Iconic Ipswich laneway to be renamed Cribb and (or &) Foote Lane
03 March 2021
Ipswich City Council has taken another step forward on the Nicholas Street Precinct redevelopment, naming the centre’s iconic laneway after a long-running local business.
Councillors, considering the Name Your Places and Spaces initiative at its February meeting, voted to name “Laneway 1” as Cribb and Foote Lane.
It returns the moniker of the historic Cribb and Foote department store that existed in Ipswich from 1849 until 1985. It was renamed Reid’s department store in 1972 before it burned down 13 years later.
Division 3 Councillor Andrew Fechner moved a motion to name the laneway after Cribb and Foote, which was seconded by Deputy Mayor, Chair of the Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee and fellow Division 3 Councillor Marnie Doyle.
Mayor Teresa Harding said the new name celebrates the role that local families and businesses play in Ipswich’s history and prosperity.
“Cribb and Foote have returned to a flourishing city centre,” Mayor Harding said.
“Their department store provided jobs and goods to our residents – now they are providing a link to our city’s rich heritage.”
Cr Doyle said council had sought community consultation and invited residents to suggest names for Laneway 1 and other locations in the precinct.
“In the responses there were lots of proposals, including names of individuals from around Ipswich, as well as the inclusion of two well-known family names that have had a long history in Ipswich,” she said.
“I think it’s fair to say that the community probably would be reluctant to give the laneway to the name of an individual and the preference would be more towards a significant family name in our history.
“In my view Cribb and Foote would be appropriate, but also it speaks to very prosperous economic times in Ipswich when there was a thriving CBD and economic hub.”
Cr Fechner added that it was important to reflect on Ipswich’s history; that the name meant a lot to Ipswich at the time and in future could reflect fun times and include a café in the laneway.
In an interesting aside, councillors questioned whether the original department store was named Cribb and Foote or Cribb & Foote.
Historic photos provided evidence of both – so council decided to do more research to come up with the definite and or & for laneway signage purposes.