The small monument is close to the Orwell shore near Freston Tower, just a few miles from Ipswich on the Shotley peninsular. Bathos in mineral form, this splendid memorial commemorates an event which clearly moved those involved. It is only when one gets to the last line that one gets a similar reaction as when one reads the news headline: 'Tallest Man In The World Falls Over'. A testament to the stonemason's craft, it is in excellent condition on its bevelled plinth. The other thing which strikes us is its resemblance to an ophthalmologist's sight-test chart. 'If you can read "... were mercifully saved." Mrs Widmerpool, you must have the eyes of an eighteen year old.'

Although we've explored Freston Tower and its environs many times, we've never witnessed this example. But if Mr Kibble tells us it is there, that's good enough for us. Thanks to him for the image and for opening up the whole subject of monumental lettering.

Mention of Freston Tower gives us the opportunity to give a little detail about this fine landmark. The tower stands high up above a steep grassy bank which slopes down to the Orwell River basin. The view from the top of the tower is of the wide river with Piper's Vale and Nacton foreshore on the other side plus, in modern times, the Orwell Bridge with Ipswich docks in the distance. It has recently been completely refurbished as holiday accomodation by the Landmark Trust (you have to like stairs). Described in Gwynn Headly's 'Follies - a National Trust guide' (see Reading List) as reputedly the oldest folly in Britain, it reputedly dates from 1549. Incidentally, this is the same year as the building of the bizarre flight of fancy that is the gatehouse to Erwarton Hall further down the Shotley peninsular: 'It resembles nine brick Saturn V rockets in a square of  three by three' (Headley).

Freston Tower is a six-storey building: a single chamber on each storey. In 1850 a novel entitled "Freston Tower" was published by the Reverend Richard Cobbold, most famous for his 'History of Margaret Catchpole'. His largely fictional plot centres on the daughter of Lord de Freston, the beautiful Ellen, who studied a different subject on each floor. The legend goes that on Monday Ellen studied Charity on the ground floor; on Tuesday, Tapestry on the first floor; on Wednesday, Music on the second floor; on Thursday, Painting on the third floor; on Friday, Literature on the fifth floor; on Saturday, Astronomy on the sixth floor and on Sunday she attended Freston Church. A scurrilous version of the story has the lovely Ellen ending up on the roof on Sunday in the arms of the builder, furthering her education in another manner. This remarkable survivor from the 16th century is quite remote from the highways and byeways - one reason why it has escaped demolition or 'modernisation' in the intervening years, perhaps. A gem of of which Ipswich can be truly proud, this tower existed before Shakespeare was born and has stood silent witness to the trading craft thronging the River Orwell during the industrial revolution, now largley replaced with leisure craft, while the surrounding countryside (the Orwell bridge aside) has remained largely unchanged.

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