EDitorial ± 2-Dec-2009

Sherrington Road

Look in the private residents section of the 1973 Kelly's Directory of Ipswich and you'll find an entry for "Ramsey, Sir Alfd E" -- the mighty Sir Alf -- at 41 Valley Road, two roads away from Broom Acres on Broom Hill Road.

Next street along in the opposite direction is Sherrington Road, best known as the site of the entrance to Broomhill Pool. Until some recent idle Googling, I had no idea that the road took its name from one Charles Scott Sherrington. Follow the link to his page on Wikipedia and you'll discover some of this estimable fellow's achievements:

  • played football for Ipswich Town
  • rowed for Oxford
  • published poet

More than enough for most people. But hang on, there's a tad more:

  • president of the Royal Society
  • awarded the Order of Merit
  • winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1932

Quite a list, no? Young Charles was brought up in Anglesea Road in a place called Edgehill House, later rechristened The Hill House. Following a brilliant career in physiology at Liverpool and Oxford, he retired to little old Ipswich.

Look in the private residents section of the 1937 Kelly's Directory of Ipswich and you'll find an entry for "Sherrington, Sir Chas. S." -- the mighty Sir Charles -- at 73 Valley Road. Top man.