Saxmundham has maintained its position as quite an important town in eastern Suffolk with its rail station, market and its position for many years on the arterial road to Yarmouth, the A12. Now by-passed to avoid its infamous bottleneck of ancient buildings, they retain several notable examples of lettering on their walls.

Flick & Sons, estate agents bear an impressive rounded-topped relif shield: 'ESTABD. 1833' opposite the Bell Hotel with its long cartouche bearing its name and the town in serif caps, now so weathered that the signwriters font outlines alone preserve much of the characters towards the right. We wonder if the two white trapezium shapes between first floor windows cover up earlier lettering?

And below is the hotel after a facelift (picture taken 2004).
Repainted Bell Hotel
(Photograph courtesy Andrew Smith)

And right on the road's bottleneck, next to the old Post Office is:
'W. WELLS & SON
IRONMONGERS.'

And on the wall facing the road, a cast iron plate boasting the company's dealership in the region's famous cast iron products:
'RANSOMES' PATENT PLOUGHS AND IRONS SOLD HERE'. When was the last time a customer came into the shop demanding these?

Iron founding was a major industry in parts of 19th and 20th Century Suffolk.  As well as the Ipswich-based Ransome companies,  Garretts of nearby Leiston created a small industrial town in the heart of the countryside. A fine, well-preserved town pump in cast iron stands not far from the shop above.

Saxmundham pump

The relief text picked out in gold on the pump reads:

'PRESENTED BY W. LONG ESQR.

A.D. 1838' and on the base:

'Garrett & Sons Manufacturers Leiston'. Does anyone know who W. Long Esqr. was?

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