Felixstowe

Port and resort opposite Harwich in Suffolk, eastern England, fronting the estuary of the Orwell at its confluence with the Deben, 20 km/12 mi southeast of Ipswich; population (2001) 29,300. It is Britain's busiest container port, handling around 2 million containers a year, 35% of the UK's total traffic. Oil and other bulk liquids are also imported.

Felixstowe's port facilities developed from 1886 and now cover 283 ha/700 acres; the container port opened in 1967. Ferry services operate from Harwich. Connection to the ferry port from Felixstowe is solely by road, a 58-km/36-m, circuitous route.

Felixstowe is thought to have derived its name from the Benedictine priory founded here in the late 11th century, which was dedicated to St Felix, bishop of Dunwich. The town developed as a resort at the end of the 19th century, with a promenade, cliff gardens, and boating facilities.

Landguard Point, at the mouth of the Orwell and Deben estuaries, is a nature reserve. Landguard Fort was first built in the mid 16th century by Henry VIII to guard the entrance to the harbour at Harwich. In 1667 the fortress repelled a full-scale naval invasion by the Dutch.