Up until the 1960's the Thoroughfare was the main A12 road from London to Lowestoft. Woodbridge now has by-pass to the north and this street is now closed to traffic for most of the day. It is an important shopping street with tourists. The Throughfare was much broader than at present and this can be seen by the lines of the houses which lead down hill to the stream. Woodbridge is built on the west bank of the River Deben. It is a very old settlement situated on a gravel terrace at the junction of two tributary streams and the tidal estuary of the Deben. It was a good site for launching and recovering boats so has been associated with the sea for centuries.

The present quayside and harbour are some way away from the town centre and are built out into the marshes to get to deep water. The present dock became an important port in Victorian times when straightening and dredging of the channel allowed larger sailing boats and Thames sailing barges to reach the town.