The Butt and Oyster Inn, Pin Mill, Suffolk

An old postcard of the Butt and Oyster

'...Pin Mill - where the weather beaten fishermen and daring smuggler meet in friendly intercourse, to relate their hair-breadth escapes and wonderful adventures, over a pipe and a jug, at the Butt and Oyster...' [1]

The hamlet of Pin Mill is reached through the village of Chelmondiston, (I was told when I interviewed a local bargeman for University Campus Suffolk, that the locals call it 'Cheldiston'). There is a narrow lane taking you down to the river Orwell and to the Butt and Oyster where there is a customer car park. Otherwise, you can park in the public car park, which stands about half way down the lane, when you can walk past the pretty cottages which nestle alongside the 'boaty' buildings to the water.

An old postcard (sent in 1914). Note; the wooden building to the right has since been demolished.

 

When doing the research for this historic pub I've come across so much amazing information for Pin Mill and the Butt and Oyster:

•  The Butt and Oyster is reputed to be the Most Painted Pub in Britain
• The author of children's adventure stories, Arthur Ransome, spent time at Alma Cottage (just up the road) and based two of his books; We didn't Mean to go to Sea and Secret Water here
• Some scenes from the 1950 film Ha'Penny Breeze were filmed here
• An episode of a BBC radio series, Country Magazine, was broadcast from the Butt and Oyster on Sunday 16 March 1951
• In the 1920's, the tobacco company Churchman's located in nearby Ipswich, produced a card in advertisement of it's Counter Shag showing the bay window. (The picture used for this advertisement hangs above the fire in the bar.)
• An episode of Lovejoy was filmed here in 1993
• And, if all that's not enough, what about Hollywood celebrities dining here? In 2006, during filming of Cassandra's Dream, Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell came here for lunch! 

The Butt and Oyster from the Orwell in Oct 2012

The Butt and Oyster and indeed, Pin Mill itself, is considered one of the most beautiful places in Suffolk and as such is very popular for visitors and for sailing, but in the past it was very much a working community.  Barges would have been seen going up and down the Orwell on their way to and from the Thames or collecting loads from the big ships which would anchor nearby at Butterman's Bay to come down to Ipswich.

The village of Chelmondiston and the hamlet of Pin Mill together were almost self sufficient, providing over time: a flour mill, a coal merchant, a forge, an undertaker, a boot maker, two grocers, three public houses, a physician and surgeon, a florist, a hairdresser, a saddler, a blacksmith, a butcher, a cycle repairers, a builder, a carpenter, a painter and a police station. But perhaps the most amusing, according to the Women's Institute, two carriers called 'Last' and 'Late'!

Of course, the main industry of the area is the building and maintenance of boats and the transfer of goods. It was a busy landing point for ship-borne cargo, and it was also a repair centre for the Thames Sailing Barges, there are still businesses in Pin Mill carrying on with the marine trade and there is a popular Sailing Club. A previous proprietor of the Butt and Oyster Inn was a Marine Store Dealer whilst later, the 'host' was 'renowned as a public singer of repute in Ipswich and a dealer in the antique'.[2]
 

View from the Bay Window in October 2013

The Inn is mentioned as early as 1553, when licensing laws began, and when it was issued with its first licence. The Admiralty Courts were held at the Butt and Oyster in 1546, 1549 and 1552 by the Water Bailiffs and Burgesses of the Port of Ipswich.  In 1610, an Admiralty Court was provided dinner and wine at the Butt and Oyster which was paid for by the Ipswich Corporation.

Low Tide September 2012

The area is also known for smuggling, which is interestingly noted in more than one book I have referred to, as an 'industry' rather than a 'crime'.  Will Laud, the smuggler and boyfriend of the local legend Margaret Catchpole, was said to have used the Butt and Oyster for these means.

Pin Mill is a beautiful hamlet mostly frequented by 'boaty' people, dog walkers and those taking in the magnificent view or a picturesque walk. We often visit the popular Butt and Oyster, it's just five miles from Ipswich and is a lovely old building with lots of charm and history and it's always busy, but don't let that put you off, the food here is excellent. It's part of the Deben Inns chain. If you just want to pop in for a drink, they serve continental style coffees, many types of tea, real ale and wines.

The Bar September 2012

Visit the Butt and Oyster any time of the year to take in the view and experience the ambiance. There is seating outside where you can watch the boats and take in the beautiful Suffolk coast in the summer months. Whereas, in the winter months, you can sit inside in the warm and look at the water from beside the cosy real fire. When you're sitting there, you can imagine, a few years ago watching artists, writers and photographers searching for inspiration, whilst go back a hundred or so years and imagine rubbing shoulders with the bargemen or even a smuggler or two.

If you are looking for walks near Ipswich, The National Trust provides details of a lovely walk round Pin Mill. Or have a look at Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Pub AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) Pub Walks where you can find a downloadable for a walk which takes you past Woolverstone Hall with a printable map and details.
If you would like to stay in Pin Mill for a holiday or a break, Alma Cottage, once the home of Arthur Ransome, is available for hire on a weekly basis.

References:
[1] History of Ipswich by G R Clark, 1830 (Inns of the Suffolk Coast by Leonard P Thompson 1946)
[2] Inns of the Suffolk Coast by Leonard P Thompson, 1946
Best Inns and Pubs in East Anglia, James Lawrence, 1988
Inns and Inn Signs of Norfolk and Suffolk, Alfred Hedges, 1976
The Suffolk Village Book, Suffolk Federations of Women's Institutes, 1991

Kirby's Mineral Water Manufacturers, Ipswich, Suffolk

Kirby's Mineral Water Manufacturers

I was asked whether I knew anything of Kirby's Mineral Water Manufacturers in Ipswich, I didn’t, so I thought I’d try to dig up some information on this local business. I wasn’t really aware that the late Victorians drank anything other than tea, coffee, milk, alcohol (especially beer) and ‘tap’ water.

There were a few fresh water springs in and around the centre of Ipswich, the most well-known was Holy Wells. The Cobbold family had these spring waters sent downstream to ship to their brewery in Harwich, then later to supply their brewery at Cliff Quay. However, by the time these spring waters reached the slum areas occupied by the poorest families, it was often contaminated due to poor hygiene and sanitary conditions.

We’ve all heard that in the past almost everyone drank beer, and we assume that everyone (including the children) was walking round ‘three sheets to the wind’. However, that’s not quite true. The beer then was not as it is today.  Although the process involved in making it was much the same (it was flavoured with plants and then fermented so the liquor could be drawn off and consumed) this beer was not as strong as we would like to believe and probably not as flavoursome.  The process of fermenting was not to make alcohol but to make it safe to drink so it had a low alcohol content. In Ipswich, there is a saying that we had a beer house or tavern for every day of the year! While this is not absolutely true, there were very many and certainly far more than there are now.

So when and where do botanical brew and mineral water fit in to Ipswich’s beer loving community?

The Cornhill, Ipswich 1902

Charles and Alice Kirby were first seen in the 1901 census living at 107 and 109 Hervey Street, with their 7 month old son Robert.  At this time Charles’ occupation was Botanical Brewer.  I dangled a little man on Google Street Maps to see where these premises were.  Numbers 107 and 109 are still joined and there is even a little archway through which they probably sent off their carts to deliver the brew.

Botanical brew is a soft drink brewed using natural herbs and made by a boiling process rather than fermentation. These would be drinks like dandelion and burdock, barley water, lemonade and ginger beer. The production and distribution of these drinks in the late nineteenth century can be regarded as the beginning of the soft drinks industry and many producers switched from manufacturing mineral water to making these herbal drinks. However, the Kirby family did it the other way round.

Mineral water originated from the health spas around Europe, they thought that the waters had special properties and people went to these spas to take the waters and improve their health.  Mineral water suppliers at The Great Exhibition of 1851 changed this by introducing bottled water. Instead of having to make a costly visit to take the waters, you could have the waters brought to you. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, mineral water and non-alcoholic drinks became less about their health benefits and more about taste and quenching a thirst.  It was about this time too that these sorts of drinks became more accessible to the lower classes. 

The Kirby family, made the right choice.

An advertisement from the early 20th century claiming the benefits of drinking Kirby's Mineral Water

In the 1911 census, Charles and Alice had moved from their property in Hervey Street into a prime site in St Helen’s, between Majors Corner and the County public house.  They now had two children; Robert aged 10 and Joy aged 6.  They also had a servant which is further evidence of their achievements. Their decision to go from botanical brew to mineral water proved to be very successful and lucrative not only in Ipswich, but much further afield as we can see from the advertisements.

Majors Corner, Ipswich, looking down St Helen's Street

Kirby's Mineral Water Manufacturers would have been on the left towards The County public house.

Kirby Mineral Water Manufacturers, I found in my trade directories, traded up until, and possibly well after, 1938.

---

References
[1]Lilian J Redstone, Ipswich Through The Ages

[2] Colin Emmins, Soft Drinks, Their Origins and History

Freston and It's Secrets, Suffolk

An old postcard of Freston Tower c.1900

Just a short distance from Woolverstone Hall and Pin Mill, two of my previous posts, lies the village of Freston. It's just four miles from Ipswich. It is famous for it's mysterious Tower but also something else which is quite shocking...

In the middle cottage of three named Latimer Cottages, in Freston, lived Mr and Mrs Chapman and their four children. On Tuesday 13 September 1910, the third child was taken ill. She had a temperature of 105°F, and over the next six days developed a cough which worsened.  She became delirious and suffered with diarrhoea and sickness. She died on 16 September. On the 21 September, the day after her funeral, her mother developed the same symptoms and died two days later. Mr Chapman, and a near neighbour who had nursed Mrs Chapman, both fell ill and died on 29 September.

This was the last outbreak of plague to occur in England and it is believed that this outbreak, along with two other later confirmed incidents between 1906 and 1918 in Shotley and Trimley, were the result of fleas from rats brought by shipping on the rivers Orwell and Stour which merge at the Shotley Gate peninsular.

That was a hundred years ago, but nearly five hundred years ago the Tower was built.  The purpose of this magnificent building is unclear although there are many theories including; a leisure house for the daughter of the owner, where she could participate in six different pass times (one for each floor) including astronomy from the top floor, a lookout tower against pirates, part of a pleasure garden and also, that it was built especially for the visit of Queen Elizabeth I's visit to Ipswich in 1579. 

View of the Tower from the river

Through dendochronology it has been found that Freston Tower was built between 1578 and 1579 by a local merchant Thomas Gooding. And the most likely explanation for the building was that it was a folly (built entirely for decoration and no specific purpose), if so, it would have been one of the first in the country.

When we visited the property on the Ipswich Heritage Open Weekend in 2012, there were volunteers on the ground floor who explained the history of the building and answered questions while we were waiting.

The stairs

The kitchen

Unfortunately, I can't remember the order of the floors as I had to take a quick snap when there was no-one around, which was quite difficult, so the pictures are in no specific order.

The bathroom

The guest bedroom

The master bedroom

The cosy living room. This was on the top floor.

The views from the top of the Tower are beathtaking.

Looking toward Ipswich

Looking toward Felixstowe

The Tower has been restored by the Landmark Trust and is available to hire for short breaks and holidays. It really is a charming, quaint and unusual place to stay, as you can see, is it has everything you need for a holiday.

The road from Ipswich to Freston winds along the river giving beautiful views of the boats, ships and the many birds which congregate along the the water's edge. The road also gives a close up view of the impressive the Orwell Bridge. The village used to have a lovely little pub The Boot, but unfortunately this has been closed for some time.

Freston Tower is available to hire for holidays from The Landmark Trust.
If you would like a walk near Ipswich, the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths website has a printable leaflet for a walk in this area called the Wherstead Explorer.

References:
The Last Epidemic of Plague in England? Suffolk 1906-1918, Medical History 14, p63-74, David Van Zwanenberg

Woolverstone Hall, Woolverstone, Suffolk

Woolverstone village, legend has it, got it's name when a Viking marauder named 'Wulf' sacrificed a maiden on a huge monolithic stone - Wulf-stone!

Woolverstone Hall

We visited Woolverstone Hall on the Ipswich Heritage Open Day in 2012.  It was built in 1776 for William Berners, a property developer from London, who requested it be built in a modern Palladian design. William Berners and his successors also invested in the village itself providing cottages with spacious gardens for his workers and even a holiday home for impoverished clergy.  In later years, the family were also responsible for many of the village's social functions, including the annual flower show and children's outings

When William Berners died, the house passed down to his son who built an obelisk in honour of his father.  The obelisk was burnt down by fire in 1943 and was so badly damaged that it was demolished using explosives.

The building remained in the possession of the Berners family until they sold it to Oxford University in 1937 where it stayed empty until the War Office took it over in 1939. After the war, London County Council leased the Hall in order to re-house the London Nautical School which became Woolverstone Boys Boarding School in 1959 and which closed in 1990.

Ipswich High School for Girls was relocated to Woolverstone Hall in 1992 and is still situated there today.

The Beautiful Ceiling in the Study

We were a little concerned to find a message on the door to the entrance to the underground passageways which reads:

'It's a cruel, cruel world to face on your own, 

Flesh turns to dust, as to dust turns bone, 

Was it really that wise to come here ALONE?'

 

Err yes! And it was rather spooky!

 There were lots of tunnels and dark, creepy rooms down there

 View from the first floor window

Another beautiful ceiling

One of the most remarkable things that we saw was the weather vane, not unusual in itself, as you can see here, until you see the other part of the feature, the dial.

Downstairs in one of the rooms, which is now used as an office, is this dial which shows you the wind direction without you having to go outside. It may be totally unique. Fascinating!

There is B&B accomodation within the village at Maytrees
You can hire rooms at Woolverstone Hall for wedding receptions or events.
There is a river walk which takes you past Woolverstone Hall which begins at the Butt and Oyster Inn.  Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Pub AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) Pub Walks provides a printable map and details.

References:
The Suffolk Village Book, Suffolk Federations of Women's Institutes, 1991