Claude Fonnereau was a French Huguenot refugee who settled in England and became a prominent merchant. He was the founding father of the Fonnereau family in England.
Portrait of Fonnereau, British School, c. 1725
Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich c. 1890
Christchurch Mansion is a substantial Tudor brick mansion house built in Ipswich, Suffolk by Edmund Withypoll around 1548–50. The Grade I listed building is located within Christchurch Park and sits by the southern gates close to the town centre of Ipswich. The mansion belonged to various noble families throughout its history but was purchased by the Ipswich Borough Council in 1884. Since 1885, the building has been used as a museum and is today run by the municipally run Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service (CIMS)organisation. The museum's rooms are preserved as past inhabitants would have known them, complete with original items such as furniture, fine clothing and children's toys. The museum also holds a collection of paintings by renowned local artists including John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough. The Mansion is free to enter and booking is not required.
Christchurch Mansion from the front
The round pond of Christchurch Park with the mansion in the background
A staircase and the library in August 2013
Clock over the main entrance of Christchurch Mansion