Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Felixstowe

Felixstowe is a town on the Suffolk coast, 11 miles from Ipswich. Its name means "the holy place of St. Felix", the man who brought Christianity to East Anglia.

There was a Roman fort here, the site of which is now lost beneath the sea.

It is both a genteel Edwardian seaside resort and a busy container port, one of the largest in Europe.

Felixstowe has an unusual situation, at the end of a peninsula where the estuaries of the River Stour and the River Orwell enter the North Sea together. On the other side of the town is the mouth of the River Deben.

On the other side of the estuaries is the ancient maritime town of Harwich in Essex.

Behind Felixstowe Pier is the Promenade, with immaculately tended flower beds and lawns.

At the tip of the peninsula is Landguard Point, which is now a nature reserve. This is guarded by Landguard Fort, originally built in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1718. It was painted by Thomas Gainsborough. There are also two Martello Towers, dating from the early 19th century.

St. Peter and St. Paul Church has a 14th century doorway. It is probably on the site of the Benedictine Priory of St. Felix, founded in the 11rth century.

Prominent people born in Felixstowe include Dawn Addams, actress; and John Mills, actor.

The Suffolk writer M. R. James used Felixstowe (disguised as Burnstow) as the setting for his disturbing story "Oh, Whistle, and I`ll Come to You, My Lad".

Blue Badge Guide Colin Crosby is available to lead Guided Walks around Felixstowe for groups.