Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh (pronounced /ˈɔ:lbrə/ (ALL-bre)) is a coastal town in east Suffolk, England. It has a long pebble beach, fresh seafood, several curious landmarks and an interesting history of survival against being swept away by the North Sea.

Understand

Aldeburgh

The town is best known for being the home of composer Benjamin Britten, who was founder of the annual Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. A lot of properties in the town are second homes. Many visit for the Blue Flag shingle beach.

• Visit Aldeburgh website

Get in

By car

Aldeburgh is approximately 30 miles (48 km) NE of Ipswich, 30 miles S of Lowestoft, 32 miles SE of Diss and 45 miles E of Bury St Edmunds. The town is connected to the London (Blackwall Tunnel) to Lowestoft A12 main road via the A1094 (8 miles).

By bus

• Bus 64 and 65 operated by First Norfolk & Suffolk each run half hourly services from Ipswich.
• Bus service 251 operated by BorderBus runs between the town and Leiston, Saxmundham, Halesworth

By train

The nearest railway station is 1 Saxmundham, a 15-minute drive west of Aldeburgh. It sits on the line between Ipswich and Lowestoft, operated by Abellio Greater Anglia.

By plane

Aldeburgh is far too small to have its own airport. Even Ipswich, the nearest large town, does not have a commercial airport. The nearest airports with regular scheduled flights are Norwich International Airport (NWI ^IATA) 45 miles to the north. And London Stansted (STN ^IATA) airport, a hub for several European low-cost airlines, 75 miles to the west.

Get around

With a distance of 2.5 km between the Scallop and the Martello Tower, Aldeburgh is small enough to walk around.

See

• 1 House in the Clouds is a fantastical 1910 creation. The neighbourhood was being made over into an "olde worlde" holiday village, but it needed modern amenities like running water, and a couple of ugly towers and tanks to boost the water pressure. One became a standard stone tower, but the other was disguised as a house perched atop an apartment block. The water tank was removed in 1979 and the entire tower has been converted into accommodation, sleeps 10+1. Lots of stairs, no lift.
• 2 Long Shop Museum, Main Street, Leiston, IP16 4ES (4 miles north of Aldeburgh), ☏ +44 1728 832189, info@longshopmuseum.co.uk.  
• 3 The beach, IP15 5BD (OS Grid ref TM 4660 5679). Stretching north past Thorpeness and south into Orford Ness, it is almost exclusively shingle (pebbles), except for small tracts of rough sand between breakwaters. (updated May 2017)
• 4 The Red House, Golf Lane, Aldeburgh IP15 5PZ (About 3/4 mile/1.2 km inland). Home of composer Benjamin Britten and tenor Peter Pears from 1957. Musical events, art exhibitions. Guided tours available. Opening hours vary - see website. (updated Mar 2017)

The Scallop

• 5 The Scallop, Thorpe Rd, IP16 4NR. A 2003 stainless-steel sculpture by Maggi Hambling commemorating Benjamin Britten, who lived in Aldeburgh from 1947 until his death in 1976. The 4-m-tall piece is made of two interlocking broken scallop shells. The main upright shell as cutouts reading "I hear those voices that will not be drowned", taken from Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes. It is meant to be enjoyed both visually and tactilely, and people are encouraged to sit on it and watch the sea. (updated May 2017)

Moot Hall

• 6 Moot Hall (Aldeburgh Museum), IP15 5DS, ☏ +44 1728 454666, enquiries@aldeburghmuseum.org.uk. Jun-Aug: daily noon-5PM; Apr May Sep & Oct: daily 2:30-5PM. The 17th-century timber-framed Moot Hall was used for council meetings and now houses the local museum describing Aldeburgh's history. Adult £2; accompanied children free. (updated May 2017)
• 7 RNLI station. The lifeboat station houses a RNLI houseboat which can be viewed from the outside by the public.  

House in the Clouds

• 8 Fort Green Mill. The curious Fort Green Mill is a four-storey windmill converted to residential use.  

Martello Tower

• 9 Martello Tower, Slaughden Rd IP15 5NA. The unique Martello Tower (knows as tower CC) is 4 towers joined together and the largest and northernmost of 103 defensive towers built between 1808 and 1812 to resist a Napoleonic invasion. Suffolk at one time had 18 towers. Many have been destroyed (e.g. pulled down for their masonry) whilst others converted into homes or put to other uses. This tower is now used as holiday apartments. The Martello Tower is the only surviving building of the fishing village of Slaughden, which had been washed away by the North Sea by 1936. 

Do

• Walk through and around the marshes along River Alde near the marina and Martello tower.
• See the site and read the plaques describing the history of the nearby fishing village of Slaughden, which was washed away by the North Sea by 1936. Near the Martello Tower at Slaughden Quay are the barely visible remains of the fishing smack Ionia. It had become stuck in the treacherous mud of the River Alde, and was then used as a houseboat. In 1974 it was burnt, as it had become too unsafe.
• 1 Model Boating Pool, Crabbe St. free. (updated May 2017)
• 2 Aldeburgh Festival. In June, at Snape Maltings.  
• Aldeburgh Carnival is next held 13-15 Aug 2022.
• 3 Aldeburgh Cinema, 51 High St, ☏ +44 1728 454884, info@aldeburghcinema.co.uk. Full programme of films, live screenings and special events. (updated Mar 2017)
• 4 Jubilee Hall, Crabbe St, ☏ +44 7980 748547, jubileehallaldeburgh@gmail.com. Music, theatre, dance, comedy, lectures, conferences, educational events. (updated Mar 2017)
• Dunwich Dynamo (or "DD" or "Dun Run"). A annual cycle ride from London to Dunwich (10 miles N of the town). The 120-mile overnight ride starts in Hackney London normally on the Saturday night closest to the full moon in July, and attracts a large entry (in 2009 1,000 cyclists growing to 2,000 by 2015). (updated Dec 2018)

Buy

Buy fresh locally-caught seafood from the fishing huts along the beach near the Moot Hall.

• 1 Tesco Express (Convenience Store), Saxmundham Rd, ☏ +44 345 610 6365. M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-7PM. ATMs (updated May 2017)
• 2 Co-op (Supermarket), 8 Saxmundham Rd, ☏ +44 1728 451458. M-Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 10AM-4PM. ATMs. (updated May 2017)

Eat

• 1 The Fish and Chip Shop, 226 High St, ☏ +44 1728 452250. Tu W 11:45AM-2PM, Th 11:45AM-2PM & 5-8PM, F 11:45AM-2PM & 5-9PM, Sa 11:45AM-2PM & 5-8PM, Su noon-2PM. Described in The Times as "possibly the finest on the east coast". (updated May 2017)
• 2 Prezzo (Italian Restaurant & Take-away), 146 High St, ☏ +44 1728 454452. Daily noon-11:30PM. (updated May 2017)
• 3 The Lighthouse (Restaurant & Café), 77 High St, ☏ +44 1728 453377. M-F noon-2PM & 6:30-10PM, Sa noon-2:30PM & 6:30-10PM (from 6PM in Aug), Su noon-2:30PM & 6:30-10PM. (updated May 2017)

Drink

• 1 Cragg Ststers Tearoom, 110 High St, Aldeburgh IP15 5AB, ☏ +44 7813 552181 (mobile). (updated May 2017)
• 2 Ye Olde Cross Keys (Pub & Food), Crabbe St, ☏ +44 1728 452637. M-Sa 11AM-midnight, Su noon-midnight. (updated May 2017)

Sleep

• 1 Martello Tower, Slaughden Rd IP15 5NA. Holiday home run by the Landmark Trust, sleeping 4. £500 - 2000. 
• 2 The White Lion Hotel, Market Cross Pl, Aldeburgh IP15 5BJ, ☏ +44 1728 452720. Check-in: 2:30PM, check-out: 11AM. Seafront townhouse with stylish, modern rooms, a casual bar and brasserie, plus free hot breakfast. £145. (updated May 2016)
• 3 Coxswains Cottage, Thorpeness (Leiston (2 miles) & Aldeburgh (2 miles)). A 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom self-catering holiday cottage. £299-799 per week. (updated May 2017)
• 4 The Wentworth, Wentworth Rd, Aldeburgh IP15 5BD, ☏ +44 1728 452312. Comfy traditional hotel on beach, relaxing atmosphere. B&B double £120. (updated Jul 2020)

Connect

As of Mar 2023, Aldeburgh has patchy 4G from EE and Vodafone, excellent signal from O2. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

• Visit Ipswich, or take a ferry to Orford Ness for marshland hikes and recent military history.
• In June, attend the Aldeburgh Festival at Snape Maltings.
• Saxmundham
• Lowestoft
• Diss