Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England; it is located on the Alde river at 52° 9' North, 1° 36' East. Is name, Alde Burgh means "old fort" although this, along with much of the Tudor town, has now been lost to the sea. In the 16th century, Aldeburgh was a leading port, and had a flourishing ship-building industry. Sir Francis Drake's ships Greyhound and Pelican (later renamed Golden Hind) were both built in Aldeburgh. The flag ship of the Virginia Company, the Sea Venture is believed to have been built there in 1608. When the River Alde silted up and was unable to accommodate larger ships, the area went into decline. Aldeburgh survived principally as a fishing village until the nineteenth century, when it became popular as a seaside resort. Much of its distinctive and whimsical architecture derives from this period. The river is now home to a flourishing yacht club.

The Moot Hall

The Aldeburgh Moot Hall is a timber-framed building which has been used for council meetings for over 400 years. It also houses the local museum.

The poet George Crabbe was born in Aldeburgh in 1754 and the town forms a loose basis for his poems The Village' and The Borough.

Outside the town, the Snape Maltings is the venue for a well-known classical music festival every June. The Aldeburgh Festival was founded in 1948 by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier, and Peter Pears. Britten died in Aldeburgh in 1976 and Pears in 1986.

Aldeburgh is also famous for its Fish and Chip shop. Owned and run by the Cooney family since the 1970s, it has been described in The Times as "Possibly the finest on the East Coast".

The town of Aldeburgh or "Owlbarrow" is the setting of a series of children's illustrated books centred on Orlando (The Marmalade Cat) written by Kathleen Hale, who spent holidays in the town. Many of the illustrations in the books feature landmarks in the town, most notably the Moot Hall.

Aldeburgh was the first British town to elect a female mayor: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, in 1908.

Aldeburgh has a unique quatrefoil Martello Tower.

Near the Martello Tower at Slaughden Quay are the barely-visible remains of the fishing smack "Ionia". It had become stuck in the treacherous mud of the River Alde, and was then used as a houseboat. In 1974 it was burnt, as it had become too unsafe. It too was used in the Orlando stories.

Just north of Aldeburgh are the Sizewell nuclear power stations, near Leiston.

Aldeburgh is a member of the European network Cultural Village of Europe.

Aldeburgh was a Parliamentary Borough from 1571, and returned two Members of Parliament, the right to vote being vested in the Freemen of the town. Latterly it was considered a rotten borough, and lost its representation in the great reform act of 1832.

The beach at Aldeburgh was awarded the Blue flag rural beach award in 2005. Just south of the beach at Aldeburgh is Orford Ness, which can be reached by a track leading from Aldeburgh, which is often used as a camping place for motorhomes in the summer and also is popular with people sea fishing.

[edit] The Scallop

The Scallop

On Aldeburgh's beach, a short distance north of the town centre, stands a sculpture, The Scallop, dedicated to Benjamin Britten, who used to walk along the beach in the afternoons. Created from stainless steel by Suffolk-based artist Maggi Hambling, it stands four metres high, and was unveiled in November 2003. The piece is made up of two interlocking scallop shells, each broken, the upright shell being pierced with the words: "I hear those voices that will not be drowned", which are taken from Britten's opera Peter Grimes. The sculpture is meant to be enjoyed both visually and tactilely, and people are encouraged to sit on it and watch the sea.

The sculpture is controversial in the local area. Many people consider that it is inappropriate for a man-made object to spoil a beautiful natural setting. It has been attacked with graffiti and paint on a number of occasions, and there have been petitions to have it removed.