The community is remembering a man whose eye for colour was legendary, who devoted his life to the art of paint making – and who once featured as an expert on the BBC show Antiques Road Trip.
Even in his later years, Ted Ingilby could often be found in Ingilby Paints in Sudbury. The shop was the pinnacle of 70 years of hard work, and anyone who asked Ted to recommend a paint was well advised to do so with a cup of tea handy, such was his passion and enthusiasm.
Life was hard for the Ingilbys; they had lost a daughter who died in childbirth, and their son, Richard, died from meningitis when he was just eight. Ted’s other brother, Robert, was severely autistic. He passed away last year.
Ted’s father was a fruiterer and greengrocer, and their family had kept a shop in Hull for around a hundred years. However, Ted was determined to follow his own path. At 17, he landed his first job working as a personal laboratory assistant to the chief chemist of Websters, a supplier of marine paints and coatings.
The chemistry of making paint intrigued Ted, and he would remain in this career for the rest of his life.
In 1952, Ted was called up for National Service, serving as an Air Craftsman in the RAF. He returned to Websters once service was complete two years later.
In 1957, Ted married Mavis, the woman who was to become his wife of more than 60 years. The couple remained in Hull, where they welcomed their three daughters, Susan, Alison and Sonya.
By this time, Ted had become highly respected in his field. His factory in Ireland produced over a million litres of paint year on year, and he travelled all over the world to oversee projects.
As well as being a consummate professional, Ted nonetheless enjoyed a spot of mischief. When working in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles, he was warned to avoid a certain street where English accents would not be welcome.
Ted took great delight in walking down the road – but was careful not to open his mouth.
In 1982, Ted and his family moved to Colchester where Ingilby Paints was launched, with Ted deciding that it was finally time to focus on his own project. Ingilby Paints later moved to Glemsford in 1996, and then to its current home in Mills Road in Sudbury in 2019.
In Suffolk, Ted was able to really devote himself to the art of making paint. He soon became famous for his handmade limewash, which he created to the recipe of the Suffolk Preservation Society, and soon came to adorn the houses of the well-to-do. Soon, he had amassed fair few celebrity clients, including Terry Waite, broadcaster Paul Heiney, and the actor Martin Shaw.
Ted also featured as an expert on the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip in 2021, explaining how the iconic Suffolk Pink is made, busting the myth that the shade was achieved with pigs’ blood.
The day-to-day running of Ingilby Paints was taken over by Sonya and her sons, Alex and Dom. However, even in his 80s, Ted was still popping into the shop to chat with his family and, of course, the customers.
“He always said, if anyone needs any technical advice, give them my number,” remembered Sonya. Ted remained passionate about helping people find exactly the right paint to fit their needs and would go above and beyond for his customers.
Ted was also immensely kind; he would go out of his way to help people, and was known to pop into visit his neighbours, as he didn’t like to think of others being lonely.
Ted passed away in September, aged 90.
He is survived by his daughters, his nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
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