ðə ɡɹˈaʊndbɹˈeɪkɪŋ sˈɛɹᵻməni tˈʊk plˈeɪs ɪn ˈɪpswɪtʃ ˌɔn wˈʌn ˈɔːɡəst wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈaɪv, wˌɛɹ twˈɛlv lˈoʊkəl wˈɜːðiz ɪŋklˈuːdɪŋ ðə mˈeɪɚɹ ʌv ˈɪpswɪtʃ, ˌɛndʒɪnˈɪɹ pˈiːɾɚ bɹˈʌf ænd dʒˈɑːn ʃˈɛviɚ kˈɑːboʊld ˈiːtʃ fˈɪld ɐ wˈiːlbˌæɹoʊ wɪð sˈɔɪl.
The ground-breaking ceremony took place in Ipswich on 1 August 1845, where twelve local worthies (including the mayor of Ipswich, engineer Peter Bruff and John Chevallier Cobbold) each filled a wheelbarrow with soil.