Kate Chantry at Suffolk Archives, Suffolk County Council kindly send some post opening comments from users of The Hold, the new exciting additon to the Ipswich Waterfront. 

‘I was very impressed with the exhibition and the facilities at The Hold.  My husband and I enjoyed it so much that we brought our grandchildren to The Hold on Saturday.  They enjoyed the food at the Cafe and loved the interactive installation about Suffolk's history.  It kept them occupied for some time.  The people working at The Hold were so kind and helpful and explained the installation to the children.  What a wonderful resource for Ipswich.’

‘We were both so impressed with everything - how you have been able to show different aspects of their story, and are amazed at how you have found such innovative ways to raise the interest of young people, and include them interactively.  I had not listened to the tape recording of the letters for some time, and as always it made me very emotional when I heard them again on Tuesday.  We took several photos so I will show them to my family.  We hope it will not be too long before The Hold will be able to fully open in the way I am sure you would like it to, the problems caused by the Covid virus must have made your work extremely difficult and frustrating.’

‘Really lovely space. Interesting exhibits and artwork. Friendly and knowledgeable staff who interacted with me and my toddler. Looking forward to forthcoming exhibitions in the new year!’

‘A wonderful space with interesting things to look at … & a great café too’

‘Very impressed’.

‘I have been completely bowled over by the experience of walking into the Hold this morning.  Nothing prepared me for the amazing sight that appeared before me.  Everything was much larger and the space much wider than I had imagined it was going to be.  The space was huge and the walk through, along the street, was a real surprise to me as I had not taken in that the area went right through the building with people able to come in one side and out the other.  As for the drawings standing so tall, majestic, and quietly present without being intrusive; ….. what vision.  The size of each image is quite extraordinary and yet they look so normal just how they should be, a real part of the building.  It's as though they were always there waiting for everything else to come and take its place in the interior of the building.  They seem to serve as a background to the space, a link with gown and town, a warm welcoming contemporary area with a certain calm.  It was just wonderful to soak up the atmosphere and see the drawings enlarged and how well they looked individually and as a whole piece ….I can't think how you have managed to pull everything together despite the delays to things COVIN-19 and all the complications that has brought to our lives, so many aspects to the whole project of moving across from Gateacre Road, the expansion of your outreach and all the programmes and experiences for the public, especially in reaching the young people of our communities.  You have injected new life into the Archives and the building with its contemporary feel can only enhance what you are and have been doing.’

‘I can’t tell you how thrilled we were to hear that [our child] was one of the winners in the Big Draw Competition. He has quite a quiet nature and sometime lacks confidence in his own abilities and so to    win this competition has given him such a boost. We are all really proud of him. Thank you so much for organising the competition and providing him with the pencils and sketch pad so he could take part in    the first place!’

“The presentation gave a great overview of what archives are at the Hold and I was fascinated by the creative ways that people have already interpreted and celebrated the collections and the people and places they represent. I could already see hundreds of stories in the artefacts we were given to look at, and others around the building. The records were completely fascinating and incredibly poignant. I'm very excited to start searching the archives for collections which may influence my own historical fiction story.’