Latest news with #BenjaminBritten
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suffolk coastal town dubbed 'London-on-Sea'
A much-loved Suffolk coastal town has been dubbed 'London-on-Sea' after becoming so popular with those living in the capital. The national news outlet My London described Aldeburgh as a place Londoners are heading to for staycations or even permanent moves. The popular seaside town has earned the nickname 'London-on-sea'. My London said: "While taking a stroll along Aldeburgh Beach, you'll discover a trove of historical treasures, such as the Quatrefoil Martello Tower, a relic from the Napoleonic Wars era. "There's also a charming Norman church and a beautifully converted windmill known as Green Fort. "Make sure to keep an eye out for the iconic Aldeburgh Scallop, a striking four-meter high steel shell sculpture installed on the beach to honour Benjamin Britten, the esteemed 20th-century composer and a former local of Aldeburgh. "The buzz of the waterfront is only amplified by the quaint traditional fisherman's huts peppered across the sand, where visitors have the chance to purchase some freshly-caught seafood directly from the locals." There is plenty to do in the town whether it be enjoying the glorious pebble beach, visiting one of the many great restaurants or trying out some award-winning fish and chips. Those looking for a place to stay are spoilt for choice but one place that constantly receives national recognition is The Suffolk. The town has also been named one of the best places to live in the UK by the expert property finders at Garrington. It was described as "one of Suffolk's gems" with its pastel-coloured houses serving as the backdrop to the pebble beach.
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Pretty UK seaside town named 'London-on-Sea' with one of Britain's best beaches
This seaside town in Suffolk has one of the UK's most impressive beaches, dotted with traditional fishing huts selling freshly-caught seafood and iconic art installations For all the galleries, parks and restaurants London has to offer, there is one thing locals still yearn for: the sea. While the UK has no shortage of charming seaside villages and coastal towns, only one has earned the moniker 'London-on-Sea'. Aldeburgh in Suffolk has claimed the impressive title. The picturesque seaside town has everything you could want from a classic UK staycation, including a sandy beach and some of the best fish and chips this side of Britain. Less than a two-hour train ride from London Liverpool Street, it's no surprise it has become a frequent favourite for Londoners. As reported by MyLondon, Aldeburgh's title of 'London-on-Sea' isn't just a colloquial nickname, the village was featured in a guidebook with that exact title. Situated between the River Alde and a stretch of English coastline overlooking the North Sea, this Suffolk town offers a distinct vantage point. The main attraction for travellers will certainly be the pebble beach, home to colourful 19th-century holiday villas and a historic watchtower. Aldeburgh Beach is a shingle and sand beach and consistently ranks among the top spots in Suffolk and East Anglia. It has been recognised as one of the top five shingle beaches in the country, winning several national awards including a prestigious Blue Flag. In addition to the fine shore and surf, Aldeburgh Beach is home to many historic and artistic treasures. One such feature is the Quatrefoil Martello Tower, a relic from the Napoleonic Wars era. There's also a Norman church and a converted windmill known as Green Fort nearby. But the most well-known fixture of the beach is the Aldeburgh Scallop. This four-meter high steel shell sculpture was installed on the beach to honour Benjamin Britten, the esteemed 20th-century composer who enjoyed regular walks between Aldeburgh and Thorpeness. There are no kiosks on the beach, but there are traditional fisherman's huts dotted across the sand where visitors can buy some freshly-caught seafood directly from the locals. Barring that, visitors can head into town for some battered fish. The Aldeburgh Fish and Chip Shop has previously been honoured with the title of Britain's best fish and chip spot, and Tripadvisor reviews attest to its quality. One visitor commented: "I love fish and chips, and this was the best I've ever had from a takeaway. The fish had beautiful light batter, and was translucent, flaky and delicious. Great chips too. Excellent." From grand hotels to cosy rental properties, Aldeburgh offers plenty of accommodation options for travellers. The Wentworth Hotel is one of the most luxurious in the seaside town - just 20 yards from the beach and home to an award-winning restaurant. Those looking for a more laid-back option can stay at The Cross Keys. This beachfront inn exudes old-world charm and the rooms and in-house restaurant have modern, clean furnishings. Again, the train from London to Aldeburgh is quick and frequent, but you can also get there easily by car. The drive from the capital to Aldeburgh via the A12 takes less than three hours.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Seaside resort residents cower from bird poo onslaught as endangered kittiwakes flock to town after offshore wind farm 'hotels' failed to attract them
It is known as the birthplace of Benjamin Britten, the late British composer and avid birdwatcher. But people in the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft are struggling to maintain their most famous resident's enthusiasm for the local sea bird population in the face of an aerial onslaught from kittiwakes. Growing numbers of the endangered species have sent locals scurrying for cover as their droppings descend from the sky with increasing frequency, with some people reluctant to leave their homes at all. One local business owner said staff were spending up to two hours daily cleaning the mess left on his shop's windows and canopy. 'It stinks and it's making a big mess,' said Mr Vino of V&A Stores. 'A few customers came into the shop last week and complained about the smell'. The birds have been resident in the resort town since the 1950s, when they began to colonise the entrance to the town's port. Such is the ubiquity of the red-listed species that efforts to prevent them from nesting on local buildings have given way to initiatives designed to accommodate them. Most notable among those has been the construction of kittiwake 'hotels', artificial nesting sites which have been in place for the past two years. Another case in point is the local BT building, where netting intended to keep the gulls at bay was replaced with nesting shelves. Kittiwakes are seen perching on purpose-built ledges on the side of a building in Lowestoft Such measures have helped Lowestoft to buck the trend that has caused a 40 per cent decline in the global kittiwake population since 1975 as fish stocks have been diminished by overfishing and climate change. But not all residents are convinced that is a welcome development. Tony Shreeve, who has lived opposite the BT building for the past decade, points to the havoc the birds have wrought. 'They are a bit hooligan-like - they tear the place apart and go through the bins,' he said. Even tourists like Shirley and Christopher Wyartt, visiting Lowestoft from Ipswich, have noticed the mess made by the birds. 'It is just left on the ground,' said Mrs Wyartt. 'It is an eyesore.' Kittiwakes typically return to where they hatched, and the number of birds flocking to Lowestoft to settle during the spring and summer has risen more than threefold over the past four years. Almost 2,000 kittiwakes have returned to their usual nests in the town, up from about 650 in 2021 - making Lowestoft home to one of the UK's most successful urban colonies. 'They've really come back in force now and it is more noticeable,' said Dick Houghton of the Lowestoft Seagull Action Group. 'If they were hatched in the town, they'd tend to return there. The more birds we have, the more mess.' Houghton is not averse to the birds, but neither is he oblivious to the problems they cause. 'They've increased in numbers by setting up on shop fronts and bedroom windows,' he said. 'They crap over the side of the nest, which generally lands on the pavement. 'They feed entirely on fish and small sea creatures - the stink is the smell of rotting fish. They've become more in your face and in your nose.' Explaining that chicks usually return to where they were hatched after spending the winter months in the North Atlantic, Houghton said the first kittiwake returned to Lowestoft on February 1, with the rest following 'en masse'. 'The hotels were built to provide opportunities for the birds to nest, otherwise the wind turbines could kill them,' said Houghton. 'People have assumed the hotels were there to take birds from the town - which is the ideal eventually. 'It takes one or two brave ones to try it out before the rest follow.' One seagull that has definitely gone, however, is a giant mural painted by the street artist Banksy as part of his Great British Spraycation series. The mural, part of a collection that appeared across Norfolk and Suffolk in 2021, showed a seagull tucking into a refuse skip full of polystyrene chips. It was removed from the side of a local house in the small hours in 2023. For all the controversy surrounding the birds, there are tentative signs that the offshore 'artificial nesting structures' - or kittiwake hotels - are starting to bear fruit. Following efforts by ornithologists to use life-like decoy kittiwakes and recordings of their distinctive calls to coax the birds to the hotels, a kittiwake chick hatched at one of them last year for the first time. It is hoped that more birds will nest and lay eggs in the hotels over time, prompting the birds to return there rather than populating the town. 'Businesses, and people living in Lowestoft, who are host to kittiwakes are playing a vital role in protecting vulnerable seabirds,' a spokesman for East Suffolk Council said. 'However, we do appreciate that there are challenges associated with housing kittiwakes, including mess. 'East Suffolk Council continues to coordinate regular pressure washing of public areas during the nesting season, to support local people by managing the mess from kittiwakes and other birds. 'The Lowestoft Kittiwake Partnership has also been supporting businesses with advice on managing the impact of urban gulls.'
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Lowestoft Benjamin Britten statue to be 'unveiled this year'
A statue of Benjamin Britten as a boy "is in the factory being cast" and is expected to be "unveiled this year" after a fundraising life-size bronze sculpture will be installed near the seafront in the Oscar-winning composer's hometown of Lowestoft, Suffolk, after £110,000 was by Ian Rank-Broadley, it will be placed opposite 21 Kirkley Cliff Road, where Britten was born on 22 November Soanes, vice chairman of the project, said he hoped the piece would act as an inspiration for many young people in the town. "The focus of it, and making it about him as a child, is to make children in the area realise they can achieve their ambitions too," the broadcaster and author told BBC Suffolk."When he was 14 his mother took him to the Norfolk and Norwich Festival where his talent was spotted."So, our idea of depicting him at that point is to really inspire children that whatever you want, if you work hard, it is achievable." 'A wonderful thing' The musician, who died in 1976, was previously described as a "genius" by the man tasked with bringing his likeness to life, sculptor Mr it would also not be possible without the "fantastic team of passionate people from the community" behind the Britten as a Boy project, said Mr Soanes."It has been a four-year process and a lot of hard work from [people] who have been pulling it all together," added the 48-year-old, from Lowestoft."The statue is now in the factory being cast as we speak and will be unveiled this year and installed in the next few months."We don't know exactly when, but it will be there this year. It will be a wonderful thing." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Home of renowned composer given listed status
The former home of a renowned composer and conductor has been protected with Grade II listed status. Imogen Holst lived at 9 Church Walk in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, from 1964 until her death in 1984, and described the bungalow as "the loveliest house in the world". She was the daughter of renowned composer Gustav Holst - known for his seven-movement orchestral suite The Planets. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with the advice of Historic England, listed the home due to its architectural and historical significance. Holst became Benjamin Britten's musical assistant - who was also from Suffolk - and in 1952 she was invited to help him as he worked on the opera Gloriana marking the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. She later became the artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival. Her Church Walk home was created by Jim and Betty Cadbury-Brown - designers for the 1951 Festival of Britain's Southbank site. Her rent consisted of just a crate of wine for the couple at Christmas and a supply of Aldeburgh Festival tickets. When thanking the Cadbury-Brown's for the house, she wrote: "My immense and perpetual gratitude for the loveliest house in the world." The property included some of her personal items such as her writing desk as well as her father's oak music cupboard where she stored his manuscripts. The house is owned by Britten Pears Arts and is available as a holiday rental. It is also open to the public every year for Heritage Open Days. Sir Chris Bryant, heritage minister, said the "significance" of the home "extends far beyond its status as an unassuming yet notable example of Jim Cadbury-Brown's architecture". Historic England's chief executive, Duncan Wilson, added that the home told of Holst's "contribution to British music and her connection to the Aldeburgh Festival, which continues to enrich our cultural landscape". Andrew Comben, chief executive of Britten Pears Arts, said: "The Grade II listing of her house will help us to continue to tell her story on a national and international scale." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Benjamin Britten's birthplace up for sale 'I'm graduating, not retiring,' says charity boss Britten's concert hall gets listed status upgrade Britten Pears Arts Historic England Department for Culture, Media & Sport
