Ipswich St Matthew's Gate Suffolk antique print 1785

Ipswich is a large town in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell. Ipswich is one of England’s oldest towns, if not the oldest. Some people will dispute that the nearby Essex town of Colchester is the oldest, but it was abandoned for some time, making Ipswich the oldest continuously inhabited town in England. St. Matthew’s, or the West Gate, was built in the time of Henry VI, and was for a period used as the Borough Goal, but it has long since been demolished. Original copper-plate engraved print from ‘The Antiquities of England and Wales’ by Francis Grose, dated in the plate 20th April, 1785. Paper size approx. 11 x 7.5 inches. Excellent condition. A rare item.