Whitton, Suffolk

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Whitton is an ancient parish and now an area of Ipswich, in Suffolk. It is thought to have been a Saxon colony, possibly dating from the Saxon invasion of around 430 AD. It appears in the Domesday Book as Widituna, possibly meaning Hwita's farm or White's farm. The parish church is dedicated to St. Mary and St. Botolph. The latter is a reminder of all that remains of the now demolished church at the tiny hamlet of Thurleston. St. Botolph was still in use in 1500 but after being amalgamated with Whitton it fell into disrepair. It remained in use as a barn until 1862 when it was demolished and much of the building material used to construct a south aisle and tower for St. Mary's at Whitton.

The old village of Whitton was centred on what was the main Ipswich to Norwich road. Some old buildings remain including the Whitton Maypole - a popular local pub. A map of 1889 shows a "corn" windmill at the top of what is now Shakespeare Rd. There was a post office in use until the 1980s and a police station built in 1905. This is now a private house next to the entrance of Thomas Wolsey School. The village boasted a second pub almost opposite the police station, The Crown. This was demolished in the 1980s as part of the Ipswich by-pass project and a link road to the by-pass now occupies the spot.

Under what is now housing in Tranmere Grove and Chesterfield Drive lies the remains of a Roman villa. It was excavated in 1931 and again in 1949 before residential building started. Coins were found along with a mosaic floor which is on display in Ipswich Museum. It featured on C4's "Time Team" programme in 2004. The Team's dig help provide more evidence gathered in the 1949 dig by renowned archaelogist Basil Brown. This area has for centuries been called Castle Hill but there never was a castle, perhaps the location of the villa was handed down as folk memory. Castlehill Farm stood just yards away prior to the housing scheme.

Whitton estate was built around the village of Whitton in the mid 20th century, thereby joining it to the nearby town of Ipswich. Most of the street names are called after poets and playwrights e.g. Shakespeare Rd, Goldsmith Rd, Homer Close, Bunyan Close, Hardy Crescent, Chaucer Rd, Coleridge Rd, Kipling Rd. Most of the estate shops are in Meredith Road. An Aldi supermarket occupies the site of the estate pub the Safe Harbour built in a traditional 1930s style with mock Tudor chimney stacks. The estate has a primary school - Whitton Infants and Whitton Junior and the Thomas Wolsey School for children with severe disabilities. There is a recreation park between Shakespeare Rd and Norwich Rd and on Whitton Church Lane a 1980s built council owned gym and sports centre.