Summary
Positioned along the North Sea, the town of Aldeburgh is located within the Suffolk coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is indelibly connected to the renowned composer Benjamin Britten.
The composer, noted primarily for the opera Peter Grimes, settled here in the late 1940s and promptly established the Aldeburgh Festival, a longstanding event featuring opera and classical music each June.
Aldeburgh Beach presents a broad expanse of shingle, punctuated by charming fishermen’s huts where fresh fish remains available for purchase.
The town’s countryside is characterized by expansive skies, reedbeds, and marshes bordering the Alde River.
This tidal estuary is teeming with avian life, from numerous wintering wildfowl to wading birds such as redshanks and lapwings in springtime.
It is within this picturesque setting that Britten established the Snape Maltings arts complex, the venue for the Aldeburgh Festival.
1. Aldeburgh Beach
If one is deterred by some less appealing traits of the English seaside, Aldeburgh’s tranquil working shoreline evokes a bygone era, resembling a scene from a Constable painting.
This beach, composed of shingle mingled with sand, undergoes significant changes according to the tidal patterns.
Behind lies the Crag, a seafront pathway adorned with elegant residences. Strolling along, one can observe numerous fishing boats resting on the shingle, having been pulled ashore during high tide.
These vessels supply establishments such as Ash Smoked Fishes, a wooden smokehouse on the beach renowned for its exquisite smoked salmon, trout, kippers, succulent prawns, and an assortment of fish/seafood rolls and pies.
2. Aldeburgh Festival
Established over two weeks in June, the Aldeburgh Festival was initiated in 1948 by Benjamin Britten.
In its early years, the festival was conducted at various venues around Aldeburgh, eventually relocating to the transformed Snape Maltings in 1967. This arts center features a spacious main hall accommodating large-scale opera productions.
Every year, performances by numerous esteemed artists and ensembles occur, marked by a series of masterclasses led by prominent figures in opera and classical music (such as tenor Mark Padmore and conductor Antonio Pappano in 2019). The festival features three resident artists who curate different segments of the event.
For a preview of the offerings, the 2019 edition was shaped by Austrian composer Thomas Larcher, tenor Mark Padmore, and Canadian soprano/conductor Barbara Hannigan.
Larcher’s opera, The Hunting Gun, achieved its UK premiere during the 2019 festival.
3. Snape Maltings
The majority of the Aldeburgh Festival’s programming occurs at this Victorian malthouse, which was refurbished by Britten and his partner, tenor Peter Pears, transforming it into an 832-seat performance venue during the 1960s.
Initially, this expansive complex facilitated the conversion of barley into malt for distribution to London or Europe.
In addition to the Snape Maltings Concert Hall, the complex includes several smaller buildings, such as the Hoffmann Building, which houses studios and rehearsal spaces, and the Britten-Pears Building, a former barley store now home to the Holst Library, a recital room, and additional rehearsal spaces.
Throughout the year, even outside the Aldeburgh Festival, a variety of opera and classical music events are hosted at Snape Maltings.
Visitors can also explore the three galleries and browse several shops, including the upscale Food Hall that features artisan products and locally-sourced seasonal goods.
4. The Red House
In 1957, as Britten’s career peaked, he relocated with Peter Pears from the waterfront to this exquisite 17th-century residence.
The couple resided at this property for the remainder of their lives, which had previously belonged to artist Mary Potter (who moved into Britten’s previous residence). Drawing from contemporary records and the memories of visitors, The Red House appears largely as it did during Britten’s residence.
The most notable features include the composition studio where Britten created works such as War Requiem, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Noye’s Fludde, as well as the library, frequently used for recitals. In the 1990s, a gallery was constructed over Britten’s outdoor swimming pool, displaying exhibitions that illuminate Britten’s life and music.
A hut dedicated to Peter Grimes commemorates Britten’s most acclaimed piece, while a playful Noye’s Fludde dress-up area caters to younger visitors.
The Red House regularly hosts lectures, recitals, special exhibitions, and workshops for children.
5. The Long Shop Museum
In the mid-19th century, the agricultural machinery, trolleybus, and steam engine manufacturer Richard Garrett & Sons established Leiston Works, a vast factory in the nearby village of Leiston.
Steeped in the sights, sounds, and smells of the Industrial Revolution, the Long Shop features a large central area below upper cantilevered galleries for fitters.
Here, and in the factory’s outbuildings, one can observe historical steam traction engines and rollers, as well as a water tower that descends to an impressive depth of 148 meters (the deepest in Suffolk). Children can engage in dress-up activities as Victorian workers and experiment with making molds using the factory’s pattern boxes.
Numerous intriguing stories unfold within the museum, including that of Elizabeth Garrett (1836-1917), the first woman to qualify as a doctor in Britain and the first female mayor (of Aldeburgh). Join one of the regular “Steam Ups” to witness the revival of rollers and tractors.
6. Aldeburgh Museum
The Moot Hall, situated on Market Cross Place in Aldeburgh, is a striking Tudor half-timbered structure that has served as a meeting hall for over four centuries.
This building was erected in 1520 and renovated in the 1650s, during which time the Baroque sundial on its façade was added, bearing the date 1654. The Moot Hall would be noteworthy even without its role as the town’s local museum.
As of 2019, the museum was undergoing renovations, with plans to reopen later that year.
Exhibits comprise Roman and Anglo-Saxon artifacts, tools from local fishing and shipbuilding trades, as well as insights into the history of the lost village of Slaughden and the women accused of witchcraft in Aldeburgh and other Suffolk towns during the 17th century.
7. Aldeburgh Cinema
Having operated for over a century, Aldeburgh Cinema was constructed as an extension to a Victorian shop, featuring its charming Mock Tudor façade.
This venue is one of the oldest continuously operating cinemas in the UK, saved from closure by the community in the 1960s and thriving ever since.
The cinema screens independent films, critically acclaimed new releases, and timeless classics.
At the time of writing in 2019, a season dedicated to Billy Wilder was underway.
Aldeburgh Cinema also presents performances from notable cultural institutions, including the MET Opera and National Theatre.
In November, the cinema hosts the Aldeburgh Documentary Festival, which has drawn attention from figures such as Sir David Attenborough, Asif Kapadia, and Louis Theroux.
8. Thorpeness Meare
In the early 20th century, barrister and railway magnate Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie transformed a modest fishing hamlet north of Aldeburgh into a private holiday village.
This venture rapidly evolved into a resort, with homes designed in Mock Tudor and Jacobean styles encircling a country club golf course and tennis courts.
Thorpeness Meare is a boating lake created from remnants of an Elizabethan shipping haven that had silted over time.
Covering 60 acres, this lake was excavated manually and maintains a maximum depth of one meter, as Ogilvie envisioned it as a place for children to explore.
The Ogilvie family were acquaintances of J. M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, and amid the islands, creeks, and coves, you will discover names such as Wendy’s Home, Pirate’s Layer, and Captain’s House, complete with a crocodile lurking by the water.
Dinghies, punts, rowboats, canoes, and kayaks are available for rent at the lake.
9. Martello Tower
Located by the River Alde, along the isthmus leading to the Orford Ness shingle spit, stands a sturdy defensive tower from the Napoleonic era.
This is the northernmost of over 100 Martello Towers positioned along England’s coastline, erected between 1808 and 1812 in anticipation of a potential invasion.
This tower is distinctive among Martello structures due to its quatrefoil design and remains the last building standing in the village of Slaughden, which has entirely succumbed to the sea.
In 1971, the Landmark Trust took control of the tower, fortified it, and ultimately repurposed it as holiday accommodation.
10. Scallop
A prominent feature along Aldeburgh Beach, located just north of the town center, Scallop is a sculpture dedicated to Benjamin Britten, created by Maggi Hambling.
Installed in 2003, Scallop has generated considerable debate, particularly during its initial years when it faced acts of vandalism.
The artwork consists of two interconnected scallop shells, both fragmented, providing opportunities for climbing or seating (visitors are advised to arrive early to witness the sunrise). A fascinating aspect of Scallop is its varying appearance depending on the viewer’s position.
When viewed from the south, facing away from Aldeburgh, it resembles a seabird, while gazing back towards the town reveals the outline of two men in a boat.
This detail alludes to Britten’s opera Peter Grimes, inscribed along the curve of the upright shell is the phrase, “I hear those voices that will not be drowned,” a line from the same piece.
11. Leiston Abbey
The ruins of a largely 14th-century abbey dedicated to Premonstratensian canons are located in a serene countryside setting north of Leiston.
The abbey was established in the late 12th century, underwent reconstruction after a fire in 1379, and was ultimately dissolved in 1537. Following the dissolution, the site was converted into agricultural land, and a farmhouse was erected amid the remnants of the nave and north transept.
While the site has experienced decay over the last 500 years, much can still be explored.
Upon passing through a 16th-century gatehouse, visitors will encounter the cloister, featuring remnants of a lavatory on the south range.
The refectory remains in good condition, as does the undercroft below, which boasts a preserved pointed window.
The remnants of the sacristy, chapter house, and warming house are also visible within the cloister’s east range.
However, the church remains one of the most impressive elements, with the north transept arch and crossing tower intact at an exceptional height.
12. RSPB North Warren
Virtually all portions of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB provide a haven for avian life, with a reserve managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds located mere moments from Aldeburgh.
North Warren encompasses heathland, grazing marshes, woodlands, and reedbeds.
During winter, it constitutes one of the only regular wintering sites for tundra geese across the UK.
A plethora of other geese, swans, and ducks can be observed at North Warren throughout the seasons, with each season offering unique highlights.
For instance, in spring, redshanks and lapwings forage within the damp grasslands, while hobbies and marsh harriers patrol the reedbeds, and woodlands resonate with the sounds of nightingales and warblers.
13. River Alde
At Snape, the River Alde expands from a small stream into a substantial tidal river as it flows towards the North Sea.
During the Tudor era, this waterway served as a port, launching ships that participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada in 1588. To fully appreciate this vast expanse of water, mudflats, and saltmarsh, one can visit Iken Cliff and traverse the path leading to Iken Church, approximately a mile along the estuary.
Bringing binoculars is advisable, as various waterfowl and wildfowl, including godwits, avocets, and wigeons, can be sighted depending on the season.
For a more adventurous experience, Iken Canoe offers rentals for canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards along the River Alde for duration of an hour or half a day.
14. Aldeburgh Golf Course
The Alde Estuary gracefully meanders past this esteemed golf course, where golfers may detect the scent of salt in the breeze while playing.
Founded in 1884, Aldeburgh Golf Course holds a high reputation yet is regarded as formidable due to its narrow fairways interspersed with prickly gorse, which can often result in lost balls deemed out of bounds.
For experienced golfers, the Championship Course is as stunning as it is challenging, offering occasional glimpses of the North Sea amidst the need for focus on avoiding rough patches.
Conversely, for novices and those with high handicaps, the River Course, a nine-hole par 32, presents a more relaxed experience overlooking the rich birdlife inhabiting the marshes.
Summer green fees are £80 (£85 on weekends) for the Championship Course and £12 (£15 on weekends) for the River Course.
15. Fish and Chips
Having highlighted Aldeburgh’s rich culture, coastal scenery, avian diversity, and historical significance, this coastal town also excels in another realm: fish and chips.
Aldeburgh is frequently regarded as one of the premier locations to savor this cherished British delicacy.
The enterprise, Aldeburgh Fish and Chips, began as a single shop on the High Street and has now expanded to three locations (Aldeburgh Fish & Chip Shop, Golden Galleon, and Upper Deck) employing over 30 individuals from the town.
Original proprietors Cecilia and Horace Clooney acquired the shop in 1967 from a Yorkshireman, who taught them to fry using beef dripping rather than oil.
This fundamental technique has remained unchanged for more than five decades, although advancements in technology have introduced high-efficiency ranges and triple filtration systems.
Visitors to the shop on the High Street may enjoy their meal at the benches outside the neighboring White Hart pub, provided they purchase a beverage.
