Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head

The Lion's Head / The Old Times Gust House / The Harp

213-215 Cauldwell Hall Road
Olde worlde ersatz pub lettering on windows often looks convincing. We include them here as an example of nostalgic decoration which can also be seen on the genuinely very old (16th or 17th century) Spread Eagle public house in Eagle Street.
Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head 6

Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head 6

Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head 5

2012 images
Since 1901 the public house which stands at the junction of Freehold Road and Cauldwell Hall Road (opposite the jaws of Marlborough Road) was The Lion's Head.
[UPDATE 30.9.2024: 'The landlord of the Lions Head in the 1970s said that its name was chosen because Alfred Lyon objected to its opening. The original signage in place 'til the early 1970s, though a head of a lion, had human face features. Alfred Lyon named his house in Cauldwell Hall Road 'Vernon House'. It had previously been known as Rose Cottage and was the home of artist, Thomas Smythe. Alfred Lyon purchased it in 1873 with Thomas still in occupation of the studio in the back garden. Jason Williams.' That's a fascinating slice of local history; thanks to Jason for sending it.]
We haven't found 'Vernon House' on our Cauldwell Hall Road page – does anybody know where it is situated? Incidentally, the wonderful Suffolk CAMRA website (see Links) only has a photograph of the traditional Lion's Head hanging pub sign from the history of the business; does anyone have an image of the 'human-faced lion'?

By 2012 the pub was named 'The Old Times Guest House' as it was owned by the people who ran The Old Times on the Spring Road/Cauldwell Hall Road crossroads. We noticed the frosted glass lettering in the ground floor windows and it was only when these photographs were taken in November 2012 that it became clear (no pun intended) that they were stick-on vinyls. Almost certainly.
Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head 1

Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head 1

On the Freehold Road side (you can see the reflection of the '1900' grocery shop opposite):

'WINES ... SPIRITS'

and the next window:

'ALES ... STOUT'

Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head 2

The shaped 'frosting' here is very convincing; the words advertise the licenced premises wares and provide a certain privacy for those drinkers within.
The corner single sash window pane has:

'PUBLIC BAR'

Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head 3

and on the Cauldwell Hall Road frontage:

'TEA ROOMS'

Ipswich Historic Lettering: Lions Head 4

Some might say that the owners have gone a bit over the top by the time we get to 'Tea Rooms'. There are several other windows at this level which have had the more plain 'frosted' panels added to them.
The only other frosted/engraved glass lettering on pubs we know of is The Old Bell in Over Stoke and The Duke of York in Woodbridge Road. The old chemist shop in Fore Street has a frosted name.

In 2024 we noticed that The Railway Inn in Westerfield had a stick-on vinyl frosted sign on its main entrance inner door; it also bears the exuberant logo of the 'S&P Ltd' brewery, as seen on our Uncle Tom's Cabin public house page: the monogram can still be seen in a semicircle high on the end gable and above the main entrance.

In March 2023, the The Lion's Head/Old Times Guest House name changed again to 'The Harp Free House & Guest House'. The symbol on the pub sign is the Irish harp, borrowed from Guiness branding.

Further up Cauldwell Hall Road is a monogrammed date on the Co-op shop. See also Marlborough Road house names and Cauldwell Hall Road house names.

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