It’s a date! Time capsule is buried under Ipswich Cornhill until 2050

Damon, seven, and six-year-old Riley, who attend Halifax Primary School in Ipswich, took part in a drawing competition to show what they would like to see on the Cornhill.

The trio were joined by representatives of the Ipswich Vision Group, architects Hall McKnight, contractors Brooks & Wood and Archant along with former Mayor Bill Quinton and musician George Double, who helped to create a jazz recording of the New Town Hall Polka – one of the items to go in the time capsule.

Also included were a special commemorative edition of the Ipswich Star, a signed Ipswich Town FC programme, a University of Suffolk prospectus, the latest edition of the Ipswich Angle and a scroll explaining what the Cornhill project was all about, co-written by the Mayor and Ipswich Vision Chair Terry Hunt.

The Mayor said: “The time capsule will be unearthed on Suffolk Day in 2050 and people will be able to see what happened all those years ago – i.e. now!

Mayor of Ipswich Jane Riley and Daman and Riley O'Donnell lower the time capsule into place under Cornhill Picture: NICOLE DRURY (Image: Archant)

“They will also see how Ipswich was not only a regional centre for commerce, culture and sport but also the proud county town of Suffolk.”

Bill Quinton was Mayor of Ipswich when the last Cornhill paving scheme was completed in the 1980s.

The Cornhill regeneration project was led by Ipswich Borough Council and its Ipswich Vision Group partners – the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Central, the University of Suffolk, the Suffolk Chamber of Greater Ipswich, and Ipswich MP Sandy Martin.

The scheme was funded by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership through the Government’s Local Growth Fund, both councils and Ipswich Central.

Suffolk County Council engineer Ty Kidd, part of the current project team, with ex-Mayor of Ipswich Bill Quinton both were involved in the last Cornhill project in the 1980s. (Image: Archant)