The picture shows the sporting facilities of the Ipswich Sports Centre off Henley Road. This area, to the north of the town centre, would have been at the edge of town as it was in the late 1950's.

At this time, middle class families supported the development of tennis clubs and Lido swimming facilities. Country clubs with golf courses were also popular. Their development was possible because of the increasingly prosperous the middle classes, the cheap land available at the edge of town and the increased mobility of families as more and more people became able to afford a family car. Today, clubs like this continue to prosper because of the large population they serve and because of the large numbers of young people with access to a car.

Public sports facilities in Suffolk are often linked to high schools so that they can be used by the public and pupils alike.