Forthcoming event
Constable Landscapes & Old Ipswich
- 17 September 2026 10.30am - 4.00pm
- Christchurch Mansion, Soane Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2BE
- Exclusive to EAAF Members - if you're not a member and would like to attend this event Join Now.
Join us for a day in Ipswich to see a wonderful exhibition of the work of Suffolk-born artist, John Constable (1776-1837), featuring one of Britain's most famous paintings, followed by a tour of some of the old town's remarkable heritage buildings.
2026 marks 250 years since the birth of Constable in East Bergholt, nine miles SW of Ipswich. Our day starts in the Wolsey Gallery at Christchurch Mansion with the exhibition, The Hay Wain: Walking Constable’s Landscapes, which includes his most famous painting, on loan for the first time from The National Gallery to Ipswich. After coffee, we have a brief introductory talk about the forty paintings and drawings on show which trace the walks Constable made around East Bergholt, Dedham and the Stour Valley – the landscapes at the core of his art. EAAF is proud to have given a grant to the Constable 250 exhibitions.
On leaving Christchurch Mansion, we will visit St. Margaret’s Church, to see its spectacular 1695 wooden roof, painted to celebrate the accession of King William III and Queen Mary II, and their 'safeguarding of the Protestant religion in Britain'.
Our lunch will be in St. Lawrence’s Church, now a spacious café just off The Buttermarket, 100m from the Ancient House.
After lunch, we will have a walking tour in the old town centre, The Heart of Ipswich, led by guides from the Ipswich Tourist Guides Association, taking in the beautiful Ancient House, with its celebrated pargetting, and lastly the remarkable late 17th century, Grade 1 Listed, Unitarian Meeting House.
Tickets are £48 and includes talk, tours, coffee & biscuits at Christchurch Mansion, lunch and minibus rides from train station to Christchurch, and from the Meeting House back to station.The day does include walking, all on paved surfaces.
Please note that the ticket does not include transport to and from Ipswich. Event organiser: Charlotte Crawley
| 10.30am | Meet at Christchurch Mansion |
| 12.15pm | St Margaret's Church |
| 1.15pm | Lunch at St Lawrence's Church |
| 2.00pm | Guided walking tour to Ancient House and the Unitarian Meeting House |
| 4.00pm | Event Close |
- The Hay Wain 1821
- John Constable (1776 - 1837)
- Oil on canvas
- © The National Gallery, London
