Explore Cupola House history. From apothecary to restaurant, fire, and rebirth. Discover secrets of this iconic Bury St Edmunds landmark.
It was their apothecary shop in 1693. You could see the whole market area. No buildings blocked the view like today. A cupola is like a little dome on top of a roof.
Inside, it had nice fireplaces and a grand oak staircase. One room even had fancy oak panels. Later, the Jennings family used it as a grocery store. Around 1861, it became a pub called The Victoria.
Clarks Brewery owned it from 1901. Greene King bought them in 1917. They used the cellars to bottle wine during the war. The house needed fixing up.
Paul Romaine restored it in 2003. They found a cat mummy under the floor! It was there to keep away spirits. OMC Investments bought it next. It became a Strada, an Italian restaurant.
Then, disaster struck. The fire happened on June 16, 2012. The cellars played a big part. Strada was busy that evening. Staff prepped food in the cellar kitchen.
Here’s where it gets unclear. Someone put a blanket on oven flames. They took it off too soon. Flames shot up a dumb waiter.
They went into the roof space. The wood caught fire up there. The alarms sounded. Everyone got out safely. Luckily, nobody got hurt in the fire.
Firefighters came quickly. It was a huge fire. They only saved the front and one room. They took apart the roof and back walls. They worked around the weather. It took some time to remove everything.
They saved what they could. Council members took many photos. They wanted a complete record. So, they decided to rebuild it. They used old pieces and photos.
Architects and builders worked together. They rebuilt it beautifully. It even won an award. They found a hidden cellar. It slowed things down. It wasn’t on any old plans.
They found it while putting in a beam. It was small and not that important. They filled it up. They argued about a lift for disabled access. They couldn’t fit it in the building. Space was too tight.
They also found a well. It was under the kitchen floor. It was very old, before the Macros. It surprised everyone.
Nobody knew about it. It was nine meters deep in the ground. The well was dry. The water table is too low now. It extended the rebuilding time. The project was much admired when finished.
A fancy restaurant called Bourgee opened. It closed after a year. In 2019, Cupola House became Grade II listed. Even though it looks great, it is not original. Now, it’s a Japanese place called Sakura. They make sushi.