IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
White Lion Court, IPSWICH, IP7 5JE

Snowy streets just before Christmas. The town sign and the White Lion Hotel, formerly a coaching inn.

Grade II* Listed, an important building despite the extensive external alterations. The leather faced one-handed clock is about 1795 used to advertise the premises of a watchmaker. The interior has some medieval wall painting depicting Potifer’s wife rescuing Joseph from the well. The core of this house is an early hall house, rebuilt in the 17th century by the Bayning family whose coat of arms is depicted in the pargetting.

A grade II*(star) listed building, 17th century, with some elaborate partly painted pargetting on the front. The clock was not working. For a detail of some of the pargetting, see Image

The frieze has been described as grapes, but look rather more like blackberries to me. The coat of arms is that of the Bayning family who built or rebuilt the building in the 17th century. The feature top left is a bit odd, but may be an elaborated fleur-de-lys. All of these motifs are repeated elsewhere on the frontage. The panel top right is merely unevenly stippled. The pargetting is considered to be about as old as the building.

Grade II* Listed building with a 16th or 17th century core and 18th century front. A former Commercial Inn & Posting House closing in the late 1980s and converted in 1997-8 into a number of flats. In 1825 the auction details describes the White Lion as '...with stables, coach house, outbuildings, yards, garden, and spacious Bowling Green...' Records show the bowling green opening in 1754 so the inn must pre-date this. The green was physically separated from the White Lion in 1973 when Magdalen Road was constructed. The Bowling Club purchased the green and clubhouse from the owners of the White Lion, Tolly Cobbold, in 1990. First recorded Innkeeper is Robert Beales in 1781. From 1865 to 1888 it is described as 'commercial inn & posting house & inland revenue office'. Parish records show the 'Petty Sessions held here every 4th Thursday (1844)'. The rear of the building was damaged by fire in 2011. Directory entries include; 1839 Josh. Stevens; 1855 Hannah Stevens; 1869-1892 Robert Aldous (& agent for Great Eastern Railway Co.); 1900-1912 Mrs Ellen Aldous (& agent for Great Eastern Railway Co.).

Grade II* Listed early 19th century building.

Opposite the Market Place, a grade II listed building. It has a 'For sale' sign outside.

A much altered 16th century Grade II Listed public house. One of the town's leading coaching inns with regular services to London, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. A case heard by the Chancery in the 1560s or 1570s refers to a dispute over the lease of a number of properties including the George Inn between the owner Robert Forth and Thomas Swyneborne. As with most inns of this nature it is the subject of many local tales and rumours of underground passages and hidey holes for priests or smugglers' contraband. One more accurate 1735 tale is of the 'Hadleigh Gang'. Customs Officers raided a house at seymor and found a huge stockpile of tea that they took to the George for safe-keeping. During the night they were attacked by about 20 smugglers and after a bloody encounter where a life was lost, the gang recovered their loot. Smugglers John Wilson and John Biggs were later hanged for their part in the crime but their leader John Harvey seems to have escaped with seven years transportation. The first recorded Innkeeper was Anne Hardcastle in 1791. Auction details by direction of the Executors of the late Mr Thomas Clubbe Coleman of March 1850 lists in detail the accommodation that includes 'six stables affording accommodation for 70 horses; lock up and open coach houses'. In 1865 the sale particulars list only 'two 4 stalled stables, 5 horse ditto' but include in the yard a 'brick built cottage'. Directory entries include; 1839 Richard Tozer (& posting house); 1855 William Colman (& posting); 1869 William Suthers; 1891-1892 Charles Tweed Murton; 1900 Alfred Game; 1901 no landlord/owner listed; 1912 Harry A Mayston.

16th or 17th century Grade II Listed building with late 18th century front and 19th century shop front. Bromley and Fitch were established in 1999. Some time before 2002 the Guildhall Medieval screen was rescued from here by a John Bloomfield.