Guest, Sign inJoin
Ancient House
Photo: Unknown photographer · CC BY-SA 2.0 · tap to enlarge
Grade I listed building · Historic England

Ancient House

On the list as The Ancient House

Listed Grade I since 195175 years · Grade I is the top 2.5% of England’s listed buildings
HHouseCACentral conservation area1951Listed
DirectionsOfficial list entry ↗

Many listed buildings are private homes. Please enjoy them from the street.

★ Then & now

Ancient House, 1903 and today

Drag across to compare. The two views aren’t taken from exactly the same spot.

Ancient House today
Ancient House, 1903
1903Today

1903: Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain. Today: Photo: Unknown photographer · CC BY-SA 2.0.

About

About Ancient House

Ancient House, listed as The Ancient House, is one of 11 Grade I listed buildings in Ipswich and about 9,341 in England. It was among the first 81 buildings in Ipswich to be listed, on 19 December 1951. It stands in the Central conservation area, designated in 1974. Within 400 metres are 6 more Grade I buildings and 222 other listed buildings. We have 1 public-domain view of it from before 1950.

HERead the official list entryHistoric England’s description of the building, its history and why it is listed · List entry 1037756↗

Grade I is for buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings in England. Listing protects the whole building, inside and out: changes need listed building consent from the council.

In old photographs

1 old view of Ancient House

Public domain, made before 1950, from 1903. Tap one to see it full screen.

Picturesque Suffolk. The Ancient House, Ipswich1903
Picturesque Suffolk. The Ancient House, Ipswich

From Wikimedia Commons (public domain or CC0), copied to our own server; each credit is in the viewer.

Visit

Make it a walk: 5 listed buildings in about 10 minutes

Ipswich · about 0.3 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1Ancient HouseStart here
  2. 2Great White Horse HotelGrade II* · 0.1 mi on
  3. 3Pykenham's Gateway and Brick Boundary WallGrade I · 0.1 mi on
  4. 4Olde Tudor CafeGrade II* · 0.1 mi on
  5. 5Church of St MargaretGrade I · 0.1 mi on
Farther afield
Unitarian Meeting HouseGrade I0.2mi3-9, Silent StreetGrade II*0.2mi45 and 45A, St Nicholas StreetGrade II*0.2mi1, Silent StreetGrade II*0.2miCafe BlanchfleurGrade II*0.2mi24, St Margaret's PlainGrade II*0.2mi
Around it

41 more listed buildings within 150 metres

Grade I and II* ones open their own page; Grade II ones open the official list entry.

II1A, St Stephens Lane19 mII25-29, Buttermarket21 mII1, St Stephens Lane21 mII31 and 33, Buttermarket23 mII3, St Stephens Lane26 mII35, Buttermarket28 mII21, 23 and 23A, Buttermarket32 mII22-28, Buttermarket34 mII14, Dial Lane35 mII37-41, Buttermarket36 mII10 and 12, Dial Lane38 mII*Church of St Lawrence41 mII18 and 20, Buttermarket42 mII40, Butter Market43 mII8, Dial Lane43 mII2 and 4, Dial Lane52 mII16, Buttermarket53 mII*Church of St Stephen56 m
Show the other 23
II44, Butter Market59 mII30 and 32, Tavern Street62 mII34 and 36, Tavern Street63 mII20 and 20A, Upper Brook Street85 mII9 and 11, Butter Market89 mII31, Tavern Street90 mII17, St Stephens Lane94 mII37-41, Tavern Street102 mII33 and 35, Tavern Street102 mII2 and 3, Hatton Court105 mIIWhite House112 mIIElim Church113 mII37, Upper Brook Street119 mII39 and 39A, Upper Brook Street122 mIINational Westminster Bank124 mIICoach and Horses Hotel126 mII*Great White Horse Hotel127 mIIPlough Inn132 mII13, Tower Street133 mII43, Upper Brook Street137 mIIPost Office140 mII2-6 Northgate Street and 1 Carr Street143 mIIBluecoat Boy Public House149 m
More like it

Grade I houses near Ipswich

Within 25 miles, with a photo.

Mistley Towers, North West TowerMistley · 8 mi away
Mistley Towers, South East TowerMistley · 8 mi away
62-66, High StreetHadleigh · 9 mi away
ShermansDedham · 10 mi away
Southfields the Flemish CottagesDedham · 10 mi away
Landguard FortFelixstowe · 11 mi away
SongersBoxted Cross · 12 mi away
Shilling Old GrangeLavenham · 16 mi away

Questions about Ancient House

Is Ancient House listed?

Yes. The Ancient House is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England (list entry 1037756), first listed on 19 December 1951.

Can you visit Ancient House?

Many listed buildings are private homes; this one can be seen from the street.

Is Ancient House in a conservation area?

Yes, the Central conservation area, designated in 1974.

Are there old photos of Ancient House?

Yes: 1 public-domain view from before 1950, on this page.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it. Photos: Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, credited above, copied to our own server. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.