This picture shows part of Ipswich mostly built in the 1950's and early 1960's to the north of the town centre.

At this time car ownership was less common. Many women stayed at home with their young families and walked and bused to the shops. To take account of this, small shopping parades were built into the general housing developments like the one shown here. The parades catered for shoppers everyday needs by selling convenience goods such as newspapers, groceries and vegetables. In most cases homes did not have freezers nor did they have washing machines, so fresh food shops had to be close by. Services such as launderettes were often part of the parade of shops as was an "off-licence" and a pub.

In this photograph the phases of the development of the housing can be seen with the more modern buildings easily seen infilling the gaps left during the original developments. Modern houses have garages built in to their design while the older ones have had them added on later.