04/06/2026
Congratulations to Dale Banham, who was presented IMT’s Richard Smith Award for outstanding contributions to our maritime heritage, by the Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Pat Bruce-Browne
And many thanks to Isaacs on the Quay for the use of the Top Room, a wonderfully atmospheric and appropriate setting, overlooking the Heritage Harbour.
Dale worked with IMT’s Ipswich Heritage Harbour Project (IHHP) team - Hannah Houghton, Judy Harrison and Sarah Winter - to create imaginative resources for local primary and secondary schools which have already been recognised as a model of excellence nationally by the Schools History Project.
Dale is an Honorary Fellow of the Historical Association and the Schools History Project. He currently works as an education consultant and a part-time history teacher at Northgate High School and Sixth Form Centre in Ipswich, where he was a Deputy Headmaster from 2010-2025.
“It is so important that teachers tailor the curriculum to the local context, linking local history to national and international developments in order that all young people develop a sense of pride in their local town.
“The resources we have produced provide regular opportunities for pupils to use ‘real’ sources and archives, including the incredible photographs and paintings of Ipswich in the unique IMT Image Archive.”
Richard Smith, a founder member of IMT, was an author, photographer and great contributor to the appreciation of local maritime history and heritage. He died in 2017. The Richard Smith Collection of photos, of shipping on the river Orwell in the 1970s and 80s, is part of the IMT’s Image Archive of thousands of photos, drawings and postcards relating to the port of Ipswich over hundreds of years.
After the presentation, Dale gave an inspiring talk on his innovative approach to interpreting Ipswich’s maritime heritage for local teachers and schoolchildren. Members of the audience were encouraged to actively participate in some of the thought-processes and questions undertaken by the schoolchildren themselves – with wildly different responses!
Heritage Harbours Group UK Maritime Heritage Trust All About Ipswich The Waterfront Ipswich
