St Clement's Church

This historic Ipswich church is becoming an arts and community venue.

St Clement’s, close to the Waterfront, was known as the mariners’ church for centuries, but stood empty for 40 years after being made redundant.

Now it is being brought back into use as multi-purpose venue for a wide variety of users, close to a growing population and the University of Suffolk and Suffolk  New College.

Since the end of 2021 the main space has been transformed with a new, marine-style timber floor where there used to be rows of pews, level and accessible.

Then in early 2023 phase two of work brought modern toilets, a new bell ringing floor, new drainage and a water supply. The summer saw a large number of visitors, and a variety of private and public events including Ipswich Art Society’s annual open show, and the Ipswich Beer and Cider Festival.

More events are being planned in 2024.

Images by David Vincent