In the eighteenth century a property named Albion Hill House stood on the St Mary’s estate. This was purchased by J E Ransome, a heavy engineering industrialist. Ransome was a notable citizen, awarded an OBE in 1919 for services in supplying agricultural machinery during WW1, life member of Ipswich Art Society, and twice Mayor of Ipswich. He employed the architect Brightwen Binyon to design a family home on the site. Completed around 1883, Holmwood House replaced Albion Hill House. It is a lovely example of a gothic Arts and Crafts style house, with beautiful and varied windows, turrets, a sizeable porch and sweeping staircase.

From the 1930s, Holmwood House was used as the preparatory department of the Girls’ School of Jesus and Mary. School buildings were constructed and the grounds and gardens used for playtime and for sports. There were laboratory buildings, art rooms, classrooms and tennis courts. When the school amalgamated with and moved to St Joseph’s College in 1996, the site was sold to Hopkins Homes. The builders were tasked with maintaining the character of Holmwood House and with conserving the large number of mature trees on the estate. With this is mind they kept Holmwood House central to the development, but demolished the rest of the school before building homes based on the character of the London squares designed in the neoclassical style by John Nash (1752 – 1835).

Since the baton for overseeing the development has been passed on to the Board of Directors, their main focus has been to ensure the continued maintenance and the cohesive appearance of all the buildings and to enhance the shared amenities, of which this lovely private estate has many.

If you would like to find out more about the history of our estate and its surroundings, there are some interesting websites including:

http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/stmaryrcipswich.htm

https://www.ipswich-lettering.co.uk/sunnyplace.html

http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/ipsoldstmary.html

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/john-nash/

The original architect’s drawings for Holmwood House can be viewed in the archives at The Hold near the Waterfront.