Documents from 1640-1940 found during renovation at The Fountain pub near Ipswich are now preserved at Suffolk Archives.
Tom and Ruth Carroll own the pub. Dr. Aldous, from the University of Suffolk, helped them study the papers. They wanted the public to see them. Ruth was amazed by the finds. An electrician located more than 30 documents during work.
Ruth and Tom were excited and thought preserving them was special. Tom said the pub’s revival was a labor, for which he thanked his team. You can see digital copies at Suffolk Archives, and some will be on display at the pub.
One deed shows a sale in 1640 by Cuthbert the Younger, a blacksmith from Playford. George Platt, a beer brewer from Ipswich, bought the pub. Later, Philip Smith sold it to his dad for £72.
In 1819, James Canham sold it to John Cobbold for £750. Cobbold’s family brewed beer in Ipswich. The finds also included a 1940s photo showing Giles and soldiers singing around a piano.
Charles Walter Parker was the publican then. Dr. Aldous is happy about the find. Tom and Ruth gave the papers to Suffolk Archives, which show the pub’s history and its role in the village.
The records preserve the pub’s legacy and allow more research and stories to be told. Tom and Ruth plan to reopen The Fountain on February 21. They showed the renovation on Instagram and even found the original floor.
They hoped to celebrate history while creating a modern pub. It will be a village pub again.