The Mulberry Tree
5 Woodbridge Road
Life plays some tricks, doesn't it? No sooner had we heard that the
oft-renamed public house The Mulberry Tree at the very start of
Woodbridge Road was reverting to its original name and being
refurbished, than we noticed that the removal of the upper central sign
panel 'The Beerhouse' had revealed a very old pub sign. The photograph
was taken during a rare period of sunshine on a bitter cold January day
(unfortunate about the shadows of the branches) and by the time we
passed the pub two hours later, the new nameboard was in place. So a
lucky inclusion on this website. Directly below the sign is the cast
iron milepost
which was moved from the pavementside in 2003 and is now standing
against the exterior wall of the building to give its name to an
earlier incarnation: The Milestone. This is often overlooked because of
all the bench tables which clutter the area during warmer months.
2012
images
Suffolk
CAMRA (see Links)
has got there before us, needless to say, and picture the old sign on
their site:
"In 1865 it was listed at 1 Woodbridge Rd.
The current building dates from the 1930s, when it was built to replace
the original Mulberry Tree pub which stood just in front of it.
A report in the Ipswich Journal
on December 7h, 1878 when Mr Last was the landlord states that :
"The Ipswich & Suffolk Licenced Victuallers Association banquet
was held at the Waggon & Horses, Old Butter Market (used to be
next door to The
Ancient House). The banquet was
well served by George Wright: Waggon & Horses, Mr Last: the
Mulberry Tree and Mr J Richardson of the Tankard."
'THE
MULBERRY
TREE
TOLLY
COBBOLD'
The sign in
gold serif'd capitals on a dark or black background shows evidence of
great age and/or weathering. The fabric of the wood/plywood is in
evidence with the characters lifting away in places.
Photograph
courtesy The Ipswich Society
This 1978 view of the former coaching inn shows it pre-walling/seating
(apart from the white plastic patio furniture). The milestone at this
date was sited against the pub wall. Cars were often parked in the
concrete forecourt. Tolly Cobbold lettering featured in the gable and
the old, wall mounted pub sign shown at the top of this page can be
spotted between the first storey windows, facing the newer, very
seventies-style hanging sign.
See our pages about the Tolly Cobbold House
and Cliff Quay Brewery. See also our Pubs & off-licences page.
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Historic Lettering site: Borin Van Loon
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