Sudbury Signage and Wayfinding Project launches to celebrate town’s heritage

The UK’s capital of silk. An historic market town. A valley of artists.

All of these titles and more are now emblazoned on the roads in and out of Sudbury as part of a new project designed to celebrate the town’s heritage and improve signposting of its main landmarks.

The Sudbury Signage and Wayfinding Project officially launched on Friday, after more than a dozen installations were completed across the town.

Three types of signage are included – gateway signs at the entrances to Sudbury, wayfinding posts to help people navigate the town and interpretation totems that reveal local history.

They have been paid for using allocated section 106 money from developers and Shared Prosperity Funds from Babergh District Council.

The gateway signage is located on Kings Hill, Melford Road, Waldingfield Road, Northern Road and Ballingdon Hill – each with unique designs referring to a different aspect of Sudbury’s heritage.

Respectively, these pay homage to the town’s silk trade, its ancient water meadows, its market town status, its industry roots and its ties to famous artists.

Meanwhile, finger post way-finders have been added to Old Market Place, Friars Street, Station Road, Hamilton Road, Walnut Tree Lane and Cornard Road.

These have been positioned based on research and heat map data about Sudbury’s footfall, providing directions from the busiest areas to quieter locations.

Finally, totem interpretation and map signs are now in place at The Croft, Station Road, The Mill at Walnut Tree Lane, Friars Street, and the junction of North Street and Old Market Place.

Each of these totems features a map highlighting key local landmarks and attractions, while the reverse panel tells the history of the location.

The signs also feature QR codes which link to websites with more detailed information about that area.

The launch ceremony featured representatives of Sudbury Town Council, who led the project, and guests such as local historian Ashley Cooper, who played a key role during the research phase.

Mr Cooper said the project would help to bring to life the research of past Sudbury historians, such as Edith Freeman and Barry Wall.

“It’s an absolutely fantastic next step in informing and enlightening both visitors to the town and those of us who already live here,” he said.

“It makes history accessible for everyone and it will help us all to keep discovering more about Sudbury.

“It’s a wonderful way of enabling people to expand their knowledge of Sudbury. It really helps us to understand the town as it was in previous centuries.”

Mr Cooper also paid tribute to the town council’s business manager, Rachel Price, for spearheading the project.

He added: “Rachel is one of Sudbury’s great enthusiasts. I applaud her for her hard work, embracing this initiative and seeing it come to fruition.”