Estate Agents Ipswich: Estate Agents in Ipswich – the many different ages of property we see at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents.

One nice sunny evening last week I decided to cycle from my home off Bucklesham Road through east and north Ipswich and back again via the town centre.

It struck me as I travelled just how lucky estate agents in Ipswich actually are. We have such a broad age range of properties to see in the town in the course of our day- to-day work.

My journey started from home and almost immediately I passed by the start of a new development of 24 top of the range detached homes in Purdis Farm Lane – the breeze block footings had just gone in.

250 yards up Bucklesham Road, a new home being built had, earlier in the day, had the roof support lowered onto the structure by crane – these days, of course, made of steel not timber. Less than six weeks ago a 1950s bungalow stood on this plot before it was demolished in just one day.

Cycling through Broke Hall, east Ipswich’s most popular estate, is a mixture of lighter brick, mainly semi detached and detached houses and bungalows built in the mid 1960s with very good size gardens.

Bixley Farm came next, started in 1987 and involving a small selection of builders. Work soon came ot halt when the property crash happened in the second half of 1988. Re-started once things picked up you can see many different designs of typical 1980s an early 90s style properties.

Next came Kesgrave, predominantly semi detached 1960s bungalows. I then cycled up the top half of Humber Doucy Lane which are mainly 1950s double bay semis, so many now altered and extended.

At the top end of the Lane we have an unusual mix here in Ipswich – I wonder how many other towns have this? An estate of 1950s council house stock on one side of the road, pre-fab bungalows originally built as temporary homes after World War II, and still going strong, on the other.

Sherborne Avenue brought me to the height of the sought after Northgate Catchment area, a haven for Ipswich estate agents. A property on the market in this area, sensibly priced and all other things being equal, is guaranteed to sell.

Further up Sidegate Lane came Wincanton Close and Cranborne Chase. This sees the most desirable end of the scale of modern new build luxury of the last 20 years. Things have now gone full circle as the character, appearance and details of these lovely homes have all been re-installed in contrast to the 60s and 70s when the fashion was of the opposite end of the scale. To think, 35 years ago my Portakabin classroom and the school tennis course of the then Northgate Grammar School took in the exact spot of a double garage which went with one of these luxury 4 and 5 bedroom detached homes. Next door, the school itself, now un-recognisable from the decaying, draughty and freezing pre-war buildings with the open quadrangles of my day.

I am now cycling at speed, courtesy of the hill going down towards the town centre on Tuddenham Road. In just one short mile I see houses at every conceivable part of the scale of Victorian and Edwardian Ipswich.

Tuddenham Road itself, Gainsborough Road and the likes of Corder Road and Manor Road see grand and opulent bayed houses with sash windows, tiled porches, dado rails and panelled doors. At the more modest end of the scale, but equal in character are the Victorian terraces of Suffolk Road and Norfolk Road with the houses straight onto the road, no front garden and doors straight into the lounge. For a brief moment I try to wonder what Edwardian and Victorian Ipswich must have looked like in its day? How did this eclectic mix come about?

Finally my journey passes Derby Close off Argyle Street where sub standard Victorian Council housing was demolished in the 50s and 60s to make way for the modern flats that now stand there.

My cousin lives in Colchester and over the years we have had many friendly arguments about which town is the nicest architecturally.

His trump card was that Camulodunum was Britain’s oldest town. Fair enough, we might not have many of the grand Tudor and Elizabethan properties that they have in their town centre area but I consider myself very lucky to be an Ipswich estate agent.

Us Ipswich estate agents get to see such a wonderful mix of properties from the different periods in history in the town and every conceivable end of the scale of each of the periods of architecture.

And they call it work!

About Jonathan Waters

Jonathan Waters has lived and worked in estate agency in the Ipswich area for over 25 years.

He is passionate about architecture, property, the history of Ipswich and estate agency generally.

He has worked tirelessly through that time to give the Ipswich estate agency industry a much more professional image in the eyes of the very consumers that use it.

Jonathan Waters Estate Agents Ipswich – contact us now on 01473 721133.