Corn Exchange & Shops, Ipswich,Suffolk

The Corn Exchange, with a multitude of stands for corn merchants, previously stood next to the Town Hall on the site of the old Post Office. A new Corn Exchange was started behind the Town Hall in 1880 and opened in 1882. This had been the subject of a design competition, the winning architect being Brightwen Binyon.

We illustrate this week the design submitted in competition for the Ipswich New Corn Exchange by Mr Brightwen Binyon, ARIBA, which was unanimously selected by the building committee and awarded the premium. We understand that since then the Town Council have instructed Mr. Binyon to prepare the plans for carrying out the work. The exchange is well situate in the centre of the town, back to back with the present town-hall, and is designed to harmonise therewith. The buildings consist of a large corn hall 131ft. by 60ft., with a belt of shops on two sides — towards King-street and Little King-street. The perspective view we publish is of the angle formed by these two streets. On the north side of the hall the irregular space will be utilised for retiring-rooms in connection “with the exchange, also a public urinal approached from the town-hall passage, the remainder of the space being devoted to a settling office for the use of the merchants, and to a yard of 150ft. super., which is the space required by the local Building Act for all dwelling-houses ; in this respect this plan differed from all the others, that a dwelling-house was given to the shop at north-east corner with the necessary yard. The shop is provided with a show- room and a sitting-room over the shop, and on the third floor a kitchen, and suite of sleeping- apartments in the roof. The shops on the south side are all to be small, those shown on plan being divided into two. On either side of the south entrance to the hall are offices which will be to let ; as also the suites of three offices on the first and second floors. There are also rooms over the shop at the southwest corner, which will be used in connection with the hall. On the second floor towards King-street are a fine suite of municipal offices approached from the town hall by a staircase at the north-east comer. An approach to the basement will be made from Lion-street, with cask and goods wharf, giving access to a central corridor from which large .store cellars open on either side. Those at the Lion-street end will be well lighted, and form excellent work-shops, the rest being only lighted by deck lights in the floor of corn exchange. The corn hall is mainly lighted from the roof, the whole north slope of the roof being glazed with double glazing, a space of one foot being left between the glass to deaden the sound of rain, so that the hall may be used for concerts and public meetings. There are also side windows which are more for ventilation than light. The winter ventilation is further secured by large fresh-air tubes in the window-sills, and a series of extraction flues in the centre panels of ceiling opening into a continuous louvred space along the ridge. The exterior towards King-street and the Little King-street side of angle pavilion are to be of Portland throughout, the rest of the exterior being of Suffolk white bricks with Portland dressings. The interior of the hall, of which we hope shortly to give an illustration, is also to be of white brick, with a few terra-cotta red and buff bands. The drawings are now being prepared, and tenders will most probably be invited early in January.”

INTERIOR OP THE IPSWICH CORN EXCHANGE. In our issue of Nov. 21, 1879, we published an exterior view of this design, which was the successful plan in a competition last autumn. The chief feature of the interior is that the light is mainly obtained from the north slope of the roof; this it is intended to have entirely of glass. The walls of the interior are to be lined with white Suffolk bricks, with a band or two of fawn-coloured terra-cotta ornament, as also a few terra-cotta voussoirs in the arches. The design is by Mr. Brightwen Binyon, A.R.I.B.A., of Ipswich. The builders will be invited to tender during this month.[ Building News 5 March 1880 page 276]

CORN EXCHANGE IPSWICH - The New Corn Exchange at Ipswich, of which we gave an Illustration when the first stone was laid, in October, 1880, was publicly opened on Wednesday week. It is situated in King-street, adjoining the Town Hall; and is a handsome building in the Italian style of architecture, with a front of white Portland stone adorned with pilasters of Dumfries red stone : there are good shops in front, and the interior clear space is 123 ft. by 48 ft., lighted from the roof. Mr. Brightwen Binyon is the architect, and the builders are Messrs. Grimwood and Sons, of Sudbury, at a cost of nearly £22,000.

The opening day was made an important local public festival, the great success of which seems to have been mainly due to the spirit of the excellent Mayor of Ipswich, Mr. Fish, who is one of the leading tradesmen of the town, and is also a liberal patron of Art. His Worship presided, with Mrs. Fish, at a sumptuous déjeuner provided in the Corn Exchange for a very large company of gentleman. Among the speakers were Lord Waveney, Lord Gwydir, and Lord John Hervey; Colonel Barne, M.P., and Mr. Jesse Collings, M.P.; the Mayors of Yarmouth and Colchester; Alderman E. Packard, Mr. Felix Cobbold, Messrs. R. L. Everett and Herman Biddell, Mr. C. H. Cowell, and Mr. J. E. Ransome, who represented the local interests of trade and agriculture; and Mr. C. S. Parkes, Chairman of the Great Eastern Railway. The Mayor also provided, at his own cost, for the entertainment of the towns-folk in general, a splendid display of fireworks in Christchurch Park, terminating with a pyrotechnic representation of the New Corn Exchange.[The Illustrated London News, Saturday, 5 August 1882, page 139

Reference    Building News, 21 November 1879 - exterior view
Reference    Building News 5 March 1880 page 276 - interior
Reference    The Illustrated London News,  Saturday, 5 August 1882, page 139