Ipswich Town Heritage Society Deliver Talk at the Hold

Tim Edwards of the Ipswich Town Heritage Society, a partner of the Ipswich Town Foundation, delivered a talk on the history of Ipswich Town Football Club last month.

The talk, which was organised by the University of Suffolk in association with Suffolk Archives and held at The Hold, was accompanied by an exhibition which included scrapbooks, programmes and images that tell the story of the Club’s history.

Tim was joined for the talk by Liz Edwards, partner of the Heritage Society and Ipswich Town Foundation trustee, as well as Town legends Roger Osborne, George Burley and Pat Godbold who spent time sharing their personal experiences of playing and working for Ipswich Town. Other interviewees were Martin Stiff, renowned local referee and long-time fan, who reminisced about away trips back in 1961/62, and Richard Moore, Director of Ipswich Town plc, who shared stories about the first time he met John Cobbold.

The talk spanned the 145-year history of the Club to date, including its creation by students from Ipswich School in 1878, turning professional in 1936, success under Sir Alf Ramsey in the 60s, Sir Bobby Robson in the 70s and 80s, and promotions under John Lyall, George Burley, and most recently Kieran McKenna in 1992, 2000 and 2023 respectively.

“This is the first time we have used the interview format to tell the story of the club’s history, and it was a real success,” Liz Edwards told the Foundation website.

“It was wonderful to hear first-hand of the first time Pat Godbold met Alf Ramsey, of Roger Osborne’s greatest-ever performance (which wasn’t at Wembley!) and of George Burley’s pride in his playing and coaching career (and how much he is enjoying our renaissance under Kieran McKenna).

“We will repeat the format in the future to enable more fans to enjoy the stories.”

“Massive thanks are due to Mandy Rawlins at The Hold, who organised a fabulous display of memorabilia from their archives, including many items I hadn’t seen before, especially around the early years,” added Tim Edwards. “Also to Mike Sauter, from the University of Suffolk, who facilitated the event for us.”

For information on the work and events delivered by the Ipswich Town Heritage Society, contact itfcheritage@gmail.com.