Stowmarket History

Stowmarket is a market town on the River Gipping, in the heart of Suffolk, conveniently located at a convergence of roads from all over East Anglia. It takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘stow’ meaning ‘meeting place’.

The medieval heart of the town formed around the parish church of St. Mary & St. Peter, where Dr. Thomas Young, a tutor of John Milton’s, is buried.

In 1793 the River Gipping was made into a canal and this brought light industry to the quiet market town. The coming of the railways made the canal obsolete but the old towpath takes you on an enjoyable walk from Stowmarket to the docks at Ipswich.

The town’s main claim to fame is the Museum of East Anglian Life, which is located on the site of an old monastic rest house called Abbot’s Hall. It now covers a 70-acre site and has an ever-increasing collection exhibits showing what rural life was like in the past.