Ipswich Wanderers

Time to visit Town's other club – Ipswich Wanderers (@_IWFC). They play Norfolk's Gorleston tomorrow at Humber Doucy Lane. I'd get down there and support this team on the rise – they've won two league titles in the last few years. But before you do, let's #GetTheBadgeIn. Because they fly a simplified version of the Ipswich Coat of Arms. And its history and legacy should give you the chills:

The badge features a lion and three ships’ sterns, reflecting Ipswich’s connection to the Cinque Ports. Although Ipswich was never officially one of these ports – which were based in Kent – its strategic location on the River Orwell made it a crucial hub for trade, shipbuilding, and maritime innovation. The Cinque Ports were specially designated towns that received tax and law-making powers in exchange for providing ships, sailors, and provisions to the Navy in times of conflict. As we will see, while not in receipt of those benefits, Ipswich was vital to the nation's projection of power at sea.

The Cinque Ports had their own crests depicting three half-lions emerging from three ship hulls. Ipswich’s adaptation reduces the lions from three half-lions to one upright lion. And, importantly, it adds rudders to the ships. This distinctive feature is a hallmark of the Town's history: Ipswich’s town seal (a piece of rope from May 1200 with a pattern on it – which still exists inside the Town Hall) is the earliest known depiction of a ship with a movable stern rudder in the world.

This innovation greatly improved manoeuvrability at sea, and there is a very strong likelihood that it was designed in Ipswich.

Ipswich’s location and maritime skills boosted Ipswich on land too – as a member of the Hanseatic League: a powerful network of Northern European trading cities that struck a deal with each other to lower regulations and taxes on each other's imports and exports. This embryonic European Single Market gave Ipswich traders a boost, attracting customers and investment from far and wide.

Ipswich traded in goods like wool, cloth, and grain. The use of cogs – robust cargo ships – can be seen in a lot of medieval images from Ipswich. Many of those ships would, in turn, have been built and maintained in Ipswich too.

The River Orwell provided deep, sheltered waters, perfect for launching large vessels. The town’s proximity to London and major European ports ensured a steady demand for ships capable of both trade and warfare. Most importantly, the abundance of Suffolk oak – prized for its durability – allowed Ipswich shipbuilders to construct reliably strong vessels. Timber from the great oak woods around the town was floated downriver to shipyards, ensuring a steady supply of materials.

Ipswich’s shipyards played a vital role during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453). Edward III’s fleet of over 300 ships assembled in the River Orwell ahead of his invasion of France. Before setting sail, Edward received word that the French fleet had already sailed to Antwerp to block his army’s transit to the mainland. Edward decided, sod it, I’ll fight my way through. The ships waiting in the Orwell were hastily converted into warships, with high sterns and forecastles for the soldiers to utilise in raining hell down on the French ships before coming alongside to board. Imagine the scene as the carpenters and shipwrights of Ipswich hurriedly turned a fleet of transports into a fleet of warships bristling with towers.

The plan worked. These ships, adapted for battle with sterns and forecastles, were key to England’s decisive victory at the Battle of Sluys in 1340. This naval triumph, which one local historian describes as the Trafalgar of its time, was extraordinary. Check out these numbers: the Orwell fleet lost 2 ships; the French lost 190, of which 166 were captured! What the actual... where is Sluys Square in Ipswich? With Edward’s column? This surely has to be a bigger part of our legacy!

So, the Ipswich Wanderers badge encapsulates this proud history: innovators, traders, shipbuilders, and slaughterers of the French.

Ipswich Wanderers are the very best of British.