An uninspiring sight with a 'Land Acquired' sign suggesting redevelopment (photographed in winter, 2003); here is the business formerly run by
'J. POOLEY & CO. (IPSWICH) LTD.'
in Ranelagh Road, on the opposite side of the road to the rail station, the River Gipping in the background.

As of summer, 2004 the view here is radically changed. All the buildings and fences on this side of the road - including, sadly, the newsagents shop nearer to the station and bridge - have gone and yet another riverside duplex apartment block is being built. 'The Mariner' steel sculpture stands above the opposite bank of the river. Called (somewhat confusingly) Cardinal Park Fore Hamlets, this block stands beside the rather industrial-looking canalised part of the River Gipping. Some might not see this as an appealing aspect, yet it reflects the trend seen further down the river, beside The Wet Dock and beyond.

[UPDATE (November 2006) Simon J. Betts writes:-
"Found your website when I Googled my family's old company name, J Pooley and Co (Ipswich) Limited in Ranelagh Road, Ipswich. Sadly the business closed in 1999 and the land sold to Western Homes who built those awful flats on the site! Still it was nice to see a picture of the old site, if you want any information to add to the page, the company started in 1869 and was originally based in Tanners Lane (where Civic Drive and the AXA building now stands). The old newsagents was built in the early 1960s and originally called “Rogers”, the shop used to stand on the entrance of Pooleys before the company moved there in 1963. There were also a row of terrace houses from there the offices stood up to the newsagents, but these were lost when the council widened Ranelagh Road.
 
The lettering on the company office was originally white wooden letters nailed to the front, but these used to keep getting stolen, so my dad removed the rest of the letters and painted the name on by hand! Didn’t do a bad job I reckon!! -Simon]

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Copyright throughout this site belongs to Borin Van Loon, 2003.