Historic quay names are being restored to Ipswich Waterfront this week, following a campaign by the Ipswich Maritime Trust (IMT).

East Anglian Daily Times: Sb Victor’s skipper Wes Westbrook, and mate David Polly prepare the barge for 2021. Wes, David and the Ipswich-built barge represent direct family links to the sailing barge maritime history of Ipswich, when the old quay names would have been familiar.Sb Victor’s skipper Wes Westbrook, and mate David Polly prepare the barge for 2021. Wes, David and the Ipswich-built barge represent direct family links to the sailing barge maritime history of Ipswich, when the old quay names would have been familiar. (Image: IMT Image Archive)

Newly-designed street plates, such as the plate for Albion Quay, in between Foundry Lane in the west and the Old Custom House, are currently being installed by Ipswich Borough Council and are due to be officially unveiled later this week.

IMT chairman Geoffrey Dyball said: “We are pleased to be working with the borough council to reintroduce the historic quay names that were once commonly used during the working lifetime of the wet dock.

“The chosen design is a most attractive variant on the usual street plates and bears the borough crest at the top.”

IMT has been campaigning to see the historic quay names reinstated, rather than developers choosing their own names which may not be relevant to the history of the town’s dock area.

The trust feels the restoration of the quay names will complement its Window Museum, which is currently celebrating its 20th exhibition, and help visitors to the Waterfront to learn more about the town's maritime heritage.

Going forward, the trust wants to see more plates with old names installed for quays and wharves such as Common Quay, which were never classified as streets, because they predate the founding of the Post Office.