gallery and a collection including ceramics, costumes and Victorian toys. Paintings on show include works by two of Englands most famous artists, who were born in Suffolk, Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable, whose landscape paintings of the area in which he lived caused it be called Constable Country. Gainsboroughs House in the town of Sudbury was bought by the father of Thomas Gainsborough several years before he was born and was his childhood home. The 16th century house is now a museum devoted to the life and work of Gainsborough, with period furnishings and a collection of the artists work including paintings, prints and drawings. Performing arts venues in Suffolk include the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, the Haverhill Arts Centre, the Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft and The Apex in Bury St Edmunds.
There have been many archaeological sites found in Suffolk, but perhaps best known is Sutton Hoo, where an Anglo Saxon ship burial dating back to the 7th century was discovered. The body of the high status man, believed to be a local king, along with much of the nearly thirty metre long wooden boat and burial chamber within were destroyed by the acidic soil. However the shape of the ship survived along with its iron rivets and a wide range of artefacts that he was buried with, such as textiles and finely decorated metal work. They include clothes, leather shoes, coins, a cushion, armour, helmet, sword, silver vessels, bronze bowls and a gold buckle and clasps. Some objects, such as the shield, had to be reconstructed and the Sutton Hoo treasures are now on display at the British Museum in London. At Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, visitors can see a reconstruction of the burial chamber and replicas of the finds. Other attractions in Suffolk include Ipswich Museum, Melford Hall, Framlingham Castle, St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, Southwold Pier, Orford Castle, Little Hall in Lavenham, Flatford Mill in East Bergholt, Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds and the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket.
