Page 631 - Aldeburgh Festival 2022 FINAL COVERAGE BOOK

Located about midway along the Suffolk coast, Aldeburgh is one of the county's
most popular seaside towns. The town might only be home to less than 3,000
people, but its seafront and High Street are packed with visitors nearly all year
round.

Like its close neighbour Southwold, Aldeburgh has remained largely the same
for decades - making it the perfect place for an authentic British seaside
experience. I decided to spend some time - 43 minutes to be exact - exploring
what this quaint little place has to offer.

The town is also steeped in history and culture. Benjamin Britten, one of the
greatest composers of the 20th century, lived in Aldeburgh for much of his life
and there's even a sculpture dedicated to him on the beach, but more on that
later. In fact, the Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts, held at the nearby
Snape Maltings, was founded by Britten in 1948. Celebrities such as actor Bill
Nighy have also called the town home.

This was my first time to Aldeburgh, as despite growing up in Suffolk the towns
of Southwold and Lowestoft and elsewhere on the North Suffolk coast were
always where my family went. However, as I was to find out, I couldn't have
picked a worse day to explore the town on foot as the heavens soon opened and
I got utterly drenched.