Famous faces

Aldeburgh’s Famous Faces

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

(9 June 1836 – 17 December 1917) was an English doctor and suffragist, the first woman to qualify in Britain as a physician and surgeon. She was the co-founder of the first hospital staffed by women, the first dean of a British medical school, the first female doctor of medicine in France, the first woman in Britain to be elected to a school board and, as Mayor of Aldeburgh, the first female mayor and magistrate in Britain.

She was born in London, the second of eleven children. Her father, Newson Garrett, came from Leiston in Suffolk, and her mother, Louisa née Dunnell, from London.

The Garretts had been ironworkers in East Suffolk since the early seventeenth century. Elizabeth’s father, though not academically inclined, was an extremely determined entrepreneur. He left for London after finishing school, eventually moving back to Suffolk in 1841,where he bought a barley and coal merchants business in Snape. This proved to be a very prosperous venture. Whilst in Suffolk, Louisa gave birth to Louie and Elizabeth.

The family lived in a Georgian house opposite the church in Aldeburgh until 1852, during which time Newson’s business successfully expanded, and Alice, Millicent, Sam, Josephine and George were born.

Elizabeth retired to Aldeburgh, moving back into Alde House. In 1908, following the death of her husband, she became mayor of the town, the first female mayor in England.

As mayor of Aldeburgh, she gave speeches for suffrage, before the increasing militant activity in the movement led to her withdrawal.

In later life, Elizabeth devoted time to Alde House, gardening, and travelling with younger members of the extended family. She died in 1917 and is buried in Aldeburgh Church.

Benjamin Britten

Like Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Britten is one of the most famous names associated with Aldeburgh. Born in Lowestoft in 1913, Britten was writing music from a very early age and became one of the most influential figures in 20th Century British classical music. His important work includes the opera Peter Grimes, War Requiem and the The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra - much of which was written at The Red House, in Aldeburgh.

His partner Peter Pears was was a huge influence on his work and the pair, with librettist Eric Crozier founded the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. He was also responsible for the creation of the Snape Maltings concert hall in 1967. He, too, is buried in Aldeburgh Parish Church.

Snooks

The bronze dog that keeps a watchful eye on youngsters at the town’s yacht pond. The statue was originally installed in honour of his owner, Dr Robin Acheson, who cared for the community from 1931 to 1959. Dr Acheson’s wife, Nora, also a doctor, carried on as GP after his death until she died in 1981 and her name was added to the monument later. Snooks, who followed his master as he made his calls and became a familiar sight around the town, got his name because the family ate tinned snook (a sort of fish) from Africa during the Second World War.