Morpeth House
Encyclopedia
Morpeth House is a large house in the centre of Ipswich
. It is situated on Lacey Street near the old Odeon. The grounds are about 3/4 of an acre
and have many old trees and interesting features.
Room created by Charles Whitfield King was a former library that was wallpapered in 1892 with 44,068 stamps (total face value £699 16s 9d) by a decorator engaged exclusively for 3 months working 11 hrs a day, and the original owner of the house had a bookcase removed in 1894 and the extra space used for another 5474 stamps. The stamps were arranged in mosaics and interesting shapes over the walls. All that survives now is over the mantelpiece; a decorative 1892 with a mosaic pattern surround.
to keep the building in tip top condition. Then the house was surrounded in fields and woodland and Lacey street only had three houses on it but now there are almost 50.
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
. It is situated on Lacey Street near the old Odeon. The grounds are about 3/4 of an acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
and have many old trees and interesting features.
Stamp Room
The StampPostage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
Room created by Charles Whitfield King was a former library that was wallpapered in 1892 with 44,068 stamps (total face value £699 16s 9d) by a decorator engaged exclusively for 3 months working 11 hrs a day, and the original owner of the house had a bookcase removed in 1894 and the extra space used for another 5474 stamps. The stamps were arranged in mosaics and interesting shapes over the walls. All that survives now is over the mantelpiece; a decorative 1892 with a mosaic pattern surround.
Billiard Room
The Billiard room is an octagonal room that used to house the full size snooker table that the Whitfield Kings owned. The roof was in a bad state of repair; it proved impossible to make its lantern windows watertight and it proved too expensive to replace. The roof was removed and the room was turned into a "Secret Garden". The stage area has been used for a few concerts.Time line of owners
1887-1959, Whitfield King family three generations:- 1887, Charles Whitfield King (1855-1930)
- 1930, Charles Whitfield King (1887-1944)
- 1945, James Charles Whitfield King (1921-1982)
- 1959-1977, Ms Goddard Dance School (billiard room used as dance hall and stamp room as dressing room)
- 1977-2004, home of the Capey Family (8 children)
- 2004-now, home of the Gwinnutt Family (Martin, Emma, James and Becky)
Whitfield King
Whitfield King built the house and the building opposite to be used as the centre of his stamp business. He was a very successful businessman and sold millions of stamps from Ipswich. He employed 17 people in the building including sorters of stamps, addressers, cleaners and an engineerEngineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
to keep the building in tip top condition. Then the house was surrounded in fields and woodland and Lacey street only had three houses on it but now there are almost 50.